Notice
This post is a work in progress in wanting to come up with a useful matrix explaining the various versions that we offer and the differences between each.

This post should not be used as correct information at this time until this notice is removed.

If you run a Ubuntu desktop or server, you can easily install the OutagesIO Internet monitoring agent to constantly monitor your connection.

Here is a link to the article on our marketing site.

Monitor Your Internet With Ubuntu Desktop Or Server

If you run a Linux desktop or server, you can easily install the OutagesIO Internet monitoring agent to constantly monitor your connection.

Here is a link to the article on our marketing site.

Monitor Your Internet With Linux Desktop Or Server

If you run Raspberry Pi series hardware boards, you can easily install the OutagesIO Internet monitoring agent to constantly monitor your connection.

Here is a link to the article on our marketing site.

Monitor Your Internet With Raspberry Pi 3A, 3B+, 4, NanoPi, And Other ARM Devices

We want to keep a free version of OutagesIO going for good and in order to do that, we need more reviews that help consumers to find us.

If you could take a moment to share your review of our service, we would greatly appreciate it as would others trying to find a service like ours.

Here is the link.
Google Reviews

Thank you kindly!

We have added both the upload speed and latency result into the automated Internet speed test results.

Note that this is still a pre-release as we continue testing to ensure that speeds are correct. All new Windows installs from this date on will be version 1.69.2106 which contains the updates.

A final release will be done once testing is completed.

We are currently testing a bug fix for a speed test problem we have seen randomly showing up for quite some time. Due to its randomness, it has taken quite a long time to find some leads to finally get a fix and see how things are working.

The problem was that on Internet connections above 100Mbps, random results would sometimes occur. This was compounded by the fact that it would happen at random locations as well.

In some cases, speed tests would be limited to around 100Mbps and/or would not always show the correct speed when above 100Mbps. In some cases, the agent could not reach the top speed at all.

We have been testing a bug fix and so far, the results are looking better. Here is what the results are looking like for a 500Mbps. You can clearly see the difference between the old version and the new version.

The old version was barely getting to 200Mbps and is now showing the speeds as they should be for this test connection.

In addition, we are also adding upload speeds and latency.

Some additional testing is required and when ready, you will notice the update available in your agents list.

All existing Community level reports will automatically be changed to the new version on August 1st, 2021.

The change
After a lot of research to understand how members are using our service, we have come to the conclusion that it would be better to remove two options from our free Community level.
-Automated speed testing
-Email notifications

The plan was to have a new level in between Community and Extended called Standard but this plan has changed as it was causing a large amount of additional programming and complexities. Those who have purchased a Standard upgrade will continue to have it until it runs out.

Challenges
We have found that many join the service, set up agents and never interact with us or in the forums in any way what so ever. Decisions on what items we should spend time on are often made through feedback and input from members. Without that, it is difficult to know what to focus on while wanting to maintain a free version of the service.

Speed testing for the casual member (Community)
Speed testing should never be enabled and forgotten. There is a huge resource requirement when it comes to speed testing so this option is being moved to our optional Extended reports.
Note that we have added the free nPerf speed testing tool into the top menu for all members. There is no cost to use this tool. It is a preliminary version with more to come.

Flagging emails as spam
We have found that many Community level members rely on emails to monitor their Internet service. Because of this, many do not read the help information or check the forums and we find ourselves inundated with email support.

We believe it would be more productive to log into the dashboard regularly to learn more about the service, even ask questions in our forums to better understand what the reports actually mean.

We have also identified that many sign up and once finding and solving their Internet service problems, find they no longer need OutagesIO for the moment.
Many of those members prefer flagging notifications they enabled rather than logging in to disable them. This has the nasty effect of potentially blocking emails for others using the same email service that do want their notifications. We hope that eliminating emails for our free Community version will help with this problem.

Support
We offer the Report problem button so members can report bugs, problems, help text needing updating, etc. It would be more productive to use our forums when ever possible as it allows us to keep track of help requests and would allow other members to find answers if they are asking similar questions.

Free Community level reports
We are committed to offering a free level of OutagesIO because consumers have shown a need for such a tool. Our Community level has helped many people to find and solve their Internet issues.

Thank you for using OutagesIO

We love hearing from members that used OutagesIO, working with their Internet provider to find connectivity issues.

Broadband outages solved with free software version of OutagesIO

OutagesIO can be used by consumers, MSP's, ISP's, employers with remote employees, telehealth, security systems, remote equipment rooms, anything Internet connected. Monitor any number of locations with alerts to connectivity problems.

Once logged into the control panel, you will notice an item called Points at the top of the main menu.

Clicking on this item brings up a page showing points earned for letting others know about www.outagesio.com.

In each agent dashboard, there is an option called 'Available packages' where reports can be upgraded or special features can be enabled using our convenient PayPal buttons. Some of those items allow the exchange of points. Points can be earned in different ways and we'll add more options over time to make it even easier to build them up.

Points can be earned for referring a friend, co-worker, neighbor as well as sharing a link to www.outagesio.com on another public site such as a forum or blog comment. More items will be added over time to make it fun and rewarding to share OutagesIO with others.

Referrals

To refer a friend/associate, enter the person's name then click on 'Create a referral'.

After clicking the button, a unique link will be displayed which is sent to your friend/associate.

Track your effort by looking at the status which will show if the person signed up using the link you sent them, and if they have installed an agent or not.

Once they install an agent and after it has run for at least 72hrs, the system will automatically award you one point.

Submit links

To submit a link, simply paste the URL where you have shared www.outagesio.com in a forum, blog, or another post into the 'Insert URL that backlinks to www.outagesio.com' then click on 'Submit a backlink'. The link will be sent to OutagesIO support for review.

If it meets our basic requirements, you will be contacted to provide some proof that you posted this and points will be awarded. If accepted, your links section will show the URL, points awarded, and the status of "Approved." If not accepted, the status will show "Not approved."

Examples of submitting links are as follow.

Earn 1 point for a verifiable forum post made by yourself mentioning www.outagesio.com that has been indexed by at least Google.

Earn 1 point for a verifiable blog comment made by yourself mentioning www.outagesio.com that has been indexed by at least Google.

Note that backlinks must be to our information site which is www.outagesio.com as the control panel (app.outagesio.com) contains only the login page.

Purchases

This section shows all purchased or exchanged for points upgrades

Rules/guidelines

Like all free offers, they are sometimes subject to abuse.

In this case of backlink URLs, one could simply look up www.outagesio.com and submit links claiming they posted them for example. We reserve the right to verify all links submitted and will only award points to a single instance of that link. If a member claims to have posted something and submits a link that was already claimed, they will not be awarded the point.

Why are we offering this as an option?

Primarily, it is because OutagesIO can be difficult to find on paid search engines. The more links on the Internet about OutagesIO, the better chances that people can learn about the service. The more members we have, the more we can improve our monitoring tools for everyone.

Providers, outage sites, and network operators easily outbid everyone for key phrases that allow people to find us. Being armed with facts about your Internet services is not in their best interest and our new feature may help to change this.

We hope you will take part and help spread the word about www.outagesio.com.