Patent ID: 8553824

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving at a synchronizing node a first reference frame from a first reference node at a first time and storing a first time value representing the first time; calculating a timing estimator by subtracting a minimum time value, representing a distance from the synchronizing node to the first reference node, from the first time value; receiving at the synchronizing node a second reference frame at a second time and storing a second time value representing the second time; transmitting from the synchronizing node to the first reference node a short timing contention time frame; receiving at the synchronizing node from the first reference node a first arrival time value representing a time at which the first reference node received the short timing contention frame; calculating a first time drift from the first arrival time value and the second time value, wherein the first time drift equals: (first arrival time value−second time value)/2; adjusting the timing estimator based on the first time drift; and transmitting from the synchronizing node a frame according to a timing determined from the timing estimator.