A system and method is provided for detecting, monitoring and maintaining an Internet Connection Sharing Device (ICSD). An ICSD may be connected to one or more devices, and/or applications associated with a Local Area Network (LAN), which devices, and/or applications, may attempt to detect, monitor and maintain the ICSD. Thus, a broadcast protocol for advertising status and services and a unicast request/response protocol are provided to facilitate such detection, monitoring and maintenance.