FAQs


Does the timer need WiFi or cellular service to work?

It does not, it only needs a phone or tablet with Smart Bluetooth (all Apple devices and most Android phones and tablets).



Can I use the RM-110 or RM-501 to measure the time between the start line and the finish line?

No, only the RM-510 can have different start and finish lines, they can be as far as 800 meters apart and you can add intermediate gates to measure split times.



How does ArenaGear RM-510 compare to Dashr for football / Track&Field?

Some of the most important differences are:

Accuracy - ArenaGear RM-510 is 10 times more accurate, measuring to 1/1,000th of a second. We employ custom high power radios to link the start and finish gates and only use Bluetooth to broadcast the results to smartphones in the vicinity. With the ArenaGear system, all the phones get the exact same time results. Dashr displays times to 1/100 of a second, but because it relies on the phone’s Bluetooth radios for timing, the time accuracy could be much lower than that —- different phones could get different times for the same run.

Range - ArenaGear's more powerful radios allow the finish gate to be up to 800 yards (2,400 feet or about 1/2 mile) away from the start gate and still get measurements accurate to 1/1,000th of a second. According to reviews, Dashr has trouble connecting to the finish gate if more than 40 yards away.

Safety - ArenaGear uses an eye-safe IR beam and uses no dangerous lasers or reflectors. On the 5-10-5 drill, the athlete’s face is very close to the laser (or the reflector) and therefore eye-safety is a huge concern for schools and trainer facilities. Dashr uses Class 3B lasers which can cause permanent eye damage.

Versatile - Stagger Start mode allows up to 32 runners on the track at the same time, which is great for testing everyone in a large class on the longer runs such as 100 and 400 meters. Dashr can only measure one athlete at a time.

Display - ArenaGear’s product lineup includes a large display board for public events to display event times. Use our customizable colors to display times in seven different colors. Checkout the Accessories page for information and pricing for the ArenaGear display.




How does ArenaGear RM-510 compare to Freelap?

Some of the most important differences are:

Accuracy - ArenaGear RM-510 is 20 times more accurate, measuring to 1/1,000th of a second (0.001). Freelap claims to be accurate to 2/100th of a second (0.02) (https://www.freelapusa.com/faq)

ArenaGear uses a straight infrared light beam that is about 1/4 of an inch in diameter and is exactly lined up with the start or finish lines, there is no question of where the athlete is when the beam is broken. Freelap uses a “proximity detector” that senses when the chip worn by the athlete is somewhere close by. The Freelap detection area is a big sphere about 4 feet in diameter. The chip could be detected anywhere within this sphere, with no correlation with the start or finish lines. This could introduce a big error at both ends of a run: The time won’t start until you leave the sphere at the start and it stops as soon as you get close to the sphere at the finish, giving you a shorter time than it took to make the run.

ArenaGear does not require expensive doohickeys for each athlete, time starts and stops when the beams are broken. ArenaGear is a much more accurate and cost-effective solution.

ArenaGear does not need a “Relay Coach”, times are calculated by the pod at the start line and broadcasted to as many phones or iPads as you want.



How come ArenaGear does not offer a "gateless" sports timer product?

Simply put, gateless technology does not provide very precise timing measurements, most gateless products use a low-cost LIDAR sensor like this [one][1]. These sensors do not use a narrow straight beam but instead have a conical "detection area", that means that on the start gate the sensor will continue to detect you well after you take off. In some cases as much as 1 1/2 yards. The same holds true as you approach the finish line, it may detect you as much as 1 1/2 yards before you cross the line, so effectively the timer will time you running 37 yards instead of 40. You'll think your 40-yard time is great until you go to the tryouts....
Another problem with these LIDAR chips is that they only make a measurement every 20ms, so the time displayed can be as much as 40ms off from your true time.
ArenaGear beam is about 1/4 inch in diameter, and it provides true measurements, accurate to 1ms.
[1]: https://www.st.com/resource/en/datasheet/vl53l1x.pdf



Sometimes I see a slight delay between the horse crossing the laser and the time on my phone start to roll, is this normal?

