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The QLIPP tennis sensor is actually the world’s first tennis racket dampener, as it reduces the vibrations and tracks your performance at the same time. The device is the result of a successful crowdfunding campaign that gave birth to one of the best tennis trackers currently available.
The device doesn’t only work as a vibe absorber and a tracker but also helps you unleash your full potential through data, and training references it provides. So, if you’re looking for a vibe absorber, why not go with a smart one that can help you improve your game?
In this article, we’ll discuss the performance, features, and design of the QLIPP tennis tracker and its accompanying app. Read through the article to learn about the strength and shortcomings of this revolutionary device.
Setting Up:
By designing and launching QLIPP, 9 Degrees Freedom won several awards and secured several partnerships with various esteemed tennis organizations around the globe. This square-shaped 1.1″ x 1″ x0.6″ uses a pretty straightforward mounting method, as it uses a turn-and-click mechanism to sit between the strings of your string bed.
However, this isn’t as easy as advertised and requires some effort on your side. The clip is quite tight, and you’ll have to squeeze the stings into the sensor to attach it. With such a snuggly fit, you can rest assure that your sensor won’t go flying across the court as you hit. Please make sure that you mount the sensor with a QLIPP logo upright, and charging port facing downwards.
Unfortunately, a tight fit makes the sensor challenging to take off, and remove from the racket, especially with thick and tight strings. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because, as we said, it does a pretty good job of securing the sensor and holing it in place. It also seems logical to have the sensor mounted near to the actual striking surface for it to provide you with the most accurate data. But more on that later.
After attaching the tracker, it’s time to connect it to the accompanying app, which is available for both Android and iOS. The smart guys at 9 Degrees Freedom made the sensor compatible with the Apple Watch, which is a significant selling point for athletes that like Apple products. Whichever device you have, installing, registering, and connecting the sensor is quite simple and seamless.
To connect the device, press the button with the QLIPP logo on the front of the device, until a blue LED starts flashing. Launch the app, and connect to the sensor via Bluetooth connection, and select the Play mode within the app to start recording your session. If the flashing blue LED distracts you while playing, you can turn this option off, along with other customizations, within the app.
Performance and Features:
When it comes to performance, the QLIPP packs quite some features, as both the vibe absorber, and game performance tracker. With its relatively low weight of only 8 grams, the device feels and works just like a regular dampener. It does an excellent job of drowning out the vibrations, without affecting the feel of your racket. However, some users reported a slight pinging sound when playing with the sensor mounted on thinner strings.
As a tennis sensor, QLIPP provides several fantastic features. Besides your standard shot count, categorization, and other metrics that are displayed on your phone, the sensor also allows you to track your shots in real-time.
Tracking your data in real-time, shot-by-shot, is rather tricky as you would have to play tennis and track your data simultaneously. The QLIPP tracker offers a unique solution to this problem by connecting the device to the Apple Watch, or Android Wear. Not only would this allow you to quickly glance at the watch and see your latest statistical metric, but it also eliminated the need for a smartphone nearby.
Another exciting feature is that the app reads the latest metric through audio feedback, allowing you to focus on your game entirely. You can always access the collected data, either through your smartphone or smartwatch, for further analyses and progress tracking. However, the device has somewhat of a significant downside, since it completely lacks internal memory storage.
As such, it requires a constant Bluetooth connection between the sensor and your smart device, to be able to collect and record data. Luckily, the QLIPP doesn’t suffer from connection drops that are present with many other tennis trackers. In fact, the connection range is roughly equivalent to two tennis courts length, which is quite impressive.
When it comes to metrics, the information provided by the sensor is quite useful, as the device counts every forehand, backhand, and serve. It also measures ball speed for each shot, as well as spin, and sweet spot accuracy. All the data is recorded on your smart device and displayed in extreme detail, enabling you to gain more insight into your game.
The overall impression of the accompanying app is excellent, as it displays stats in extreme detail. The app provides a video recording feature with a statistical overlay using the phone’s camera. It tags your recorded video allowing you to filter out and skip to specific shots during the video footage of your game. It’s a rather fantastic feature that will enable you to break down and analyze your shots thoroughly.
The Good:
- Good metrics
- Extremely detailed statistics
- Plethora of features
- 4-6 hours battery life
- No connection drops
The Bad:
- Difficult to mount
- Difficult to charge when mounted on the racket
- No internal storage
Final verdict:
9 Degrees Freedom did an excellent job of creating a tracker that works like a vibration absorber. The device reads and collects accurate data on your smart device, providing you with extremely detailed statistics of your shots.
Despite certain downsides, like the lack of internal memory, we feel like beginner and intermediate level players might benefit the most from using this device. So, if you’re looking to progress your skills and develop your game to a different level, we highly recommend the QLIPP tennis sensor.
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