Anyway to tell if Mail loses connection to server?

Question

Is there anyway short of opening the Apple Mail app every so often to tell if you are connected to your Mail server? The Mail dock icon doesn't change no matter if you're connected or not. This is very frustrating since I seem to lose my connection to the mail server at least 4-5 times a day and if i never opened the Mail app i'd never know i wasn't able to receive mail. Apple should include some visual feature on the Mail dock icon that alerts the user immediately that the connection is lost.
thx
lenn

Answer 1

There is no constant connection with the incoming mail server for any email account with the Mail.app. The Mail.app connects to the incoming mail server for an account when the account is automatically or manually checked for new mail only.
Having an email account taken offline by the Mail.app (if there is a problem communicating with the incoming mail server for an account for whatever reason when the account is checked for new mail) and losing connection to your wireless network are completely separate/different things.
If you don't mind me asking, what business are you in or what are you expecting via email that is so important which requires checking for new mail every minute of every day or at least while the Mail.app is launched and running? Sorry but I can't imagine anyone or anything so important that requires doing so but even if you have it set to check every 5 or 15 minutes will have no effect on losing a connection to a wireless network.
Where is your AE base station located in relation to your iMac - in the same room or in different rooms upstairs/downstairs, etc.? When connected to your wireless network, is the Airport signal strength indicator strong? Does this occur when the computer goes to sleep, during use or both?
Have you posted this in either the Airport & AE or the iMac Intel forum since your actual problem has nothing to do with the Mail.app. Any lost connection to your wireless network warning should come from elsewhere.