Frequently Asked Questions


Does AlertFox really work with Flash applets?

Yes, it does. AlertFox uses the iMacros DirectScreen technology to automate and monitor Flash applets directly inside the web browser. The response time measurements always reflect the true user experience as they are measured using a real browser and the original browser plug-ins such as Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Silverlight or SUN Java runtime are used.

What about AJAX support?

AlertFox has full AJAX support: Many AJAX elements are already supported by the HTML based recording available in the iMacros for Firefox addon. For some tasks, such as monitoring AJAX drag & drop you can use the iMacros DirectScreen Technology, which is available in our PRO2 and PRO3 accounts.

How do I use the iMacros addon? Can you help me with that?

Sure! AlertFox runs 1000s of iMacros every day. We know this tool inside out and have a close relationship with the iMacros developers. We look forward to assist you. Please email technical questions to support@alertfox.com. You can also browse the iMacros Wiki and use the iMacros user forum.

Can I also use image recogntion to find and test certain elements?

The iMacros software itself includes image recognition support. To use this feature with AlertFox requires the ability to upload test images to our server and will be available soon. If you are an AlertFox PRO3 account user and need this feature right away please contact us. We can arrange private FTP access to one of our test servers.

Why can I not use a free email address to sign-up?

Even our free AlertFox accounts contain the powerful transaction monitoring service. To avoid abuse we require that you sign up with a real email address (e. g. yourname@yourdomain.com) and not a freemail address like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. All our AlertFox PRO accounts include the option to add up to five more email addresses, and these email address can be of any kind.

Can I upgrade down the road?

Sure – you can upgrade from the Free1 to the Free2 package by just linking back to us from the monitored page.
You can upgrade from a Free1/2 to a PRO1/2/3 account anytime with  the "Sign-Up" links on the front page. Your current user account and sensor data is preserved. You can also up- or downgrade the commercial packages anytime. To up- or downgrade between the PRO1/2/3 packages simply use the "Sign-Up" links on the front page. A sign-up for another package will automatically cancel your current subscription.

Why are you so much cheaper than other website monitoring providers?

Good question. Alertfox is able to offer free options and very competitively priced PRO accounts because it uses self-service script creation based on the popular iMacros browser add-on. AlertFox users can go one step further, using innovative iMacros technology to create transaction monitoring macros that run directly in the Firefox or Internet Explorer web browser.

Also, we do not have a unnecessary network of hundreds of global monitoring stations. We think three globally distributed centers (America, Europe, Asia) are more than enough.

Why do you have "only" three monitoring stations? Other provider have hundreds of them?

When was the last time you could access a website in New York but not in Detroit?
Our guess: Never in the past five years.

Have you ever heard of a website that works for somebody in Germany but not in France?
Our guess: No, never.

Have you ever come across a website that was “up” but some part of its functionality was broken or very slow?
Our guess: Yes, at least once this month!

We focus on the features you really need: In-depth availability and performance monitoring of Web applications.

This FAQ did not answer my question, who should I contact?

Please see our website monitoring wiki and its FAQ chapter. If the wiki does not answer your question, please email us at support@alertfox.com or use the contact page. We check our email every day.

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