DEV Community: Robin Hood

How to Show a Real-Time Internet Speed Meter on Windows 10 & Windows 11

Robin Hood — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 19:06:45 +0000

Have you ever searched for:

How to show internet speed on Windows?
How to activate an internet speed meter on Windows 10?
Best internet speed meter for Windows 11?
How can I monitor internet usage on my PC?

I had the same problem.

Windows provides some network statistics in Task Manager and Settings, but there's no clean, real-time speed meter that stays on your desktop.

The Problem

The built-in tools are useful for basic information, but they don't offer:

A floating internet speed meter
Real-time upload/download monitoring
Daily internet usage tracking
A customizable desktop widget
A clean interface that matches your desktop

If you're constantly downloading files, gaming, streaming, or simply curious about your network activity, Windows feels surprisingly limited.

My Solution

Instead of using heavy network monitoring software, I built a lightweight application called Internet Usage Tracker.

The goal was simple:

✔ Live download speed

✔ Live upload speed

✔ Daily internet usage

✔ Customizable floating speed meter

✔ Lightweight and always visible

The speed meter blends nicely with your wallpaper, so it looks like part of your desktop instead of another bulky application.

Why a Floating Speed Meter?

A floating widget lets you monitor your connection without opening Task Manager every few minutes.

It's especially useful for:

Developers downloading packages
Gamers checking connection stability
Remote workers
Streamers
Anyone with a limited internet plan

You instantly know when something is using your bandwidth.

Works on Windows 10 & Windows 11

The application is designed to work smoothly on modern versions of Windows while consuming very little system resources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Windows have a built-in internet speed meter?

No. Windows shows network activity, but it doesn't include a floating real-time internet speed meter.

Can I customize the speed meter?

Yes. Internet Usage Tracker lets you customize the widget so it matches your desktop and stays exactly where you want it.

Can it track daily internet usage?

Yes. It records your daily usage so you can easily monitor your data consumption.

Final Thoughts

If you've been searching for how to activate an internet speed meter on Windows, the simplest solution is using a dedicated lightweight application.

That's exactly why I built Internet Usage Tracker—a clean, customizable, real-time internet speed meter that feels like a native Windows widget.

I'd love to hear your feedback or feature ideas. What would you like to see in an internet monitoring tool?

Stop Creating a React Project Just to Preview a JSX File

Robin Hood — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 18:46:23 +0000

If you're using AI coding assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, or Lovable, you've probably accumulated dozens of JSX components.

Generating them is incredibly fast.

Previewing them? Not so much.

The Typical Workflow

Every time I received a JSX component, I found myself repeating the same process.

Create a React project (or open an existing one)
Copy the JSX file
Install dependencies
Fix missing imports
Run the development server
Wait for everything to compile

All of that... just to see one component.

It felt like unnecessary overhead.

There Had to Be a Better Way

I asked myself a simple question:

Why can't I just double-click a JSX file and preview it?

We can instantly open images, PDFs, videos, and text files.

Why should JSX files require an entire development environment?

That's what inspired me to build PreviewKit.

What is PreviewKit?

PreviewKit is a lightweight Windows application that lets you preview frontend components instantly.

Supported file types include:

✅ JSX
✅ Vue
✅ HTML

No project setup.

No dependency installation.

No terminal commands.

Just open the file and see the result.

Why I Built It

AI has dramatically changed frontend development.

We're no longer spending most of our time writing components—we're reviewing, comparing, and refining them.

That means fast visual feedback is more important than ever.

I wanted a tool that removed the repetitive setup process so I could focus on building better interfaces instead of preparing a preview environment.

Who Is It For?

PreviewKit is useful if you:

Build React applications
Work with Vue components
Test standalone HTML files
Generate UI with AI tools
Review components from teammates
Prototype interfaces quickly

If opening frontend files feels slower than it should, PreviewKit was built for you.

The Goal Isn't to Replace Your Framework

You'll still use React.

You'll still use Vue.

You'll still use Vite or Next.js.

PreviewKit isn't trying to replace your existing workflow.

It simply removes one frustrating step:

Previewing components.

Final Thoughts

Developer productivity isn't only about writing code faster.

It's also about removing repetitive tasks that interrupt your flow.

PreviewKit does one thing:

Open frontend files and preview them instantly.

No setup.

No waiting.

Just open, preview, and continue building.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What part of your frontend workflow feels unnecessarily repetitive?

I Couldn't Find a Good Image Metadata Tool, So I Built One

Robin Hood — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 18:25:45 +0000

Every project starts with a problem.

Mine started with image metadata.

Whenever I published images, I found myself repeating the same workflow:

Rename the file
Write a title
Add a description
Generate alt text
Think of relevant keywords
Save IPTC and XMP metadata

It wasn't difficult.

It was just incredibly repetitive.

Looking for a Solution

I tried several existing tools.

Some were excellent at editing metadata.

Some could generate text with AI.

Others focused on photo management.

But I couldn't find a Windows application that combined everything into a single workflow focused on Image SEO.

I wanted one tool that could:

Generate metadata with AI
Write IPTC & XMP metadata
Support manual editing
Handle multiple images at once

Eventually, I stopped searching and started building.

Building Image SEO AI

The result became Image SEO AI.

The goal wasn't to compete with Photoshop or Lightroom.

Those applications solve completely different problems.

Instead, I focused on one very specific workflow:

Helping creators prepare images for publishing faster.

Today the application can:

Generate image titles using AI
Create descriptions
Generate alt text
Suggest keywords
Write IPTC & XMP metadata directly into images
Process up to 50 images in one batch
Allow full manual editing whenever needed
The Biggest Lesson

One thing I learned while building this project is that people don't always want full automation.

They want control.

AI should save time, not remove decision-making.

That's why every AI-generated field can be reviewed and edited before it's saved.

What I'm Working On Next

I'm actively improving the application based on user feedback.

Some ideas currently on my roadmap include:

Better keyword generation
More metadata standards
Improved AI prompts
Faster bulk processing
More export options

Building desktop software has been an enjoyable challenge, and I'm excited to keep improving it.

If you've worked with image metadata before, I'd love to know:

What's the biggest pain point in your workflow?

Your feedback might shape the next feature.