Patent ID: 8654758

Claim:
A method for synchronizing a wireless sensor, comprising: receiving a first command at the wireless sensor from an access point; responding to the first command with a first reply sent from the wireless sensor to the access point; noting, at the wireless sensor, a first timestamp value indicating when the first reply is sent; receiving a second command at the wireless sensor from the access point that contains a second timestamp value indicating when the first reply was received at the access point and a third timestamp value indicating when the second command was sent from the access point to the wireless sensor; noting, at the wireless sensor, a fourth timestamp value indicating when the second command was received by the wireless sensor; determining an offset at the wireless sensor using the first, second, third, and fourth timestamp values, wherein the offset determined at the wireless sensor enables self-synchronization of the wireless sensor with a clock of the access point, and wherein the access point attaches the second and third timestamp values to the second command independently of any timestamp values noted at the wireless sensor; and compensating for the offset by determining a latest start time for collecting timestamp data by the sensor and an earliest end time for collecting the timestamp data by the sensor, and discarding at least one of a portion of the timestamp data collected prior to the latest start time and a portion of the timestamp data collected after the earliest end time.