> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mapir.gitbook.io/daq/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mapir.gitbook.io/daq/daq-e/time-synchronization.md).

# Time Synchronization

When you record a DAQ-E alongside MAPIR [LATTICE cameras](https://www.mapir.camera/pages/multispectral-cameras), you often want each spectral measurement to line up with the exact camera frame it corresponds to. The DAQ-E supports this through **PTP (Precision Time Protocol, IEEE 1588 PTPv2)**, which keeps every device on the network on a shared clock.

## How It Works

The computer running Chloros acts as the **PTP grandmaster** — the reference clock for the network. Every DAQ-E and every LATTICE camera slaves to that clock, so all of their timestamps stay within about **1 millisecond** of each other. Once synchronized, spectra and camera frames can be matched by time during processing.

* PTP time sync requires **DAQ-E firmware v1.2.0 or newer**.
* For workflows where strict frame-to-spectrum alignment matters, Chloros can wait for the DAQ-E to reach the synchronized (`SLAVE`) state before it begins streaming, and it flags each measurement that carries a PTP-synced timestamp so downstream processing can tell which frames are safe to align.

{% hint style="info" %}
PTP uses multicast on **UDP 319/320**. On Windows, accept the Windows Defender Firewall prompt the first time Chloros runs. See [Network Setup](/daq/daq-e/network-setup.md).
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="info" %}
For the exact commands to enable PTP, check sync status, and view synchronized cameras, see the Chloros Manual at [docs.chloros.com](https://docs.chloros.com) *(link coming soon)*.
{% endhint %}