Remote Access Status Display
Mac Tip#22/26-Sept-2001

The last few tips have been about the Control Strip. One of the incredibly useful control strip modules helps you with dialing up to and disconnecting from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), along with keeping track of your time online.

Locate the Remote Access icon on the Control Strip. Remember that Balloon Help can tell you what each icon is. You’re looking for the icon which shows a computer next to a telephone pole.

Click on the icon and choose Status Display … . Now click on either Time Connected or Time Remaining and click OK. Most of my clients find Time Connected to be the most useful.

Now you’ll see a set of numbers beside the icon: 00:00:00. These numbers represent hours, minutes and seconds.

To connect to your ISP just click on the Remote Access icon and choose Connect. To disconnect click on the icon and choose Disconnect.

Once you’re connected the time display will now show how many hours / minutes /seconds you have been connected (or how many remain).