US Patent 7274761 Device synchronisation over a network

A transceiver for operating in a network wherein the transceiver is arranged to synchronize to a time reference common to the network having distinguishable instances, the transceiver containing a controller for effecting the reading or writing of a real time clock at an identified instance of the common time reference; a transmitter for transmitting an identification of the real time clock value of a first instance and an identification of the first instance, and a receiver for receiving a transmitted identification of a real time clock value and an identification of a first instance.