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

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?

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

Depends on your storage size.

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

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.

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).

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.

To get the USB delivered as far as 150 feet, use one of these for $16. 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.

Nick Agostini snipped-for-privacy@hughesnet.com wrote

You can get a Hikvision LPR camera:

And then have it record footage to a local BlueIris server:

Charles Jack Jones snipped-for-privacy@cjj.com wrote

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.

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. :)

Thomas snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote

I had bought this only a month or two ago.

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.

looks like it has the same mounting holes that fit the long-hasp lock.