First, let’s touch on something that most of us can understand as consumers. Almost everyone has experienced contacting their Internet provider and asking for help. Perhaps you were experiencing disconnections and sluggish speeds but the provider simply doesn’t see any problems with your modem/router. The usual answer is to “reboot your modem” or other simple tests. When this doesn’t fix the issue, they open a ticket to look into it.
The big challenge is they are unable to see the issue from your perspective, unless it is something happening on your connection they can troubleshoot while it’s active. It may mean they can’t solve it until it becomes more pronounced or serious. This is where centralized monitoring fails.
When Internet outages or other issues are monitored from a centralized location, it’s hard to see what is happening in the field. Sometimes the data is being collected from various sources, and it may not be possible to discern exactly where some problems are occurring or how they are affecting specific areas.
Decentralized monitoring and your own data
Monitoring Internet and ISP performance from key locations and/or many locations’ perspectives provides a more detailed and specific view of what is happening in different areas and with different providers.
By collecting data directly from the end users’ point of view, we gain a deeper understanding of any problems and how specific areas are impacted. This provides the monitoring organization with its own data, without being retrained to using third-party sources. The information can be used stand-alone or along with other data to provide a better overall view of Internet infrastructure.
This can be especially important in cases where the issue is limited to a particular region or neighborhood, as it can help to identify the root cause to take more targeted action to resolve the problem. It shows if one or more ISPs in the area are experiencing problems they may not even be aware of and need to be contacted.
Getting to the bottom of issues
We’ve noticed more articles about Internet outages that caused local government and even 911 to become unavailable. In some of these cases, investigations end with the provider promising to do better.
By monitoring local ISPs, a city or organization can see for themselves if there are weak points in the area. No need to ask for information from ISPs that will not want to share publicly. You’ll be able to see it for yourself.
Transparency
Trying to get an ISP to even acknowledge a problem is nearly impossible in a culture of never admitting unless it’s too large to hide.
A huge benefit is that monitoring can help to ensure problems are addressed more quickly and efficiently because they are more transparent. When problems are detected by an ISP, it can take longer to remedy. Perhaps the ISP is not ready or willing to upgrade in certain areas, perhaps there aren’t enough complaints but transparency can help these situations.
Improving the overall reliability of Internet access cannot be solely a money-making opportunity. By identifying and addressing issues at the local level, it is possible to prevent small problems from turning into larger outages that can affect a larger area.
Ensuring that all Internet access is more stable and reliable overall, can be especially important for businesses and other organizations that rely on the Internet to function.
ISP Tracker data can often recognize when aggregate switches or interfaces are starting to fail and could be replaced before completely failing. We have seen cases where our technology is able to recognize that something on the ISP network is slowly failing but getting anyone to listen has been impossible to date. ISPs must start working with people who try to help and not always try to hide problems.
Legal implications of Internet outages
The legal implications of Internet outages can be complex and varied, depending on the specific circumstances of the outage and the parties involved. In some cases, Internet outages may be caused by technical issues that are beyond the control of any one party, such as equipment failures or natural disasters, or vandalism. In these cases, there may not be any legal consequences.
One key legal issue that may arise in the context of Internet outages is finger-pointing, or the assigning of blame to one or more parties. When an Internet outage occurs, it is often difficult to determine immediately what caused the problem. This can lead to a situation where different parties point fingers at each other, alleging that the other party is responsible for the outage.
Resolving these disputes can be complex, as it often requires an investigation to determine the root cause of the outage. This may involve gathering and analyzing technical data and other evidence, such as logs, network diagrams, and other records. In some cases, it may be necessary to bring in experts to help analyze the data and identify the cause of the outage.
Rogers Cable in Canada got into such a situation some time back as did Frontier Communications over slower speeds than were being sold.
Another legal issue that may arise in the context of Internet outages is the issue of damages. If an Internet outage is caused by the actions or inactions of one or more parties, those parties may be liable for any damages that result from the outage. These damages can include lost revenue, lost productivity, and other costs that are incurred as a result of the outage.
In order to recover damages in these cases, it will typically be necessary to prove that the outage was caused by the actions or inaction’s of the other party and that the damages resulted from the outage. This can be a complex and time-consuming process, as it may involve gathering and presenting evidence to support the claim.
The legal implications of Internet outages may also depend on the specific laws and regulations that apply. Different countries and regions have their own laws and regulations that govern the use and operation of the Internet, and these laws may have different provisions related to Internet outages and liability.
By having your own data, you may be able to mitigate such problems, getting down to the facts and what needs to get done.
How ISP Tracker can help
ISP Tracker is purpose-built to monitor Internet services and providers. The low cost of using ISP Tracker is quickly offset by being armed with your own information on as many locations and ISPs being monitored.
ISP Tracker automatically documents disconnections, outages, slow speeds, all with historical data. The data provided is available whether or not providers and network operators willingly divulge the information.
The service can be used by cities, and municipalities to better understand how their IP / Internet resources are performing. It can equally be beneficial to employers, remote employees, TeleHealth providers, security services, and anyone who would benefit from gaining insight into internet service performance or receiving quick alerts to problems.
Having the ability to see what end-user locations are experiencing without needing someone to try to explain can give you a huge advantage, and substantial time savings.
Please reach out to us with any questions you may have.