7thSky Live Visitor Monitor – Real-Time Visitor Monitoring with Smart IP Blocking

FAQ

How often does the map update?

The dashboard automatically refreshes every 5 seconds to show the latest active visitors. You can also manually refresh using the refresh button.

What defines an “active” visitor?

Visitors are considered active if they have visited within the last 5 minutes. This helps filter out stale data and focus on current traffic.

How does IP blocking work?

When you block an IP address, the plugin checks every page load and prevents access with a 403 error. Blocked IPs are stored in the database and persist across sessions.

Is geolocation data accurate?

Geolocation accuracy depends on the IP geolocation service used. When using ip-api.com (external API), accuracy is generally good for country-level data, but city-level data may vary. The plugin caches results for 1 hour to reduce API calls. For better accuracy and no rate limits, you can use a local MaxMind GeoLite2 database.

What external services does this plugin use?

See the “External Resources” section above for complete details. The plugin uses:
* ip-api.com – For geolocation lookups (optional, can be disabled)
* OpenStreetMap – For map tiles (optional, can be disabled)

The geolocation and map services can be completely avoided by disabling geolocation and the live map in Settings. The plugin will continue to track visitors without location data or map visualization.

Does this work with caching plugins?

The tracking script runs in the footer, so it should work with most caching plugins. However, if you’re using aggressive page caching, you may need to exclude the tracking script from cache.

What data is collected?

The plugin collects: IP address, country, region, city, latitude/longitude, current page URL, referrer URL, and user agent. This data is stored in your WordPress database. Geolocation lookups may be sent to ip-api.com (if enabled and not using local database). You can disable geolocation entirely in Settings to avoid any external API calls.

How does caching work?

Geolocation results are cached using WordPress transients for 1 hour. This means:
* The same IP address will only trigger one API call per hour
* Cached results are served instantly without external requests
* Cache is automatically cleared after 1 hour
* This significantly reduces API usage and improves performance

What database tables are created?

The plugin creates two database tables on activation:
* wp_lvmon8s_visitors – Stores visitor tracking data (IP, location, page, time, etc.)
* wp_lvmon8s_blocked – Stores blocked IP addresses

Both tables are automatically removed when the plugin is uninstalled.

Can I exclude certain user roles from tracking?

Currently, the plugin can exclude all logged-in WordPress users. Role-specific exclusions may be added in future versions.

What happens when I disable data collection?

When data collection is disabled:
* No visitor tracking occurs
* No data is stored in the database
* The dashboard will show no visitors
* The tracking script is not injected into pages

How do I set up a local GeoIP database?

1. Install the GeoIP2 PHP library: composer require geoip2/geoip2
2. Download GeoLite2-City.mmdb from MaxMind (requires free account)
3. Upload the file to: wp-content/uploads/lvmon8s-geoip/GeoLite2-City.mmdb
4. Enable “Use Local GeoIP Database” in Settings

Note: The GeoIP2 library must be installed at the WordPress root level or via Composer autoloader.