Home Wireless Networks – How They Work

Home networks are our every day’s running power over the cyber world. We use them for accessing all our devices, surf the internet and keep online from anywhere in our house. There are different methods to enjoy such facility but the most popular and easiest way to do so is just buying a router, and letting it do the networking. Obviously, it’s the best option for anyone in these days. But as hotspots are all over the place, home wireless networks are the most vulnerable networking type than the others. And of course, they come up with more security protocols and features, but obviously it’s the most vulnerable if not protected perfectly.

Home wireless networks work using radio wave that is emitted from the router and keeps all the devices around the range connected. Devices like smartphones and laptops already have built-in Wi-Fi receiver to connect with a network, but in the case of PC, it requires an extra device to enable the feature.

Wi-Fi is widely used for home networks. There are several measures that can be taken to protect the network. It’s usually established with secured connection that is protected using password. But when it comes the question of security, only such protection isn’t enough.

In previous days, routers were very weak in security. Now, they have been improved a lot. Yet, they’re vulnerable. If your password is weak enough, such as, dictionary words or in your phone number, birthday or your email etc. then you’re surely going to be in trouble. Hackers always try to get into your personal hotspot using those things in different combinations, and they can succeed most often.

So, using a strong, hard to crack password with a huge amount of characters is the best way to protect your Wi-Fi network from being hacked. But is that all?

Using wrong security protocol is also another vulnerability that can’t be defended. For example, WPA and WPA2 are pretty much vulnerable to brute force attacks. In that case, you have to make sure that your protection protocol is selected, at least, WPA2 or WEP.

Again, if you leak your password, you’re in very much trouble. Because of the leaked password, hacker can easily sneak into your network, capture all the devices and bring chaos to you.

The obvious protection of home wireless networks is not to leak the password publicly, not using the wrong security protocol, etc. Also, make sure that your router defends against DDoS or brute force attacks. In this way, you can stay safe.  I have written another article on home network security which has a list of tools that are useful when securing your network.

The post Home Wireless Networks – How They Work appeared first on Captain Geek.

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iRacing BSS @Zolder - Parting Of The Seas

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Race Report - iRacing Blancpain Sprint Zolder

Race Report From Zolder

Zolder is an excellent circuit located in Belgium.  The undulating nature of the circuit with it's chicanes, medium speed corners and slow hairpin make this track a challenging and rewarding experience.

Qualifying

Qualifying went really well, finishing up in 6th position and not too far away from the higher positions.  With this qualy position there shouldn't be too many issues going into the first corner.

Race

The race went really well ending up in 5th after the first corner and settling into a good rhythm quickly.  The race was pretty uneventful leading unto the compulsory pitstop following the 4th placed driver.  After the pitstops I ended up in 3rd position and was able to hang on until the end of the race.

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iRacing BSS @Circuit Zolder Audi GT3 - Great And Close Racing

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Race Report - iRacing Blancpain Sprint GT3 Circuit Zolder Race One

Race Report From Zolder

Circuit Zolder is an excellent race circuit in this round of the iRacing Blancpain Sprint Series.  The track features some medium speed corners, some chicanes and a slow right hander which is the best spot for overtaking.

Qualifying

Qualifying was good posting a time that was good for 10th position.  On the second qualifying lap I had an incident strike against me which meant my lap time which would have been good enough for second was taken away.

Race

The race started really well after the first couple of corners I worked my way up into 8th position.  There were plenty of battles throughout the race and in the dying laps the there was a battle pack featuring 5 cars.  Fortunately for me there was a coming together which meant I was able to finish the race in 4th position.

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iRacing BSS @Zolder Audi GT3

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Home Network Security – Make Sure You Are Secured

Networks are very important for boosting our productivity. It’s very important in the case of computer as well. Using networking, we can easily get most out of the computers. Networking also enables tons of facilities like file sharing, internet sharing, and lots of other features that can be very much cool. But when it comes about networking, security is the most important factor here. Without proper home network security, all the features will be of no use – you can fall victim of some bitter experience. So, security is a must.

There are many ways to create a network at home. Almost everyone has got different devices at home. Connecting all of them is one of the coolest things to do. File sharing, remote controlling, etc. can be easily done just from one device. In order to do so, network should be established among the devices. You can choose to use wired networking for faster speed or wireless networking for more flexibility and ease of use. In both case, you have to make sure that your network is secured.

If there’s a single weak spot or flaw in your network, it will cost you a lot. Because hackers are always searching for ways to get access to networks, systems to get valuable data like your Facebook password, your bank information, credit card PIN etc. Once they get those, there is no need to tell details about your sufferings. In order to prevent such situation, you have to make sure your network is secured.

