diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 1cb3e3fa..82587c23 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -118,12 +118,6 @@ void setup() {
   // load device configuration from NVRAM and set runmode
   do_after_reset();
 
-  // set time zone to user value from paxcounter.conf
-#ifdef TIME_SYNC_TIMEZONE
-  myTZ.setPosix(TIME_SYNC_TIMEZONE);
-  ESP_LOGD(TAG, "Timezone set to %s", myTZ.getPosix().c_str());
-#endif
-
   // hash 6 byte device MAC to 4 byte clientID
   uint8_t mac[6];
   esp_read_mac(mac, ESP_MAC_WIFI_STA);
diff --git a/src/reset.cpp b/src/reset.cpp
index f63a8454..7827b80a 100644
--- a/src/reset.cpp
+++ b/src/reset.cpp
@@ -47,6 +47,12 @@ void do_after_reset(void) {
   // read (and initialize on first run) runtime settings from NVRAM
   loadConfig();
 
+  // set time zone to user value from paxcounter.conf
+#ifdef TIME_SYNC_TIMEZONE
+  myTZ.setPosix(TIME_SYNC_TIMEZONE);
+  ESP_LOGD(TAG, "Timezone set to %s", myTZ.getPosix().c_str());
+#endif
+
   switch (rtc_get_reset_reason(0)) {
 
   case POWERON_RESET:          // 0x01 Vbat power on reset
@@ -69,8 +75,8 @@ void do_after_reset(void) {
     RTC_millis += sleep_time_ms; // increment system monotonic time
     ESP_LOGI(TAG, "Time spent in deep sleep: %d ms", sleep_time_ms);
 
-    // set time
-    setMyTime(RTC_time + sleep_time_ms / 1000, sleep_time_ms % 1000, _set);
+    // restore time
+    setMyTime(RTC_time, sleep_time_ms, _set);
 
     // set wakeup state, not if we have pending OTA update
     if (RTC_runmode == RUNMODE_SLEEP)
diff --git a/src/timekeeper.cpp b/src/timekeeper.cpp
index a30f94c1..b1512bb8 100644
--- a/src/timekeeper.cpp
+++ b/src/timekeeper.cpp
@@ -180,8 +180,10 @@ void timepulse_start(void) {
   timerAlarmEnable(ppsIRQ);
 #endif
 
+  // get time if we don't have one
+  if (timeSource != _set)
+    setTimeSyncIRQ(); // init systime by RTC or GPS or LORA
   // start cyclic time sync
-  setTimeSyncIRQ(); // init systime by RTC or GPS or LORA
   timesyncer.attach(TIME_SYNC_INTERVAL * 60, setTimeSyncIRQ);
 }