Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling power up of an electronic device with a video camera is provided. The present invention provides for using a video camera attached to an electronic device, such as a computer system, to cause the electronic device to be powered up from sleep mode when motion is detected. The electronic device may also be powered up from being shut down. In one embodiment, the video camera includes a processor and memory that compare consecutive frames captured by the video camera. When the electronic device is in sleep mode, if consecutive frames are the same, the video camera continues to monitor the scene without generating an output signal. If the frames are different, motion is detected and the video camera generates a signal that is used to determine whether the electronic device should power up. In this manner, the electronic device may begin the powering up process before the user of the device interacts with the device.