Product: PumpFuse Internet Watchdog
SKU: PF-WATCHDOG-001
Updated: 2026-02-14
No cables, adapters, or hubs required. The Watchdog plugs directly into a standard 120V wall outlet.
The PumpFuse Internet Watchdog is a smart plug that monitors your internet connection and automatically power-cycles your router when it freezes — so you don't have to.
┌──────────────┐
Wall Outlet ──── │ Internet │ ──── Router Power Cable
(120V) │ Watchdog │
└──────────────┘The device works entirely on your local network. There is no cloud service, no account to create, and no subscription fee.
| Input Voltage | 120V AC, 60 Hz |
| Max Load | 10A / 1200W |
| Dimensions | 2.24" × 2.24" × 2.24" (57 × 57 × 57 mm) |
| Weight | Approximately 2 oz |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n, mDNS (.local hostname) |
| Setup | Bluetooth 5.0 (initial pairing only) |
| Firmware 1.x Hardware | ESP32-C3 with BL0937 power metering |
| Firmware 2.x Hardware | WT32-S1 (ESP32) with HLW8110 power metering |
| Indicators | Firmware 1.x: software-controlled blue connectivity and red product-status LEDs. Firmware 2.x: software-controlled blue status LED and hardwired red output-power LED. |
| Button | Multi-function (press, double-press, long-hold) |
| Power Monitoring | Built-in BL0937 on firmware 1.x hardware; HLW8110 on firmware 2.x hardware |
| App | PumpFuse — free for iOS and Android |
| Cloud Required | No |
| Subscription | No |
⚠️ Important: The Watchdog connects to 2.4 GHz WiFi networks only. It does not support 5 GHz networks. Most routers broadcast both — use the 2.4 GHz network name during setup.
Insert the Internet Watchdog into a wall outlet near your router. The blue LED will start blinking — this means the device is ready to be set up.
Plug your router's power cord into the Watchdog's outlet. Your router should power on normally.
Download the free PumpFuse app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
When the blue LED turns solid, your Watchdog is connected to WiFi and monitoring your internet. The app will show a green "MONITORING" status.
💡 Tip: If you ever reinstall the app or want to check the device from another phone, use "Find on Network" instead of "Add Device" — no Bluetooth needed for devices already on your WiFi.
PFA01 has two supported hardware revisions, distinguished by firmware major version. Firmware 1.x runs on ESP32-C3/BL0937 hardware. Firmware 2.x runs on WT32-S1/HLW8110 hardware. Use the LED table that matches the firmware major version shown in the app or device API.
Important: Firmware files are hardware-specific. Do not install a firmware 2.x image on firmware 1.x hardware or a firmware 1.x image on firmware 2.x hardware.
The blue LED is the software-controlled status indicator. The red LED is wired directly to the relay and tells you whether your router outlet is powered.
The timing is approximately 500 ms on/off for a slow blink, 125 ms on/off for a fast blink, and two short flashes followed by a pause for a double blink. The LED can be off briefly during startup or transitions.
| What You See | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Slow blinking | Setting up or reconnecting to WiFi |
| Fast blinking | Internet issue detected; Watchdog is handling it |
| Double blinking | Automatic recovery failed after the maximum retries |
| Solid | Connected to WiFi and working normally |
| Off | Starting up or changing operating modes |
| What You See | What It Means |
|---|---|
| On | Relay is closed and the router outlet is powered |
| Off | Relay is open and the router outlet is not powered |
| Blue | Red | What's Happening |
|---|---|---|
| Solid | On | Normal operation — internet is up, monitoring active |
| Fast blink | On | Internet is down — Watchdog is working on it |
| Fast blink | Off | Watchdog has temporarily cut router power |
| Double blink | On | Gave up after multiple retries — check your internet provider |
| Slow blink | On | Setting up or reconnecting to WiFi |
📝 Note: Fast blinking during a router reboot is normal and expected. The blue LED returns to solid once internet service is restored.
