Software to display VPN connection status on the taskbar?

Question

Hi guys,

I have found that there's no default way in Windows of checking a vpn connection status at a glance.

I run NordVPN and I don't know whether this connection is up or down at any particular time. At times, I have thought it's running to then find that the internet becomes unresponsive because for some reason it's disconnected and is trying to restart which causes the internet to drop.

I downloaded software called 'VPN Connection Indicator', installed it as normal and moved it from the sys tray to the taskbar so I can always see its status.

However, it just doesn't seem to detect when my VPN is running and stays as off. Nothing seems to be detected so it just appears to be not working.

Does anyone have any experience with this software and have any suggestions?

And, does this software actually work in Windows 10 as advertised? Are there any working alternatives?

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi, irnswis

My name is Pablo E, I am an Independent Advisor. I would love to help you today.

Try to repair your connection by following these steps:

Click Start and type "cmd."

• Right click on Command Prompt and run as administrator.
• Copy and paste the following line one at a time, pressing enter each time. You must press Enter after each command and wait.
• netsh winsock reset
• netsh int ip reset
• ipconfig / release
• ipconfig / renew
• ipconfig / flushdns

You can also try to reset your DNS service with the following steps:

• Press Windows key + R and type "services.msc" and press OK.
• Scroll down to find the DNS client.
• Right click on it and click Restart.

If the above does not work you can follow these steps:

Enter the Start menu or by pressing the Win + I key combination, open the Settings and click on the Network and Internet option. Once there, we select the Status option from the menu on the left side and, within the configurations and options that are loaded in the right panel, we have to look for the restoration of the network.

When you click on this option, it will show us a new window from where we can restore the network in Windows 10. In this way, all network adapters will be removed and reinstalled, and the original configuration of other network components will be restored net. This implies that if we were using some software, such as a VPN client or virtual switches, we will have to reinstall them.

A process that the system performs automatically by clicking on the Reset button that is now displayed in Network Reset in Windows 10 settings. It is normal for the process to not take long, although we must wait until the end completely and restart the computer to continue with the network configuration in Windows 10 as we have done so far.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/10741/...

You can also check that your drivers are updated.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/402844...

Answer 2

Hi Pablo, 

Thanks for the info, but the problem isn't my connection - that is fine. The issue is that I can't get the aforementioned 'VPN connection indicator' software to work when I'm connected to my VPN.

My VPN can't be chosen from the drop down list:

The indicator in the taskbar - (OFF):

The software publisher's website is down and there's nothing on the internet regarding troubleshooting this issue.

Thanks.

Answer 3

I did follow step 1 of your list to reset the connection but it made no difference.

Answer 4

To customize the icons that appear on the taskbar, you must right-click on the taskbar, choose Properties, and then click the Customize button.

From here, click "Select which icons appear on the taskbar." Now you can activate an application to permanently display it on the right side of the taskbar.

Answer 5

Hi Pablo,

I have already activated the programs' icon on the taskbar (see the 2nd picture I attached to my above message), that isn't the issue. The issue is that the program itself is not showing my VPN status as on when I connect to my VPN.

This is the connection status of the program ie. off :

As you can see, that is a screenshot of my taskbar, and the icon is there. The 'VPN Connection Indicator' program is not connecting to my VPN connection to show when it's on.

When I took that screenshot the VPN was on, but the indicator programs' icon's showing as the VPN connection being off. How do I fix this?

Thanks