Patent ID: 8578437

Claim:
A method for reducing ingress in at least a first neighborhood node of a cable communication system, the cable communication system comprising a headend coupled to the first neighborhood node, the first neighborhood node comprising a first RF hardline coaxial cable plant to convey to the headend at least first upstream information from a plurality of first subscriber premises over an upstream path bandwidth including a range of frequencies, the method comprising: A) transmitting at least one test signal at or proximate to at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress into the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, the at least one test signal having at least one test signal frequency; B) receiving, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, at least one test signal amplitude representing a first strength of a received upstream test signal at the headend, based on A) and test signal ingress of the at least one test signal into at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; C) based at least in part on the at least one test signal amplitude received in B), identifying, at or proximate to the at least one potential point of first neighborhood node ingress, the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant; and D) repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant, based on C), so as to significantly reduce a noise power, as measured at the headend, associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least a portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, wherein D) comprises: repairing, replacing or adjusting the at least one fault in the first RF hardline coaxial cable plant such that a highest value for an average noise power associated with the first neighborhood node ingress in at least the portion of the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least a 24 hour period at the headend, is less than 20 decibels (dB) above a noise floor associated with the upstream path bandwidth below approximately 20 MHz, as measured over at least the 24 hour period at the headend.