Building out a working Freelap timing system will cost you between $500 and $2,500. How much you spend comes down to how many split gates you drop on the track and how many athletes sprint at the exact same moment.
Wondering what a basic setup runs you out of pocket?
A starter pack for one sprinter starts between $365 and $540. Once you scale up to multi-runner packs for team testing or college recruiting combines, prices climb to the $1,500 to $1,600 range. You can also pick up extra transponder chips for $285 to $310 each. Extra transmitter cones run from $170 to $220 apiece. The good news is that Freelap skips recurring software subscriptions. You pay for the physical plastic and chips upfront, and cloud syncing on the app stays free. That hardware tally matters whether you evaluate NFL draft hopefuls, log combine splits, or work with high school sprinters on weekends.
How Much Does Freelap Cost and How the System Actually Works
A functional Freelap timing setup runs between $500 and $2,500 depending on the number of split gates and athletes you track at once. You cannot buy one cone and expect it to work.
Freelap relies on an electromagnetic field mesh rather than laser tripwires. The core piece is a transponder worn on the runner's waist. That transponder, called the FxChip BLE, scans constantly for 123 kHz low-frequency magnetic signals pushed out by track-side cones. As a sprinter blows past a Tx Track Pro cone, the waist chip detects the boundary, starts an internal clock counter, and records the split in memory.
No cables touch the track. When the runner passes the final finish transmitter, the chip sends the split bundle over Bluetooth Low Energy directly to an iOS or Android device running the MyFreelap app.
Thing is, you don't need an assistant coach squinting at a thumb stopwatch anymore. The system times block starts, reaction steps, and flying sprints by itself. If you want sound-based starts, Freelap sells the e-Starter or a paired SpaceUnit and PowerUnit bundle. That setup uses a high-gain microphone attached to an antenna flag. It covers up to 8 lanes at once, hearing a gun shot or starter clap inside a 6-meter window to start everyone's clock at zero.
Every transponder has a unique ID number. Because of that, a coach can run heat after heat without athletes accidentally stealing each other's split history in the mobile app.
| Component / Standard | Hardware Function | Stated Accuracy & Range | Typical Cost Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fx Motion Chip | Waist transponder; logs cadence, stride count, and splits | 5-split memory, 100h battery, BLE link | ~$389 CAD (~$285-$310 USD) |
| Tx Track Pro | Mid-track or finish magnetic transmitter cone | 1.5 m detection radius per unit | ~$170 - $220 USD |
| e-Starter / PowerUnit | Audio-triggered start transmitter with SpaceUnit antenna | 6 m detection zone; syncs up to 8 lanes | ~$350 - $600 USD |
| Standard Sprint Kit | 1 transponder, 1-2 Tx transmitters, app sync bag | Complete 1-lane fly-in and split system | ~$600 - $950 USD |
Battery specs hold up well under heavy use. Transponders run for roughly 100 operating hours on a single charge, and the factory backs them with a two-year warranty.
Field Realities, Hidden Glitches, and Real Costs
Vendor sales sheets make timing look seamless. Drop a plastic cone on the white line, clip a transponder to a pair of shorts, and watch times roll in.
Track practices get chaotic fast.
Coaches on public forums talk constantly about small field hassles that never make the product guide. Placement is the classic headache. If you drop a Tx Junior Pro cone slightly off-angle on lumpy turf or nudge it too close to lane one, an athlete can pass right through without waking the chip. That burns a sprint. You get zero data, and the kid has to run it again.
Sharing hardware slows everything down. A $400 or $500 starter kit includes only one chip. Try passing a single waist chip across 15 sprinters during a fast 30-meter fly workout. Runners swap sweaty clips, forget who has the hardware, and miss their reps. Buying four extra chips to fix that problem throws your invoice past $1,500 immediately.
| System Setup | Realistic Cost (USD) | Best Practical Use | Field Reality / Gotchas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Sprinter / BMX Kit | $365 - $540 | Individual speed training, backyard tracks, single reps | Only times one athlete at a time; manual app checks between reps. |
| Team Sprint Pack (e.g., Pack 424) | $1,500 - $1,600 | High school track teams, split times, sprint groups | Requires strict chip-sharing discipline; adding e-Starters inflates cost. |
| Fx Swim Kit | $700 - $900 | Lap splits, stroke rates, chlorine-safe pool work | Needs exact poolside transmitter placement; watch pairings can drop. |
Batteries bring another silent tax. Transponder runtimes are solid, but if athletes toss their active chips into a gear bag right beside the transmitter cones, the chips stay awake during the entire drive home. The batteries drain dry overnight. You only find out the next morning at 6:30 AM when the app refuses to connect.
Coaches running evaluation camps for draft recruits often choose Freelap over laser systems because players constantly knock over tripods. Even so, running these sessions still demands attention. Count your simultaneous runners before you check out so you know whether you are spending $400 or $1,600.
Implementation Roadmap: From Setup to Track Calibration
Getting your money's worth out of Freelap comes down to how you handle your first few practices. Do not guess your cone spots.
Week 1: Baseline Pairing and Hardware Checks
Set the gear up in an open field before bringing the whole squad out. Fasten the FX Chip BLE to an athlete's hip and sync it with MyFreelap over Bluetooth. Set one Tx Junior Pro cone to finish, then set a second cone or a Tx Touch Pro thumb trigger to start. Run two practice sprints solo. Watch the phone screen to confirm the split registers without dropping.
Month 1: Field Positioning and Radius Rules
Once team practices kick off, enforce tight track discipline. False triggers ruin splits. Keep a 1.5-meter buffer zone clear around every transmitter cone. If a runner rests or jogs inside that bubble while wearing their transponder, the cone registers bad data and corrupts the split card.
Milestone: Calibrating for Video and Electronic Timing Discrepancies
Turns out, magnetic detection fields do not trigger at the exact same physical point as optical lasers. Coaches comparing Freelap e-Starter and Tx Junior kits against high-speed 60 fps camera footage found Freelap clocks about 0.09 seconds slower on a 10-meter block start. The reason is simple. The runner's hip chip reaches the transmitter cone slightly after their chest crosses the physical line. If you want your splits to match Fully Automatic Timing standards, shift your finish cone 80 centimeters forward to erase that difference.
Operational Limits and Watchouts
- Lane Drift: Cones cast a circular field, so sprinters in adjacent narrow lanes can cross into the same transmitter signal by accident.
- Cold and Moisture: Hardware works fine in cold rain, but cones easily slide out of position when spikes kick wet rubber.
- Battery Checks: Chips run for days without a wall outlet, but forgetting to check power before a Saturday combine ruins a full morning of scouting.
Verified timing numbers carry serious weight for sports programs evaluating recruits and managing athletic rosters. When athletic departments hire coaching or performance personnel, using the best job search apps makes it easier to track down qualified strength coaches and track specialists who know how to set up, manage, and calibrate electronic timing rigs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Freelap charge a monthly software subscription? No. The MyFreelap app and its cloud sync tools come free with the purchase of the gear. You only pay for physical transmitters, clips, and start units.
Can multiple athletes run on one Freelap system at the same time? Yes, as long as each athlete wears an individual FX Chip. Every chip uses its own ID code, so runners can sprint through the gates back-to-back without clearing the lane.
How accurate is Freelap compared to laser timing gates? The system advertises accuracy down to 0.02 seconds for speed training profiles. Because the sensor sits on the hip instead of reading an optical chest break, your raw times will sit roughly a tenth of a second slower than laser beams unless you offset the cones.