NetworkControl is a free (GPL) Linux (Xwindows GUI-based) utility that allows you to control and monitor your network interfaces, including wireless ones (in that case, you see a signal strength meter, as shown on this page).

NetworkControl addresses a conspicuous lack in most Linux distributions — most tend to be short on easy-to-use network utilities, even something as trivial as a robust, informative way to log on and off a dialup connection. NetworkControl also provides the connection IP, configuration and statistics (gleaned from "ifconfig" and updated each second), and provides graphic signal levels for wireless interfaces, handy for evaluating a system of wireless devices.

NetworkControl allows you to see network activity at a glance and lets you control your network interfaces in a fast, convenient way. It is designed to be informative and easy to use.

• Source tar archive networkcontrol.tar.bz2 (366 KB)
• Binary networkcontrol (110 KB)

• If you have downloaded the binary, just put it in /usr/local/bin, give it executable permissions and run it like this:

  $ networkcontrol
                

  You can make a desktop shortcut with this as its executable target.

• If you have downloaded the source package:
  • Put it in any convenient location.
  • $ tar -xjf networkcontrol.tar.bz2
  • $ cd networkcontrol.dist
  • $ ./auto_install.sh
  If you don't want the automatic installation or you want to fine-tune the process, instead of running "auto_install.sh", after the unpacking step above, do this:
  • $ make -f Makefile.cvs dist
  • $ ./configure
  • $ make
  • $ sudo make install
  Obviously you may want to modify some of these steps to suit your platform.

• 10/08/2007 Version 3.4. Modified configuration handling code to accommodate device aliases, cleaned up some ambiguous states.
• 11/11/2006 Version 3.3. Modified signal strength bar code to take differing wireless interface protocols into account.
• 09/14/2006 Version 3.2. Updated source to conform to gcc 4.1 requirements.
• 12/24/2004 Version 3.1. Fixed some small bugs, added an "About" dialog.
• 12/05/2004 Version 3.0. Completely rewrote this program in C++ to give it better performance and faster loading than it had as a Java program.
• 10/18/2004 Version 2.0. Changed command structure for more robust logon/logoff behavior, added ability to copy displayed text.
• 04/14/2004 Version 1.9. Improved network device polling code.
• 03/30/2004 Version 1.8. Cleaned up some small bugs, first public release.
• 03/28/2004 Version 1.7. Added wireless metering.
• 03/26/2004 Version 1.6. Added a configuration save/restore class.
• 03/24/2004 Version 1.5. Improved GUI behavior and layout.
• /...
• 03/20/2004 Version 1.0. Initial feasibility tests.