(Disclaimer: Although I can navigate through the Netgear settings, I'm still quite a newb when it comes to networking generally)
I've noticed that my work VPN drops during the night. A few nights ago I got up around 2:00 and noticed that although all the router lights were flashing and my ISP gateway lights looked fine, I actually didn't have a live connection to the internet.
So this got me thinking that maybe I'm having problems with my ISP.
So....is there a way I can set things up so I can see when/if my internet connection drops, and for how long - so I can either contact my ISP for a solution or search for another ISP entirely?
And if this isn't possible through the routerlogin.com settings, is there a Mac s/w I can download that will help me acquire this info?
> So....is there a way I can set things up so I can see when/if my > internet connection drops, and for how long [...]
Built into your router? Unless you count the logs, I know of nothing.
Visit http://netgear.com/support , put in your model number, and look for Documentation. Get the User Manual. Read. Look for "View and Manage Logs of Router Activity".
> [...] is there a Mac s/w I can download that will help me acquire this > info?
I know of nothing, but I haven't looked. I'd be a little amazed.
It ought not to be very difficult to write a program which checks network connectivity or router status periodically, and records the results, or sends an e-mail notfication when an interesting event occurs.
> [...] I'm still quite a newb when it comes to networking generally
If that means that you've never written a computer program, then you might not be well prepared to embark on such a project.
I'd expect your Mac to come with some basic network programs, like, say, "ping" and "wget", with which many basic (or more elaborate) tests could be built. As a quick example, here's a one-line shell script which uses "ping" to test basic connectivity to a destination of your choice. (Around here, "8.8.8.8" succeeds, "8.8.8.9" fails):
$ if ping -c 1 -q 8.8.8.8 > /dev/null ; then echo OK ; else echo BAD ; fi OK
$ if ping -c 1 -q 8.8.8.9 > /dev/null ; then echo OK ; else echo BAD ; fi BAD
Launch a Terminal window, type (or copy+paste) the commands, and see for yourself. (Start at "if", not at the "$" prompt.)
Plenty of more complicated things could be done, of course: more complex tests and actions. In any case, I'd expect this to be a DIY task, not something you'd find on a shelf, but, as I said, I haven't looked.
Thanks for your reply. Yeah, everything I've read talks about monitoring network activity, but in the context of apps and open ports, etc. Virtually nothing (except for large company networks) about monitoring uptime and downtime.
Given your response and the lack of other responses, I'm thinking right about now that I'm out of luck on obtaining something already created (and yeah, I"m not a coder or script kiddie either, which doesn't help.)
So far as I know, people aren't born with computer-programming skills, but many people have managed to acquire some. Having an actual problem to solve can make it easier to learn, compared with having to plow through some shell-scripting primer, trying to imagine how any of it might be useful.
