diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6bfe3b2..b60e827 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ You will need an Apache web server set up to run PHP scripts and a MySQL databas
 
 ##BrightAuthor
 
-The hearbeat-demo project shows a simple example of how to use the heartbeart plugin.  Add it as a plugin under Files->Presentation Properties->Autorun.  Then from a timer - or any action anywhere - you can 'Send' a plugin message.  Whatever message text you use will be inserted as the 'event' string that goes into the database.  DO NOT USE SPACES OR PUNCTUATION in that string - it can confuse things.  Use a string like "timeout" or "button press" or something.  This will allow you to have many different events trigger the 'heartbeat' and can track that in the database.
+The hearbeat-demo project shows a simple example of how to use the heartbeart plugin.  Add it as a plugin under Files->Presentation Properties->Autorun.  Then from a timer - or any action anywhere - you can 'Send' a plugin message.  Whatever message text you use will be inserted as the 'event' string that goes into the database.  DO NOT USE SPACES OR PUNCTUATION in that string - it can confuse things.  Use a string like "timeout" or "button_press" or something.  This will allow you to have many different events trigger the 'heartbeat' and can track that in the database.
 
 <nowiki>You will need to create a user variable called "heartbeat_url" and set it to the URL of the PHP script on your server.  You can also create a user variable called "heartbeat_tag" and put text there that you want to use to help make database queries.  </nowiki>
 
diff --git a/heartbeat.php b/heartbeat.php
index 6873824..5232e87 100644
--- a/heartbeat.php
+++ b/heartbeat.php
@@ -8,25 +8,36 @@
 $event   = $_GET['event'];
 $ext_ip  = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
 
-$link = mysql_connect('localhost', 'REPLACE_USERNAME', 'REPLACE_PASSWORD');
-if (!$link) {
-    die('Not connected : ' . mysql_error());
-}
+$mysqli = new mysqli('localhost', 'REPLACE_USERNAME', 'REPLACE_PASSWORD', 'brightsign');
 
-$db_selected = mysql_select_db('brightsign', $link);
-if (!$db_selected) {
-    die ('Can\'t use foo : ' . mysql_error());
+/* Check Connection */
+if ($mysqli->connect_errno) {
+    printf("Connect failed: %s\n", $mysqli->connect_error);
+	exit();
 }
 	
 $sql1 = "DELETE FROM heartbeats WHERE snum='$serial';";
-$result1 = mysql_query($sql1) or die(mysql_error());
+if (!$mysqli->query($sql1)){
+	printf("Error deleting from heartbeats: %s\n", $mysqli->error);
+	/* close connection */
+	$mysqli->close();
+	exit();
+}
 
 if ($tag=="") $tag="none";
 if ($event=="") $event="none";
 
 
 $sql2 = "INSERT INTO heartbeats (snum,version,fw,int_ip,ext_ip,tag,event) VALUES ('$serial','$version','$fw','$int_ip','$ext_ip','$tag','$event');";
-$result2 = mysql_query($sql2) or die(mysql_error());
+if (!$mysqli->query($sql2)){
+	printf("Error inserting into heartbeats: %s\n", $mysqli->error);
+	/* close connection */
+	$mysqli->close();
+	exit();
+}
+
+/* close connection */
+$mysqli->close();
 
 exit(header("Status: 200 OK"));