per vedere se la connessione è attiva ti basta fare
codice:
Private Declare Function InternetGetConnectedState Lib "wininet.dll" (ByRef lpdwFlags As Long, ByVal dwReserved As Long) As Long
Private Sub Form_Load()
    MsgBox "Is connected to the internet: " + CStr(IsConnected)
End Sub
Public Function IsConnected() As Boolean
    If InternetGetConnectedState(0&, 0&) = 1 Then
        IsConnected = True
    Else
        IsConnected = False
    End If
End Function