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Time Synchronization in Short Range Wireless Networks

Hilmersson, Kristoffer LU and Gummesson, Filip (2016) EITM01 20161
Department of Electrical and Information Technology
Abstract
Energy efficient wireless devices is a trend that has been on the rise the last few years. Energy efficiency properties may fill 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 synchronization 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 sufficient accuracy in a network consisting of devices where energy efficiency and mobility are the ground pillars, or if accurate time synchronization and the constraints of highly energy efficient devices proves contradictory.

The... (More)
Energy efficient wireless devices is a trend that has been on the rise the last few years. Energy efficiency properties may fill 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 synchronization 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 sufficient accuracy in a network consisting of devices where energy efficiency and mobility are the ground pillars, or if accurate time synchronization and the constraints of highly energy efficient 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 efficiency 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. (Less)
Popular Abstract
Highly energy efficient wireless devices has been the trend over the last years. Such devices have made the Internet of Things possible. We have investigated current standards concerning time synchronization and examined the properties that enable efficient time synchronization. With that base, we implemented an algorithm that makes a short range wireless network, consisting of IoT devices, have the same perception of time.
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author
Hilmersson, Kristoffer LU and Gummesson, Filip
supervisor
organization
course
EITM01 20161
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
time synchronization, wireless sensor networks, WSN, short range networks, RBS, PTP, FTSP, TPSN, NTP, internet of things, embedded development
report number
LU/LHT-EIT 2016-521
language
English
id
8884959
date added to LUP
2016-06-28 11:53:40
date last changed
2016-06-28 11:53:40
@misc{8884959,
  abstract     = {{Energy efficient wireless devices is a trend that has been on the rise the last few years. Energy efficiency properties may fill 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 synchronization 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 sufficient accuracy in a network consisting of devices where energy efficiency and mobility are the ground pillars, or if accurate time synchronization and the constraints of highly energy efficient 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 efficiency 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.}},
  author       = {{Hilmersson, Kristoffer and Gummesson, Filip}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Time Synchronization in Short Range Wireless Networks}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}