Data Compression for Ultra-Precise Wireless Synchronization

Precise clock synchronization is essential in modern wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and plays a critical role in emerging Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) systems. In ISAC, accurate timing alignment is vital to enable simultaneous sensing and communication functionalities with high efficiency and reliability. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-based methods face limitations in indoor or GNSS-denied environments and may not provide the ultrahigh precision required for applications such as time-based localization techniques. To overcome these challenges, Signals of Opportunity (SoO) offer a flexible and highly accurate alternative for synchronization. Nonetheless, this approach increases the data rate demands on network links since SoO signals have to be exchanged between base stations. In this work, we evaluate both lossless and lossy compression algorithms to reduce the data load. While lossless methods deliver good performance, lossy algorithms can achieve substantially higher compression rates with only minor reductions in synchronization accuracy. Our results demonstrate that a compression ratio of approximately five is reachable with acceptable loss in time and frequency synchronization precision.