General Category > Ideas/Feature requests

NTP Server

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pete:
It would be nice to include an NTP server with optional internet or GPS connectivity. 

Today my preference is to utilize a GPS and NTP server here rather than the internet for my time sync.

Time is a bit of a hobby here with a few old clocks around.

LGNilsson:
Shouldn't be too hard to do via OpenWRT if nothing else http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/ntp.client
However, as you can see from that page, most routers don't have a hardware clock, although the chip we're using in the Almond+ does support RTC.
The Almond+ won't have an internal battery backup, so in that sense, this might not be 100% useful.

pete:
Thank-you Lars

Yup; here all of the little arm cpu's with embedded stuff boots up checking time before doing anything else.  Being a bit self time centric I don't let them go to the internet for time.  That and I have been attempting to close my automation interfaces (touchscreens) a bit such that they function without the internet. 

Asking myself what if I can't get my weather maps from the internet (another addictive hobby); decided to try to just pull them down manually from the NOAA weather satellites using radio as my failover.

I am doing this though sort of while I attempt to add load balancing to multiple external wan links; a contradiction of sorts.

Its just an exercise I guess as I am helping a friend a bit build his home in CO off the grid.  Yup and internet connectivity may be satellite or cellular.  So far no cellular phone access. No electric and no water.  That and he wants to manage his automation with a bunch of touchscreens.

Patrick Wilson:

--- Quote from: Lars on August 13, 2013, 12:14:09 am ---Shouldn't be too hard to do via OpenWRT if nothing else http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/ntp.client
However, as you can see from that page, most routers don't have a hardware clock, although the chip we're using in the Almond+ does support RTC.
The Almond+ won't have an internal battery backup, so in that sense, this might not be 100% useful.

--- End quote ---

The Router not having a RTC is exactly why NTP or GPS time solutions should be considered an "essential" service.  Some VPN and network security protocols need accurate time in order to function.  If the time between two end-points is off by too much (NTP can adjust for different time zones),  many of this protocols won't work at all. 



However you've already correctly identified that this will NOT be a problem with OpenWRT.  (Besides if the new Almond+ is going to support the Time and Weather Apps as the original Almond,  then having it actually display the "accurate" time would be highly desirable). 

etijburg:
I agree.  if Hardware is not finalized I think the SecuriFi should consider adding a RTC chip.  Accurate time with be a requirement for Time based access controls, accurate logging and VPN access.

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