Patent ID: 8291267

Claim:
A system for determining the availability of a computer network, comprising: a device operable to connect to a plurality of services using internet communications and using GSM, said plurality of services including at least the computer network; a central sever; and an alarm service, wherein the device periodically attempts to connect to the computer network using the internet communications and if the device fails to connect, then the device continues to attempt to connect to the computer network using the internet communications until the device fails to connect within a predetermined value, and when the device fails to connect within the predetermined value, the device uses the GSM to notify at least one of the central server and the alarm service of the failure to connect, wherein the predetermined value includes a predetermined number of attempts the device makes to connect to the computer network using internet communications, wherein after the device notifies of the failure to connect, the device continues to attempt to connect to the computer network, wherein if the device is connected to the computer network for greater than a second predetermined value; then the device notifies at least one of the central server and the alarm service of a restoral of service, and wherein the second predetermined value includes a second predetermined number of attempts the device makes to connect to the computer network.