The Timezone is a setting that influences how monitored times are reported, based on your time zone.This setting is configured during the Uptrends account setup. To view or change it, go to Account setup or Admin, then click Account settings.
You have the option change the time zone yourself, unless there is Real User Monitoring (RUM) data already collected in your Uptrends account. In that case the setting will appear as disabled for changes and you have to contact Support to discuss the options.
Daylight saving time (DST)
Note
Changes in the time zone setting will introduce a gap or overlap in your monitoring data because Uptrends does not recalculate existing data after a time zone change. You’ll also see a gap or overlap twice a year if your time zone observes daylight saving time. For details, see What you see in your monitoring data when DST starts or ends.
In the Uptrends application, some time zones are marked with an asterisk (*) or a hash sign (#) to show that the time zone observes daylight saving time.
- * — the time zone observes DST, and DST starts and ends in the same calendar year. This is usually a northern hemisphere time zone, where DST runs from about March to October or November.
- # — the time zone observes DST, and DST starts in one year and ends in the next. This is usually a southern hemisphere time zone, where DST runs from about September or October to March or April.
Time zones without these markers don’t observe DST.
If you want to see times in UTC (Universal Time Coordinated), use the UTC time zone (without * marking) for this. This time zone setting does not observe DST. Please note this is not the same as UTC England, Ireland which does observe DST.
What you see in your monitoring data when DST starts or ends
Uptrends shows check times in your time zone. This is the account time zone, or your own operator time zone if you’ve set one.
When that time zone starts or ends DST, the clock changes. During this time:
- Your monitoring continues running at its configured interval.
- When DST starts, the clock goes forward one hour, for example from 02:00 to 03:00. No checks have a time in the skipped hour, so your monitor log shows a 1-hour gap. Your monitors keep running as usual during this time.
- When DST ends, the clock goes back one hour, for example from 03:00 to 02:00. That hour happens twice, so your monitor log shows about twice the usual number of checks for that hour.
The time of the switch depends on the time zone:
| Scenario | Clock movement | Effect on monitoring log |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (start of DST) | 02:00 to 03:00 | One-hour gap |
| Fall (end of DST) | 03:00 to 02:00 | Double the checks for one hour |
For example, Central European Time goes from 02:00 to 03:00 in spring and from 03:00 back to 02:00 in fall. US Eastern Time goes from 02:00 to 03:00 in spring and from 02:00 back to 01:00 in fall.
Time zones for operators
The default Uptrends account time zone setting can be adjusted to use an additional time zone for individual operators. Note that this feature is available for Enterprise accounts only.