N-Sports Tracking Lab

Challenge: Making the Invisible Visible

Windsurfing has been described as “Sea F-1,” with athletes reaching Formula One–level speeds in competitions held far from shore. While thrilling, these events are almost impossible for spectators to follow in real time, limiting the sport’s broader appeal.

For N-Sports Tracking Lab, the vision was clear: create a way to visualize the race as it happened, capturing each competitor’s speed, route, and position. This would not only improve the spectator experience but also provide race officials with vital safety data.

The challenge was daunting. Building a system capable of tracking over 100 athletes in real time required both high reliability and low cost. On top of that, N-Sports had just two months to design, test, and deploy a fully functioning IoT solution in time for the Windsurfing World Cup.

Solution: IoT Devices Built for the Waves

To make windsurfing races visible, N-Sports developed 130 custom IoT devices, each housing a microcomputer, a 3G/LTE module, and a long-lasting mobile battery. Initially mounted on sails, the sensors were later moved to waist pouches for greater accuracy and reliability.

Connectivity was provided by Soracom’s Wio LTE JP Version paired with Soracom Air SIMs, creating a cost-effective and scalable way to stream location and performance data in real time. Each device sent updates once per second, ensuring accurate tracking of position, speed, and direction.

Despite the short timeline, N-Sports completed system verification just in time for the competition. With Soracom’s connectivity handling data transfer to the cloud, the solution was stable, responsive, and ready for race day.

Why Soracom: Speed and Reliability Under Pressure

For N-Sports, meeting the two-month deadline was critical. Soracom’s developer-friendly platform and ready-to-use hardware allowed the team to move from concept to deployment without delays or unnecessary complexity.

Beyond speed, Soracom provided the flexibility and reliability needed for offshore conditions. Data could be monitored in real time from anywhere, ensuring that both spectators and race officials had the visibility they needed.

By combining Wio LTE hardware with Air SIM connectivity, Soracom delivered a secure, cost-efficient backbone for N-Sports’ ambitious system, helping them meet tight deadlines and exceed expectations.

Future Developments: Expanding the Race Experience

With the system proven successful, N-Sports is preparing to expand globally. By using Soracom Air SIMs that provide international connectivity, they can scale their solution to windsurfing competitions and other sports worldwide.

The company is also working on new features to provide deeper insights. In addition to tracking location and speed, upcoming systems will monitor sail movement and other performance metrics, creating new data streams for athletes, coaches, and fans.

Ultimately, N-Sports aims to apply their IoT model to a wide variety of sports, on both land and water. By making invisible competitions visible, they’re creating richer, more engaging experiences for audiences everywhere.