Reference Broadcast Infrastructure Synchronization

RBIS is specifically tailored to be used in IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi networks configured in infrastructure mode.

Such a kind of networks are based on an access point that coordinates the communication between the wireless nodes (i.e., the STAs), and they are very common.

The advantages of RBIS are that it can be directly used with common access points, no modification is required to the STAs (or minor modifications to improve synchronization performance) and a very small overhead is added to the wireless channel (typically a message every 1 second).

Moreover, it allows an easily synchronization with an external time source, because it is a master/slave protocol.

This fact limits the achievable synchronization quality to a couple of microsecond, which is typically enough for the very majority of the applications, especially for home automation.