Remote testing of a communications line

A method of remotely measuring characteristics of a communications line, comprising:

• connecting receiver means to a remote end of the communications line;
• connecting sender means to the other end of the communications line;
• causing the receiver means to generate a signal in response to a selection of one of a plurality of characteristics of the communications line to be measured, the signal uniquely representing the selected characteristic;
• connecting predetermined circuitry across the communications line at the remote end based on the selected characteristic;
• transmitting the signal along the communications line toward the sender means;
• and
• detecting the signal through the sender means and, on the basis of the unique representation of the signal, controlling switching means to connect predetermined circuitry across the communications line at the other end to enable the selected characteristic of the communications line to be measured.

A method of testing a communications line so as to ascertain and measure one or more characteristics of the communications line employing random switching between functions to select the characteristics, the method comprising:

• connecting receiver means to a remote end of the communications line;
• connecting sender means to the other end of the communications line;
• generating a signal in response to the random selection on the receiver means of one of the one or more characteristics, the signal uniquely representing the selected characteristic;
• connecting predetermined circuitry across the communications line at the remote end based on the selected characteristic;
• transmitting the signal to the sender means along the communications line;
• detecting the signal at the sender means;
• and
• connecting predetermined circuitry, on the basis of the unique representation, across the communications line at the other end to enable the selected characteristic to be ascertained and measured.

Apparatus for testing a communications line so as to ascertain and measure a plurality of characteristics of the line, the apparatus comprising:

• receiver means for connection to a remote end of the communications line;
• sender means for connection to the other end of the communications line;
• selection means enabling the random selection of one of the characteristics;
• the receiver means generating a signal in response to the random selection of one of the characteristics and connecting predetermined circuitry across the communications line at the remote end based on the selection;
• the signal uniquely representing the selected characteristic and being transmitted along the communications line for receipt by the sender means;
• detection means for detecting the transmitted signal;
• switching means for connecting predetermined circuitry across the communications line at the other end;
• and
• such that on detection by the detection means of the transmitted signal, the switching means connects the predetermined circuitry to enable the selected characteristic to be ascertained and measured.