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PingWatch - Lightweight Network Monitor

A hyper-minimalist network monitor for Windows (Batch) and Linux/macOS (Bash). PingWatch is optimized for low-resource environments (like mobile hotspots or metered USB tethering), using native system commands to log connectivity without extra dependencies.

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🛠️ Features

• Latency Tracking: Automatically captures and logs network response times (ms).
• Locale-Agnostic: Smart parsing (Win) works across all system languages (English, French, German, etc.).
• Cross-Platform: Full support for Windows (.bat) and Unix-like systems (.sh).
• Colorful Interface: High-visibility terminal output (Yellow for info, Green for success, Red for failure).
• Smart OS Detection: Automatically adjusts ping flags for Git Bash (Windows) vs. Linux/macOS environments.
• Zero Dependencies: No Python, Node.js, or external tools required—just native shell magic.
• Set-and-Forget: Configure your target once and let it run in the background.
• Resource Efficient: Consumes ~1.5MB of RAM and effectively 0% CPU while idling.
• Interactive Hotkeys: Switch between 5 different targets on-the-fly (1-5) or toggle ping intervals.
• On-Demand Checking: Press any key while focused to trigger a ping immediately.
• Precision Logging: Precise timestamps [DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM:SS] for every entry.

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⚙️ Configuration

Both scripts contain a Settings block at the top. Open PingWatch.bat (Windows) or PingWatch.sh (Linux/macOS) in any text editor to edit:

Windows (.bat Syntax)

set "TARGET=8.8.8.8"         :: Google Public DNS (Google.com)
set "PACKETS=1"              :: Number of pings to send per check
set "INTERVAL=600"           :: Time between checks (in seconds)
set "LOG=%~dp0PingWatch.log" :: Output log filename

Linux / macOS (.sh Syntax)

TARGET="8.8.8.8"               # Google Public DNS (Google.com)
PACKETS=1                      # Number of pings to send per check
INTERVAL=600                   # Time between checks (in seconds)
LOG="PingWatch.log"            # Output log filename

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🚀 How to Use

Windows

1. Launch: Double-click PingWatch.bat.
2. Monitor: The console will show status, and a PingWatch.log file is updated in the same folder.
3. Hotkeys: Press 1-5 to change targets, or F/M/N to change the ping interval.
4. On-Demand: Press any other key to trigger a ping immediately.
5. Stop: Press Ctrl+C or close the window.

Linux / macOS

1. Permissions: Make the script executable: chmod +x PingWatch.sh
2. Launch: Run it from the terminal: ./PingWatch.sh
3. Monitor: Status is printed and appended to PingWatch.log.
4. Hotkeys: Press 1-5 to change targets, or f/m/n to change the ping interval.
5. On-Demand: Press any other key to trigger an instant ping.
6. Stop: Press Ctrl+C.

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🎯 Recommended Targets

If you want the most reliable monitoring without being filtered or blocked for frequent pings, consider using these high-availability public DNS addresses:

Provider	Hostname / IP	Benefit
Google DNS	8.8.8.8	Highly reliable and virtually never down.
Cloudflare	1.1.1.1	Optimized for speed and handles high ICMP traffic.
Quad9	9.9.9.9	High stability with security focus.
OpenDNS	208.67.222.222	Enterprise-grade availability.
Google Site	google.com	A solid check for actual web accessibility.

Tip

For best results, use IPs like 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 instead of domain names. This bypasses DNS lookups and ensures you are testing your raw internet connection.

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📚 Project Documentation

For deeper insights into the scripts, please see:

• CODE_DOCUMENTATION.md - Technical details and implementation mechanisms.
• DESIGN_PHILOSOPHY.md - Project goals, reasoning, and core ideology.

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📊 Performance & Resource Usage

Resource	Usage	Why?
CPU	< 0.1%	Spends 99.8% of time in an idle sleep state.
RAM	~1.5 MB	Overhead of a standard cmd.exe or bash process.
Network	~32 Bytes / Check	Minimal ICMP Echo Request packets.
Disk	~50 Bytes / Entry	Direct, efficient binary-safe appending to .log.

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📋 Log File Format

Entries in PingWatch.log are designed to be easily grep-able or imported into Excel:

[07/03/2026 13:45:12] SUCCESS - 8.8.8.8 is reachable (Latency: 28ms)
[07/03/2026 13:55:04] SUCCESS - 8.8.8.8 is reachable (Latency: 31ms)
[07/03/2026 14:05:59] FAILURE - 8.8.8.8 is NOT reachable

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💡 Pro Tips

• Minimize to Tray (Win): Run the script and minimize; it continues logging without slowing your PC.
• Background (Unix): Run as a background process with nohup ./PingWatch.sh &.
• Multiple Targets: Copy the script into different folders. Each instance will manage its own PingWatch.log.
• Auto-Start:
  • Windows: Place a shortcut to .bat in shell:startup.
  • Linux: Add to your .bashrc or crontab -e @reboot.
• Windows Defender: On Windows 11, if Defender flags the script, right-click → Properties → Unblock.

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💻 Requirements

• Windows: Windows 7 / 8 / 10 / 11 (Any edition).
• Unix: Linux (Any distro), macOS, or WSL.
• Rights: Standard user permissions (Administrator/Root NOT required).
• Disk: ~500KB for the script; log size depends on duration.