Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for adapting to failures in gateway devices in mesh networks. An example embodiment is configured to provide a plurality of interconnected nodes in a mesh network, at least one node of the plurality of nodes being designated a primary node, the primary node providing timing synchronization for other nodes of the plurality of nodes; and the primary node to designate another one of the plurality of nodes as a secondary node, the secondary node only providing timing synchronization for other nodes of the plurality of nodes when the primary node fails to provide the timing synchronization.