How to Create Reaction Lights Using Smartphones or Tablets

Reaction lights are LED pods designed to light up in random sequences, prompting users to react and deactivate them as quickly as possible. They have become increasingly popular among athletes, medical professionals, and fitness enthusiasts for training reaction time, agility, and cognitive-motor skills.

But what if you don’t have access to expensive reaction lights?

With the SwitchedOn app’s Phone Sync feature, you can easily transform multiple smartphones or tablets into a fully functional reaction light system without any additional equipment!

In this blog, we’ll share step-by-step instructions, a full video tutorial, example drills, and FAQs.

Step 1: Gather Multiple Smartphones or Tablets

• You’ll need at least two smartphones or tablets (iOS or Android), but the more devices you have, the more dynamic your setup can be.

• Each device must have the SwitchedOn app downloaded.

Step 2: Connect Your Devices

1. Open SwitchedOn on each device.

2. Navigate to the Phone Sync settings.

3. On one device, select “Host” (this will act as the primary controller).

• Tap “Create Code” to generate a 6-digit host code.

4. On the other devices, select “Guest” and enter the 6-digit code from the host device to sync them.

Step 3: Choose or Create a Drill

You can either select a preset drill or create a custom drill to match your training goals.

Option 1: Use a Preset Drill

• Tap “Preset Drills” and filter by “Multi-Device Only” to quickly find drills designed for synced training.

Option 2: Create a Custom Drill

If you want complete control over your training setup:

1. On the host device, tap the orange “+” button and select “Create Drill.”

2. Customize your drill settings:

• Sync Mode: Choose how the devices interact (e.g., all light up at the same time, or only one lights up randomly).

• Stimuli Type: Select the visual cues to react to (e.g., colors, numbers, arrows, shapes).

• Transition Type: Decide how stimuli change (e.g., automatically after a set time or when the screen is touched to measure response time).

• Drill Duration: Set the length of the drill (e.g., a time limit or a set number of rounds).

Step 4: Arrange Your Devices

• Place the smartphones in different positions (e.g., leaned up against cones, walls, or on tripods).

• Space them out to encourage dynamic movement and peripheral vision training.

• Adjust placement based on your training focus (e.g., close together for quick reactions, farther apart for sprint-based drills).

Step 5: Start Training!

• On the host device, tap “Begin Training” and start reacting to the devices!

• To keep progressing and avoid plateaus, try these simple ways to increase the challenge:

  • Modify response rules (e.g., run to the opposite device that lights up).

  • Speed up transitions to force quicker reactions.

  • Extend drill duration to increase endurance and physical demands.

Full Video Tutorial👇

Example Drills

Here are some of the preset multi-device drills available in the SwitchedOn app!

Tap the “TAP TO TRY IN APP” button below any drill while on your mobile device to go directly to the drill in the app.

2 Phone Agility with Sensor

3 Phone Reaction Challenge

3 Phone Agility

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• What are the benefits of connecting multiple devices?

  Originally, SwitchedOn only displayed randomized stimuli on one device. Using this “phone sync” feature will help you:

  • Expand vision & awareness - Create a 360° game-like training experience to improve field-of-vision.

  • Enhance group training - Efficiently train groups by controlling multiple devices from one host device.

  • Unlock new possibilities - Increase focus and motivation with endless new ways to challenge the brain and body.

  • Save money - get a reaction light training experience without purchasing expensive hardware.

• How many devices can I connect at once?

  A host device can connect to an unlimited number of guest devices.

• Do all devices need internet connection?

  Each device requires some form of internet connection. For the best synchronization of the devices, ensure they are all on the same wifi or have a solid internet connection.

• Do all devices need to have a PRO membership?

  No, only the host device needs to be a PRO member.

• How far away can the devices be?

  The devices can connect from anywhere in the world and can be placed an unlimited distance away from each other.

• Can I connect Apple and Android devices?

  Yes! You can connect any combination of iPhones, iPads, Android smartphones, and tablets.

Download the SwitchedOn app for free to get started!