[F0nage]

Hi, I'm looking for an NTP client since I can't trust my BIS provider to run an accurate clock.

Thank you.

[scaevola]

I don't believe so.

You do realize you can set your blackberry to pull date/time from the actual cell towers themselves? Definitely useful if you travel a lot. No need to manually key in time changes.

Options-Date time-> pull time setting from Network.

[F0nage]

Thanks, I don't trust those clocks, I find both my carrier and BIS clock are off significantly.

I run several Linux and UNIX boxes and the way I have NTP setup they're all right on the money. I even found an NTP client for my Nokia 5800, it doesn't work perfectly because it doesn't adjust for drift. I hate inaccurate time, so I'm always on the lookout for something good.

[shawntdot]

Maybe your clocks are off and everyone else is right.

[F0nage]

Maybe you can't read the thread, or have no idea what NTP is?

[ifonline]

Define "clocks are off significantly" please. I'm thinking I just found someone with OCD worse than my own.

[F0nage]

LOL. Ok, the BIS clock was off more than 17 seconds last time I looked. Obviously intolerable. I think my carrier's clocks were 3 seconds off.

I have about 8 boxes all running accurate to the same second, and a Nokia within a half-second or so of those 8 boxes. There's no way I'm going to tolerate more than a second disparity on this 8900 :p

[ifonline]

What is a BIS clock? There is only two sources of time on the BlackBerry... Network or device. If you tell the BlackBerry to get the time from the network (which you should be doing), I have found that you still need to tell the BlackBerry to update its time. You should only need to do that once, unless you wipe/update the OS on the device.

Go into Settings and then Date/Time. Hit the menu button, and select Update Time. That will force the BlackBerry to adjust its time to the network time. (I'm doing this from memory as I have a 9700 running OS 5, and the menus are a little different.)

My BlackBerry syncs its time from the network (AT&T), and it is in perfect sync (give or take .5 second) with the Atomic clock, as is my desktop computer. But I had to tell the BlackBerry to update its time before this happened.

[F0nage]

I have different choices in my menu, BlackBerry, Network, and off. I assume BlackBerry is the clock set in my carrier's BIS or RIM's NOC, and network is from my carrier's clock.

Great that AT&T sets their clock accurately, my carrier doesn't.

I tried update time as you suggested, now it's 2 to 3 seconds slow as opposed to 17. Thanks, that was a dramatic improvement! Still have a long way to go...

[ah2819]

How about an option to set the time using GPS? The GPS already knows the time very accurately when it has a lock. An option to periodically sync the clock to GPS time would be nice.

[ifonline]

Originally Posted by F0nage

I have different choices in my menu, BlackBerry, Network, and off. I assume BlackBerry is the clock set in my carrier's BIS or RIM's NOC, and network is from my carrier's clock.

Setting the time to BlackBerry just means that the device will track time on its own, without any correction. Network means just as you described, that the time will be corrected by checking with the network at regular intervals.

Great that AT&T sets their clock accurately, my carrier doesn't.

Sorry about that.

I tried update time as you suggested, now it's 2 to 3 seconds slow as opposed to 17. Thanks, that was a dramatic improvement! Still have a long way to go...

Good.

[philverine]

My issue is that even with the phone set to Network, it doesn't sync to network time unless I manually select "update time". The BB drifts significantly. A couple of weeks after "updating" the time, the clock will be 2 minutes fast, and I have to "update" myself to get the time corrected. Extremely annoying. This has to be a bug.

[F0nage]

@philverine The internal clocks on almost everything (including PCs) drift a lot. That's why an NTP client that syncs periodically is how most people get correct time. You have to check your carrier's clock against a known time standard to know if it's off or not. If you are saying it only updates once and never again, I agree it's probably a "feature"

@Ian thanks for the clarification on BlackBerry v. Network but that doesn't make a lot of sense since it was already set to BlackBerry and all I did was update...!

@ah2819 that sounds like a good option but it won't work inside buildings and most cars. If you travel a lot or work in a secured facility you may not be able to use it much.

[ifonline]

My BlackBerry is either the worlds best timepiece, or it updates via the network on a regular basis. My BlackBerry hasn't had the time drift since setting it months ago.

[fratts]

Originally Posted by F0nage

LOL. Ok, the BIS clock was off more than 17 seconds last time I looked. Obviously intolerable. I think my carrier's clocks were 3 seconds off.

I have about 8 boxes all running accurate to the same second, and a Nokia within a half-second or so of those 8 boxes. There's no way I'm going to tolerate more than a second disparity on this 8900 :p

LOL really? 17 sec is intolerable? Who are you, the president? Im sure if you 17sec late/early for something no-one is going to care.

[F0nage]

LOL some guys are just lucky, maybe that 9700 is worth having after all!

[F0nage]

Originally Posted by fratts

LOL really? 17 sec is intolerable? Who are you, the president? Im sure if you 17sec late/early for something no-one is going to care.

If you run a setup where filesystem timestamps are meaningful, it helps if everybody on your network agrees. Like I said I have a lot of boxes and another phone on my LAN and they're all together except for this BB.

On the other hand, some people just care more about details than other people. I guess that's why I design software for a living

[jmwking]

Originally Posted by F0nage

If you run a setup where filesystem timestamps are meaningful, it helps if everybody on your network agrees. Like I said I have a lot of boxes and another phone on my LAN and they're all together except for this BB.

On the other hand, some people just care more about details than other people. I guess that's why I design software for a living

I fully understand the need for accurate time on a network. I'm not sure I understand the need for accurate time on a BIS device, though.

The desire - certainly. VZW gives me about +/- 2 seconds on my storm set to Network - good enough for me. (My six year old kid loves to reset our microwave oven time to my small clock that receives wireless atomic clock updates. I guess it's genetic. ;) )

-jk