There are many ways to ensure your network’s security. Probably the best way is to use some tools that will check out for flaw in your system. They’re easy to use, and are trusted by big tech giants as well.

There are lots of them but some of the best tools are: Nmap, Nessus, Ettercap etc. These home network security tools work under Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. Nmap can create a network map with the help of your network statistics, and can tell you what hackers will be able to discover about your network. Nessus is being used by more than 75,000 businesses worldwide on different environment. It analyzes for flaws that might allow hackers to take over your network. Ettercap is essential to check out whether your network is capable of defending against the infamous Man-In-The-Middle, in short, MITM attack. This attack doesn’t depend on infected computer or the system. Instead, it targets the medium of communication among devices.

With these home network security tools, you can make sure that your system is safe and secured from any system flaw.

The post Home Network Security – Make Sure You Are Secured appeared first on Captain Geek.

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Gaming PC Build Guide - Building An iRacing Computer

Gaming PC Build Guide - How To Build An iRacing Computer

In this gaming pc build guide we will be looking at how to build an iRacing computer.  The guide will provide information on what components are required to build a basic computer system for iRacing.  But really this guide can be used to build any computer system.

Budget

Determining which computer components we are going to use will come down to how much we can afford to spend on the PC.  In the guide we pick out components that is more aimed at the lower end of the scale that will run iRacing fine with max settings but remember that iRacing can run fine on lower end hardware but you will find that if you like games like Project Cars and Assetto Corsa will probably run at lower graphics settings so just that bare that in mind when choosing components.

PC Computer Case - Houses All The Components

The computer case is obviously an essential piece of hardware as it's going to house all the components that we will talk about later in the guide.  Cases range in price from under 100 dollars to over 500 dollars it all comes down to your budget and the size of computer system that you want.  In this case for the PC build guide we are going to build  an iRacing computer on the small side and choose mITX as the system of choice.  We are going to use the PC Part Picker website to choose the components from.

The case we are going to use is the Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX case it's a small case still capable of housing all the components that we are going to need and the small footprint makes for a nice compact system.  The case comes in at 40.50

PC Motherboard - The Heart Of The System

The computer motherboard will determine what components we can use in terms of type of RAM and which CPU's we can use.  For this build we will build an Intel based system as I am more familiar with the components and specs.  I am also interested in anyone is using the new AMD Ryzen cpu's with iRacing and what your thoughts on them are.  The motherboard we will be using in our system is the ASRock Z270M-ITX/ac Mini ITX which comes in at 118.50

CPU - Processing Horsepower

When it comes to CPU selection there a three main things in which you need to consider.

1. Performance
2. Price
3. Power Consumption (Not a major factor)

iRacing is does not require a huge amount of processing power but be aware that some of the other racing simulations out there may require some extra CPU power.  So when choosing a CPU take a look at the minimum requirements of other games out there you like playing.  For this build I going to choose an Intel Core i3-7100 which comes in at 111.50.

Memory - It's All About The GigaBytes

When it comes to memory generally the more GigaBytes you have the better as it will allow for better multitasking and system speed.  At the moment most systems can get away with 8Gb with 16Gb being a really good sweet sport.  Don't get too caught up with buying the really fast memory modules as they don't produce a dramatic increase in performance that warrants their price.  For this build I have chosen the Crucial Ballistix Sport modules which give us 16Gb for 123.00

Storage - SSD For OS And Mechanical For Document Storage

By using SSD (Solid State Drive) for the OS you can use a smaller SSD due to the high price for this ultra fast storage and using a much larger mechanical drive for the storing of your documents you can get the best of both worlds.  The SSD will make the OS and loading of apps muck quicker and will make for a more responsive system.  For this build I will be using a 250Gb Samsung Evo 850 SSD and a 1Tb Western Digital Blue drive with both coming in at 155.00

Video Card - Graphics Horsepower

The video card will determine a number of things when it comes to iRacing and any other game you might be looking at playing.  If you are looking at running multiple monitors, VR or playing any graphic intensive game than choosing the right video card is crucial.  As the system we are building is at the budget end of the spectrum we will choose a card that is capable of running multiple monitors but won't be able to handle the increased graphics power required to run VR.  For this build I'm using an Asus GeForce GTX 970 Strix coming in at 316.00

