Patent ID: 8737572

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a modem device, wherein the modem device includes: a transmission line interface to connect to a transmission line between the modem device and a network node; a memory to store a plurality of transmission line tests, wherein a particular test of the plurality of transmission line tests is configured to generate an output to a display, the output indicative of a service qualification based on bit-rate estimate; and a controller coupled to the memory and to the transmission line interface, wherein the controller is configured to perform operations comprising: selecting a test of the plurality of transmission line tests from the memory; performing the test on the transmission line, wherein performing the test includes: estimating, at the modem device, a broadband attenuation of the transmission line at the network node based on measurements taken at the modem device responsive to signals applied to the transmission line by the modem device; predicting, at the modem device, a signal power received at the network node based on a nominal signal power at the modem device and the estimated broadband attenuation; predicting, at the modem device, a noise power level at the network node; and estimating, at the modem device, a signal-to-noise ratio at the network node based on the predicted signal power and the predicted noise power level; and determining an electrical characteristic of the transmission line based on a result of the test.