Patent ID: 7548515

Claim:
An apparatus to actively monitor a network having a plurality of twisted-pair communication links, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of alternating-current (AC) coupled circuits corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of twisted-pair communication links, and each comprising a same impedance as an impedance-controlled connection with the corresponding twisted-pair communications link, to non-intrusively recover a data signal transmitted from the corresponding twisted-pair communication link; a plurality of amplifiers corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of twisted-pair communication links, each amplifier having an input impedance and common-mode voltage tolerance to non-intrusively copy a data signal transmitted from the corresponding twisted-pair communication link and amplify the copied data signal; a plurality of isolation transformers corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of amplifiers, each isolation transformer receiving the amplified, copied data signal from the corresponding amplifier, and outputting a transformed data signal; a connector receiving the transformed data signals from the plurality of isolation transformers in a pin order corresponding to the plurality of twisted-pair communication links; and a protocol analyzer receiving the transformed data signals via the connector.