I am running a DOCSIS network that has a noisy cable plant. I want to be able to substantiate and quantify users' bandwidth issues. I would like a set of inexpensive probes that I could place at selected customer's homes/businesses that would on a scheduled basis perform bandwidth tests.
Likely I would need to place a server in the head end or across the internet that would allow me to isolate and test certain network segments.
I've looked into these in the past and was presented with some wonderfully expensive units that would duplicate my network problems into company financial problems as well.
Any ideas? I know there are other ways to measure noise in the cable plant and I am working on those as well. I will soon be running other, non-DOCSIS networks and need to have the same capabilities to test available bandwidth on those networks.
If you are going to roll your own something like a raspberry PI would work. You can also build your own measurements with a platform like ripe atlas. It all depends if you want to run iperf3 tests or simple smokeping type of stuff to correlate errors.
In article <37DBA43E-EE76-4323-962C-30BB988D0C2E@hathcock.org> you write:
Greetings, NANOG. Happy Saturday to all.
I am running a DOCSIS network that has a noisy cable plant. I want to be able to substantiate and quantify users' bandwidth issues. I would
like a set of inexpensive probes that I could place at selected customer's homes/businesses that would on a scheduled basis perform bandwidth
tests.
The RIPE Atlas project uses TP-Link TL-MR3020 minirouters reprogramed
to be network probes collecting data not unlike what you're interested
in. They are $28 apiece at Amazon so I'd expect them to be under $20
in any quantity.
In article <37DBA43E-EE76-4323-962C-30BB988D0C2E@hathcock.org> you write:
Greetings, NANOG. Happy Saturday to all.
I am running a DOCSIS network that has a noisy cable plant. I want to be able to substantiate and quantify users' bandwidth issues. I would
like a set of inexpensive probes that I could place at selected customer's homes/businesses that would on a scheduled basis perform bandwidth
tests.
The RIPE Atlas project uses TP-Link TL-MR3020 minirouters reprogramed
to be network probes collecting data not unlike what you're interested
in. They are $28 apiece at Amazon so I'd expect them to be under $20
in any quantity.
As well as the RIPE atlas (which is an excellent project), there is
also the SamKnows whitebox; the device used by the FCC (Measuring
Broadband America), CRTC, Ofcom and the EU Commission for their
consumer broadband monitoring projects. They are also more than happy
to work directly with ISPs if you want to buy a few boxes off them,
and are currently working with some of the larger providers to embed
their monitoring technology within consumer CPEs. Have a look at | SamKnows.
One of the small microPC solutions. Depending on what you want to test (eg bandwidth) you may find platforms like raspberrypi too limited. Intel NUC or LIVA platforms?