Recently I'm having some problems with my internet connection. So I thought that I could maybe I could write some program to monitor the connection and create a report of some sort about connection quality. Could somebody point me into some resources where i could start?? I know Java and C and i'm learning a bit of Perl, my os is linux/ubuntu.
My LAN set-up is as follows: my PC -> wireles router -> modem -> cloud.
Would it be possible to detect where exactly connection drops?? Is it between my pc and router or between router or modem or modem and cloud??
It also should be mentioned that many home routers offer a logging service, by which detailed reports of the status of the router and WAN connection can be obtained. All that is required is setting up a freely available syslog server on your PC, select reporting level and point the logging service of the router to your PCs IP and open the necessary ports on your PC.
Using the log reporting feature coupled with the PING technique mentioned by aospinas and you have a fairly detailed status of your LAN and WAN connection.