--- title: This DIY Time Server Is More Accurate Than You Need description: A DIY time server build using the ESP32-P4 microcontroller and a navigation-grade GNSS receiver achieves nanosecond-level accuracy via the Precision Time... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: This DIY Time Server Is More Accurate Than You Need | daily.dev og:description: A DIY time server build using the ESP32-P4 microcontroller and a navigation-grade GNSS receiver achieves nanosecond-level accuracy via the Precision Time... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/n03z229M5.png og:image:alt: This DIY Time Server Is More Accurate Than You Need og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # This DIY Time Server Is More Accurate Than You Need **[Hackaday](https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday)** · 2 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A DIY time server build using the ESP32-P4 microcontroller and a navigation-grade GNSS receiver achieves nanosecond-level accuracy via the Precision Time Protocol (PTP). Unlike standard NTP which gets within ~10 milliseconds, PTP requires hardware-level support in the Ethernet controller — something the ESP32-P4 now makes affordable. The project includes a 3D-printed OpenSCAD case with status LEDs, and costs significantly less than commercial equivalents, though the use cases (scientific research, robotics, high-frequency trading) are niche. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the difference in accuracy between NTP and PTP time synchronization? Network Time Protocol (NTP) typically synchronizes system time to within about 10 milliseconds of an upstream time source, while Precision Time Protocol (PTP) achieves accuracy down to nanoseconds. PTP requires hardware-level support baked into the Ethernet controller since software alone cannot reach that precision, making it relevant mainly for scientific research, robotic assembly lines, or high-speed financial trading. _Engineers weighing NTP versus PTP for a project can follow deeper technical comparisons on daily.dev._ ### Why did it take until the ESP32-P4 for makers to build affordable PTP-capable devices? Before the ESP32-P4's release, there was no affordable chip available with hardware-level support for the Precision Time Protocol, which is required because PTP's nanosecond accuracy cannot be achieved through software alone. The ESP32-P4 changed that by finally offering PTP capability baked into its Ethernet controller at a maker-accessible price point. _Makers tracking new microcontroller capabilities like this can follow ESP32 hardware developments on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [From Milliseconds to 26 Nanoseconds: How a $20 eBay SFP Module Beat My Entire NTP Setup](https://daily.dev/posts/from-milliseconds-to-26-nanoseconds-how-a-20-ebay-sfp-module-beat-my-entire-ntp-setup-rragkols4) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Rebuilding a 1995 GPS Time Server so I don't get Telstra'd](https://daily.dev/posts/rebuilding-a-1995-gps-time-server-so-i-don-t-get-telstra-d-hxt9qcyvw) · Jeff Geerling · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [A Simple Desktop Pomodoro Timer](https://daily.dev/posts/a-simple-desktop-pomodoro-timer-h1cv4cuu2) · Hackaday · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [A PTP Wall Clock is impractical and a little too precise](https://daily.dev/posts/a-ptp-wall-clock-is-impractical-and-a-little-too-precise-esm3trb67) · Jeff Geerling · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [This awesome ESP32 clock lets you send messages to it anywhere in the world](https://daily.dev/posts/this-awesome-esp32-clock-lets-you-send-messages-to-it-anywhere-in-the-world-uxcarimer) · XDA Developers · 1 upvotes · 1 comments --- Tags: [#iot](https://daily.dev/tags/iot), [#embedded](https://daily.dev/tags/embedded) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"This DIY Time Server Is More Accurate Than You Need","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5"},"datePublished":"2026-07-08T11:07:37.838Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:35:49.940Z","description":"A DIY time server build using the ESP32-P4 microcontroller and a navigation-grade GNSS receiver achieves nanosecond-level accuracy via the Precision Time...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/17257e833c5749cf738858d48e9c81c5?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/17257e833c5749cf738858d48e9c81c5?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Hackaday","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Hackaday","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--JhDfhy70--/f_auto,q_auto/v1767541814/logos/hackaday","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"iot,embedded","timeRequired":"PT2M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hackaday","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/hackaday"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"This DIY Time Server Is More Accurate Than You Need"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/this-diy-time-server-is-more-accurate-than-you-need-n03z229m5#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference in accuracy between NTP and PTP time synchronization?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Network Time Protocol (NTP) typically synchronizes system time to within about 10 milliseconds of an upstream time source, while Precision Time Protocol (PTP) achieves accuracy down to nanoseconds. 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