Patent ID: 8051218

Claim:
A method for evaluating network device performance, said method comprising: measuring the performance of at least one network device; determining a network device performance value, based on the measured performance of said at least one network device, wherein said at least one network device is connected, via a network, to a data collection center (DCC); sending the determined network device performance value from said at least one network device to said data collection center; comparing, at said data collection center, the determined network device performance value to a network device performance threshold value; designating, by the DCC, said at least one network device as an outlying device when the determined network device performance value exceeds the network device performance threshold value; and automatically reconfiguring, by said designated outlying device, a set of operation modes of the designated outlying device, wherein the reconfiguration is based on the measured performance of another network device performing better than the threshold value.