A magnetic resonance imaging system with a digital serial communication network, wherein the network comprises multiple sensor nodes for detecting a radio frequency signal from a patient who is under examination by the magnetic resonance imaging system, and a host node which is connected to the sensor nodes via a network link for merging and processing digital sensor data received from the sensor nodes,formed with a ring network topology which makes use of uni-directional communication between nodes wherein the host node comprises a receiver connected to the network link for receiving data over the network link, and a transmitter connected to the network link for transmitting data over the network link, the sensor nodes each comprise an analog-to-digital converter for converting the detected radio frequency signal to the digital sensor data, a receiver connected to the network link for receiving data over the network link, a transmitter connected to the network link for transmitting data over the network link, and a clock and data recovery unit with a clock device which is configured for running on a preset free-running frequency, the frequency of the data transmission over the network link is set to a fixed frequency relative to the preset free-running frequency of the clock devices, and the clock and data recovery units are configured for generating a recovered clock signal for controlling the analog-to-digital converter of their sensor node by regulating the frequency of the clock device of their sensor node to lock to the frequency of the data transmission over the network link, and wherein variations in clock phase due to the network's operational conditions are compensated by detecting variations in propagation delay around the ring in the host node and adjusting each local clock phase of the detected signal's phase. multiple sensor nodes for detecting a radio frequency signal from a patient who is under examination by the magnetic resonance imaging system, and a host node which is connected to the sensor nodes via a network link for merging and processing digital sensor data received from the sensor nodes,formed with a ring network topology which makes use of uni-directional communication between nodes wherein the host node comprises a receiver connected to the network link for receiving data over the network link, and a transmitter connected to the network link for transmitting data over the network link, the sensor nodes each comprise an analog-to-digital converter for converting the detected radio frequency signal to the digital sensor data, a receiver connected to the network link for receiving data over the network link, a transmitter connected to the network link for transmitting data over the network link, and a clock and data recovery unit with a clock device which is configured for running on a preset free-running frequency, the frequency of the data transmission over the network link is set to a fixed frequency relative to the preset free-running frequency of the clock devices, and the clock and data recovery units are configured for generating a recovered clock signal for controlling the analog-to-digital converter of their sensor node by regulating the frequency of the clock device of their sensor node to lock to the frequency of the data transmission over the network link, and wherein variations in clock phase due to the network's operational conditions are compensated by detecting variations in propagation delay around the ring in the host node and adjusting each local clock phase of the detected signal's phase.