Data gathering for a node

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9942093-B2
Application number	US-201113219236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2011
Priority date	Aug 26, 2011
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed including a mobile device configured for initiating a communication session with a transceiver interface of a node that comprises a network interface. The node may be queried via the communication session for a status report associated with an error, and an instruction may be communicated to the node via the communication session instructing the node to perform an operation. Communication may be established with the wireless access point via the wireless network after communication of the instruction. The transceiver interface may be configured to communicate via a second network to address issues in the wide area network.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
querying a node for data comprising bandwidth usage statistics for a plurality of devices connected to a wireless network provided by a wireless access point of the node; and
communicating, by a mobile device and to the node via a communication session established over a short-range communication interface of the node, an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust throughput for one or more of the plurality of devices, wherein the instruction is generated based on the data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the short-range communication interface comprises a Bluetooth communication interface, the method further comprising establishing, via the Bluetooth communication interface, the communication session.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein establishing the communication session comprises establishing a pico-net network comprising the node and the mobile device, the pico-net network being distinct from the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising initiating, based on a determination that the mobile device is authorized to access one or more control functions of the node, the communication session.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing, via the communication session, a master-slave relationship between the mobile device and the short-range communication interface.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data further comprises one or more radio frequency measurements of a signal received over a network interface of the node, and further comprising:
communicating an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust an attenuation of the signal.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the mobile device and via the communication session, the data;
communicating, by the mobile device and to a server, the data; and
receiving, by the mobile device and from the server, the instruction.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving, by the mobile device and from the server, authentication information for establishing the communication session.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating, by the mobile device and to a server, the data, the data further comprising at least one of a serial number of the node or a geographic location of the node.

10. A method comprising:
receiving, by a mobile device and from a server, authentication information authorizing access to one or more control functions of a node;
establishing, by the mobile device, and with a short-range communication interface of the node, a communication session authenticated based on the authentication information; and
communicating, by the mobile device, to the node, and via the communication session, an instruction configured to cause the node to perform an operation on itself to remedy an error to enable the node to communicate with the server via a network interface of the node, wherein the instruction is generated by the server based on data received by the mobile device, from the node, via the communication session.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the short-range communication interface comprises a Bluetooth communication interface, and wherein establishing the communication session comprises establishing a pico-net network comprising the node and the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein establishing the communication session comprises establishing a communication session independent of a wireless network provided by a wireless access point of the node.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data comprises one or more radio frequency measurements of a signal received over the network interface, and wherein communicating the instruction comprises communicating an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust an attenuation of the signal.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data comprises bandwidth usage statistics for a plurality of user devices connected to the node, and wherein communicating the instruction comprises communicating an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust throughput for one or more of the plurality of user devices.

15. A system comprising:
a mobile device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the mobile device, cause the mobile device to:
query a node for data comprising bandwidth usage statistics for a plurality of devices connected to a wireless network provided by a wireless access point of the node; and
communicate, to the node via a communication session established over a short-range communication interface of the node, an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust throughput for one or more of the plurality of devices, wherein the instruction is generated based on the data; and

the node comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the node, cause the node to adjust throughput for one or more of the plurality of devices.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the mobile device, further cause the mobile device to communicate, to the node via the communication session established over the short-range communication interface of the node, an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust an attenuation of a signal received over a network interface of the node.

17. A system comprising:
a mobile device comprising:
one or more first processors; and
first memory storing first instructions that, when executed by the one or more first processors, cause the mobile device to:
receive, from a server, authentication information authorizing access to one or more control functions of a node;
establish, with a short-range communication interface of the node, a communication session authenticated based on the authentication information; and
communicate, to the node and via the communication session, an instruction configured to cause the node to perform an operation on itself to remedy an error to enable the node to communicate with the server via a network interface of the node; and

the server comprising:
one or more second processors; and
second memory storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the server to generate, based on data received by the mobile device, from the node, and via the communication session, the instruction configured to cause the node to perform the operation on itself to remedy the error to enable the node to communicate with the server via the network interface of the node.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the instruction configured to cause the node to perform the operation on itself to remedy the error to enable the node to communicate with the server via the network interface of the node causes the node to at least one of:
perform a hard reset; or
instruct a power supply of the node to remove power to the node and then resupply power to the node.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first instructions, when executed by the one or more first processors, further cause the mobile device to query the node for data comprising one or more radio frequency measurements of a signal received over the network interface, and wherein the second instructions, when executed by the one or more second processors, further cause the server to generate, based on the data, an instruction configured to cause the node to adjust an attenuation of the signal.

Assignees

• Ong Ivan
• Urban David
• Lowery Clifton
• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Ong Ivan
• Urban David
• Lowery Clifton

Classifications

• H04W88/06

  adapted for operation in multiple networks {or having at least two operational modes}, e.g. multi-mode terminals · CPC title

• H04L41/0816 Primary

  the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events · CPC title

• H04L41/0672

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L41/0661

  by reconfiguring faulty entities · CPC title