Introduction to the Connection Info feature in the RDC client in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012

Applies to: Windows 8Windows 8 EnterpriseWindows 8 Pro More

INTRODUCTION

This article describes the Connection Info feature in the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client that is introduced in Windows 8 and in Windows Server 2012. This feature is available only when the client connects to a remote computer that is running Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012. 

More Information

When you log on to a remote computer in full-screen mode, a Connection Info icon appears on the connection bar. The Connection Info icon is displayed as a signal strength bar meter. When you click the icon, a pop-up window appears and displays the following information:
  • The quality of the connection to the remote computer
  • Whether User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is enabled or not
The following table lists the relationship between the number of bars in the icon and the roundtrip time (RTT) latency: 
Number of barsRTT latency (in milliseconds)
4 <50 ms
3 <150 ms
2 <300 ms
1 >300 ms
The following table lists the relationship between the number of bars in the icon and the bandwidth of the connection:
Number of barsBandwidth of the connection
4>10 Mbps
3>3 Mbps
2>1 Mbps
1<1 Mbps
The Connection Info feature is also included in the Remote Desktop app that is available from Windows Store. To install the Remote Desktop app, follow these steps:
  1. On the Start screen, click Store.
  2. Select Productivity, select Remote Desktop, and then click Install.
To display the Connection Info icon on the bottom app bar of the Remote Desktop app, perform one of the following operations:
  • Click the connection bar
  • Swipe from the bottom or top edge of the screen
  • Press Ctrl+Alt+Home