Monitoring rules

Rules you can add

New observations after a baseline you accept.

Changes of watched devices: address, name, services or open ports. Choose at least one property.

A watched device not observed.

Reachability of the gateway or of a host you name, by ICMP or by one TCP port.

Router WAN address, only after the router reported it through NAT-PMP or UPnP. Behind carrier NAT this is the router’s outside address, not your public address.

A service: a host and one to eight ports.

A DNS answer for a valid name, using the system resolver or an IP address you enter.

A certificate’s expiry for a host and port, with a number of days.

Public address: an https:// endpoint you trust. Turn on Allow ACNet to contact this endpoint. If it fails, ACNet does not fall back to the router WAN address.

Schedule and controls

A rule runs only on the confirmed network of its profile.

Interval checks: at least 30 minutes for discovery rules, 60 minutes for a public-address rule, and 5 minutes for the other rules.

You can also use a weekly schedule in the time zone you chose, or once at a future time.

1. Finish the profile steps: an approved range, confirmation of this connection, a rule, and a baseline for discovery rules.
2. Tap Check rules now on the profile, or Check now on one rule, to run in the foreground. You can stop it.
3. Pause or switch a rule off. Resume or switch it on to allow it again.
4. Read the state line: Enabled, Waiting, Running, Failing, Paused, Off, Expired or Done, then the last result and the next eligible check.

What the result means

New observation means it answered now and was not in the baseline. Not observed means it did not answer this time. That is not proof the device is offline. Unknown type is not new.

Home example

1. Create a profile named Home and tap Use current network for the approved range.
2. On Devices, scan that range, then accept the saved scan as the baseline.
3. Add a new-observations rule.
4. Confirm This network is Home.
5. Tap Check rules now.

What the result means

Devices that answered and were not in the baseline are new observations. Addresses that did not answer are not listed as offline.

Office example

1. Create a profile named Office with the approved range for that network.
2. Add a service rule: the host you administer and one to eight ports.
3. Choose an interval of at least 5 minutes, or a weekly time in your chosen time zone.
4. Choose delivery: list only, a notification when ACNet is in the background, or an alert while it is open. For notifications, choose start, finish or failure, and a recorded change.
5. Tap Check now once while the app is open so you see a foreground result.

What the result means

Each port is open, refused, or no response. No response is not proof the host is offline. A background run happens only when iOS grants time. A Live Activity, when shown, displays status and does not keep the check running.

Alerts

All changes from one check are one alert. The same change is not sent again until it changes, and not as both a banner and an alert.

Acknowledge marks a change read. Snooze hides it until the time is up. Mark known stops a device being reported as new on this profile. None of these edits the baseline.

Notifications name the profile and the rule unless you turn off Show profile and rule names. A discovered address or device name is never shown.

Background App Refresh must be on for ACNet. Low Power Mode pauses it. Force-quitting ACNet stops background checks until you open the app again. A confirmation lasts at most 12 hours.