What does Comcast use for testing ingress?

[John Connor]

Is it some kind of loop analyzer? I'd like to own one.

 

[Cabletek]

Depends. At the individual house, I use my Signal level meter, spectrum analyzer option. We also have some new software that uses wave theory of reflection to look for impedance mismatches [called flux, see after this typing where I link an old bell labs video on wave theory], which is where you'll let ingress in at, and there is another tool called path track developed by JDSU the plant techs use to find ingress in the return spectrum. you can also look at MER/SNR on any devices on our network and the common points in the FM band where we carry a few channels, 700-800 Mhz for sprint/Verizon LTE, and the return spectrum itself 5-42Mhz where loose fittings and old electronics often generate noise. You can also use other tools to find various problems. Or you can use a professional spectrum analyzer and do a lot with it, but they cost a pretty penny. We also look for the opposite egress with leakage detectors and a tagged leak frequency, the good ones [which i do not have] come with dipole antenna's, my cheap POS used some flip lip antenna and in fact can't find shit. But the line techs carry the good one,s look like weird ray guns with dipole antennas, I've found bulldozed taps with them, yay construction crews who ignore locate marks.


Bell labs video on wave theory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DovunOxlY1k


PS registered member of the skynet development team.