Both LEDs are software-controlled. Blue shows connectivity; red shows the Watchdog state and does not directly indicate outlet power.
On this hardware, blinking means a repeating blink and solid means continuously on. The red LED reports Watchdog state, not whether the outlet is energized.
| Blue | Red | What's Happening |
|---|---|---|
| Solid | Off | Normal operation — internet is up |
| Solid | Blinking | Internet issue detected; Watchdog is handling it |
| Blinking | Blinking | Router reboot in progress; WiFi is temporarily down |
| Solid | Solid | Automatic recovery failed; manual attention is needed |
| Blinking | Off | Setting up or reconnecting to WiFi |
Once set up, the Internet Watchdog runs completely automatically. Here's what happens behind the scenes:
The Watchdog checks your internet every 60 seconds by pinging three major internet servers (Google DNS, Cloudflare DNS, and OpenDNS). Using three independent servers means it won't react to a single server having a bad day — all three must be unreachable before it considers your internet down.
If all three servers are unreachable for 3 consecutive checks (about 3 minutes), the Watchdog confirms your internet is truly down and begins the recovery process:
The Watchdog won't endlessly reboot your router. It follows a careful retry sequence:
At this point, the problem is likely your internet provider, not your router. The Watchdog won't waste power-cycles on something it can't fix.
The Watchdog can't tell the difference between a frozen router and an ISP outage. If your ISP goes down, it will try rebooting your router (harmless) and then stop after the maximum number of retries. Once your ISP restores service, the Watchdog detects it and returns to normal monitoring automatically.
Open the PumpFuse app to see your Watchdog's status and control it from your phone.
⚠️ Requirement: Your phone must be connected to the same WiFi network as the Watchdog. The app communicates directly with the device over your local network.
The main screen shows all your PumpFuse devices. Each Watchdog displays:
.local hostname (e.g., pumpfuse-ab12.local)Tap a device to open its detail page.
The detail page is a single scrollable screen with everything you need:
A color-coded circle at the top shows the current state at a glance:
| Color | Label | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 Green | MONITORING | Normal — internet is up, Watchdog is watching |
| 🟡 Yellow | GRACE PERIOD | Internet went down — waiting before rebooting |
| 🟡 Yellow | WAITING | Router just rebooted — waiting for internet to return |
| 🟠 Orange | REBOOTING | Power-cycling the router right now |
| 🟠 Orange | COOLDOWN | Waiting between retry attempts |
| 🔴 Red | FAILED | All retries exhausted — needs your attention |
| ⚫ Grey | DISABLED | Monitoring is turned off |
Quick glance at key numbers:
If a daily reboot is configured, a chip shows the time (in your local time zone), e.g., "Daily reboot at 3:00 AM".
A collapsible card showing the last connectivity check results. Displays each ping target with its response time (e.g., "8.8.8.8 — 12ms"). Useful for diagnostics.
A list of recent events (up to 16), newest first. Examples:
Tap the three-dot menu for additional actions:
| Action | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Configure | Opens settings (see Adjusting Settings) |
| Device Settings | Rename device, configure MQTT, update firmware, view device info |
| Force Ping | Run an immediate internet check and see per-target results |
| Enable / Disable | Turn monitoring on or off |
| Reset Statistics | Zero out all lifetime counters (reboots, outages, uptime) |
| Manual Reboot | Manually trigger a router power-cycle (asks for confirmation) |
Open ⋮ → Configure to customize the Watchdog's behavior. All settings take effect on the next monitoring cycle.
