Always interesting information to check is the actual speed of the internet connection. On Windows 7 or XP you can right click on the connection indicator at the bottom right, enter the properties and check the total amount of data in upload (loaded) or download (downloaded) since the PC was turned on.
From the task manager, on the other hand, it is possible to see the percentage of network bandwidth usage.
In any case, Windows does not offer an immediate and simple display to read the real connection speed in real time, therefore an external program is needed.
In other articles I had described two programs:
- one to check the internet speed during the day and therefore have aggregated summary data with all the network usage statistics.
- another program, Net Traffic, useful for having real time information on the speed of the network in download and upload.
Similar to the latter, we see here a very simple new program that allows you to always keep your connection speed in front of you and also to view statistics and history regarding network traffic and, therefore, also internet.
NetSpeedMonitor is a very useful free program both if installed on a home PC and used for professional reasons.
Its peculiarity is that the data on the variable upload and download speeds can be seen from the taskbar at the bottom thus always remaining in superimpression.
Basically you can measure network traffic continuously, without having to open other windows.
During the installation, you must select the network card to be monitored which, presumably, is the one used to connect to the internet.
Eventually a warning will appear asking for permission to see Net Speed Monitor on the Windows 7 or Vista taskbar.
In Windows XP you cannot have this function but just go to the taskbar and click the program icon near the clock.
The configurations can however be changed from the options menu where it is possible to modify a different network card under monitoring and change the unit of measurement which, in the default setting, is the kbit / s.
The program is in Italian so it becomes easy to understand that you can also change the arrangement of the box on the taskbar.
During the installation you are also asked if you want to activate the database or if you want to record network traffic over time so as to have a history and statistics on connection speed .
By right-clicking on the speeds of Net Speed Monitor, you can access the database of traffic data showing the total in MB of packets sent and received every day and every month.
Traffic history can be used to monitor the system's monthly bandwidth usage so that you can diagnose and resolve recurring problems with your Internet connection.
On the other hand, if you open the connections window you can scroll through all the processes that use the connection (there are other programs if you want to see connections, ports and use of the internet on your PC from programs and sites)
By clicking with the left mouse button on the Upload and Download numbers on the Windows bar, the counter is reset by resetting it, without blocking monitoring.
At any time, real-time control over the connection can be disabled from the right-click menu option or by double clicking on the display.
