Frequently Asked Questions

DeadJim is a simple power outage alert service that uses a "ping and listen" approach. You set up a simple ping command on your systems that YOU control - deciding when and how often to send status pings to our servers. We only listen for the pings you choose to send. When we don't receive your ping within 24 minutes, we alert you via email or SMS that your location may have lost power.

We offer three tiers:

• RED SHIRT (Free): 1 connection with email alerts within the hour
• ENGINEER ($5/month): Everything in RED SHIRT plus instant email alerts and priority support
• BRIDGE CREW ($7/month): Everything in ENGINEER plus SMS alerts and up to 3 connections (each with individual email & SMS contact info)

Setting up is simple:

1. Register for a DeadJim account and create your first connection
2. We'll email you a simple ping command to run on your system
3. You decide how often to run the command (every few minutes to every 24 minutes) using cron or Task Scheduler
4. That's it! We'll listen for your pings and alert you if we don't receive one within 24 minutes

Our ping-listening infrastructure is designed for high availability with redundant systems and multiple data centers. We maintain our own systems 24/7 and track detailed uptime statistics. If our service goes down, we have backup alert mechanisms to ensure you're still notified of any power outages.

DeadJim is designed to minimize false alarms. We use a grace period system - you need to miss the full 24-minute window before we trigger an alert. This built-in tolerance helps account for temporary network issues while still alerting you to real power outages.

Yes! FREE users can set up 1 connection, ENGINEER tier allows 1 connection with enhanced features, and BRIDGE CREW tier allows up to 3 connections. Each connection gets its own unique setup with individual alerting - BRIDGE CREW users can assign unique email and SMS contact information to each connection.

DeadJim works with any system that can run simple ping commands and has internet access. This includes:

• Linux and Unix servers
• Windows computers and servers
• macOS systems
• Raspberry Pi and IoT devices
• Virtual machines and containers
• Network-attached storage (NAS) devices

Alert timing depends on your tier:

• RED SHIRT: Standard email alerts within 60 minutes of detection
• ENGINEER: Instant email alerts within a few minutes
• BRIDGE CREW: Instant email and SMS alerts BOTH within a few minutes

Absolutely. DeadJim only receives basic heartbeat signals - no sensitive data from your systems. All communications are encrypted in transit, and we follow industry best practices for data security and privacy. We only collect the minimum information needed to provide the monitoring service.

All users get community support through our documentation and forums. ENGINEER tier includes priority email support with faster response times. BRIDGE CREW tier includes premium support with instant message support options during business hours.

Yes, you can cancel your paid subscription at any time. You'll continue to have access to your paid features until the end of your current billing period, after which your account will automatically downgrade to the FREE tier.

DeadJim is designed to be simple and straightforward for power outage monitoring. For more complex monitoring needs, custom integrations, or enterprise requirements, please contact us directly to discuss your specific needs.