Time Synchronization in Short Range Wireless Networks
Filip Gummesson & Kristoffer Hilmersson Time Synchronization in Short Range Wireless Networks Master’s Thesis Time Synchronization in Short Range Wireless Networks Filip Gummesson Kristoffer Hilmersson Series of Master’s theses Department of Electrical and Information Technology LU/LTH-EIT 2016-521 http://www.eit.lth.se Department of Electrical and Information Technology, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Lund University, 2016. Time Synchronization in Short Range Wireless Networks Filip Gummesson Kristoer Hilmersson u-blox Östra Varvsgatan 4 211 75 Malmö Advisors: Mats Cedervall, EIT Mats Andersson, u-blox June 23, 2016 Printed in Sweden E-huset, Lund, 2016 Abstract Energy ecient wireless devices is a trend that has been on the rise the last few years. Energy eciency properties may ll a function in wireless sensor networks where the devices could run on coin-cell batteries and still last for years. To make sense of the sensor data collected, there is a requirement of accurate time syn- chronization in the network. This report focuses on investigating if present time synchronization standards, NTP and PTP, and de facto-standards, RBS, TPSN, and FTSP, can provide sucient accuracy in a network consisting of devices where energy eciency and mobility are the ground pillars, or if accurate time synchro- nization and the constraints of highly energy ecient devices proves contradictory. The knowledge gained from studying the standards lay the foundation of a case study where RBS was implemented in a network consisting of Bluetooth low energy devices, proving that low millisecond accurate time synchronization was achievable using application based timestamping. Compared to wireless sensor networks consisting of devices not developed with today's high energy eciency focus, the accuracy is a factor thousand less precise, but with some hardware features, like hardware based timestamping and a more accurate clock, it would not be impossible to reduce the gap.
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