Patent ID: 7403486

Claim:
A testing apparatus comprising: a coupling configured to connect to a coaxial cable termination of a communication network, the coupling operable to receive a first set of analog or digital broadband RF signals and a second set of digital broadband RF carrier signals with a digital data signal including voice of internet protocol data packets; a signal level measurement circuit coupled to the coupling, the signal level measurement circuit operable to generate signal level measurements regarding the first and second sets of the broadband RF signals; a communication circuit operable to obtain voice over internet protocol data packets from the second set of broadband RF signals; and a processing circuit connected to the communication circuit and the signal level measurement circuit, the processing circuit operable to receive signal level measurements of the first and second sets of the broadband RF signals from the signal level measurement circuit, and operable to obtain diagnostic data, selected from the group consisting of packet loss, jitter, and delay, relating to the voice over internet protocol packets, whereby the digital data carrier signal and the digital data signal are simultaneously tested to determine whether errors relate to the digital data carrier or the digital data signal; wherein the processing circuit is further operable to communicate information representative of the signal level measurements and the diagnostic data in human-perceptible form.