Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described that provide time synchronization via wireless communications for devices that use strict timing synchronization. A user equipment (UE) may obtain time synchronization via a wireless connection between the UE and a timing source that may be associated with a base station (or another wireless device). In some cases, the timing source may be synchronized at the UE by determining, using periodic synchronization resources, a propagation delay between the UE and the base station that is based on a timing of a line-of-sight instance of a transmission between the base station and the UE. The propagation delay may be used to determine a timing advance value for use in timing synchronization. One or more devices may be coupled with the UE and the UE may provide commands to the one or more devices that are synchronized according to the synchronized timing source.