Getting started

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A few things to help you get started.

Date/time and time zone: A time zone can be set for each agent installed. This allows members and Partners to monitor Internet services in different geographical locations. Setting the time zone ensures that your reports for each agent will have the correct date/time. By default, all agents function using UTC date/time. Please be sure to set the time zone for each of your agents to ensure that you see the correct details.

Software or hardware agent: The agent can be installed on Windows 7/8/10, some Linux flavors and some embedded devices. A preconfigured hardware agent is also available and is dedicated solely to monitoring your Internet performance. It automatically updates itself and runs 24/7 without any user intervention required. It also uses less than one amp of power making it much more economical than running a PC.

OutagesIO offers a free, community level of the service which includes features such as Dynamic DNS and others. DDNS can be used to reach home cameras and other devices using an easy to remember word rather than needing to find your current IP.

Outages monitoring: The process of maintaining a connection between two or more points over the Internet, gathering network statistics from one or more locations to determine connection problems and reliability.

You will see at least three different classifications in outages reports. The OutagesIO algorithm will try to determine where your Internet problems are so that you will know how and where to get help.

LAN: On your local network. This means a problem on your LAN, in your building, etc.

Provider: Your Internet provider. This means a problem with your provider, on their own network.

Beyond: Beyond your Internet provider. This means a problem beyond your Internet provider.

Using the details provided by OutagesIO, you should be able to find and fix problems on your own network. If the problems are with your provider, they may or may not know about the problem and or may not even want to admit knowing. Your reports will show exactly where the problem was or is and perhaps by reaching the right people, you and others in your area can get help.

Is it very important to understand that not all connectivity issues are Internet or IP outages yet the problems could be affecting others in your area.
The more people who take part in your neighborhood, town or city, the better the statistics will be for everyone. You can even share your reports on social media as explained later in this document.

Cable and Wireless Internet services

Cable and wireless provided Internet services have an additional layer of potential problems as these services are provided using both signal levels and TCP/IP routing. This presents a problem in that OutagesIO cannot monitor cable plant signal levels but it can give you hints.

Your agent will always report IP network problems but it cannot know about signal level issues which may be affecting your own modem or your providers equipment outside of your location.

This page tries to explain what may cause Inactive or Disconnection statuses when using OutagesIO.
Howto: Internet outages, alerts and agent statuses

Examples of this might be if you see inactive notifications and speed test results which are outages based but which don't show any related outages. These problems are usually because the agent was unable to communicate, disconnected in some way while there were no actual IP outages.

In some cases, if you find that restarting your modem gets you back online and there are no outages in your reports, it typically means the modem is experiencing problems or something upstream is but at the cable plant level. If you believe the problem may be signal related, you would need to log into your modem and take a look at the signal levels.

OutagesIO is constantly in development mode and this is something we would like to address in the near future.

How OutagesIO helps

OutagesIO provides details about your Internet services which can be used by the average non technical consumer yet provides enough information for those who want to dig a little deeper.

Most people don't have the time or the tools to gather Internet performance statistics. The tools offered by your Internet provider may not be the most accurate because they are monitoring their overall network to ensure that everything is up.

Using bandwidth test sites give you some idea of bandwidth but even when the results are good, you could still be experiencing slow, sluggish connections and outages.

There is only one sure way of knowing how your services are performing and that is by conducting non stop, 24/7, ultra low resource use testing from inside your own location. OutagesIO was created specifically to offer anyone the capability of monitoring their services in order to get help when it is needed. Users get a near real-time view of what is going on with their Internet connections, plus an ongoing historic view of it: hourly, daily, weekly and more.

The more eyes, the better! When neighbors also monitor their Internet services, the details become even more interesting for everyone in that area. Not only can you share your reports but by comparing, you'll know if problems are yours alone or if they are affecting others in the area.

As more people take part, we can not only better fine-tune the algorithms but it also helps in the development of new features that give everyone greater power in getting help while helping providers to better their services. It's a win win for everyone.

Is my Internet working right?

Broadband Internet can become somewhat less reliable as it moves outward from city cores and into subdivisions and older neighborhoods. Providers are getting better at making things right but repairs are often stop-gap fixes and the problems just keep showing up. It is possible that you could suffer reliability issues for a long time if your provider is not able to find the source or worse, is not motivated to invest in upgrading your area.

Not all issues are the provider's fault, but wouldn't it nice to know this and have details so you can get help? A service technician should be able to tell you within minutes if the problem is between the street and your location, but if the problems are not easily found, you may suffer them for a very long time until they are. Providers don't always know when their customers are experiencing difficulties until the calls start pouring in. When you and others in your area begin monitoring your services, the data can help everyone get the problems fixed.

As an individual, it may be difficult to gather performance details when you can't compare them with anyone else. OutagesIO gives everyone the ability to share reports on social sites so that you can compare reports with others in your area. The more people that get involved, the bigger the picture gets for everyone.

There is power in numbers and OutagesIO is here to help you.