# 👊Automating Network Health Checks with PowerShell & Scheduled Tasks⚙️

Monitoring network connectivity is crucial, especially if you're managing infrastructure or working with mission-critical applications. A simple way to ensure your network remains healthy is by periodically checking latency to key destinations and logging the results.

In this guide, I'll show you how to:

* Use PowerShell to **ping** both an external server (`1.1.1.1`) and your **default gateway**.
    
* Send the **latency results** to an external monitoring API.
    
* **Automate the script** using Windows **Task Scheduler** so it runs every 10 minutes.
    

---

## **Step 1: The PowerShell Script**

We’ll create a script that:  
✅ Dynamically detects the **default gateway**.  
✅ Pings both **1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare DNS)** and the **gateway**.  
✅ Sends the latency results to an **external API** ([`digger.uptimekuma.com`](http://claymore.amastelek.com)).  
✅ Gracefully handles failures (e.g., network down).

### **The Script (**[`heartbeat.ps`](http://heartbeat.ps)`1`)

```plaintext
# Get the default gateway reliably
$gateway = (Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object { $_.IPv4DefaultGateway -ne $null -and $_.NetAdapter.Status -eq "Up" }).IPv4DefaultGateway.NextHop

# Function to calculate average ping latency
function Get-AveragePing {
    param ($Target)
    try {
        $pingResults = Test-Connection -ComputerName $Target -Count 5 -ErrorAction Stop
        return ($pingResults | Measure-Object -Property ResponseTime -Average).Average
    } catch {
        return "N/A"
    }
}

# Ping 1.1.1.1 and send the result
$latency1 = Get-AveragePing -Target "1.1.1.1"
$api1 = "https://digger.uptimekuma.com/api/push/O6SLd8pNDv?status=up&msg=OK&ping=$latency1"
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $api1 -Method Get

# Ping the local gateway and send the result
$latency2 = Get-AveragePing -Target $gateway
$api2 = "https://digger.uptimekuma.com/api/push/GwQREfeG3V?status=up&msg=OK&ping=$latency2"
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $api2 -Method Get
```

🔹 **How it Works:**

* `Get-NetIPConfiguration` fetches the correct default gateway dynamically.
    
* The `Get-AveragePing` function runs 5 pings to the given target and calculates the **average response time**.
    
* **Two API calls** send latency results to [`digger.uptimekuma.com`](http://claymore.amastelek.com).
    
* If a ping fails, it returns `"N/A"` instead of crashing.
    

---

## **Step 2: Scheduling the Script with Task Scheduler**

We’ll now **automate** this script to run **every 10 minutes** using Task Scheduler.

### **1\. Save the Script**

* Open **Notepad**, paste the script, and save it as:
    
    ```plaintext
    C:\Binaries\heartbeat.ps1
    ```
    

---

### **2\. Allow PowerShell Scripts to Run**

By default, Windows restricts PowerShell scripts. To fix this:

* Open **PowerShell as Administrator**
    
* Run:
    
    ```plaintext
    Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
    ```
    

---

### **3\. Create a Scheduled Task**

1️⃣ Open **Task Scheduler** (`Win + R → taskschd.msc → Enter`).  
2️⃣ Click **"Create Basic Task"** on the right.  
3️⃣ Name it **"Network Heartbeat"**, then click **Next**.  
4️⃣ Select **"Daily"**, then **Next**.  
5️⃣ Set **Start Time** (any time) and **Recur every 1 days**, then **Next**.  
6️⃣ Choose **"Repeat task every 10 minutes"**, for a **duration of 1 day**.  
7️⃣ Select **"Start a Program"**, then **Next**.  
8️⃣ In **Program/Script**, enter:

```plaintext
powershell.exe
```

9️⃣ In **Add arguments**, enter:

```plaintext
-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Binaries\heartbeat.ps1"
```

🔟 Click **Finish**.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742383821357/86dfdcf5-01a6-4d70-b353-ab9f0c651849.png align="center")

---

## **Step 3: Verifying Everything Works**

### **Run the Script Manually**

To test before scheduling:

```plaintext
powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Binaries\heartbeat.ps1"
```

If everything is working, you should **see API requests sent** without errors.

---

## **Wrapping Up**

🚀 Now, the script will **automatically run every 10 minutes** and log latency metrics to an external API. This provides **continuous monitoring** without manual intervention.

🔧 Need More? Modify the script to:

* Log results to a file instead.
    
* Send **email alerts** if latency exceeds a threshold.
    
* Monitor additional network endpoints.
    

This method is **lightweight, effective, and fully automated**—ideal for keeping an eye on network health!

---

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1742381056218/3ead506b-8008-4430-b98b-5ca4608fcf23.png align="center")