Precision timing is not a box-and-go purchase
In real environments, timing performance is shaped by network behaviour, switching, hardware timestamping capabilities, BMCA dynamics, GNSS conditions, OS tuning, application sensitivity and operational processes. TimeBeat exists to make high-accuracy, resilient, compliant time work in production — not just in the lab.
Why TimeBeat consultancy works
You can’t ship timing hardware and walk away
TimeBeat’s services are built around the reality that timing in production is an engineering discipline, not a procurement exercise. We combine four capabilities that most organisations don’t have in-house.
Specialist hardware and timing engineering
PCIe time card design, oscillator selection, GNSS integration, antenna engineering, holdover characterisation and custom reference architectures.
Advanced software techniques
Resilience and verification through jitter attenuation, clock quorum, mesh PTP, verifiable UTC and compliance reporting — beyond what standard PTP stacks deliver.
Operational insight and testing discipline
Real-world testing including failover and fault behaviour, GNSS denial scenarios, holdover validation and network impairment testing. Not lab-grade — production-grade.
Delivery models for varying environments
From fixed-fee discovery engagements through to fully managed assurance subscriptions. Defence, finance, telecom, broadcast — each has different security and compliance constraints.
Build — Own — Operate
The 6-phase engagement lifecycle
From first discovery through to ongoing managed operations. Each phase produces concrete deliverables. Most engagements start with a fixed-fee Discovery — the output is a clear specification and roadmap, not a proposal for more work.
01
Discover
- ▸Timing requirements specification
- ▸Accuracy and holdover targets
- ▸PTP/NTP profile selection
- ▸Risk register
- ▸Costed plan
02
Design
- ▸Block diagram and BOM guidance
- ▸Oscillator, GNSS and holdover selection
- ▸Security and provisioning approach
- ▸Redundancy model
03
Validate
- ▸Lab test plan and results (wander, jitter, holdover)
- ▸Network impairment tests
- ▸Golden configuration baseline
04
Build
- ▸Schematic and PCB layout reviews
- ▸Bring-up plan
- ▸Hardware timestamping integration
- ▸Firmware architecture
05
Certify
- ▸TimeBeat certification report
- ▸Manufacturing test procedure
- ▸Calibration method
- ▸Release sign-off
06
Operate
- ▸Managed updates and CVE response
- ▸Performance reporting
- ▸Incident support
- ▸Periodic recertification
Ownership model
TimeBeat owns the timing baseline. You own the product.
The ownership split is explicit from day one. TimeBeat maintains the reference design, timing stack, test harness, certification criteria and golden configuration. Your organisation owns the industrial design, feature set and manufacturing relationships. No ambiguity about who is responsible for what.
TimeBeat owns
- Reference design artefacts
- Timing stack
- Test harness
- Certification criteria
- Golden configuration
- Update pipeline
Client owns
- Industrial design
- Feature set
- Manufacturing relationships
- Product differentiation
- Go-to-market
What we deliver
Four disciplines. One engagement.
Timing Architecture & Network Design
End-to-end timing topologies for critical infrastructure. Grandmaster and boundary clock placement, redundancy strategy, PTP profile selection, domain planning, failure-mode planning and operational runbooks.
Hardware Engineering, Selection & Deployment
From PCIe time cards to rack-mountable grandmaster servers. Oscillator and holdover strategy, modular expansion design, frequency distribution, SyncE considerations, on-site or remote build oversight and validation testing.
Software Engineering & Integration
Timebeat software deployment for synchronisation, analytics and compliance reporting. Advanced approaches including mesh and clock quorum techniques. Linux and Windows timing optimisation, configuration standards and operational monitoring.
Managed Services & Ongoing Support
Tailored support and consultancy matched to customer requirements. Managed assurance subscriptions, SLA-based monitoring, update pipelines, evidence packs and periodic recertification.
Reference integration
Atomic clocks, specialist GNSS, classified sources
Many customers require timing systems that integrate external reference sources — Rubidium or Caesium atomic clocks, specialist GNSS receivers, proprietary or classified timing sources, and dual-reference or quorum-based architectures. TimeBeat designs systems that manage multiple timing inputs, perform priority-based hitless switching, and maintain stability during reference loss or restoration.
Multi-reference prioritisation
Arbitration across GNSS, atomic and terrestrial sources with configurable priority and health thresholds.
Hitless PPS and frequency switching
No phase steps during reference transitions — phase continuity maintained across every switchover.
Fast convergence and holdover
Optimised servo tuning for rapid re-lock after outages without overshoot or step changes.
