connectivity_control

A Flutter plugin that provides low-level, system-driven visibility into active network interfaces on a device.

Unlike basic connectivity checks, this plugin is designed to help apps understand, observe, and reason about multiple simultaneous networks (Wi-Fi, cellular, VPN, etc.) using native platform signals.

▶ Watch the demo

Features

  • Detect all active network interfaces
  • Identify network type (Wi-Fi, cellular, VPN, Ethernet)
  • Determine whether a network:
    • Has internet capability
    • Is validated by the system
    • Is metered or unmetered
  • Retrieve upstream and downstream bandwidth estimates (Android only)
  • Listen to real-time network changes via streams
  • Native, event-driven implementation (no polling)

Platform Support

Platform Support
Android Full support (API 23+)
iOS Full support (iOS 13+)
macOS Full support (macOS 10.15+)

Installation

dependencies:
  connectivity_control: ^1.1.0

flutter pub get

How to Use

import 'package:connectivity_control/connectivity_control.dart';

Get Active Networks

final networks = await ConnectivityControl().getActiveNetworks();
print(networks);

Listen to Network Changes

ConnectivityControl().onActiveNetworksChanged.listen((networks) {
  print(networks);
});

NetworkInfo Fields

Field Android iOS macOS
type wifi, cellular, vpn, ethernet wifi, cellular, ethernet, other wifi, ethernet, other
hasInternet Yes Yes Yes
isValidated Yes Yes Yes
isMetered Yes Yes Yes
downLinkKbps Yes Not available Not available
upLinkKbps Yes Not available Not available

Platform Notes

  • VPN detection: Android reports VPN as a separate network type. iOS and macOS do not expose VPN as a distinct interface type via NWPathMonitor; VPN traffic appears under the underlying transport.
  • Bandwidth: iOS and macOS do not provide bandwidth estimation APIs. downLinkKbps and upLinkKbps will be null on both platforms.
  • isMetered on macOS: Maps to isExpensive || isConstrained. isExpensive is true for shared connections (e.g. iPhone USB tethering); isConstrained reflects the user enabling Low Data Mode in System Preferences.

Comparison with connectivity_plus

connectivity_plus is the most widely used connectivity package in the Flutter ecosystem. It answers one question: what type of connection is the device using? connectivity_control answers a different, lower-level question: what are the active network interfaces and what do we know about each of them?

Feature connectivity_control connectivity_plus
Active network type Yes Yes
Multiple simultaneous networks Yes — returns all active interfaces Partial — returns a list but limited per-interface detail
Has internet capability Yes (hasInternet) No — explicitly states it does not guarantee internet access
System-validated connection Yes (isValidated) No
Metered / unmetered Yes (isMetered) No
Bandwidth estimates Yes, Android (downLinkKbps, upLinkKbps) No
VPN detection Yes, Android Yes, but returns other on iOS and macOS
Bluetooth as connection type No Yes (Android, Linux, Web)
Satellite as connection type No Yes
Platform support Android, iOS, macOS Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, Web
Real-time stream Yes Yes
Polling-free Yes — native event-driven Yes — native event-driven

When to use connectivity_plus

  • You need broad platform coverage (Windows, Linux, Web)
  • You only need to know the general connection type (wifi / cellular / none)
  • You need Bluetooth or satellite detection

When to use connectivity_control

  • You need to know whether a connection actually has internet access (e.g. captive portal detection)
  • You need to distinguish metered from unmetered connections to adapt data usage
  • You need bandwidth estimates to adjust media quality
  • You need system-validated status to avoid sending requests on unverified connections
  • You are building a network-aware feature that needs to reason about multiple simultaneous interfaces

Libraries

connectivity_control