NIC Watcher

NIC Watcher provides you with information at a glance regarding the network interface controllers your computer is equipped with. With its help, you can check out the connection status of your LAN adapters, without having to access the Network And Sharing Center.

Working as a sidebar gadget, it displays a floating window that can be placed anywhere on the desktop and integrated with your daily working environment. The advantage is that you can keep an eye on the Network Interface Cards without having to install a more complex monitoring tool.

NIC Watcher can easily retrieve connection status information, but you must configure its settings beforehand. Available network adapters are automatically connected and displayed in a drop-down list, where you can choose the one you want to monitor.

NIC Watcher can be instructed to play a custom alarm sound if the connection is lost. Custom notification sounds can also be assigned to other events, such as a newly established connection or a change in the connection status.

The gadget can be configured to watch over up to eight controllers at once, displaying a new instance for each, with different user-defined settings. In other words, you can launch a new NIC Watcher gadget for each connected network adapter. It can keep an eye on the status of the wireless connection provided by a router.

There are much more advanced network monitoring applications out there that professional users are more likely to prefer to a sidebar gadget. NIC Watcher does not offer many options to tamper with, but it does its job without requiring advanced configuration or user knowledge. Also, it offers one-click access to the Network And Sharing Center, just by double-clicking anywhere within its main window.