Surgical robotic systems including synchronous and asynchronous networks and methods employing the same are provided. One surgical robotic system includes a networked computing node, a slave robot assembly, and first and second communication paths. The slave robot assembly includes subunits, communicatively coupled to one another by way of the first communication paths, thereby forming at least a portion of a synchronous network. The networked computing node and a subunit are communicatively coupled to one another by way of the second communication paths, thereby forming at least a portion of a second network, and are configured to communicate one or more packets to one another by way of the second network. The subunit is configured to communicate, with the other subunits via the synchronous network, data from the one or more packets. A clock rate of the synchronous network is independent from a clock rate of the second network.