Time synchronization in sensor networks: a survey

Time synchronization is an important issue in multihop ad hoc wireless networks such as sensor networks. Many applications of sensor networks need local clocks of sensor nodes to be synchronized, requiring various degrees of precision. Some intrinsic properties of sensor networks, such as limited re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE network 2004-07, Vol.18 (4), p.45-50
Main Authors: Sivrikaya, F., Yener, B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ad hoc networks
Algorithms
Applications
Clocks
Computer networks
Energy storage
Frequency synchronization
Hardware
Intelligent networks
Mobile communications networks
Networks
Oscillators
Polls & surveys
Sensor phenomena and characterization
Sensors
Spread spectrum communication
Synchronism
Synchronization
Time
Time synchronization
Wireless sensor networks
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Summary:Time synchronization is an important issue in multihop ad hoc wireless networks such as sensor networks. Many applications of sensor networks need local clocks of sensor nodes to be synchronized, requiring various degrees of precision. Some intrinsic properties of sensor networks, such as limited resources of energy, storage, computation, and bandwidth, combined with potentially high density of nodes make traditional synchronization methods unsuitable for these networks. Hence, there has been an increasing research focus on designing synchronization algorithms specifically for sensor networks. This article reviews the time synchronization problem and the need for synchronization in sensor networks, then presents in detail the basic synchronization methods explicitly designed and proposed for sensor networks.
ISSN:0890-8044
1558-156X
DOI:10.1109/MNET.2004.1316761