Power Supply - Make Sure You Have Enough Power To Run Your Components

When it comes to the PC power supply you need a supply capable of running all of your chosen components at their peak loads.  The PSU comes in many different types with some having fully modular cables allowing for good cable management and a lot of supplies these days carry many certifications that show how power efficient that they are. For this build we are choosing the Seasonic 520W Bronze Certified PSU coming at 52.00

iRacing Computer Build Parts List

• CPU - Intel i3 7100 111.50
• Motherboard - ASrock Z270M a/c 118.50
• Memory - 16Gb Crucial Ballistix Sport 122.99
• Storage OS - Samsung Evo 850 250Gb 107.88
• Storage Docs - Western Digital Blue 1Tb 48.33
• Video Card - Asus GeForce GTX 970 315.99
• Case - Thermaltake V1 40.50
• Power Supply - Seasonic 520W 51.89
• OS  - Windows 10 Home 87.89
• Total Cost 1005.44

That's it for the components in this Gaming PC Build Guide - The next step will explaining the assembly of the iRacing Computer.  Please share your thoughts on this build.

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iRacing Guide - iRacing Tips For Beginners

iRacing Guide With iRacing Tips For Beginners

In this iRacing guide, I'll be focusing on iRacing tips for beginners and the things that can be done to fast track your way out of rookies. Plus other iRacing tips and tricks that can be useful to help with your driving, which in turn will increase your safety rating and iRating.

I Have Signed Up For iRacing Now What?

Once you have taken the plunge and signed up for iRacing no matter what previous experience you have had online or offline playing racing sims, you will be put into the rookie class.  In the rookie class you will be greeted with three types of driver:

1The good driver that drives a consistent line, pace and is courteous to other drivers giving racing room

2The learner driver that is finding their feet when it comes to simulation racing who are inclined to making mistakes

3The bad driver that just thinks iRacing is an arcade game and tries to win races into the first corner and is disrespectful to other drivers

The best tip I can give for getting out of the rookie class is to drive nice and consistent do not push too hard as winning doesn't achieve anything at this level. The main focus should be to increase your safety rating above 3.0 which will qualify you for a class D license.  Starting from the pit lane or not qualifying for rookie races will put you at the rear of the field so you can avoid the trouble that occurs on the opening laps of a race.

At some point as within all modes of motor racing someone is going to hit you and you will hit someone.  Don't get mad (I know it's hard not too) head to the pits get your free repair (Rookie and Class D get one free repair) this might not fix everything but at least the car will be drivable.  Then make sure you finish the race, this will boost your safety rating (SR) which I will talk about in the next section.  Basically the more corners you complete without incident the bigger increase to your SR.

Don't be alarmed if there are guys seconds a lap faster than you, with practice and using some of the tools available online you will get faster.

SR, IR and Splits Explained

Unlike public server racing, iRacing prides itself on good clean racing and a more friendly atmosphere than public servers.  iRacing has a protest system to report bad behaviour from poor driving standards to bad language over chat and voice.  It's a good system so please use it.  The more people use that use the system the standard of driving and the quality of the people racing will continue to improve.

Safety rating or SR as it is known is the primary way that iRacing promotes you to the various licence classes.  You start off in the rookie class and once your SR goes beyond 3.0 you will be promoted to class D automatically.  Each license class qualifies you for various competitions and different cars.  At the end of each 12 week season if your SR is above 3.0 you will be promoted to the next class.  So how do you increase the SR you say.  iRacing calculates the SR by how many incidents per corner you get.  So the more corners and laps you complete without causing an incident the more SR you will accumulate.  When racing official races there is normally an incident cap at x17 after which you will be black flagged from the race.  Incident points are as follows:

•Cutting the circuit x1

•Loss of control (spinning) x2

•Minor contact x2 doesn't matter if you cause the contact or not both drivers will get the penalty

•Major contact x4 doesn't matt if you cause the contact or not both drivers will get the penalty

It seems harsh how the contact penalty points are handed out but it works out fair for both drivers as it is too hard for the sim to work out who is at fault.  

iRating or IR as it is know is the rating you get depending on your finish position and the strength of the field for your given split (i will go into splits in the next paragraph).  So essentially the higher up you finish the races the more IR you will accumulate which will put you into different divisions and splits.  It is iRacing's way of trying to group drivers of similar skill together and make for a more even and enjoyable racing experience.

Lets say the race you have entered in has a grid of 20 cars but 60 cars register? how does iRacing handle that you ask.  This is were splits and IR come into it.  iRacing will divide the racers into 3 splits with the top 20 IR drivers in the first split, the next 20 in the second and the rest into the third.  This is also known as a strength of field event or SOF this is the best chance you will have of being grouped with similar drivers and a good chance of earning some good IR.

iRacing Licences and Promotions

iRacing Licences come in 5 grades and a set of licences for Road, Oval and at some stage dirt will have it's own license class.  The licences start at rookie and go through D,C,B,A and if you feature in the top few percent in iRacing you can qualify for a pro license.