| Setting | Default | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | On | Master switch — turn monitoring on or off entirely |
| Check Interval | 60 seconds | How frequently the device checks your internet (30–300 seconds) |
| Failures Before Reboot | 3 | How many consecutive failed checks before declaring internet is down (2–10). Higher = more patient before rebooting. |
| Grace Before Reboot | 2 minutes | After declaring an outage, how long to wait before power-cycling — in case internet recovers on its own (0–10 minutes) |
| Power Off Duration | 30 seconds | How long your router stays powered off during a reboot (10–120 seconds). Increase to 60s for older routers that need a longer reset. |
| Post-Reboot Grace | 5 minutes | How long to wait after powering your router back on before checking internet again (2–15 minutes). Increase this if your router takes a long time to boot. Most routers need 2–5 minutes. |
| Max Retries | 3 | Maximum number of reboot attempts before giving up (1–10) |
| Cooldown Between Retries | 30 minutes | How long to wait between retry attempts (10–120 minutes) |
| Ping Targets | Google, Cloudflare, OpenDNS | The internet servers used for connectivity checks. The defaults work well for most people — only change if you have a specific reason. (1–4 IP addresses) |
| Scheduled Reboot | Off | Set a daily preventative reboot time (see Scheduled Reboots) |
💡 Recommendation: The default settings work well for most routers. If you're not sure what to change, leave them as-is. The most common adjustment is increasing Post-Reboot Grace if your router takes longer than 5 minutes to fully start up.
You can set the Watchdog to automatically reboot your router once per day at a time you choose. This is a preventative measure — it clears your router's memory and can reduce the frequency of random freezes.
The app shows the time in your local time zone. The device converts it to UTC internally, so it will always trigger at the correct time regardless of daylight saving changes.
Open ⋮ → Configure → set Scheduled Reboot to Off → Save.
The Watchdog has a single button on the device for quick actions without the app.
| Action | How To | LED Feedback | What Happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check Internet Now | Press the button once (quick press) | Blue LED blinks once | Runs an immediate internet connectivity check |
| Manual Reboot | Press the button twice quickly (double press) | Blue LED blinks twice | Immediately power-cycles your router |
| Re-pair WiFi | Hold the button for 3 seconds | Blue LED starts blinking | Enters Bluetooth pairing mode so you can set up a new WiFi network via the app |
| Factory Reset | Hold the button for 10 seconds | Blue LED double-blinks, then device restarts | Erases all settings and restarts the device as if it were brand new. You'll need to set it up again via the app. |
💡 When to factory reset: If the device won't connect to WiFi, behaves unexpectedly, or you want to give it to someone else. After a factory reset, the blue LED will blink, indicating it's ready for setup.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Device not found during setup | Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone. Make sure the device is plugged in and the blue LED is blinking. Move your phone closer to the device. If the blue LED is solid (not blinking), hold the button for 3 seconds to re-enter pairing mode. |
| WiFi won't connect during setup | The Watchdog only supports 2.4 GHz WiFi. If your router has separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, make sure you enter the 2.4 GHz network name. Double-check the password — it's case-sensitive. |
| App says device is offline | Make sure your phone is on the same WiFi network as the Watchdog. If the Watchdog just rebooted your router, your WiFi may be temporarily down — wait 2–5 minutes and try again. You can also try reaching the device by its .local hostname (e.g., http://pumpfuse-ab12.local) in a browser to confirm it's on the network. |
| Blue LED blinking (not connecting) | The device is trying to connect to WiFi. If it keeps blinking for more than 2 minutes: check that your router is on, your WiFi password hasn't changed, and the Watchdog is within WiFi range. If needed, hold the button for 3 seconds and re-pair through the app. |
| Blue LED fast-blinking | The Watchdog detected an internet problem and is working on it. No action needed — it will attempt to fix it automatically. Check the app for details. |
| Blue LED double-blinking | The Watchdog tried to reboot your router multiple times and couldn't restore internet. This usually means an ISP outage. Check your provider; press the button once to retry, or wait for service to return. |
