{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T09:32:23Z","timestamp":1771234343483,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771200000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Future Internet"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The sport of orienteering requires athletes to reach specific points marked on a map (called \u201cpunching stations\u201d) in the shortest possible time. Currently, the recording of athletes\u2019 passages through the stations is performed offline. In addition to delays in generating intermediate and final rankings, this approach often leads to detection errors and potential cheating related to the lack of authentication of an athlete\u2019s actual passage at a given station. This paper aims to define and design a system enabling three main functionalities: 1. real-time monitoring of athletes\u2019 trajectories through a sensor network connected to control stations; 2. multi-modal authentication of athletes at each station; and 3. immutable certification of each athlete\u2019s passage through blockchain-based recording. System performance is evaluated in terms of wireless network coverage and data collection efficiency across three representative environments: urban, rural, and forested areas. Results are obtained through a measurement campaign for two dedicated wireless technologies: ZigBee for local mesh network and LoRa for long-range links to connect local mesh networks to the cloud over the Internet, which is then accessed by the race organizers. Furthermore, two supporting subsystems are described, addressing athlete authentication and data integrity assurance, as well as a blockchain recording for the overall event management framework. Results are in terms of coverage distances for both technologies, proving highly effective across varied terrains. Field tests demonstrated significant communication capabilities, achieving distances of up to 1800 m in open spaces. Even in challenging, dense wooded environments, the system maintained reliable coverage, reaching transmission distances of up to 600 m. Local ZigBee links between punching stations achieved ranges between 70 and 150 m in forested areas. These findings validate the use of a wireless multi-hop network designed to minimize packet loss and ensure reliable data delivery in competitive scenarios. The feasibility is also investigated in terms of WSN performance, delay analysis and power consumption evaluation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/fi18020105","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T08:38:39Z","timestamp":1771231119000},"page":"105","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["A Hybrid LoRa\/ZigBee IoT Mesh Architecture for Real-Time Performance Monitoring in Orienteering Sport Competitions: A Measurement Campaign on Different Environments"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4256-6577","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Romeo","family":"Giuliano","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-2380-9088","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano Alessandro Ignazio","family":"Mocci De Martis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7051-0907","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonello","family":"Tomeo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-9907-172X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Terlizzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"AC Group Secure Digital Solutions, Via Fiume Giallo 3, 00145 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1784-7334","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Gerardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3288-044X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Fallucchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8338-7957","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lorenzo","family":"Felli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Rome, Italy"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0656-9786","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicola","family":"Dall\u2019Ora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Engineering Science, Guglielmo Marconi University, Via Plinio 44, 00193 Rome, Italy"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"SPORTident GmbH (2025, December 30). 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