When your safety rating goes above 3.0 in rookie class you will automatically get promoted into class D.  Once in class D if you will need to compete in a number of races during the 12 week season.  If your safety rating is between 3.0 and 4.0 you will qualify for the next license after the 12 week season.  If your safety rating hits the 4.0 mark during a season you will be automatically promoted to the next class.  At some stage you will see some dramatic increases and decreases in your safety rating with a question mark next to the rating.  Don't be alarmed iRacing will increase and decrease your ration by .4 to stop yo-yoing between different promotion levels.

What iRacing Series Should I Drive In?

Oval Racing - With the oval series you will start out in rookies and they drive in the street stock.  The best piece of advice I can give is to sit at the back of the pack and just cruise around and avoid any trouble.  Accidents and stupidity happen here all the time.  Once promoted from rookies and if you like short track action than racing the legends, late model or super late model are the best way to go as they offer good clean racing and are a lot of fun to drive.  If you like the super speedway side of things you'll be looking at a class A license to drive the Cup cars and Indy car.  The Indy car is awesome as it's the best oval and open wheel road car in my opinion.

Road Racing - If road racing is your thing you'll start off as a rookie in the Mazda Cup and from there you'll have a choice from doing open wheelers in the Skip Barber which is very popular amongst racers even with class A licenses.  So from an open wheel perspective you can go Skip Barber > Star Mazda/Renault Cup > Indy > F1.  From a Tin Top point of view most drivers look to move into the GT3 class which is very popular.  The best way to get there is to go MX5 >  Caddy > Porsche Cup > GT3.  Before you go off purchasing cars and tracks make sure that the times that the races run fit in with your schedule.  Not all races run on the hour and not all races will have the minimum 8 drivers to make the race go official.  Best place to get information is to check out the forums for the individual series and find out when the best participation times are and work towards that.  To save money only purchase the car you want to race and buy the tracks needed for each season so you can get the bulk buy discount.

iRacing Race craft

Early on in your iRacing career you will want to  beat everyone and pull off passes left right and centre.  Doing this will make your more of a Maldonado and not a Hamilton.  Driving in an overly aggressive manner tends to result in a lower iRating and safety rating and you won't progress through the ranks.  The best bet is too be patient (I know that can be hard) sit in behind the driver look for a weakness or an area in which you can improve maximise the opportunity and make that great overtake.  Remember being patient and putting the driver in front under pressure can lead to the driver making a mistake and easy overtaking opportunity can present itself.  This will lead to higher iRating and safety rating and good progression into better splits and racing.

Why Am I Seconds Off The Pace

This happens to all of us when we are a starting out and can still happen from time to time when racing.  First things first there are some really quick drivers out there that can post lap time that are out of this world, we call these drivers Aliens plus some other words that are not as nice.  There are tips and tricks that can be used which can help you go faster and get the most from running practice sessions smarter and not harder.  One of the best tools out there is an app called iSpeed this tool allows you to compare your lap times against a database of other drivers that use iSpeed.  With this tool it is easy to see what lines, braking points and gear that the faster drivers are using which can help shave a good amount of time from your laps.

iAnaylze Racing is another quality too which you need to pay for on a subscription based plan.  This tool is very similar to iSpeed but can compare times from drivers in a session that is already running plus lap times from a database of iAnaylze racers.  The app also has built in voice command functionality which allows you to use voice commands for doing pitstops plus others and a pit stall countdown so you don't over run your pit stall.

Virtual Racing School is again similar to the others but with key differences.  You can sign up for data packs which consist of setups, replay files and ghost cars that come from some of the leading iRacing drivers.

With the use of these tools you can shave off seconds from your lap times or at the very least can help identify key sectors were you are losing time so you can practise the lines and braking points to help reduce your lap times.

This iRacing guide will be updated constantly with more iRacing tips for beginners and iRacing tips and tricks so that we can all get the most from this online racing simulator.

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Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5 Review

Review Of The Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5

The Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5 is the third generation wheelbase from Fanatec.  Fanatec are an industry leader in design and manafacture of race sim equipment in the intermediate price range.  Like other wheelbases the CSW 2.5 allows the attachment of different wheel rims that can add to the immersion factor when sim racing.  All of the rims are backwards compatible with the clubsport wheelbase so you won't need to purchase new rims, also with the universal hub adapter you can fit many aftermarket real world race rims to the clubsport wheelbase for that extra immersion factor.

