Online Control

Platform: 📱 Mobile only

See also: Checkpoints, Connection & Reader Setup, Relay with Intermediate Timing

When you need this

You're placing a phone at a control point in the forest to act as a live checkpoint relay. As participants punch, their split times are transmitted to the server in real-time — appearing instantly on the desktop Event Monitor and Announcer's Window. The phone stays at the control unattended, reading chips and forwarding data without anyone operating it.

Confirmation screen

When you select an event from the event list and tap Online Control from the mode menu, the app shows a confirmation screen before entering the mode. This warns you that the app must stay open and the screen must remain on for chip reads to be processed — the USB serial connection requires the app to be in the foreground.

When the mode is set remotely from the desktop Event Monitor, the confirmation screen is skipped — the device goes straight to the active recording state. See Event Monitor — Managing devices remotely for details.

The screen offers two buttons:

  • Start online mode — Enter Online Control Mode
  • Cancel — Return to the previous screen

Once confirmed, the phone should be left at the control point without closing the app or manually locking the screen. The app keeps the screen on automatically and dims it to save battery.

Automatic screen dimming

To save battery while the screen stays on, the app dims the display to minimum brightness after 20 seconds of inactivity. Touching the screen restores brightness to normal immediately — but chip reads do not affect the display.

This means the phone can sit at a control for hours without draining the battery as fast as it would at full brightness. The screen never turns off — it just dims.

Device identification

Each phone has a unique device ID that identifies it to the Navisport server. When the phone connects, it appears in the desktop client's Checkpoints page as an available device. The device name (configured in the app's settings) is shown alongside the ID so you can tell your phones apart.

You don't need to do anything special to register the device — connecting to the event is enough. The desktop client sees it automatically.

Checkpoint assignment

Checkpoints are assigned to devices from the desktop client. On the Checkpoints page, you create a checkpoint and assign one or more devices to it. Once assigned, the phone's Online Control screen shows which checkpoint(s) it's responsible for.

If the phone is not assigned to any checkpoint, a red warning appears on screen: the device will still read chips, but passings won't be linked to a specific checkpoint. Assign the device from the desktop before placing it in the field.

Status display

Once the phone is at the control, the main screen gives you a quick health check at a glance — useful when you walk up to verify the station is working:

  • Device name — The name configured in the app's settings
  • Cards read — Total number of chips read in this session (tells you activity is happening)
  • Last read chip — The chip number of the most recent read
  • WiFi indicator — Green when connected to the server, red when offline
  • USB indicator — Green when the chip reader is connected, red when disconnected

Checkpoint list

Below the status section, the screen lists all checkpoints assigned to this device. Each checkpoint entry shows:

  • Checkpoint name and type
  • Linked classes (which course classes pass through this checkpoint)
  • Passing count (how many passings have been recorded for this checkpoint)

This gives you a quick overview of activity at the control point without needing to check the desktop.

Passing recording

You don't need to do anything for passings to be recorded — it's fully automatic. When a chip is read, the app creates a passing record with an accurately synced timestamp, chip number, and checkpoint ID. If the participant is registered and has started, the app also calculates their elapsed time from start to this checkpoint.

The passing is sent to the server immediately. Within seconds, it appears on the desktop Event Monitor and Announcer's Window — enabling live commentary on gaps between competitors.

Duplicate filtering

If the same chip is read again within 30 seconds, the second read is ignored. This prevents accidental double-punches when a participant holds their chip on the reader too long or punches twice in quick succession.

After 30 seconds, the same chip can be read again — this handles cases where a participant legitimately returns to the same control (e.g., in a butterfly loop course).

Supported reader modes

Online Control Mode supports a subset of reader types:

  • EMIT USB
  • EMIT ECB/ETS
  • SportIdent SRR (short-range radio)
  • Huichang USB

Select the reader type from the header bar by tapping the USB icon. The app configures the reader connection accordingly.

Scenario: Radio checkpoint at a relay event

You're organizing a relay event with 4 legs. Leg 2 and Leg 3 share a common passage through control #5 in the forest. You want live split times at this control so the announcer can report gaps between teams as they pass through.

Desktop setup (day before)

  1. Open the event in the desktop client and go to the Checkpoints page
  2. Create a checkpoint named "Control 5" and set its type
  3. Assign your phone (it appears by device name) to this checkpoint
  4. Link the relevant classes — Leg 2 and Leg 3 classes both pass through Control 5

Field setup (morning of the event)

  1. At the control site, open the Navisport app on the phone and select the relay event
  2. Tap Online Control — read the confirmation warning and tap Start online mode
  3. Verify the status display shows a green WiFi indicator and the USB reader is connected (green)
  4. Check that "Control 5" appears in the checkpoint list with the correct linked classes
  5. Place the phone at the control with the reader positioned where participants will punch. Connect a power bank — the screen stays on continuously and drains battery faster than normal use.

During the race

  1. The first team's Leg 2 runner arrives and punches — the cards-read counter increments
  2. The passing appears on the desktop Event Monitor within seconds, showing the runner's name and split time
  3. The announcer sees the gap between teams in real-time on the Announcer's Window
  4. Between punches, the screen stays dimmed to save battery. Touch the screen if you need to check the status display.
  5. A runner punches twice by accident — the second read is ignored (within 30 seconds)
  6. Leg 3 runners start arriving at the same control. Their passings are recorded against the same checkpoint.

After the race

  1. Collect the phone from the control. All passings were transmitted live — nothing to download or sync manually.
  2. The desktop results already include all split times from this checkpoint.

The entire setup took one phone, one USB reader, and a power bank. No radio equipment or dedicated hardware was needed.

Tips

  • Always connect a power bank. The screen stays on continuously, and USB reader communication draws extra power. Plan for the full race duration plus setup time.
  • Place the phone in a waterproof bag or case if rain is possible. The screen still responds to chip reads through a thin plastic bag.
  • Test the WiFi/cellular signal at the control location before the race. If the signal is weak, the phone queues passings and sends them when connectivity returns — but live timing requires a stable connection.
  • Name your devices clearly in the app settings (e.g., "Control 5 Phone") so they're easy to identify on the desktop Checkpoints page.
  • If you're using multiple phones at different controls, assign each one from the desktop before distributing them to the field.
  • The 30-second duplicate filter means you don't need to worry about participants accidentally double-punching. It's handled automatically.