Method for monitoring a line, which comprises a measuring conductor extending along said line, wherein - a measuring signal is fed into the measuring conductor at a starting time, - in the presence of a disruption point, the measurement signal is at least partially reflected at the disruption point, - the measuring conductor is monitored for a reflected portion, wherein, if a threshold value is exceeded, respectively a digital stop signal is generated and the transit time between the starting time and the stop signal is detected and evaluated, - several individual measurements are carried out within a measurement cycle and the measurement signal is fed in at each individual measurement, wherein the threshold value is varied for different individual measurements, - by means of a plurality of individual measurements, a plurality of stop signals with different transit times is determined, wherein at each individual measurement the set threshold value and the transit time associated with this threshold value are recorded as a value pair and a signal curve is determined from the plurality of value pairs, wherein - after detection of a first stop signal in a first individual measurement, a second individual measurement with preferably the same threshold value as in the first individual measurement is carried out, wherein in the second individual measurement a measurement dead time is specified, which is greater than the transit time for the first stop signal detected in the first individual measurement, so that the reflected portion assigned to the first stop signal is not detected in the second individual measurement and by the measuring dead time in combination with the variation of the threshold value, rising as well as falling edges in the signal curve are detected, wherein for the detection of a falling edge a stop signal is emitted when the value falls below the set threshold, - the line comprises several disruption points distributed over its length and each disruption point generates a partial reflection of the measurement signal, so that a characteristic pattern is formed, and - by the plurality of stop signals a stop pattern characterizing the line is generated, and the stop pattern is compared with a reference pattern for a normal state of the line and checked for deviation, wherein - the stop pattern and the reference pattern comprise several reflected portions, each of which is generated by one of the disruption points, and the stop pattern and the reference pattern are formed by stop signals with different transit times. - a measuring signal is fed into the measuring conductor at a starting time, - in the presence of a disruption point, the measurement signal is at least partially reflected at the disruption point, - the measuring conductor is monitored for a reflected portion, wherein, if a threshold value is exceeded, respectively a digital stop signal is generated and the transit time between the starting time and the stop signal is detected and evaluated, - several individual measurements are carried out within a measurement cycle and the measurement signal is fed in at each individual measurement, wherein the threshold value is varied for different individual measurements, - by means of a plurality of individual measurements, a plurality of stop signals with different transit times is determined, wherein at each individual measurement the set threshold value and the transit time associated with this threshold value are recorded as a value pair and a signal curve is determined from the plurality of value pairs, wherein - after detection of a first stop signal in a first individual measurement, a second individual measurement with preferably the same threshold value as in the first individual measurement is carried out, wherein in the second individual measurement a measurement dead time is specified, which is greater than the transit time for the first stop signal detected in the first individual measurement, so that the reflected portion assigned to the first stop signal is not detected in the second individual measurement and by the measuring dead time in combination with the variation of the threshold value, rising as well as falling edges in the signal curve are detected, wherein for the detection of a falling edge a stop signal is emitted when the value falls below the set threshold, - the line comprises several disruption points distributed over its length and each disruption point generates a partial reflection of the measurement signal, so that a characteristic pattern is formed, and - by the plurality of stop signals a stop pattern characterizing the line is generated, and the stop pattern is compared with a reference pattern for a normal state of the line and checked for deviation, wherein - the stop pattern and the reference pattern comprise several reflected portions, each of which is generated by one of the disruption points, and the stop pattern and the reference pattern are formed by stop signals with different transit times.