IDEA: Internet disconnection logger

[app103]

I need a small application that can log my plethora of disconnections and their duration. I need it to check if I am connected about every 15 seconds (ping google?) and if I am not, log it with a time stamp (date/time) the first time it is unsuccessful, and the elapsed total time I wasn't connected once it can successfully ping google again...and then repeat.

I am getting tired of manually recording this data. It's ridiculous. I spent most of last night disconnected more than I was connected, and while I was connected it didn't last long enough to do anything at all. (almost 60 disconnections in a span of 10 hrs, some lasting as long as 20-30 mins).

I want to hit my ISP with this log the next time I call, so they can understand why I am screaming at them like a crazy lady.

I only hope my connection improves long enough to come back here to read and respond to any replies. You have no idea how hard it was for me to be able to post this. It makes me want to scream, cry, break stuff, and hurt people...all at the same time.

[techidave]

That sounds like a wonderful app to have.  I have seen software that will ping a certain intervals but it didn't log anything other than what you might see on screen at that moment.

[techidave]

I take that back, it looks like Karen Kenworthy's Net Monitor can do just what you want.

Net Monitor

[Stoic Joker]

I'd rather try shaving with a band-saw than call the flowchart reading idiots at (CenturyLink) my ISP, so I understand your pain. But, are you sure the issue is on their side of the wire?

I have seen routers on the edge start dropping packets like mad which can look like an internet issue. I have no idea how you're configured but have you made sure you can ping to and through the local hardware? And did you run the test(s) with a large unfragmented packet?

I actually had to go through this once with "Tech Support", as I didn't have time to meander through their myriad of baby steps to get (them) to the obvious. I could ping my (static) public IP (WAN side of router), but I couldn't ping the WAN gateway (aggregator/CO/on-ramp to their equipment). So I managed to talk flowchart boy into pinging my IP (which I new he couldn't) to finally convince him that the issue was with their equipment. Specifically it was with the wiring cut by the trenching crew who had left their truck next to a big hole up the street. Flowchart boy (lacking the ability to think for himself) didn't have an internal memo saying there was an outage so he "logically" assumed the problem had to be mine...

Anyhow... If you tell me how you're configured I can give you a few ideas on how to slam them into a wall hard enough to see/find/finally go look for the problem.

[app103]

I'd rather try shaving with a band-saw than call the flowchart reading idiots at (CenturyLink) my ISP, so I understand your pain. But, are you sure the issue is on their side of the wire?

I have seen routers on the edge start dropping packets like mad which can look like an internet issue. I have no idea how you're configured but have you made sure you can ping to and through the local hardware? And did you run the test(s) with a large unfragmented packet?

This has been an ongoing problem for the last 2 years, ever since I upgraded to get more speed. There doesn't seem to be any sort of pattern to this problem. It's not weather related, temperature related, nothing to do with the time of day. It's erratic and quite unpredictable. The only predictability to it is that it only happens on days ending with "Y". 

My router/modem has been replaced twice and it has not helped. Wires, cables, splitters, and filters have all also been replaced, reversed, relocated, etc. I even set the router on top of a book like they suggested.

They finally sent a guy out here on Tuesday who tested and checked out everything inside the building from my router all the way to the line box in the basement, and he looked around outside. He says it all checks out ok and as far as he can tell, if there is a problem, it is somewhere between my building and Verizon (nothing misbehaved while he was here). He also said whoever did the original wiring in this building did a mighty fine high quality job, from layout design to workmanship. He seemed impressed. He says there doesn't seem to be any sort of leaking going on anywhere and everything was bone dry, so he doesn't think it's an issue with rain getting in and affecting the wiring.

The only thing he found that was out of sorts was an extra wire coming from my single line box in the basement that lead to "who knows where". It wasn't the one that lead straight up to my apartment and the box wasn't designed for 2 lines, so he removed it and then came back up to make sure removing it didn't negatively affect anything up here.

When he told me about it, I told him there are technically 2 separate lines coming to my apartment that each had their own number, but the 2nd one was not in service and had not been in use since the late 70's when the former owner's sister used to live in this apartment. (that was the one he removed, and it originally lead to the jack in my daughter's room). He said that wire did look kind of old and he thought that it was possible (but not probable) that the 2nd line could be causing my problems and that removing it might fix it.

Now, he was supposed to call me back on Wednesday (which he didn't), and if I was still having a connection issue, he would come back out and replace the wiring between the building and the pole. Since he didn't call me back, I am going to have to call Verizon and chances are fight with them on the phone again to either send this guy back or send another guy out.

[app103]

I take that back, it looks like Karen Kenworthy's Net Monitor can do just what you want.

Net Monitor

Thank you very much! The shortest setting is once per minute, but I guess that will have to do.

[Stoic Joker]

Wow! That is a nightmare.

One test that is left is for a crossed pair between you and the CO.

During one of the many battles I had with them I managed to raise enough hell to warrant two techs at the house with a third "on call" at the CO.

They disconnected the wiring on my end.

They disconnected the wiring on their end.

They connected a handset to the now (allegidly...) completely "disconnected" pair that ran between me and the CO...

...And were rather astonished to hear an old woman talking a mile a minute (and quite clearly I might add).

That's when they (finally) really looked at the cable pair I was connected to the CO with ... And discovered it made several trips (random loops actually) up and down a 2 mile strip of road by my house before heading over to the CO (where it was supposed to go directly) in addition to being crossed with the nice chatty lady's phone line (and etc.).

You may have something like that going on.

[skwire]

Thank you very much! The shortest setting is once per minute, but I guess that will have to do.

If once per minute is too short, April, I can write you up Coding Snack to do what you want.

[4wd]

I take it, it's one of those routers supplied by the ISP that you don't have access to the configuration?

Most routers offer some form of logging.

Otherwise, SLCheck might do what you want.

[app103]

I take it, it's one of those routers supplied by the ISP that you don't have access to the configuration?

Most routers offer some form of logging.

Otherwise, SLCheck might do what you want.

Yes, it is one of theirs, and amazingly enough I do have access to the configuration...but it doesn't seem to save more than 2 days worth of logs.

Thanks for the other software suggestion, but I think I'll keep using Karen's Net Meter. Even though I can't set it more frequently than every 60 seconds, it seems to be doing a fair job of logging the all the disconnections any way.

[Stoic Joker]

Not sure if anyone noticed, but... The source code for Karen's Net Meter is available at the original link. It seems a fairly minor adjustment, and I gotta think someone here codes VB (I don't).

Any chance of scaring up a volunteer to fix that for App103?

[app103]

Not sure if anyone noticed, but... The source code for Karen's Net Meter is available at the original link. It seems a fairly minor adjustment, and I gotta think someone here codes VB (I don't).

Any chance of scaring up a volunteer to fix that for App103?

I didn't notice that until you mentioned it...and I now have a friend taking a look at it to see if he can expand the interval settings to include seconds.

Thanks for pointing that out. 

[skwire]

This may work for you as well:  http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/multiple_ping_tool.html

[app103]

I don't think I am going to be needing this for much longer (hopefully).

[app103]

ISP sent me a new modem/router...again. It's a different model than the last one...a Westell 7500. It feels cheaply made and runs mighty hot to the touch without even doing anything. I hope it doesn't melt under a heavy load. It also seems my connection is a little slower with it than with the last one.

Now it's just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens. If I can consistently have a max of only one disconnection per day, I'll consider the problem solved (yes I know most of you probably get disconnected much less frequently than once a day, but compared to what I have gone through for the past 2 years, only once a day is a far fetched dream)