Automated network condition identification

• US 9,432,272 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US14/163,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20140140236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 370242-254, 370262-310, 709204-224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 a set of network devices distributed throughout a geographic region, wherein the measured performance characteristics comprise, for each network device of the set of network devices, at least one of a signal level received, a signal level transmitted, or a signal-to-noise ratio;

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

determining a subset of the network devices that are within a geographic range of the geographic location associated with the first network device; and

classifying, by a computing device, the 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 the classifying the subset of the network devices as a problem-device grouping comprises:

assigning each network device of the set of 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 set of network devices.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising collectively evaluating the assigned grades for the set of network devices to identify at least one network device of the set of network devices that is assigned a grade that indicates poor network-device performance relative to other network devices of the set of network devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the subset of the network devices comprises:

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 set of network devices that is geographically closest to the geographic location associated with the first network device; and

determining one or more other network devices of the set of network devices that are within the geographic range, wherein the geographic range is calculated based on the non-zero distance.

5. The method of claim 1, further 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 the network devices is associated with at least one of the geographic locations.

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

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing display of the problem-device grouping using a graphical user interface.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing display of the problem-device grouping on a map.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing display of the problem-device grouping in a tree-type hierarchy chart.

7. A method, comprising:

determining a distance between a first geographic location associated with a first network device of a set of network devices and a second geographic location associated with a second network device of the set of network devices;

determining a subset of the network devices that are within a geographic range, calculated from the distance, of the first geographic location; and

classifying, by a computing system, the subset of the network devices as a problem-device grouping based on measured performance characteristics received from the subset of the network devices, wherein the measured performance characteristics comprise, for each network device of the subset of the network devices, at least one of a signal level received, a signal level transmitted, or a signal-to-noise ratio.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving the measured performance characteristics from the subset of the network devices.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second network device is a network device of the set of network devices that is geographically closest to the first geographic location.

10. The method of claim 7, further 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 the network devices is associated with at least one of the geographic locations.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising causing display of the problem-device grouping using a graphical user interface.

11. A method, comprising:

classifying, by a computing device, a set of network devices as a problem-device grouping based on their geographic proximity to one another and based on one or more measured performance characteristics received from a plurality of network devices, wherein the set of network devices comprises network devices of the plurality of network devices that are within a geographic range, determined based on a distance between a first location associated with a first network device of the plurality of network devices and a second location associated with a second network device of the plurality of network devices, of the first location, and the second network device is, of the plurality of network devices, geographically closest to the first location.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising 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.

13. The method of claim 11, further 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.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising causing display of the problem-device grouping on a map.