| Blue fast-blinking; red off | The Watchdog has cut router power for 30 seconds. This is expected. Wait 2–5 minutes for the router to boot back up. |
| Router takes too long to reboot | Some routers need 5–10 minutes to fully boot. Open the app → ⋮ → Configure → increase "Post-Reboot Grace" to 7–10 minutes. |
| Keeps rebooting during ISP outage | This is normal behavior — the Watchdog can't tell the difference between a frozen router and an ISP issue. After its maximum retries (default: 3), it will stop. You can increase Max Retries or Cooldown Between Retries if your ISP has frequent long outages. |
| I have a separate modem and router | Plug the modem directly into the wall. Plug the router's power cord into the Watchdog. This way, only the router gets power-cycled — your modem stays on. |
| How do I update firmware? | Open the app → tap your device → ⋮ → Device Settings → Firmware Update. Select the firmware file and the device will update over WiFi. |
| How do I move the device to a new WiFi network? | Hold the button for 3 seconds until the blue LED starts blinking. Then open the app → Add Device → connect via Bluetooth and enter the new WiFi credentials. |
| I want to see my router's power consumption | The app shows power draw in the stats grid on the detail page. This is informational only — it shows how much power your router uses. |
| Does it send notifications? | The Watchdog is designed to fix internet problems automatically, so you don't need to be notified — the problem is resolved before you notice it. There are no built-in text, email, or push notifications. If you want alerts (e.g., "internet went down and was restored"), connect to Home Assistant via MQTT and set up your own notification automations. See Section 12. |
📝 This section is for users who run Home Assistant or other MQTT-based home automation platforms. If you don't know what these are, you can safely skip this section.
The Internet Watchdog supports MQTT and is automatically discovered by Home Assistant.
Once connected, Home Assistant auto-discovers 11 entities:
Sensors:
Switches:
Buttons:
Set up HA automations to receive push notifications on your phone when the Watchdog detects an outage or exhausts retries. Example triggers:
outage_detected — send a notification: "Internet is down, Watchdog is attempting a reboot"max_retries_exceeded — send a critical notification: "Internet still down after 3 reboots — check your ISP"⚠️ Note: MQTT messages to an external (cloud) broker won't work while your internet is down. Use a local broker (on the same network) for reliable real-time alerts, or use MQTT logging to review events after connectivity is restored.
For full MQTT topic reference and HA configuration details, visit pumpfuse.com/docs/home-assistant.
📝 This section is for developers and tinkerers. If you don't know what a REST API is, you can safely skip this section.
The Watchdog exposes a full REST API on your local network. Each device announces a .local hostname based on its device name, so you never need to look up an IP address:
http://pumpfuse-ab12.local/api/v1/The hostname is the device name with spaces removed and everything lowercase (e.g., device name "PumpFuse-AB12" becomes pumpfuse-ab12.local). If you rename the device, the hostname updates immediately — no reboot required.
You can also use the IP address directly if you prefer:
http://192.168.1.100/api/v1/Query status, read configuration, trigger reboots, and adjust settings — all via standard HTTP requests. No authentication required (local network only). No cloud dependency.
Example:
# Check internet status
curl http://pumpfuse-ab12.local/api/v1/watchdog/status
# Trigger a manual reboot
curl -X POST http://pumpfuse-ab12.local/api/v1/watchdog/reboot📝 Note:
.localhostnames work natively on macOS, iOS, and Windows 10+. On Linux, make sure Avahi is installed (sudo apt install avahi-daemon).
For full API documentation, visit pumpfuse.com/docs/api.
The Watchdog includes a built-in MCP server (Model Context Protocol) that allows AI assistants to monitor and control your device using natural language.
Compatible with:
The MCP endpoint is available at:
http://pumpfuse-ab12.local/api/v1/mcpWith MCP, you can ask your AI assistant things like:
For MCP setup instructions, visit pumpfuse.com/docs/mcp.
Returns: 30-day return policy through Amazon. See your Amazon order for return instructions.
Support:
sales@pumpfuse.comFirmware Updates: Available through the PumpFuse app. Open your device → ⋮ → Device Settings → Firmware Update.