Yes it is, here is an explanation from our engineering department:

In order to offer a price competitive solution without sacrificing precision, we decided to use Bluetooth to send the times to phones for the display of the time. Not having a separate display controller allows us to offer a professional-grade system for a fraction of the price of the competition. However, the use of Bluetooth has the drawback that different phones take different amounts of time to process the Bluetooth radio packet. Sometimes the phone is busy doing something else (like checking for email) and misses the start packet altogether, that's why the phones are used strictly to display time and are in no way involved in the calculation of the final run time (unlike most other systems that work with a phone). Some Android phones seem to be worse than others, while newer iPhones and iPads are the most responsive. Our display board responds almost instantaneously.

This is how it works: the first time the horse/runner breaks the beam, a Bluetooth packet is broadcast to tell the phones to start displaying a rolling time, sometimes the phone misses the first radio packet but catches a later packet so the time appears to have started late but, again, the phone is just a display. When the horse/runner crosses the laser the second time, the laserhead (the unit on the tripod) internally calculates the time difference from its own measurements and continuously broadcasts the final time. At that point, the phones stop displaying the rolling clock (and discard the numbers on the display) and show the final time received from the laserhead.

The competition also uses Bluetooth but the times are calculated on the phone instead of on the laserhead. Bluetooth packets have an inherent +/-20ms jitter and, because the time calculations are based on the time the packets are received at the phone, the run time calculated may be off by as much as 40ms (0.040 seconds). Additionally, if the phone misses receiving the one packet from the finish line, the run won’t be measured. This is a huge problem as Bluetooth has a maximum range of about 30 yards (about 100 feet) and the phone needs to be connected to both start and finish gates at the same time.

I understand that it can be confusing to see the display on the phone not starting right away, but be assured that this delay is due to the phone internals -- and because in the ArenaGear system the phone is not involved in the final time calculations, the delay in no way affects the final time displayed at the end.



With Free lap you have to set the finish cone 80cm beyond the finish for any semblance or accuracy, does this system have that problem?

No, our gates use laser beams for extreme accuracy. You set the finish gate at the finish line. Times start and finish when the laser is cut by the athlete.



Your price is only a fraction of other pro wireless timing systems, are you using cheap or less accurate components?

Our founder and Chief Engineer spent many years designing and building ultra-reliable laser missile guidance systems for the US DoD, he is also an expert on factory processes and automation. He designed the devices and our factory to the highest degree of efficiency and quality possible. We can make the devices for less while utilizing the best materials available, and we pass on the saving to you.

Back in the 70’s a cell phone cost upwards of $10K, now a better phone is available for under $20 at the supermarket. The same advances in technology and fabrication that made that possible are also what allows ArenaGear to offer a better system for less.

 

how to time a 800m run in a 400m oval track with an ArenaGear RM-510

To time a 800m run, assuming the track is 400m (two laps around the track):  

one runner at a time, with split times captured:

 

  1. Turn OFF the Finish gate, use only the Start gate. Set the Start gate across the track, right in front of the start line

  2. Go into the settings screen

  3. Set the time mode to 1-Gate Autostart

  4. Turn ON the “Laps and Splits button”

  5. Set the Stop after split # to 1

  6. You should get a lap time and a finish time.

  7. Wait for one kid to complete the 800m before sending the next one. 

if you want to use the timer to test multiple kids at the same time do this:

Note:  the Staggered Star allows multiple runners in the track at the same time but does not capture split times.  Runners need to bypass the finish gate on the first lap and cross the finish gate only on their last lap.

Runners also need to be spaced 10-20 seconds or more and finish in the same order as they crossed the start gate.

 

1-      Turn ON the Start gate and set it on just one of the lanes (the first lane for example)

2-      Set the mode to “2-Gate Staggered”

3-      Tun ON the Finish gate and set It up on  a different lane (the last lane for example), wait for it to sync 

4-      Do not turn on splits 

5-      Instruct the kids to start at the Start gate, then on the first lap go in the middle lanes (not through any gate), on the last lap go through the Finish gate.  This will give you the total time of each runner as they cross the finish line.  You can have up to 32 runners on the track at the same time. No limit on the number of kids in a class. 

6-      For this to work, the kids need to finish in the same order as they crossed the start line, if a kid drops out or passes another runner all the times thereafter will be messed up. 

7-      Instruct the kids to not pass or overtake the runner in front, so wait 10 to 20 seconds after each runner before sending the next one. Send the slower kids last