AUTOMATED NETWORK CONDITION IDENTIFICATION

• US 20140140236A1
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Marshall, Ian D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,432,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2858 Access network architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/507 Filtering out customers affected by service problems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5074 Handling of user complaints or trouble tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level

Abstract

Performance data relating to each of multiple network devices distributed in a geographic region is analyzed. That data can include values for various parameters measured automatically by routine polling of subscriber devices and/or network elements serving those subscriber devices. Measured parameter values can then be stored in a database and made available, together with information about subscriber device locations, to one or more analysis servers that analyze different portions of the network. As part of that analysis, groups of devices experiencing performance problems are identified based on device location. Information about those groups is then communicated and can be made available for, e.g., monitoring by service personnel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving measured performance characteristics from network devices distributed throughout a geographic region; and

classifying a subset of the network devices as a problem-device grouping based on a portion of the measured performance characteristics that corresponds to the subset of the network devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the measured performance characteristics from the network devices distributed throughout the geographic region comprises receiving at least one of a signal level received, a signal level transmitted, or a signal-to-noise ratio from each of the network devices distributed throughout the geographic region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein classifying the subset of the network devices as a problem-device grouping comprises:

assigning each network device of the network devices a grade based on one or more measured performance characteristics received from the network device; and

classifying the subset of the network devices as a problem-device grouping based on a collective evaluation of assigned grades for the network devices.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising collectively evaluating the assigned grades for the network devices to identify at least one network device of the network devices that is assigned a grade that indicates poor network-device performance relative to other network devices of the network devices.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying a geographic location associated with a first network device of the subset of network devices;

determining a non-zero distance between the geographic location associated with the first network device and a geographic location associated with a network device of the network devices that is geographically closest to the geographic location associated with the first network device; and

identifying one or more other network devices of the subset of network devices based on determining that the one or more other network devices are within a geographic range calculated from the non-zero distance.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying a plurality of network trouble reports that correspond to geographic locations within a predetermined distance of one another; and

determining that the subset of network devices is associated with at least one of the geographic locations.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the measured performance characteristics from the network devices distributed throughout the geographic region comprises receiving at least one measured performance characteristic for a network device of the network devices that was measured by a different network device of the network devices.

8. A method, comprising:

identifying a set of network devices based on their geographic proximity to one another; and

classifying the set of network devices as a problem-device grouping based on measured performance characteristics received from a plurality of network devices that includes the set of network devices.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising receiving the measured performance characteristics from the plurality of network devices, wherein receiving the measured performance characteristics from the plurality of network devices comprises receiving, from each network device of the plurality of network devices, at least one of a signal level received, a signal level transmitted, or a signal-to-noise ratio.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein classifying the set of network devices as a problem-device grouping comprises:

assigning each network device of the plurality of network devices a grade based on one or more measured performance characteristics received from the network device; and

classifying the set of the network devices as a problem-device grouping based on a collective evaluation of assigned grades for the plurality of network devices.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising collectively evaluating the assigned grades for the plurality of network devices to identify at least one network device of the plurality of network devices that is assigned a grade that indicates poor network-device performance relative to other network devices of the plurality of network devices.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising:

identifying a geographic location associated with a first network device of the set of network devices;

determining a non-zero distance between the geographic location associated with the first network device and a geographic location associated with a network device of the plurality of network devices that is geographically closest to the geographic location associated with the first network device; and

identifying one or more other network devices of the set of network devices based on determining that the one or more other network devices are within a geographic range calculated from the non-zero distance.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising:

identifying a plurality of network trouble reports that correspond to geographic locations within a predetermined distance of one another; and

determining that the set of network devices is associated with at least one of the geographic locations.

14. The method of claim 8, comprising receiving the measured performance characteristics from the plurality of network devices, wherein receiving the measured performance characteristics from the plurality of network devices comprises receiving at least one measured performance characteristic for a network device of the plurality of network devices that was measured by a different network device of the plurality of network devices.

15. A method, comprising:

classifying a set of network devices as a problem-device grouping based on their geographic proximity to one another and one or more measured performance characteristics received from a plurality of network devices that includes the set of network devices.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising receiving the one or more measured performance characteristics from the plurality of network devices, wherein receiving the one or more measured performance characteristics from the plurality of network devices comprises receiving, from each network device of the plurality of network devices, at least one of a signal level received, a signal level transmitted, or a signal-to-noise ratio.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising:

assigning each network device of the plurality of network devices a grade based on one or more measured performance characteristics received from the network device; and

classifying the set of the network devices as a problem-device grouping based on a collective evaluation of assigned grades for the plurality of network devices.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising collectively evaluating the assigned grades for the plurality of network devices to identify at least one network device of the plurality of network devices that is assigned a grade that indicates poor network-device performance relative to other network devices of the plurality of network devices.

19. The method of claim 15, comprising:

identifying a geographic location associated with a first network device of the set of network devices;

determining a non-zero distance between the geographic location associated with the first network device and a geographic location associated with a network device of the plurality of network devices that is geographically closest to the geographic location associated with the first network device; and

identifying one or more other network devices of the set of network devices based on determining that the one or more other network devices are within a geographic range calculated from the non-zero distance.

20. The method of claim 15, comprising:

identifying a plurality of network trouble reports that correspond to geographic locations within a predetermined distance of one another; and

determining that the set of network devices is associated with at least one of the geographic locations.