[time-nuts] webcam app to watch for and time stamp changes

[Jim Lux]

On 3/2/13 1:10 PM, Peter Gottlieb wrote:
> I had one for work a while back and asked the IT security guys about it
> and was told that the change was on a fixed schedule but of course each
> fob was a little different due to temperature, over time, etc and that
> the system automatically "learned" the fobs and opened or tightened its
> tolerance for when the fobs updated.  So if you had a slow one the
> system would adapt over time and just learn to expect that but if the
> timing got too far off they would replace the fob.  I suppose if you
> kept messing with the timing by leaving in the sun or freezer eventually
> you would get rejected logins and your IT people would want to replace
> it, unless they manually really loosened up the timing windows.  The
> people I asked didn't mind my inquiries and seemed eager to chat but
> some places might be a bit more paranoid.
>

The explanation in RSA's manuals is more like..

You set a tolerance window.. how many codes before/after are you willing 
to accept.  When it accepts your code, it resynchronizes it's master 
timer (for your fob) to whatever you just entered.    It doesn't go so 
far as to try and adjust the "rate", just the "offset".