IEEE 802.1 TSN Time Synchronization over Wi-Fi and 5G Mobile Networks

IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of standards that target deterministic communications with low latency. Among those standards, IEEE 802.1AS Time Synchronization is highly important as many other standards rely on it. Similar to wired TSN, wireless TSN currently also sees growing demand, especially from the real-time applications in smart factory. The document IEEE Std 802.1AS-2020 has specified how we can use this standard in non-Ethernet networks such as WiFi. In this paper, we present our experiments and performance analyses of IEEE 802.1AS over Wi-Fi and 5G mobile systems. We provide qualitative, quantitative and experimental analyses on the setup, benchmark, and system performance. These analyses provide insights into (i) whether IEEE 802.1AS can be used straightforwardly in wireless networks, (ii) what and how factors impact its performance, and (iii) what hardware/software should be developed to improve this performance.