A method in a network comprising at least a first node, a second node, and a third node, the method comprising: each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node synchronizing a respective clock to a common clock (step 1610) associated with a selected master node of the first node, second node or third node wherein all nodes use the common clock for scheduling; and each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node scheduling data transmission in the network in a manner such that at a particular time in reference to the common clock each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node is scheduled to receive data from only one of the first node, the second node or the third node and wherein each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node is configured to communicate with each other using a time-synchronized transport layer "TSL" protocol comprising a plurality of phases including a characterization phase and a standby phase and wherein the characterization phase comprises: determining using a heartbeat message, a set of pair-wise latencies associated with data transmission from the first node to the second node or the third node; data transmission from the second node to the first node or the third node, and data transmission from the third node to the first node or the second node; wherein the pair-wise latencies are used to keep the first node, the second node and the third node of the network synchronized with each other; and the master node is configured to update its own maximum of all average latencies and minimum of all minimum latencies and transition from the characterization phase to the standby phase upon receiving a standby message from each of the first node, the second node, and the third node that are not the master node, wherein the standby message comprises a maximum of all average latencies and a minimum of all minimum latencies on a link between the first, second or third node that is not the master node and other node and is sent upon finishing characterization of the link, which is performed once a number of samples of pair-wise latencies reaches a threshold. each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node synchronizing a respective clock to a common clock (step 1610) associated with a selected master node of the first node, second node or third node wherein all nodes use the common clock for scheduling; and each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node scheduling data transmission in the network in a manner such that at a particular time in reference to the common clock each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node is scheduled to receive data from only one of the first node, the second node or the third node and wherein each of the at least the first node, the second node, and the third node is configured to communicate with each other using a time-synchronized transport layer "TSL" protocol comprising a plurality of phases including a characterization phase and a standby phase and wherein the characterization phase comprises: determining using a heartbeat message, a set of pair-wise latencies associated with data transmission from the first node to the second node or the third node; data transmission from the second node to the first node or the third node, and data transmission from the third node to the first node or the second node; wherein the pair-wise latencies are used to keep the first node, the second node and the third node of the network synchronized with each other; and the master node is configured to update its own maximum of all average latencies and minimum of all minimum latencies and transition from the characterization phase to the standby phase upon receiving a standby message from each of the first node, the second node, and the third node that are not the master node, wherein the standby message comprises a maximum of all average latencies and a minimum of all minimum latencies on a link between the first, second or third node that is not the master node and other node and is sent upon finishing characterization of the link, which is performed once a number of samples of pair-wise latencies reaches a threshold. determining using a heartbeat message, a set of pair-wise latencies associated with data transmission from the first node to the second node or the third node; data transmission from the second node to the first node or the third node, and data transmission from the third node to the first node or the second node; wherein the pair-wise latencies are used to keep the first node, the second node and the third node of the network synchronized with each other; and the master node is configured to update its own maximum of all average latencies and minimum of all minimum latencies and transition from the characterization phase to the standby phase upon receiving a standby message from each of the first node, the second node, and the third node that are not the master node, wherein the standby message comprises a maximum of all average latencies and a minimum of all minimum latencies on a link between the first, second or third node that is not the master node and other node and is sent upon finishing characterization of the link, which is performed once a number of samples of pair-wise latencies reaches a threshold.