Method and system for locating ingress utilizing customer premises equipment

A test system for locating ingress in a cable network comprising:

• a processor, and
• a memory on which is stored instructions that are to cause the processor to:
• analyze upstream signal quality measurements in an upstream path;
• determine, based on the analysis, whether noise in the upstream path is above a predetermined limit;
• transmit, in response to a determination that the noise in the upstream path is above the predetermined limit, an instruction signal to a plurality of terminal equipment devices coupled to the test system via the cable network to request each terminal equipment device of the plurality of terminal equipment devices to transmit a downstream signal quality measurement to the test system, wherein each terminal equipment that received the instruction signal is to determine the downstream signal quality measurement of the terminal equipment device, the downstream signal quality measurement of the terminal equipment device identifying whether at least one of a signal level, a noise level, and a signal-to-noise ratio of a downstream signal is outside of a predetermined range for a predetermined time and to send a feedback indicative of the determined signal quality measurement to the test system;
• receive the feedback indicative of the determined downstream signal quality measurement of the terminal equipment device from at least one of the plurality of terminal equipment devices, wherein the terminal equipment device is to provide the feedback indicative of the determined downstream signal quality measurement to the test system in response to a determination by the terminal equipment device that at least one of the signal level, the noise level, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the downstream signal is outside of the predetermined range for the predetermined time for the terminal equipment device;
• and
• analyze the received feedback to locate an ingress source contributing to the noise in the upstream path.

A method of locating ingress noise in a cable network comprising:

• monitoring a signal level of a first channel in a downstream path of the cable network with a first terminal equipment device having a first receiver,
• in response to the monitored signal level being outside of a predetermined downstream signal level range for a predetermined downstream signal level time, determining, by the first terminal equipment device, whether at least one of a signal level, a noise level, and a signal-to-noise ratio of the first channel in the downstream path is outside of a predetermined range for a predetermined time;
• in response to a determination by the first terminal equipment device that at least one of the signal level, the noise level, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the first channel in the downstream path is outside of the predetermined range for the predetermined time, transmitting a feedback from the first terminal equipment device to a test system in communication with the first terminal equipment device via the cable network, wherein the feedback includes an indication that at least one of the signal level, the noise level, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the first channel in the downstream path is outside of the predetermined range for the predetermined time;
• and
• wherein the test system is to analyze the feedback to locate the ingress noise in the cable network.