diff --git a/ghash.c b/ghash.c
index e47d477..7471795 100644
--- a/ghash.c
+++ b/ghash.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ void ghash_store_redis(redisContext **redis, char *ghash, char *addr, char *cc)
 		return;
 }
 
+
 void last_storeredis(redisContext **redis, char *username, char *device, char *jsonstring)
 {
 	redisReply *r;
@@ -89,6 +90,19 @@ int ghash_get_redis_cache(redisContext **redis, char *ghash, UT_string *addr, UT
 
 	return (found);
 }
+
+void monitor_update(struct udata *ud, time_t now, char *topic)
+{
+	redisReply *r;
+
+	redis_ping(&ud->redis);
+
+	r = redisCommand(ud->redis, "HMSET ot-recorder-monitor time %ld topic %s", now, topic);
+	if (r) /* FIXME */
+		return;
+
+}
+
 #endif /* !HAVE_REDIS */
 
 int ghash_readcache(struct udata *ud, char *ghash, UT_string *addr, UT_string *cc)
diff --git a/misc.c b/misc.c
index ddfe51a..84af322 100644
--- a/misc.c
+++ b/misc.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ char *bindump(char *buf, long buflen)
 /*
  * At each received message, the recorder invokes this function with the
  * current epoch time and the topic being handled. Use this to update
- * a monitoring hoook.
+ * a monitoring hoook. If we have Redis, use that exclusively.
  */
 
 void monitorhook(struct udata *userdata, time_t now, char *topic)
@@ -35,8 +35,19 @@ void monitorhook(struct udata *userdata, time_t now, char *topic)
 
 #ifdef HAVE_REDIS
         if (ud->useredis) {
+		monitor_update(ud, now, topic);
+		return;
+	}
+#else
+	if (ud->usefiles) {
+		char mpath[BUFSIZ];
+		FILE *fp;
+
+		sprintf(mpath, "%s/monitor", JSONDIR);
+		if ((fp = fopen(mpath, "w")) != NULL) {
+			fprintf(fp, "%ld %s\n", now, topic);
+			fclose(fp);
+		}
 	}
 #endif
-	if (ud->usefiles) {
-	}
 }
diff --git a/misc.h b/misc.h
index cbc6068..8138085 100644
--- a/misc.h
+++ b/misc.h
@@ -13,4 +13,6 @@ int mkpath(char *path);
 char *bindump(char *buf, long buflen);
 void monitorhook(struct udata *ud, time_t now, char *topic);
 
+void monitor_update(struct udata *ud, time_t now, char *topic);
+
 #endif