Method and apparatus for managing a local area network

• US 10,686,649 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2018
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Serban, Cristina, Levy, Donald, Ramachandran, Jayaraman, Gross, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Shuwang
• Assistant Examiner(s): McKie, Gina M
• Application Number:
  US16/193,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20200162309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/00 Coupling devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/20 Non-resonant leaky-waveguide or transmission-line antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5458 Monitor sensor; Alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/544 Setting up communications; Call and signalling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, a communication system that facilitates monitoring communications associated with a second particular device, where a group of devices operate in a premises, where a first subset of the group of devices communicate directly with a monitoring device located at the premises via a local area network of the premises, where a second subset of the group of devices do not communicate directly with the monitoring device, where the first subset of the group of devices includes the first particular device, and where the second subset of the group of devices includes the second particular device. The communications can be analyzed to detect an anomaly associated with the second particular device. A plurality of messages can be transmitted, via the local area network, to the monitoring device over a time period indicating the anomaly. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a waveguide system from a monitoring device of a premises, first communication signals that convey anomaly detection information, wherein the anomaly detection information includes aggregated information associated with a group of devices of the premises, wherein the anomaly detection information indicates an anomaly detected with respect to a device of the group of devices, wherein the anomaly detection information and the aggregated information are generated by the monitoring device according to information communicated over a local area network of the premises, wherein the waveguide system is mounted on a utility structure that supports a transmission medium, wherein the utility structure is in proximity to the premises; and

generating, by the waveguide system based on the first communication signals, first electromagnetic waves that convey the anomaly detection information, wherein the first electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium to a server, wherein the transmission medium comprises an external surface, and wherein the first electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves that convey remedial action instructions, wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the remedial action instructions are generated by the server responsive to the anomaly detection information; and

transmitting, by the waveguide system to the monitoring device, second communication signals that convey the remedial action instructions, wherein the remedial action instructions causes a remedial action to be performed in association with the anomaly detected with respect to the device of the group of devices of the premises.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the aggregated information is generated by the monitoring device according to monitoring by the monitoring device for messages communicated to the monitoring device by a subset of the group of devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the monitoring by the monitoring device for the messages includes detecting a failure of the device to communicate a report to the monitoring device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the monitoring by the monitoring device for the messages includes detecting the anomaly by the monitoring device according to metrics included in a report transmitted by another device of the subset of the group of devices to the monitoring device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication signals are wireless signals received by a wireless receiver coupled to the waveguide system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of devices of the premises comprise a first subset of the group of devices that communicate directly with the monitoring device and a second subset of devices that do not communicate directly with the monitoring device, wherein one or more devices of the first subset of the group of devices monitor communications of the second subset of devices.

8. A monitoring device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving, via a local area network of a premises, a plurality of messages from a first subset of a group of devices, wherein the group of devices operate in the premises, wherein the first subset of the group of devices communicate directly with the monitoring device, wherein a second subset of the group of devices do not communicate directly with the monitoring device, wherein a first particular device of the first subset of the group of devices monitors communications of a second particular device of the second subset of the group of devices, and wherein the monitoring device is located at the premises;

analyzing the plurality of messages to detect an anomaly associated with the second particular device of the second subset of the group of devices;

determining whether the anomaly is one of a group of anomalies which the monitoring device is pre-authorized to mitigate without obtaining additional authorization;

responsive to a first determination that the anomaly belongs to the group of anomalies, executing a remedial action to mitigate the anomaly; and

responsive to a second determination that the anomaly does not belong to the group of anomalies, transmitting a request for instructions to a server that is remote from the premises and receiving remedial action instructions that are generated by the server.

9. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the transmitting of the request for instructions to the server comprises:

providing, to a waveguide system, first communication signals that convey the request for instructions, wherein the waveguide system is mounted on a utility structure that supports a transmission medium, wherein the utility structure is in proximity to the premises, wherein the first communication signals cause the waveguide system to generate first electromagnetic waves that convey the request for instructions, wherein the first electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium to the server, wherein the transmission medium comprises an external surface, and wherein the first electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

10. The monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the receiving of the remedial action instructions that are generated by the server comprises:

receiving, from the waveguide system, second communication signals that convey the remedial action instructions, wherein the second communication signals are generated according to second electromagnetic waves that convey remedial action instructions, wherein the second electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium to the waveguide system without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the remedial action instructions are generated by the server responsive to the request for instructions.

11. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the first and second communication signals are wireless signals transmitted by a wireless transmitter of the monitoring device and that are received by a wireless receiver coupled to the waveguide system.

12. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an undesired condition associated with a communication path between the monitoring device and the server, wherein the waveguide system is not part of the communication path, wherein the providing of the first communication signals to the waveguide system is responsive to the determining of the undesired condition.

13. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an alert message; and

transmitting the alert message to an end user device that is associated with a user of the premises, wherein the alert message describe the anomaly.

14. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

synthesizing and aggregating the plurality of messages to generate aggregated information, wherein the request for instructions includes the aggregated information.

15. The monitoring device of claim 8, wherein a number of the plurality of messages being received from the first subset of the group of devices is adjusted by one or more of first subset of the group of devices according to a bandwidth threshold for the local area network.

16. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a first particular device including a processing system comprising a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

monitoring communications associated with a second particular device, wherein a group of devices operate in a premises, wherein a first subset of the group of devices communicate directly with a monitoring device located at the premises via a local area network of the premises, wherein a second subset of the group of devices do not communicate directly with the monitoring device, wherein the first subset of the group of devices includes the first particular device, and wherein the second subset of the group of devices includes the second particular device;

analyzing the communications to detect an anomaly associated with the second particular device; and

transmitting, via the local area network, a plurality of messages to the monitoring device over a time period indicating the anomaly, wherein a frequency of the transmitting of the plurality of messages is adjusted by the first particular device over the time period.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein adjustment of the frequency of the transmitting of the plurality of messages is based on a bandwidth associated with the local area network.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the transmitting the plurality of messages to the monitoring device enables the monitoring device to:

analyze the plurality of messages to determine the anomaly;

determine whether the anomaly is one of a group of anomalies which the monitoring device is pre-authorized to mitigate without obtaining additional authorization;

responsive to a first determination by the monitoring device that the anomaly belongs to the group of anomalies, executing a remedial action by the monitoring device to mitigate the anomaly; and

responsive to a second determination by the monitoring device that the anomaly does not belong to the group of anomalies, transmitting, by the monitoring device, a request for instructions to a server that is remote from the premises and receiving remedial action instructions at the monitoring device that are generated by the server.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting, via the local area network, other messages to the monitoring device, wherein the other messages include metrics associated with operations of the first particular device.

20. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the monitoring device via the local area network, a remedial action instruction associated with the anomaly.