Ubuntu – Is an Internet connectivity indicator applet available for the Unity panel

connectionindicatorunity

Because my internet connection is very unstable at the moment, I'd like to use a small indicator applet for the Unity panel.

Since I'm connected through a WLAN/Wifi Router, I can see in the network-applet when the connection to the router is lost, but not when the router loses the connection to the Internet.

A Windows 7 computer of mine has this functionality. It shows a black exclamation mark on yellow ground if it can't "ping" a remote server.

I'm running Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" 64-Bit with Unity 3D.

Best Answer

Whilst you mentioned you wish to do this in the network applet - I don't think you can do this. Here is an alternative.

internet up

enter image description here

internet down

enter image description here

how to for 11.10 & 12.04

It requires an indicator from a PPA together with a custom ping test script:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alexeftimie/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install indicator-sysmonitor
mkdir -p ~/scripts && cd ~/scripts

using:

gedit pingtest.sh

Copy and paste the code below into the new file and save & close.

Give the file execute permission:

chmod +x pingtest.sh

Start the indicator

indicator-sysmonitor &

Then in the indicator-preferences:

enter image description here

click "use this command" and copy and paste the following text:

$HOME/scripts/pingtest.sh

code

#!/bin/bash

if ping -c 1 -W 2 google.com > /dev/null; then
 echo "Up"
else
 echo "Down"
fi
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