NetTraffic

For those who download and upload on a regular basis, being able to accurately track the speed of those transfers can be very important, especially if users plan on multitasking their connection. NetTraffic is an application that can to monitor both the upload and download speed, via a bar chart displayed on their desktop.

The use of a bar chart to monitor the transfer speed is a welcomed one, the two bars - one orange and one blue - move in real time and clearly show the transfer rates. NetTraffic includes an always-on-top feature that is especially welcome, allowing users to always see their download speed, regardless of what they are doing.

Oddly, NetTraffic shows the Network Interface Card ISATAP information on the main window, but cannot fit it all unless the options menu is expanded. The half displayed network adapter name is an unsightly and unnecessary addition that could of easily been in the option area, rather than poorly fitted across both areas. The standard byte scale for the bar charts is also odd, divided into quarters with very irregular gaps. One quarter is 0-10, another is 1000 to 10000, this can be changed, yet it is a very inaccurate visual standard.

NetTraffic does not have a particularly useful set of options, it allows basic display and interface options, but little else. Users can change the byte scale for the graphics, change the title to display only downloads or uploads, put an icon in the system tray and enable the program upon startup.

The application lacks a setting to place a cap on the amount of bytes downloaded or uploaded, a feature that other upload / download monitors include. NetTraffic offers several ways to monitor your connection, but no way to control it. The visual options are also limited, if the bar chart is not properly calibrated to your connection speed, the visual scale becomes wildly inaccurate, which also means if your connection fluctuates often, the bar chart is going to be nearly useless.

NetTraffic is a useful program for anyone with a busy download schedule, with a few good options to display relevant information clearly. However, there are very clear ways for NetTraffic to be tweaked and, until it is improved, there are arguably some more helpful alternatives. NetTraffic is an efficient but limited way to monitor your connection's traffic.