Net Watcher: Manual

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Introduction

Ashampoo Net Watcher helps you keep track of your network. The program checks in real-time whether specific IP addresses or internet targets are reachable – ideal for monitoring servers, routers, or websites for their availability. The software displays response times, outages, and statistics in a clear and easy-to-understand manner.

1. Program Start and Overview

After starting Ashampoo Net Watcher, the main view appears with the most important control elements:
  • Target Address: Here you enter which target should be monitored – e.g., `google.com`, `192.168.0.1`, or a server name.
  • Start/Stop Switch: Starts or stops the ping test.
  • Pause Switch: Temporarily pauses the test.
  • Chart: Displays response times visually as bars.
  • Statistics: Below the chart you'll find values like average, minimum, maximum, and failure rate.
Note: The program works with both local IP addresses in the home network and internet targets.

Target Address Entry

  1. Type an IP address or domain in the input field at the top.
  2. Click Start to begin the test.
  3. Ashampoo Net Watcher now regularly sends ping requests to the target.
  4. Results are displayed live in the chart.
    5. For routers in the home network, use e.g., `192.168.0.1`.
For websites, the domain name is sufficient, e.g., `example.com`.

Statistics

While the test is running, the chart fills from right to left. Below it you'll find values for analysis:
  • Average Response Time – Mean value of all pings
  • Minimum / Maximum – Best and worst response
  • Lost Packets – Number of unanswered requests
  • Percentage Packet Loss – Proportion of failed pings
These data help you assess whether your network is running stably or if there are outages.

Overview

In the sidebar you'll find an overview of all previous tests. Additional values are displayed there such as:
  • (1) Total number of requests
  • (2) Number of errors (unanswered pings)
  • (3) Response time range (difference between minimum and maximum)
  • (4) Long-term average of all pings during the entire program session

Settings and Options

The gear icon opens the settings:
  • Language: Switch to German, English, etc.
  • Tracert (Resolve Address): When enabled, the program additionally performs a so-called traceroute. This determines through which intermediate stations (routers/nodes) the data packets travel to the target. Useful for analyzing network problems on the path to the target server or making the exact path visible.
  • Ping: Here you can set when a ping is displayed as green, yellow, or red:
    • Green Response time is good (Default: from 0 ms)
    Yellow Response time elevated (Default: from 50 ms)
    Red Response time critical (Default: from 100 ms


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