Network Monitor

It is important to keep track of bandwidth usage when you don’t have a lot to work with, and a simple desktop widget is often a good tool to rely on, provided you don’t need detailed statistics or a host of advanced features.

Network Monitor is a basic, open-source application that tracks download and upload speed, as well as latency, and displays this information in a small, customizable desktop widget.

The application is very easy to set up, especially since it doesn’t need to be installed before use. Once you’ve downloaded the executable file, just launch it and move the widget to any position on your desktop.

While the program is also shown in the taskbar initially, you can choose to hide it so that only the desktop widget will be displayed. What’s more, it can stay on top of all other windows or remain in the background.

You can increase or decrease the size of the widget from the right-click menu, but this is the only thing you can change about its appearance. No alternative color themes are available, and you are stuck with the default font and text size.

It is also worth noting that the download and upload speed readings aren’t very precise once you get past 1 MBps, so this may not be the best tool for users who need to see the exact numbers. However, you do have the option of measuring the data rate in bits.

In the end, Network Monitor is best suited for those who need to get a rough idea of how much data is being downloaded or uploaded. It measures latency, download speed and upload speed, and it displays this info in a realizable widget that can remain in the background or stay on top of all other applications.