Phase-aligned outputs
PPS and frequency outputs aligned to the active reference with sub-nanosecond residual error.
Multi-interface support
Serial, USB, RF and network-based reference interfaces. Custom integrations for classified or proprietary sources.
Project consultancy workflow
Eight steps from requirements to global operations
1
Capturing Requirements
Define use cases and timing KPIs (offset, holdover, traceability). Audit hardware (GNSS, oscillators, power, environment) and software/network (PTP/NTP, QoS). Agree acceptance tests and constraints.
2
Idea Generation
Compare architectures (GNSS GM, PTP with BC/TC, SyncE, hybrid). Select oscillator class and redundancy model. Define PoC to prove accuracy and resilience.
3
Development
Hardware: platform and BOM guidance, layout, power, EMI, thermal. Software: PTP/NTP configs, firmware, monitoring, security. Build in resilience, documentation and upgrade paths.
4
Test
Verify accuracy and stability under load and impairment. Validate hardware limits (temperature, power, antenna, holdover). Confirm interoperability and compliance.
5
Delivery
Commission hardware (GNSS, cabling, grounding) and deploy software. Roll out in phases with change control. Provide runbooks and training.
6
Improvement
Use telemetry to tune hardware choices and timing parameters. Refine topology, QoS and redundancy. Standardise gold-standard reference designs.
7
Maintenance
Proactive monitoring of drift, GNSS and hardware health. Managed updates, calibration and resilience drills.
8
Global Operations
24/7 regional support with common tools and spares. Global standards, change control and SLA-based operations. Physical locations across Europe, North America and Asia.
Consultancy in action
Engineering engagements that shipped
IEEE 1588 Hardware Timestamping on the Raspberry Pi CM4
Challenge
The Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 uses the Broadcom BCM54210PE PHY. To achieve practical PTP performance, hardware timestamping needed to be correctly integrated into the Linux networking stack and exposed to user-space tooling.
Solution
TimeBeat, working on behalf of Raspberry Pi and collaborating with Broadcom engineers, implemented IEEE 1588 hardware timestamping enablement using the Linux kernel mii_timestamper interface — kernel-level plumbing to make PHY timestamping available in a maintainable way.
Outcome
A working enablement path for CM4 hardware timestamping, supporting Raspberry Pi's platform goals while providing a reference implementation for downstream users and integrators. Beyond a one-off fix, this improved the broader ecosystem's hardware timestamping support.
Secure Atomic Reference Integration for Mission-Critical Timing
Challenge
Design a defence-grade timing architecture that could integrate Rubidium atomic clocks alongside GNSS-based references, maintain phase-continuous frequency outputs during reference loss and restoration, and securely ingest timing and status data from a third-party GNSS receiver.
Solution
TimeBeat designed a combined hardware and software implementation with priority-based hitless reference switching (no phase steps during transitions), NMEA data validation from the GNSS receiver, and deterministic behaviour during GNSS degradation and outage.
Outcome
A deployment-ready timing subsystem capable of maintaining stable outputs across disruptions, with secure GNSS status ingestion, predictable recovery and clear reference-state visibility — meeting mission-critical operational thresholds.
Commercial structure
Transparent engagement models
Fixed-fee Discovery
Paid discovery phase that produces a clear specification and roadmap. No open-ended scoping — the output is a concrete deliverable, not a proposal for more work.
NRE for reference design
Non-recurring engineering for reference design and integration. Reuse-driven delivery model — the design is built once, deployed across SKUs.
Certification per SKU
Certification fee per SKU and/or per major release. Covers the test procedure, calibration method and release sign-off.
Timing stack licence
Optional per-unit licence or royalty for the TimeBeat timing stack. Only applies when the stack is embedded in your product.
Managed Assurance
Ongoing subscription covering SLA-based monitoring, managed updates, CVE response, evidence packs and periodic recertification.
Project consultancy
Time-and-materials or fixed-scope engagements for bespoke timing hardware design, modification and integration work.
Start here
Begin with Discovery
Tell us about your timing challenge — the accuracy targets, the environment, the compliance requirements and the timeline. We’ll scope a fixed-fee Discovery engagement and come back with a concrete specification within one business day.
- Fixed-fee, concrete deliverable
- Specification + roadmap, not a sales pitch
- Led by TimeBeat co-founders
- Defence, finance, telecom, broadcast
Beyond the box
Timing that works in production.
TimeBeat has delivered consultancy engagements spanning custom development, OEM work, kernel driver engineering and defence-grade reference architectures. The team that built the products is the team that runs the engagements.