Connecting your simulator

Click the  gear icon  at the right of the status bar to open the flight simulator link settings. 

 Supported simulators 

 

 

 

 Simulator 

 Connection 

 Default port 

 Setup needed 

 

 

 

 

 Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020 or 2024) 

 SimConnect over TCP 

 500 

 None — MSFS opens this automatically 

 

 

 FSX / Prepar3D 

 SimConnect over TCP 

 500 

 Manual (see below) 

 

 

 X-Plane 11 / 12 

 X-Plane's built-in networking (UDP) 

 49000 

 One setting (see below) 

 

 

 

 MSFS  needs nothing extra — its default configuration already listens on port 500 for exactly this kind of connection. 

 FSX / Prepar3D  don't open a network listener by default the way MSFS does. You need to hand-create a  SimConnect.cfg  file on the  simulator's  PC (not the CAVAcars PC) containing: 

 [SimConnect]

Protocol=IPv4

Address=0.0.0.0

Port=500

MaxClients=64

Disabled=0

 

 The exact folder this file goes in varies by sim version — search "SimConnect.cfg location" for your specific FSX/Prepar3D version if you're not sure. The port must match whatever you set in CAVAcars (500 by default). 

 X-Plane  needs one setting enabled: in X-Plane, go to  Settings → Network  and turn on  "Accept incoming connections."  No plugin is required — CAVAcars talks to X-Plane's own built-in networking directly. 

 Setting the connection up 

 

 Choose your  Simulator  from the dropdown. 

 Enter the  Simulator PC address :

 

 If the simulator runs on the  same PC  as CAVAcars, enter  127.0.0.1  or  localhost . 

 If it runs on a  different PC  on your home network, enter that PC's IP address (e.g.  192.168.1.50 ) — or use the scan button below instead of typing it in. 

 

 

 Confirm the  Port  — it's pre-filled with the right default for whichever simulator you picked, but change it if you've configured a non-default port (as you might with FSX/Prepar3D above). 

 Leave  "Connect automatically on launch"  checked so CAVAcars reconnects on its own every time you open the app. 

 Click  Save & connect . 

 

 Scanning for your simulator 

 If you don't know your simulator PC's address, click  Scan network for the sim . CAVAcars sweeps your local network for a machine answering on the configured port and lists every address that responds — click one to connect to it. If nothing responds: 

 

 Confirm the simulator is actually running. 

 Confirm the setup step above for your simulator (MSFS needs nothing, but FSX/Prepar3D and X-Plane do). 

 Check that both PCs are on the same network, and that Windows Firewall (or any other firewall) isn't blocking the port on the simulator's PC. 

 

 If CAVAcars finds exactly one simulator on first launch (with no address saved yet), it connects automatically — you'll only need to use the scan button yourself if there's more than one candidate, or none. 

 Reading the status bar 

 

 

 

 Indicator 

 Meaning 

 

 

 

 

 Dot + "Connected" / "Connecting" / "Disconnected" 

 Current link status 

 

 

 Simulator name & version (e.g. "MSFS 2020") 

 Confirms which sim you're talking to 

 

 

 Aircraft name / tail number 

 The aircraft currently loaded in the sim 

 

 

 ALT / IAS / GS / HDG / V/S 

 Live telemetry once you're in the world 

 

 

 RATE 

 Shown only when simulator time is sped up