Synchronizing multiple cameras across large deployments has traditionally required dedicated hardware trigger wiring, careful cable routing, and increasingly complex system design as deployments scale.
With OAK4, that changes.
OAK4 devices now support PTP (Precision Time Protocol) synchronization, enabling multiple Ethernet-connected devices to share a common clock over the network itself — without requiring dedicated FSYNC trigger wires.
This makes it possible to deploy synchronized multi-camera systems over long distances using standard Ethernet infrastructure while still achieving precisely aligned frame exposures.
Why PTP Synchronization Matters
In many real-world deployments, direct hardware synchronization quickly becomes impractical:
- Cameras may be distributed across large physical spaces
- Ethernet switches may sit between devices
- Cable runs can become long and difficult to manage
- Multi-device scaling becomes increasingly complex
PTP solves this by distributing a shared global clock over Ethernet.
Once devices share the same synchronized clock, cameras can use that timing source to precisely align frame exposures across all participating devices.
Precise Multi-Camera Exposure Alignment
Using synchronized PTP time, exposure starts across multiple OAK4 devices can be aligned precisely in time.
This enables:
- Multi-camera perception systems
- Large-scale robotics deployments
- Distributed AI vision systems
- Sensor fusion applications
- Spatial AI requiring synchronized capture
The result is synchronized frame acquisition across Ethernet-connected devices — even across long distances.
Current Camera Support
PTP frame synchronization currently supports only OAK4-CS with the OG05B10 global shutter sensor.
Support for additional OAK4 camera variants is planned. If you would like to enable PTP synchronization on other OAK4 cameras, please contact Luxonis support.
Hardware Trigger vs PTP
Traditional FSYNC hardware triggering still provides the highest possible synchronization precision, but PTP offers major advantages in deployment flexibility.
Hardware FSYNC
- Requires dedicated trigger wiring
- More difficult over long cable distances
- Complex daisy-chaining between devices
- Highest synchronization precision
PTP Synchronization
- Uses standard Ethernet infrastructure
- Scales easily across networked deployments
- Works through supported network switches
- Simpler multi-device installation
- Precise synchronized exposure timing without trigger wiring
Validated Network Switches
PTP synchronization depends on network equipment correctly handling PTP traffic.
We have validated the following switches for OAK4 PTP synchronization:
- TP-Link TL-SG1005P
- Ubiquiti Flex 2.5G PoE
- TP-Link TL-SG1008P
Other switches may also work if they properly support PTP packet handling.
Simple Device Configuration
Enable PTP on the master device:
luxonis-ptp-config enable
luxonis-ptp-config mode master
Enable PTP on slave devices:
luxonis-ptp-config enable
luxonis-ptp-config mode slave
If camera configuration has been overridden:
luxonis-ptp-config sync_frames true
Minimal PTP Sync Examples
Once you have enabled the PTP on your device, you can find runnable minimal examples in the depthai-core repository:
Built for Scalable Spatial AI
PTP synchronization on OAK4 unlocks a new generation of scalable multi-camera systems.
Whether you’re building robotics platforms, industrial automation systems, warehouse perception, or distributed AI infrastructure, synchronized Ethernet-based camera timing dramatically simplifies deployment while maintaining precise capture alignment.
OAK4 now makes synchronized multi-device vision systems easier to deploy than ever before.
