Show Network Statistics on Desktop in Windows 7

Often you wonder about what your IP address is, how fast your internet connection is, if you are even connected to the internet etc. among many other things about your network. Usually you have to visit some site or other to know about these things. But you can display all this information right on your Windows desktop using a gadget called Network Meter. This useful Windows gadget shows up all the network statistics like internal and external IP address, network bandwidth, internet download speed and transferred bytes etc. Here is how you can install and use this Network Meter gadget :

  1. Download Network Meter gadget from http://addgadget.com/network_meter/. Typically, you would download the .gadget file and save it on your desktop.
  2. Double-click on the downloaded .gadget file (in my case Network_Meter_V7.0.4.gadget). You would see a Security Warning window, click Install to continue and install the gadget.

    Network Meter for Windows 7

  3. Soon the Network Meter would be displayed in the Windows 7 sidebar on the right side of your screen. It shows your internal and external IP addresses, your upload and download bytes and instantaneous transfer speeds.

    Network Meter for Windows 7

  4. You can click on the Speed Test to open a new browser window to perform the internet speed test. The test is based on the popular speedtest.net service and can calculate your download and upload speeds.

    Network Meter for Windows 7

  5. In the Network Meter options, you can configure a multitude of options like selecting the network, enabling auto-updating of the gadget, display and color settings etc.

    Network Meter for Windows 7

Network Meter is a useful Windows gadget that shows your internal IP address, external IP address, SSID (service set identifier), and wireless signal strength. It also has features like speed test, IP lookup, checking if connection is secure or not etc. Network meter also shows your current upload and download data usage. If you want to view the current state of your network connection on your desktop in an convenient style, you are going to adore Network Meter.