Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around fifty to a hundred bucks?

[Nick Agostini]

Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

I don't want to spend a lot.
But I'd like to have a closed circuit camera.

I guess it would be event driven.
And it could be checked by the home computer.

I don't want anything on the net.
Just on my own network.

I have a normal Wi-Fi router.

Any suggestions?

[unknown]

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?
I don't want to spend a lot.
But I'd like to have a closed circuit camera.
I guess it would be event driven.
And it could be checked by the home computer.
I don't want anything on the net.
Just on my own network.
I have a normal Wi-Fi router.
Any suggestions?

You cannot get high resolution videos over WiFi. I have tried that.
Anything over 720p will be choppy. Even 720p will be choppy if not close
to the WiFi router. You should consider using network cable to connect
the security camera to your router.

[Nick Agostini]

Post by unknown
You cannot get high resolution videos over WiFi. I have tried that.
Anything over 720p will be choppy. Even 720p will be choppy if not close
to the WiFi router. You should consider using network cable to connect
the security camera to your router.

That's good advice at this stage when I'm deciding what will work best, as
I'm not trying to get fancy but it has to be good enough to recognize
license plates and faces I would think, in case of a recordable event.

An advantage of the cable is it is its own POE which I think can go around
300 feet which is probably twice as far as I need to go.

How do they store the events? Can they do a day? A week? A month?

[kelown]

Post by Nick Agostini
How do they store the events?

Most store via an SD card or to your hard drive or ISP.

Post by Nick Agostini
Can they do a day? A week? A month?

Depends on your storage size.

128GB SD card: 4 days @1080p
128GB SD card: 24 days @480p

https://is.gd/vpYsW4

Most surveillance cameras are configured to record only upon motion
detection, to save battery and storage life. But you could hook the
camera directly to AC power to record until you run out of storage.

[Charles Jack Jones]

Post by kelown

Post by Nick Agostini
How do they store the events?

Most store via an SD card or to your hard drive or ISP.

Post by Nick Agostini
Can they do a day? A week? A month?

Depends on your storage size.
https://is.gd/vpYsW4
Most surveillance cameras are configured to record only upon motion
detection, to save battery and storage life. But you could hook the
camera directly to AC power to record until you run out of storage.

One of the simplest options is to put one of those cards in a USB camera.
Then you can use an ethernet to USB dongle to power it long distances.
The watertight housing can be as simple as�a pickle jar.

[Wally J]

Post by Charles Jack Jones

Post by kelown
Most surveillance cameras are configured to record only upon motion
detection, to save battery and storage life. But you could hook the
camera directly to AC power to record until you run out of storage.

One of the simplest options is to put one of those cards in a USB camera.
Then you can use an ethernet to USB dongle to power it long distances.
The watertight housing can be as simple as'a pickle jar.

I wonder if an old Android phone with a motion detector app can work?

[Charles Jack Jones]

Post by Wally J

Post by Charles Jack Jones
One of the simplest options is to put one of those cards in a USB camera.
Then you can use an ethernet to USB dongle to power it long distances.
The watertight housing can be as simple as'a pickle jar.

I wonder if an old Android phone with a motion detector app can work?

My camera has an option for uploading to the cloud, but that is optional.

I have a 256 GB microSD card in it, and I can access the camera using my
local intranet. It was $110, which is outside the OP's target price, but I
wanted the 12 megapixels to see license plate numbers (day and night).

Given they're made for cars, the OP might consider a cheap $50 dashcam.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7WND1G2/

Another option is to connect a Tesla coil to the vehicle that only
activates when you park it out of the way. Non-lethal, non-damaging, but
surprising and unpleasant. Along with the flashlamps and sirens.

Even better is to rig a can of spray paint and some mace. :)

[Incubus]

Post by unknown
You cannot get high resolution videos over WiFi. I have tried that.
Anything over 720p will be choppy. Even 720p will be choppy if not close
to the WiFi router. You should consider using network cable to connect
the security camera to your router.

All the people streaming videos today at higher resolutions would disagree.
You only need a few mbps, I regularly connect and see speeds an order of
magnitude higher on wifi.

The camera I have is this one, which costs about $110 each.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LKL4TR6

Since that's over the OP's budget, this one one is cheaper.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BGS833VR/
It has a 3x zoom lens, but a lower resolution camera
(4k is still pretty darn good for basic security needs).

Either one would typically work in normal day/night security norms.
If that's too much money for the OP, this should work
https://www.sannce.com/products/c500-poe-ip-camera
(but I have no experience with it).

It is only 5 megapixels (2592 by 1994 pixels) but that is still better
than high-definition television. They have free returns if it doesn't work
out for the OP.

I would suggest a 4mm lens instead of the wide angle�(2.8 mm) lens.
This will go a further distance which is often needed in such cameras.
And the�bullet form will probably be better than the turret form.

The OP can put in a microSD card and it uses a POE & CAT5 cabling.
The OP will likely want to connect it directly to his home router.
It will probably involve drilling a hole in the wall to get outside.

Does anyone else have experience with these security camera setups?

[Mickey D]

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

Maybe a Raspberry Pi camera in a transparent watertight container.
Since the RPi has USB, you could also use a USB camera you like.
There are even POE to USB adapters for more options to power it.

