---
id: bridge-devices.what-is-the-bridge-heartbeat
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-is-the-bridge-heartbeat
category: "Bridge & your devices"
subcategory: "Staying connected"
question: "What is the heartbeat or “last handshake” in Bridge?"
alt_questions:
  - "Why does Bridge say last handshake?"
  - "Heartbeat every 20s meaning"
  - "What is Last hello on a Bridge device?"
  - "How does Bridge know a device is still there?"
  - "Bridge keep-alive"
short_answer: "It's a tiny keep-alive sent about every 20 seconds, even while paused, to confirm the other device is still there. “Last handshake … ago” shows when the latest one arrived — live proof the Bridge link is healthy."
tags: ["bridge", "heartbeat", "connection"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-do-bridge-status-messages-mean", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What is the heartbeat or “last handshake” in Bridge?

It's a tiny keep-alive that a connected link sends roughly every 20 seconds — even while sharing is paused — to confirm the other device is still reachable. The **last handshake** (or **Last hello**) time shows how long ago the most recent one arrived.

A recent time is live proof the link is healthy. If the beats stop, Bridge knows the device has gone offline and drops it until it's back. It carries no files, so it uses almost nothing.

- [Why did my device disconnect?](https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself)
- [What do the status messages mean?](https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-do-bridge-status-messages-mean)