Method and apparatus to analyze a wireless information delivery system

• US 9,143,962 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brady, Mark, Sposato, Stephen, Wang, Jin, Wu, Xidong
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US13/277,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20130100830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/241.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/12 Network monitoring probes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/29 using a combination of thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method includes receiving a packet stream via a wireless signal from a device of a wireless information delivery system. The method includes determining wireless signal data associated with the wireless signal during a particular time interval, determining packet stream data associated with the packet stream during the particular time interval, and analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data to produce an assessment of at least a portion of the wireless information delivery system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a packet stream via a wireless signal from a wireless information delivery system;

determining wireless signal data associated with the wireless signal during a particular time interval;

determining packet stream data associated with the packet stream during the particular time interval;

analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data to produce an assessment of the wireless information delivery system, wherein producing the assessment comprises;

comparing a wireless signal parameter value associated with the wireless signal data to a corresponding wireless signal threshold parameter value; and

comparing a packet stream parameter value associated with the packet stream data to a corresponding packet stream threshold parameter value; and

in response to a determination of the assessment being unacceptable, suggesting a cause of the assessment being unacceptable based on the wireless signal parameter value and based on the packet stream parameter value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing predefined test data to be transmitted via the wireless information delivery system, wherein the packet stream received via the wireless signal corresponds to the predefined test data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the wireless signal parameter value at a first geographic location within a particular space and detecting a second wireless signal parameter value at a second geographic location within the particular space, wherein the wireless signal data is determined based on the wireless signal parameter value and the second wireless signal parameter value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the packet stream parameter value at a first geographic location within a particular space and detecting second packet stream data at a second geographic location within the particular space, wherein the packet stream data is determined based on the packet stream parameter value and the second packet stream data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data comprises determining a wireless signal/packet stream correlation by comparing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising determining a suspected cause of a particular behavior of the wireless information delivery system based upon the wireless signal/packet stream correlation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data comprises:

performing a first comparison of the wireless signal data to a signal parameter threshold;

determining a wireless signal acceptability based on the first comparison;

performing a second comparison of the packet stream data to a packet stream parameter threshold;

determining a packet stream acceptability based on the second comparison; and

determining a degree of wireless signal and packet stream correlation by comparing the wireless signal acceptability to the packet stream acceptability.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data further comprises determining whether the assessment is acceptable based on the wireless signal parameter value and based on the packet stream parameter value.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the assessment of the wireless information delivery system to a user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, at a subscriber information database, the wireless signal data, the packet stream data, an identifier associated with a subscriber, and an identifier of the particular time interval.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a system analysis tool including a processor configured to execute instructions to;

determine wireless signal data associated with a wireless signal received from a device of a wireless information delivery system during a particular time interval;

determine packet stream data associated with a packet stream received during the particular time interval via the wireless signal;

analyze the wireless signal data and the packet stream data to produce an assessment of the wireless information delivery system,

wherein producing the assessment comprises;

comparing a wireless signal parameter value associated with the wireless signal data to a corresponding wireless signal threshold parameter value; and

comparing a packet stream parameter value associated with the packet stream data to a corresponding packet stream threshold parameter value; and

in response to a determination of the assessment being unacceptable, suggesting a cause of the assessment being unacceptable based on the wireless signal parameter value and based on the packet stream parameter value.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the system analysis tool is configured to cause predefined test data to be transmitted via the device of the wireless information delivery system, and wherein the packet stream sent via the wireless signal corresponds to the predefined test data.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the system analysis tool is configured to detect the wireless signal parameter value at a first geographic location within a particular space and to detect a second wireless signal parameter value at a second geographic location within the particular space, and wherein the wireless signal data is determined based on the wireless signal parameter value and the second wireless signal parameter value.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the system analysis tool is configured to detect the packet stream parameter value at the first geographic location within the particular space and to detect a second packet stream parameter value at the second geographic location within the particular space, and wherein the packet stream data is determined based on the packet stream parameter value and the second packet stream parameter value.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data comprises

determining a wireless signal acceptability by comparing at least one of the first wireless signal parameter value or the second wireless signal parameter value to a wireless signal threshold;

determining a packet stream acceptability by comparing at least one of the first packet stream parameter value or the second packet stream parameter value to a packet stream threshold; and

determining a degree of correlation between the wireless signal acceptability and the packet stream acceptability.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the system analysis tool is configured to store, at a subscriber information database, the wireless signal data, the packet stream data, an identifier of a subscriber, and an identifier of the particular time interval.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the subscriber information database resides at a server that is distinct from the apparatus.

18. A computer-readable storage device storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a packet stream via a wireless signal from a device of a wireless information delivery system;

determining wireless signal data associated with the wireless signal during a particular time interval;

determining packet stream data associated with the packet stream during the particular time interval;

analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data to produce an assessment of the wireless information delivery system, wherein producing the assessment comprises;

comparing a wireless signal parameter value associated with the wireless signal data to a corresponding wireless signal threshold parameter value; and

comparing a packet stream parameter value associated with the packet stream data to a corresponding packet stream threshold parameter value; and

in response to a determination of the assessment being unacceptable, suggesting a cause of the assessment being unacceptable based on the wireless signal parameter value and based on the packet stream parameter value.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein analyzing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data comprises producing a wireless signal and packet stream correlation by comparing the wireless signal data and the packet stream data.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise determining a suspected cause of a particular behavior of the wireless information delivery system based upon the wireless signal and packet stream correlation.