# Tag Write Timestamp consistently lags actual time of write by about 7 seconds

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** ignition81\
**Created:** [November 17, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238 "2025-11-17T19:26:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AnirudhVelamore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AnirudhVelamore](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AnirudhVelamore)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238/1 "2025-11-17T19:26:41Z")

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I’m writing `True` to a particular Boolean tag at `10:14:45` and at `10:15:00` (as shown by the `CurrentDateTime` tag in the `System` tag provider).

I would have expected the `Timestamp` of this Boolean tag to change to the same timestamps when I changed the tag to `True` but they seem to lag the `CurrentDateTime` timestamp by about 7 seconds consistently. First time it’s `True`, the Timestamp value is `10:14:38` and the second time it’s True, the Timestamp value is `10:14:53`.

Is this expected behavior? Am I missing something here? Attaching a video of my tag writes with the `CurrentDateTime` shown on top and the `Timestamp` of the tag shown below.

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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238/2 "2025-11-17T19:50:35Z")

</div>

Look for discrepancies between your clock on the designer and the clock of the gateway.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AnirudhVelamore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AnirudhVelamore](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AnirudhVelamore)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238/3 "2025-11-17T20:12:28Z")

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They seem to be the same.

I tried running the below in the script console:

```python
designer_time = system.date.now()
gateway_time = system.tag.readBlocking(["[System]Gateway/CurrentDateTime"])[0].value

print "Designer time: {}".format(designer_time)
print "Gateway time: {}".format(gateway_time)
print "Difference: {}s".format(system.date.secondsBetween(designer_time, gateway_time))

```

Output:

```python
Designer time: Mon Nov 17 12:02:25 PST 2025
Gateway time: Mon Nov 17 12:02:25 PST 2025
Difference: 0s

```

Although this is assuming that running `system.date.now()` from the Script Console gives the Designer time. Not too sure about this.

What’s interesting is that I just reset the trial mode license on my gateway and now I don’t seem to have this lag. Perhaps the lag is present with a gateway in unlicensed mode?

Going to confirm this when my trial runs out in less than 2 hours

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AnirudhVelamore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AnirudhVelamore](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AnirudhVelamore)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238/4 "2025-11-17T22:11:42Z")

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Okay I have no lag now with my trial license expired. So that didn’t have an affect.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tgarrison](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/tgarrison/32/80965_2.png) [@tgarrison](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/tgarrison)\
**Post date:** [November 17, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238/5 "2025-11-17T22:31:51Z")

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You running your gateway on your machine? If so (and even if not) are you getting clock drift?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![AnirudhVelamore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AnirudhVelamore](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AnirudhVelamore)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/tag-write-timestamp-consistently-lags-actual-time-of-write-by-about-7-seconds/112238/6 "2025-11-18T21:22:19Z")

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No, the gateway’s on a VM.

As @pturmel pointed out, I suspect there may have temporarily been a discrepancy between the clock on my designer and that on my gateway.

I asked a colleague to check on their setup and they had a lag of 4-5 seconds.