You Do Not Need the App

Your gates time runs entirely on their own. Everything on this page works straight out of the box, with no phone, no pairing, and no account. The companion app is optional and only adds saving and reviewing results over time.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

• The display gate — the gate with the screen and two buttons
• The second gate — no screen
• 2 connectors (bases the gates sit into)
• 6 poles

A USB-C charging cable is not included. Any standard USB-C cable and charger will work — most cables you already have around will fit.

1. CHARGE BOTH GATES

Before first use, charge each gate fully. Plug a standard USB-C cable into the USB-C port on each gate and connect it to any USB power source. Give both gates a full charge before heading out to the track.

2. ASSEMBLE THE STANDS

Slide the poles into the cylindrical holes on each connector, then seat a gate into the connector. Push the poles in firmly so everything is stable, but don't force them. Repeat for the second gate. Set each stand on level ground where it won't tip. The height is fixed — once the poles are seated, the gate stands at its working height and there's nothing to adjust.

3. POWER ON AND SYNC

Each gate has a power switch. Flip it on both. The display gate immediately shows the EqualSplit name and your set number.

If the second gate isn't on yet, the screen will tell you it hasn't found a gate and to check the second one. Switch the second gate on and the display shows syncing while the two find each other and line up their clocks to a shared time base.

When syncing finishes you land on the home screen, with your set number in the top left. Completed runs build up here as history. Once you're on the home screen, the gates are ready and the buttons are live.

4. POSITION THE GATES

Each gate senses on its own. There is nothing to align, the gates do not need to point at each other, and you don't need anything behind the running line for them to work. Point each sensor toward where the runner will pass and set the gate down.

Which gate is which

“Gate 1” and “Gate 2” describe the order the athlete crosses them, not the two units. Either unit can be crossed first, so the display gate does not have to sit at the start — many coaches put it at the finish so they can read the split without walking back.

Whichever gate is crossed first starts the clock, and the other gate has to be the one that stops it.

Crossing the same gate a second time will not stop a run. The clock is waiting on the other gate.

Keep the athlete within a metre

An athlete has to pass within about 1 metre of a gate for it to register. That's a threshold built into the gate, not a rough guideline — pass wider than that and the gate ignores them entirely. Set each gate close to the running line rather than off at the edge of the track.

The two gates stay in radio contact past 100 m, so you can place them as far apart as your drill needs. Keep the metre in front of each gate clear once you've armed a run, or the gate will read whatever's there as the athlete going by.

5. TIMING A RUN

Everything is controlled from the two buttons on the display gate. Facing the screen:

• Button 1 is the button nearer the screen.
• Button 2 is the button farther from the screen.

Power is a separate switch, not one of these buttons. Start from the home screen.

Mode 1 — Gate-to-Gate Split

Press Button 1. The screen confirms the gates are activated and then waits. The clock starts the moment the athlete crosses either gate and stops when they cross the other one, and the split appears on the screen.

This is the mode for flys (10 m, 20 m, 30 m), 40-yard dashes, and any drill where you want a clean time between two points. Arm it and run — nothing else to press.

Mode 2 — Speed Profile

Press and hold Button 2. The clock starts the instant you release it, so release on your own “go.” The gates then record two segments: your release to the first gate crossed, and that first gate to the second one.

That splits a sprint into its start and its top-end in a single run, which Mode 1 can't show you. Use it for block starts and standing starts where the acceleration phase matters as much as the finish.

Clearing a result

A result stays on screen until you press a button, which takes you back to the home screen ready for the next rep. Write the number down before you clear it — the gates keep a short run history on the home screen, but they don't store times against athletes or sessions on their own.

MOBILE APP

A companion app for saving runs, tracking athletes over time, and reviewing session history is in development. It is not required to time anything. Your gates already do everything described above on their own, and they'll keep doing it whether or not you ever install the app. We'll let you know when it's ready.

EqualSplit is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Oak Park, California. Contact: contact@equalsplit.org