Visual Network Gauge

Whether you want to see just how fast your Internet is, or whether data is being downloaded or uploaded in the background, a network monitor can come in handy. While one is included in the Task Manager, it’s not designed to be kept on your desktop at all times.

Visual Network Gauge, however, is intended just for that. It monitors one or more network adapters and displays the info in a small window on your desktop, which can remain on top of all other applications.

After installing the program, you should see the current download and upload speed immediately after launching it. By default, it monitors all network adapters and adds up their numbers, but you can select individual devices as well.

Depending on your network speed, you may wish to select a different unit, and you can also customize the update speed.

There are four UI themes to choose from, which change the colors of the graph bars. You can configure the window to remain on top of all other applications, which is useful for continuous monitoring.

However, it would be great if the title bar could be removed from the UI, as a desktop widget that remains on your desktop for extended periods should as unobtrusive as possible.

If you’re looking for a straightforward tool that lets you track your download and upload speed, Visual Network Gauge is a good choice, but it isn’t the most advanced program of its kind. It features a minimalistic design and offers a few visual customization options, but nothing too spectacular.

On the whole, the application does its job quite well and is definitely worth a try if you need a no-nonsense bandwidth monitor that you can keep on your desktop while working or gaming.