Comparison of statistical methods for time synchronization between network nodes equipped with UWB transceivers

The emergence of commercial Ultra Wide Band (UWB) transceivers has enabled the development of Wireless Sensor Networks based on this communication technology. The implementation of time synchronization protocols is of great importance in these networks, as they allow distributed and collaborative data acquisition. This paper shows the improvement in the synchronization accuracy that can be achieved applying long term synchronization protocols to time stamps acquired with UWB transceivers. Provided results show that an accuracy of tens of nanoseconds can be achieved using the internal microprocessor timers, and a sub-nanosecond time accuracy between the timers onboard the UWB transceiver.