A Raspberry Pi is $35 for the 1 GB version ``(but spend a little more for
the 2 GB or the 4GB).

[Oscar Mayer]

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

I use these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B75T6CTH
They're indoor and outdoor. I only use them outdoors.

They're WIFI and I would never use a wireless�camera�indoors.
It records audio as well.�

Amazon.com : WYZE Cam OG 1080p HD Wi-Fi Security Camera - Indoor/Outdoor,
Color Night Vision, Spotlight, 2-Way Audio, Cloud & Local storage- Ideal
for Home Security, Baby, Pet Monitoring - Alexa & Google Assistant :
Electronics

However, the only way you can get "events" (audio and/or video) is with
their�online service. But it doesn't cost anything and the videos are
stored in the camera with an SD card. Not online. You can configure it to
record continuously or only record events. You get the events regardless.

You can access the�video on the SD card online. I was able to watch what
was going on around the house while we were on vacation. What I like the
most is being able to specify a detection zone and its�sensitivity for
events. It notifies you online in real time with the Android app when there
are events.�

You can have a conversation as well. I've never used that.

You can't use ethernet for�the�video. You would have to have WIFI. Maybe a
show stopper. You have to get a third party POE adapter. Wyze doesn't have
one.

I've had them since 2018. They work OK. They're not the high end but
they're pretty stable. Day and night.

[Falafel Balls]

Post by Oscar Mayer

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

I use these. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B75T6CTH

I think the op wanted something that didn't send the video to a 3rd party.

I think a simple USB webcam (4MP video (2560x1440) at 30 frames/sec for
$36) under a small aquarium for rainproofing would work fine.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804074161389.html

To get the USB delivered as far as 150 feet, use one of these for $16.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Extender-CAT5E-Connection-150ft/dp/B003L14ZTC/

That's $52 -- very close to the original lower price limit.
And it has a nice 5 to 50 mm lens.

Because it is USB, all of the free motion-detector software can use it,
and store the videos on his computer.

[Jack]

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

If you want a super cheap camera an ESP32 cam may be the way to go.
It needs wifi but the ESP32 cam is prolly the cheapest setup possible.

Here's a video of a guy walking through the ESP32 cam setup.

(715) How to setup and use ESP32 Cam with Micro USB WiFi Camera - YouTube

However they're crap. They're like buying a dancing bear on the cheap
(it's not how well the bear dances, but that it can dance at all).

An advantage of a real camera is to catch license plate numbers.

Those services that save in the cloud (such as Wyze, Nest, and Ring) tend
to blur out the license plate numbers for a reason unknown to me, but as a
result, they're often not useful for security cams that face the road.

However, that little ESP32 camera does not have the resolution or speed to
capture the plate number anyways.

A 4k video camera would be nicer, or a still camera with even better
resolution in motion-detector mode. But they're prolly more than $100.

[Wally J]

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

You can get a Hikvision LPR camera:
https://us.hikvision.com/en/products/cameras/network-camera/smart-series/specialty/license-plate-recognition

And then have it record footage to a local BlueIris server:
https://blueirissoftware.com/

[Incubus]

Post by Wally J

Post by Nick Agostini
Is it possible to set up a security camera outdoors over wifi for around
fifty to a hundred bucks?

https://us.hikvision.com/en/products/cameras/network-camera/smart-series/specialty/license-plate-recognition
https://blueirissoftware.com/

Another option, although above a hundred bucks, is a POE camera.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LKL4TR6

REOLINK 12MP PoE IP Camera Outdoor, 93� Wide Angle Dome Surveillance
Cameras for Home Security, Human/Vehicle/Pet Detection, 700lm Color Night
Vision, Two Way Talk, Up to 256GB microSD Card, RLC-1224A

[Wolf Greenblatt]

Do an amazon look at this for 50 bucks.
I bought similar 2 years ago but the page is gone.
I get alerts, can set sensitivity, from my phone, laptop, whatever.
I can talk and listen. I can turn on while at work to take a look.
I charge it every 5 or 6 months.
The app is called adorcam. No regrets. In my cart when i just looked at old orders was also a scandisk card. Bioth were about 85 bucks.
The videos remain until you delete them. My wife deletes them from her phone and they are all deleted from all devices.
Cameras for Home Security, 1080P Security Cameras Wireless Outdoor with Motion Detection, Spotlight/Siren Alarm, Color Night Vision, 2-Way Talk, Waterproof SD/Cloud Storage Battery Powered WiFi Camera

I had bought this only a month or two ago.
https://www.amazon.com/WOSPORTS-Wildlife-Scouting-Hunting-Waterproof/dp/B081ZYLZSX

It's a Wosports G100 Trail Camera. 16 Megapixels (5376x3024
Day and night mode (lots of IR LEDs). Motion sensor.

I have it locked with a six-inch Master lock holding it onto a steel post.

I would have bought the better one for another $3 had I seen it first.
https://www.amazon.com/Hawkray-30MP-Trail-Camera-Monitoring/dp/B0B76ZPZKH/
It looks like it has the same mounting holes that fit the long-hasp lock.