Editors’ Picks: Digital Discoveries

Alan Dexter, executive editor, and Bo Moore, technology editor, share their binary and audio finds

IPERF

How fast is your network? Not in theory, and not just the infrastructure, but how fast is it in real terms? It’s a question I recently found myself investigating, and I happened upon a neat little tool called iPerf that answers just that by testing the TCP, UDP, and SCTP throughput of your network.

It’s not only free, but there are plenty of pre-compiled versions for you to play with on a variety of platforms, too—from Windows to Android, with a swathe of Linux and macOS builds along the way. Basically, whatever machines you’ve got connected to your network, you should find a version of iPerf that works with it.

In order to use iPerf3, you need at least two machines: one acting as the server and the other as a client, although you can have several clients stressing your server if you wish. You also need the IP address of the server. Pop into a command prompt on the machine that will act as a server, and type “ipconfig”—you’ll see the IP address next to “IPv4 Address.” You need to download iPerf on to all the machines you want to test with. Once done, you can start one in server mode with the command “iperf3.exe -s” to set it up listening for the clients.

Download the same software on to another of your machines, and run it with the following command: “iperf3.exe -c {IP Address of server}”—replace the bit in curly brackets with the IP address from your server. Once done, you should find that you’re looking at a readout of your network’s throughput. There are plenty of options to play around with, although at its most basic, this should be enough to get you started. $Free, www.iperf.fr

LOGITECH G560 LIGHTSYNC

I use a headset for most of my gaming, so when I upgraded to my current monitor, I didn’t mind that it didn’t have built-in speakers. I didn’t have much need for playing game music out loud, but I will admit it was annoying not being able to play a song or video for my roommate.

This month, I finally found a set of speakers worth adding to my desktop setup. Logitech’s G560 Lightsync has solid sound, with built-in DTS:X virtual surround, and a powerful subwoofer, but what really sets it apart is the integrated RGB lighting.

I’m not normally one for extravagant RGB setups, but the Lightsync software does more than just cycle a rainbow of colors ad nauseam. I set mine up to extend colors from the edges of my screen using rear-facing LEDs, to create an immersive lighting experience. The result is subtle mood lighting behind my rig, without being annoying. Even better, it syncs up with my games to flash certain colors when I get hit or need to reload, or when someone pings me in Discord. $200, www.logitechg.com