Patent ID: 8081567

Claim:
A method for network based detection of wireless data subscribers that are using a network address translation device, comprising: identifying a raw sequence of packet identification numbers at a home agent, the packet identification numbers associated with a data stream through a carrier network, the data stream associated with a select internet protocol address, wherein the home agent is configured to manage network traffic for the carrier network; dividing the raw sequence into at least two increasing subsequences of packet identification numbers based at least in part on identifying a different increasing sequence of packet identification numbers for each increasing subsequence; determining two or more increasing subsequences overlap in time; identifying one or more application associated with each increasing subsequence of at east the two or more increasing subsequences that overlap; grouping each identified application with the corresponding increasing subsequence with which the application is associated; and determining the select internet protocol address is associated with a network address translation device and that multiple host computers are using the network address translation device when at least one application is grouped with at least two increasing subsequences that overlap.