Features Of The Fanatec CSW V2.5

• Interchangeable steering wheels.  The quick release system allows for qucik changeover of wheel rims, which can be changed on the fly while playing your favorite racing game
• Double hall sensor technology on the steering and motor give the wheelbase a more accurate input which allows for smoother driving
• Belt driven wheel, while not as good as the more expensive direct drive wheels due to the clubsports dual belt design it feels pretty close to a direct drive wheel
• Brushless servo motor provides smooth inputs without deadzone

Final Words On The Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5

This Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5 review is another strong showing from Fanatec,  if you are looking for something better than the offerings from Logitech and Thrustmaster you can not go wrong with Fanatec, if you have the budget as the wheelbase does not come cheap.  At the time of writing the Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase will set you back 666USD and you need to buy a rim for it as well and they start around 200USD range.  With the updated electronics and motor this wheelbase is a great entry point for new racers looking at the Fanatec range but if you all ready own a clubsport wheelbase I don't feel that there is any need to upgrade to this unit.  It is also worth noting that there are rumors that Fanatec could be releasing a direct drive wheelbase in the near future which could be worth the wait.  If you would like more information about the Fanatec CSW 2.5 please visit the Fanatec website.

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Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals Review

Fanatec Clubsport Pedals V3 Review

The latest set of Fanatec Clubsport pedals are the Clubsport v3 pedals which are an upgrade over the V2 pedals from Fanatec.  The pedals are an upgrade in not only the aesthetics but in the electronics of the pedals swell.  These pedals not only look the part but they perform really well.

Features Of The Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals

The brake pedal sensitivity is now fully adjustable without having to adjust the oil and dampening of the previous pedal sets.

The resolution of the club sport pedals has been adjusted to 12 bits of resolution which is four times better than the previous V2 pedals.  This will provide a smoother and more detailed input from the gas and clutch pedals.  The gas pedal has it's own vibration motor which will vibrate the pedal to once a compatible sim detects wheel spin.  I find this rather gimmicky just like the vibration motor in the brake pedal to give the sense of wheel lockups.

• 90kg Load Cell fully adjustable, more reliable than club sport V2
• Adjustable brake stiffness and travel
• Optional Damper kit for gas and brake pedal
• Different Pedal Plates
• Optional Inverter Kit

Were To Buy Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals

The Fanatec Clubsport V3 Pedals are the latest and greatest from Fanatec the pedals are a major improvement over the V2 pedals which are also an excellent set of pedals that work well with all sims.  The pedals are compatible with all systems and are detected just like a controller when setup.  The pedals can be bought from Fanatec for 299USD and come highly recommend.

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Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5 Review

Review Of The Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5

The Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5 is the third generation wheelbase from Fanatec.  Fanatec are an industry leader in design and manafacture of race sim equipment in the intermediate price range.  Like other wheelbases the CSW 2.5 allows the attachment of different wheel rims that can add to the immersion factor when sim racing.  All of the rims are backwards compatible with the clubsport wheelbase so you won't need to purchase new rims, also with the universal hub adapter you can fit many aftermarket real world race rims to the clubsport wheelbase for that extra immersion factor.

Features Of The Fanatec CSW V2.5

• Interchangeable steering wheels.  The quick release system allows for qucik changeover of wheel rims, which can be changed on the fly while playing your favorite racing game
• Double hall sensor technology on the steering and motor give the wheelbase a more accurate input which allows for smoother driving
• Belt driven wheel, while not as good as the more expensive direct drive wheels due to the clubsports dual belt design it feels pretty close to a direct drive wheel
• Brushless servo motor provides smooth inputs without deadzone

Final Words On The Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5

This Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase V2.5 review is another strong showing from Fanatec,  if you are looking for something better than the offerings from Logitech and Thrustmaster you can not go wrong with Fanatec, if you have the budget as the wheelbase does not come cheap.  At the time of writing the Fanatec Clubsport Wheelbase will set you back 666USD and you need to buy a rim for it as well and they start around 200USD range.  With the updated electronics and motor this wheelbase is a great entry point for new racers looking at the Fanatec range but if you all ready own a clubsport wheelbase I don't feel that there is any need to upgrade to this unit.  It is also worth noting that there are rumors that Fanatec could be releasing a direct drive wheelbase in the near future which could be worth the wait.  If you would like more information about the Fanatec CSW 2.5 please visit the Fanatec website.

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