This guide gets SimHub installed, talking to your game, and showing a live dashboard on a second screen, your phone, or a dedicated display. By the end you will know how to connect the software to the sim you race, add a dash template, send it to the screen you want, and add effects on top. Before you start, answer one question: where do you want the dashboard to live, on a spare monitor, on your phone clipped to the rig, or on a small USB display bolted to the wheel. Your answer decides which output steps you follow, so settle it first.
These steps follow how SimHub is designed to connect and output, cross referenced with the setup routine experienced rig builders recommend, and you can read how we review. For related setup work once your dash is running, browse Setup and Settings.
The rule that decides everything: SimHub reads telemetry, it does not replace the game
SimHub is a companion app that reads the data your sim already produces, then displays it and drives extra hardware. It runs alongside the game, not inside it, so the whole setup depends on one thing: the game handing its telemetry to SimHub. Many sims share telemetry that SimHub reads directly, while others need a data feed switched on in the game’s own options or in SimHub’s settings for that game. Get that connection confirmed first, because a dash template, a phone screen, and a shaker all sit on top of that data feed and none of them work until the game is talking to SimHub.
What you need before you start
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| SimHub installed on the Windows PC that runs your sim | The software reads telemetry from the game on the same machine |
| A supported sim, such as iRacing, ACC, Assetto Corsa, or Gran Turismo 7 | SimHub connects differently depending on how each game shares data |
| The output surface you chose: spare monitor, phone, or USB dash device | Each surface has its own path from SimHub to the screen |
| Your phone and PC on the same network, if you use the phone as a dash | The phone dash connects to SimHub over your local network |
Step 1: install SimHub and let it set up its plugins
Download SimHub from its official source and install it on the same PC that runs your sim. During installation, keep the default components checked, since the installer adds the runtime and screen drivers the software relies on. When it opens, you will see a list of games down the side. This is the control center for everything that follows, so take a moment to find where games, dashboards, and outputs live before you go further.
Step 2: connect your game
Select your sim in SimHub, then launch the game and load into a session so it starts producing data. How the connection works depends on the title. iRacing, Assetto Corsa, and Assetto Corsa Competizione share telemetry that SimHub reads directly on the same PC, so they connect once you are driving. Gran Turismo 7 sends its data over the network, so you enter the PlayStation’s IP address in SimHub and it reads the feed over UDP. When the link is live, SimHub shows current speed, RPM, and gear updating in real time. Confirm those values are moving before you build a dashboard on top of them.
Step 3: add a dashboard template
Open the dashboards section and pick a template rather than building one from scratch on your first run. SimHub ships with dashes, and many more are shared by the community, so choose one that suits your car type and screen shape. Start simple with a layout that shows speed, gear, RPM lights, and a lap timer, since a clean dash you can read at a glance beats a crowded one you never look at. You can always swap templates or customize later once you know which numbers you actually use while driving.
Step 4: send the dash to your chosen screen
Now route the dashboard to where you want to see it, following the path for your surface. For a spare monitor, open the dash as a window in SimHub and drag it to that display, then set it full screen. For a phone, keep it on the same network as the PC and open SimHub’s dash web page in the phone’s browser (SimHub serves it on port 8888 by default), or use a SimHub dash app, and the dash streams across. For a dedicated USB dash device, connect it and select it as the output in SimHub’s device settings. Whichever you use, position the screen where your eyes fall naturally without leaving the road, since a dash you have to hunt for costs more than it gives.
Step 5: add effects once the dash works
With the dashboard showing live data, you can layer on the extras SimHub is known for. Assign shift point signals, wind LED strips into RPM lights, or drive a bass shaker from the same telemetry feed. Add one effect at a time and confirm it works before moving to the next, so you always know which setting changed the behavior. Keep the dashboard itself as the foundation and treat the effects as additions, rather than switching everything on at once and trying to untangle it afterward.
When the dash will not connect or show
| Symptom | Most likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| SimHub shows no data from the game | The game is not in a live session, or its data feed is off; load into a session and enable telemetry in the game’s options |
| Gran Turismo 7 will not connect | Wrong console IP address; check the PlayStation’s network settings and enter the correct address in SimHub |
| Phone dash does not find SimHub | Phone and PC are on different networks; put both on the same one and allow SimHub through the firewall |
| Dashboard opens but stays blank | No telemetry is reaching the dash; confirm the game connection first, then reopen the dash |
| Dash appears on the wrong screen | Move the dash window to the intended display and set it full screen there |
| USB dash device not detected | Reconnect it to a direct port and select it in SimHub’s device list |
Choose your tier: how far to take it
Match your ambition to your time. At the entry tier, a single dash template on your phone gives you gear, speed, and shift lights with almost no hardware, and it is the fastest way to gain a real benefit. At the mid tier, a dedicated small monitor or USB dash device mounted to the rig gives you a permanent display you never have to set up again. At the high tier, you combine a custom dash with RPM LED strips and shaker effects driven from the same feed, building a full sensory layer around the car. Start at the tier that matches your patience, and step up only when the simpler version is running cleanly.
Who needs a SimHub dash, and who can wait
| Set up a dash if | Wait if |
|---|---|
| Your wheel has no built in display and you want gear and shift lights | Your wheel already has a capable rev and gear display |
| You want to drive LED strips or a shaker from game data | You only race casually and glance at the in game HUD |
| You have a spare screen, phone, or dash device ready | You have no surface free to show the dashboard |
| You enjoy tuning your rig as much as driving it | You would rather keep the setup as simple as possible |
Your next step
Install SimHub, confirm your game is feeding it live data, add a simple dash template, then send it to your phone or a spare screen before you add any effects. When the dashboard is running, you can drive a bass shaker from the same feed with our guide on how to install a bass shaker. For more rig setup once your dash is in place, browse Setup and Settings.
