📶 Network Status Widget

A sleek Windows taskbar widget that displays real-time network connectivity status using colorful signal bars in your system tray.

Author: mrbeandev • Website: mrbean.dev

📥 Download • 🚀 Quick Start • 🔧 Build • 🤝 Contribute

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✨ Features

🎯 Visual Network Monitoring

• 6-bar signal strength indicator in system tray
• Real-time connection quality assessment
• Color-coded status for instant recognition

🎨 Smart Color Coding

• 🟢 Green: Excellent connection (< 400ms response)
• 🟠 Orange: Slow connection (400ms - 3000ms response)
• 🔴 Red: No connection or very poor (> 3000ms response)

⚙️ Highly Customizable

• Configurable ping intervals (1s, 3s, 5s, 10s, 30s, or custom)
• Custom ping URL support (default: https://mrbean.dev/health)
• Adjustable timeout settings
• Persistent settings storage

🖥️ System Integration

• Lightweight system tray application
• Windows startup integration
• Minimal resource usage
• No console window interference

📦 Easy Distribution

• Single executable file (no Python required)
• Portable - runs on any Windows machine
• Simple startup folder integration

Features

• 6-bar signal strength indicator in the taskbar

• Color-coded status:

  • 🟢 Green: Good connection (fast response times)
  • 🟠 Orange: Slow connection (moderate response times)
  • 🔴 Red: No connection or very slow

• System tray integration: Lives in your taskbar notification area

• Customizable ping intervals: 1s, 3s, 5s, 10s, 30s, or custom

• Configurable ping URL: Default uses https://mrbean.dev/health

• Real-time monitoring: Continuous network status updates

• Context menu: Right-click for settings and options

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Download Executable (Recommended)

1. Download the latest NetworkStatusWidget.exe from Releases
2. Run the executable - it will appear in your system tray
3. Right-click the signal bars for settings and options

Option 2: Run from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/mrbeandev/network-status-widget.git
   cd network-status-widget

2. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Run the widget:

   python taskbar_network_widget.py

📥 Installation & Usage

How to Use

1. After starting, look for the signal bars icon in your system tray (taskbar notification area)
2. The bars will fill up based on connection quality:
   • More bars = better connection
   • Color indicates overall status
3. Right-click the icon for options:
   • View current status
   • Change ping intervals
   • Modify ping URL
   • Test connection
   • Exit application

Signal Bar Meanings

• 6 bars (Green): Excellent connection (< 100ms)
• 5 bars (Green): Very good connection (< 200ms)
• 4 bars (Green): Good connection (< 400ms)
• 3 bars (Orange): Fair connection (< 800ms)
• 2 bars (Orange): Slow connection (< 1500ms)
• 1 bar (Orange/Red): Very slow connection (< 3000ms)
• 0 bars (Red): No connection

Customization

The widget automatically saves your preferences:

• Ping interval (how often to check)
• Custom ping URL (default: https://mrbean.dev/health)
• Request timeout settings

All settings are stored in network_widget_settings.json and persist between sessions.

Building Executable

To create a standalone executable file:

1. Build the exe:

   python build_exe.py

   Or double-click build.bat

2. Add to Windows startup:

   • Right-click add_to_startup.bat and "Run as administrator"
   • The widget will now start automatically with Windows

The executable will be created in the dist/ folder as NetworkStatusWidget.exe.

For detailed build instructions, see BUILD_INSTRUCTIONS.md.

📸 Screenshots

System Tray Integration

The widget appears as signal bars in your Windows system tray, showing connection status at a glance.

Context Menu

Right-click the icon to access all settings and options:

• View current network status
• Change ping intervals
• Modify ping URL
• Test connection
• Access about information

🎯 Signal Bar Meanings

Bars	Color	Status	Response Time
6 bars	🟢 Green	Excellent	< 100ms
5 bars	🟢 Green	Very Good	< 200ms
4 bars	🟢 Green	Good	< 400ms
3 bars	🟠 Orange	Fair	< 800ms
2 bars	🟠 Orange	Slow	< 1500ms
1 bar	🟠 Orange	Very Slow	< 3000ms
0 bars	🔴 Red	No Connection	No response

🔧 Configuration

The widget automatically saves your preferences in network_widget_settings.json:

{
  "ping_url": "https://mrbean.dev/health",
  "ping_interval": 5,
  "timeout": 3,
  "signal_bars": 6
}

Customizable Settings

• Ping URL: Any HTTP/HTTPS endpoint for connectivity testing
• Ping Interval: How often to check connection (1-300 seconds)
• Timeout: Request timeout duration (1-30 seconds)
• Signal Bars: Number of bars to display (fixed at 6)

🚀 Adding to Windows Startup

Automatic Method (Recommended)

1. Build or download the executable
2. Right-click add_to_startup.bat and select "Run as administrator"
3. The widget will now start automatically with Windows

Manual Method

1. Press Win + R, type shell:startup, press Enter
2. Copy NetworkStatusWidget.exe to the startup folder
3. The widget will start with Windows

🛠️ Development

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Windows operating system
• Internet connection for testing

Setting up Development Environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mrbeandev/network-status-widget.git
cd network-status-widget

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run from source
python taskbar_network_widget.py

Project Structure

network-status-widget/
├── taskbar_network_widget.py    # Main application
├── build_exe.py                 # Build script
├── requirements.txt             # Dependencies
├── README.md                    # This file
├── BUILD_INSTRUCTIONS.md        # Build guide
├── CONTRIBUTING.md              # Contribution guidelines
├── CHANGELOG.md                 # Version history
├── LICENSE                      # MIT License
└── .gitignore                   # Git ignore rules

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Ways to Contribute

• 🐛 Report bugs and issues
• 💡 Suggest new features
• 🔧 Submit code improvements
• 📚 Improve documentation
• 🎨 Design better icons or UI

📋 Roadmap

• Unit tests and automated testing
• Multiple ping URL support
• Network adapter selection
• Bandwidth monitoring
• Custom themes and icons
• Sound notifications
• Network statistics logging
• Configuration import/export

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Widget doesn't appear in system tray

• Check if the application is running in Task Manager
• Look in the hidden icons area (click the up arrow in system tray)

No network detection

• Check firewall settings
• Try changing the ping URL in settings
• Verify internet connection with browser

Build fails

• Ensure Python 3.7+ is installed
• Run pip install -r requirements.txt
• Check for antivirus interference

Startup doesn't work

• Run add_to_startup.bat as administrator
• Manually check the startup folder: Win + R → shell:startup

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with pystray for system tray integration
• Uses Pillow for icon generation
• Packaged with PyInstaller for distribution
• Network testing via mrbean.dev health endpoint

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Made with ❤️ for Windows users who want to monitor their network connection

Author: mrbeandev • Website: mrbean.dev

⭐ Star this repo • 🐛 Report Bug • 💡 Request Feature