5-4-3-2-won! Racing ahead with advanced connectivity

How race|result delivers the most accurate race timing and management for leading endurance events

Andy Bird, Managing Director, GTT Wireless

When it comes to recording endurance sportsresults, accuracy and reliability are key – particularly when official timekeepers may be dealing with dozens of participants crossing the finish line within seconds of each other, reputations to be won or lost, perhaps medals and sponsorships to be awarded. To solve these pain points, Germany-based race|result offers a complete race solution, spanning timing, participant management, transponders and linked hardware and software.

The complete package

race|result was established in 1999 when digital timing solutions first reached the market. It has since developed proven timing and management offerings and now sits as a top three solution provider. Central to this success is providing a highly intuitive solution for timekeepers to both deploy and operate, which boasts an average detection rate of 99.9 per cent.

Today, race|result solutions are responsible for the smooth running of major events across the world, such as the multinational Rock’n’Roll marathon series and annual World Triathlon Series.

Connectivity essential

With up to tens of thousands of participants in some of the larger races supported by race|result, the ability to accurately track the progress of every individual runner is vital. This is achieved by capturing and processing live data from split points positioned throughout a course to quickly and reliably provide results to athletes, spectators and even TV crews.

The growing popularity of custom event apps for tracking progress has added to the pressure for reliable connectivity to ensure a constant flow of live and accurate data from split points.

Race organisers often face a challenge to achieve reliable connectivity at split points along a course – particularly when events take place in remote areas with poor cellular network coverage. race|result now addresses this signal issue by offering an external 4G antenna, installed several metres above the main hardware to greatly enhance signal strength.

The antenna are out!

race|result has continued its tradition of leading innovation in the sports timing industry and developed a dedicated passive transponder in-house, which was made available to the market in September 2018. The Decoder for this unique disposable transponder originally had a 3G module, which collected participant timings and relayed this data to the scoring software.

“The integrated 3G module offers acceptable connectivity in areas with strong cellular network coverage, but for events held in more remote locations we required a more fit-for-purpose solution,” says Nikias Klohr, Head of R&D at race|result. “This led us to explore the possibilities for introducing 4G connectivity into our solutions.”

This 3G module has now been upgraded to 4G, with the new module fully integrated into the Decoder. To further boost connectivity range and stability in remote locations, the 5000S Series Decoder offers a port for race organisers to install an external 4G antenna.

Proven hardware

Central to this new functionality is the GTT Wireless rugged 4G antenna, which is IP67 rated and highly UV resistant. This makes it capable of withstanding environmental challenges from extreme heat when deployed at marathons, to the cold and moisture experienced when timing skiing races.

“To introduce reliable 4G connectivity in a range of operating conditions, we required an equally reliable external antenna,” explains Klohr. “We were aware that GTT Wireless had a strong background in delivering highly interoperable and durable antennas and, after thoroughly testing several variants, selected the Outdoor 4G Industrial Antenna for our application.”

GTT Wireless 4G antenna met key race|result criteria, including having the correct N-type plug for guaranteed interoperability and ease of installation, as well as being fully waterproof for events held in poor weather.

Ticking all the boxes

GTT Wireless is proud to play a mission-critical role in ensuring the smooth operation of races and competitions worldwide each year – and to help further strengthen the race|result reputation for consistent reliability, accuracy and a flawless race-day experience.

“We pride ourselves on our rigorous testing and quality control, and the GTT Wireless hardware was no exception, with promising results from our in-house EMV chamber tests,” comments Klohr. “We look forward to continuing to work closely with GTT Wireless to further enhance the connectivity capabilities of our industry-leading solutions.”

To find out more about the GTT Wireless antennas used to support race|result timing and management solutions, click here to visit our Antenna section. You can learn more about the race|result product range by clicking here.