Connection problems
If you're experiencing problems with connecting to your simulator software then please read this page carefully. If by checking all these options, the problem still exists, then please submit a support ticket through our website.
Network issues
The connection between the flight simulator and Air Manager / Air Player goes over UDP (Ethernet/WiFi), a connection through USB will not work. These are the most common issues regarding the network. Please note that having the flight simulator and Air Manager on the same computer, still works as a network connection, so the connection can still be blocked by the firewall, virusscanner, etc...
Firewall
One of the most common problems is firewall related, even when running Air Manager or Air Player on the same computer as the flight simulator. An easy method to confirm this is by (temporarily) turning off the firewall on your flight simulator computer. This counts for the Windows firewall in case of running Windows, and any other firewall software you have running.
If this helps, you will have to create a firewall exception / rule for your flight simulator and possibly also Air Manager. How to do this depends on your operating system and firewall being used. Google is your friend in this case. Search for something like 'Create Windows 10 firewall exception', or whatever suits your situation.
Same network (sub-network)
In case the flight simulator and Air Manager and/or Air Player are running on separate computers, be sure that both computers are on the same network. To verify this, you can check the IP addresses. Everything in front of the last digits in the IP address of both devices has to be the same. In some cases the 5G WiFi network is on a different subnet. If this is the case, you will have to modify your router settings and/or network setup.
So for example this will work:
Flight simulator 192.168.0.10 Air Manager / Air Player device 192.168.0.12
This will not work:
Flight simulator 192.168.0.10 Air Manager / Air Player device 192.168.1.12
WiFi repeaters are know for causing network issues. In case you have a WiFi repeater, try it without the repeater to see if this helps.
Device discovery
In Microsoft Windows you can choose if your device (computer) can be discovered by other devices. When this is set to 'Public', your device cannot be discovered by other devices, and it might very well be that the flight simulator or Air Manager and Air Player can not connect. Follow these steps to make sure that this is set to 'Private':
- Go to (Windows) Settings - Select 'Network & Internet' - In the Network status page click the 'Properties' button below your network connection. - You will see a page with the title 'Network profile', here you can choose between Public and Private, make sure that this is set to Private on all your (Windows) simulator computers.
The plugin
Is the plugin installed?
This one is as obvious as 'is the power plugged in?'. Make sure you have the latest plugin(s) installed on your flight simulator computer, you can find those here. The plugin installer will show for which simulators the plugin was successfully installed with the message 'Installed!'.
Clicking on 'details' will show you where the plugin was installed. Check if this is really the location where your simulator is installed. Having a demo version of your simulator installed for example, might cause the plugin being installed in the wrong location.
Confirming the plugin is loaded
X-Plane
To confirm that the plugin is loaded go to: C:/users/<user_name>/Air Plugin/ and look for xpl_log.txt. In case the plugin was loaded correctly, the file will show similar messages as below. (Note that the version number and port numbers can be different in your case, this is just an example.)
Main: Starting plugin (V2.2.2)... Main: Init Air Bus... Main: Initializing GUI... Main: Done initializing! Main: Serving forever... SimBus: New client connected on port 55558 (ext. port 21243) SimBus: New client connected on port 55556 (ext. port 20987)
If you checked the installation details for X-Plane and the plugin was not installed in the correct folder, then use the manual installation option in the Plugin Installer.
FSX and Prepar3D
To confirm that the plugin is loaded go to: C:/users/<user_name>/Air Plugin/ and look for either fsx_log.txt in case of FSX, p3d_log.txt in case of Prepar3D. In case the plugin was loaded correctly, the file will show similar messages as below. (Note that the version number, SimConnect handle and port numbers can be different in your case, this is just an example.)
Main: Starting plugin (V2.2.1)... SimConnectHandler: SimConnect handle: 0F42B070 Main: Init Sim Bus... Main: Done initializing! Main: Serving forever... SimBus: New client connected on port 55558 (ext. port 26339) SimBus: New client connected on port 55557 (ext. port 26595)
FS2020
To confirm that the plugin is running go to: C:/ProgramData/Air Plugin/ and look for fs2020_log.txt. In case the plugin was loaded correctly, the file will show similar messages as below.
The ProgramData folder is a hidden folder, you might have to turn on hidden folders on your system to see it.(Note that the version number, SimConnect handle and port numbers can be different in your case, this is just an example.)
Main: Starting plugin (3.4.1)... SimBusServer: New client connected on port 55558 (ext. port 19179) SimBusServer: New client connected on port 55561 (ext. port 18923)
In case either one of these plugins wasn't loaded correctly, it will display an error. In this case, submit a support ticket and include your log file.
The instruments
Are the instruments you are using compatible with the flight sim that Air Manager or Air Player is connected to? You can check this in the Online tab by looking for the flight simulator icons. There are 3 different icons: X-Plane, FSX and Prepar3D. If the icon of your flight simulator is not there for the instrument(s) you are using, then the instrument(s) will not work.
Trying a manual connection
Once you have confirmed that the plugin is loaded correctly, and you have checked all of the above, it is time to try a manual connection. Air Manager and Air Player rely on an automatic connection system. In some cases the connection cannot be established automatically, this can be due to various issues. To confirm this, you will have to configure the connection manually by selecting the IP address and the simulator of your choice. If Air Manager or Air Player runs on the same computer as the flight simulator, then the IP address is 127.0.0.1
Specific instructions on how to do this is described in the user manuals.