Customer premises equipment alternate path architecture for configuration and troubleshooting
View Patent ↗A communication system is provided. The communication system includes a customer premises equipment, a wireless device, and a configuration server. The customer premises equipment can provide communication services to a local area network and can also communicate with the Internet. The wireless device has access to the Internet and can communicate with the customer premises equipment. The configuration server has access to the Internet and can communicate with the customer premises equipment to configure and maintain the customer premises equipment via a first path that includes the Internet and a modem and via a second path that includes the Internet and the wireless device.
1. A communication system, comprising:
a customer premises equipment having a first and a second communication path to provide at least some communication services to a local area network and communicate with the Internet;
a wireless device having access to the Internet and further communicates with the customer premises equipment through the second communication path; and
a configuration server having access to the Internet, the configuration server configured to communicate with the customer premises equipment to configure and maintain the customer premises equipment via the first communication path including the Internet and a modem and via the second communication path including the Internet and the wireless device.
2. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the customer premises equipment is further defined as a home gateway.
3. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the communication services are selected from the group consisting of voice over internet protocol and internet protocol television.
4. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of a global system for mobile communications telephone, a code division multiple access telephone, a time division multiple access telephone, and a wireless computing device operable for wireless telecommunication.
5. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein communication between the customer premises equipment and the wireless device occurs using a communication protocol selected from the group consisting of IEEE-802.11, Bluetooth, RS-232, RS-422, and IEEE-1391.
6. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the modem is a broadband modem.
7. The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the modem is a cable modem.
8. A method of maintaining a customer premises equipment, comprising:
detecting a failure of a first communication path of the customer premises equipment between the customer premises equipment and a configuration server via the Internet and a modem;
establishing a second communication path of the customer premises equipment between the customer premises equipment and the configuration server via the Internet and a wireless device; and
maintaining the customer premises equipment via the second communication path, wherein maintaining the customer premises equipment includes changing a parameter of the customer premises equipment.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of a mobile telephone including a cellular telephone, a wireless digital telephone, a personal communication system (PCS), a device operable for wireless telecommunication service including a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a palm-top computer.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the communication between the wireless device and the customer premises equipment uses a communication protocol selected from the group consisting of IEEE-802.11, Bluetooth, RS-232, RS-422, and IEEE-1391.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the changing a parameter of the customer premises equipment is at least part of adding a service capability to the customer premises equipment.
12. The method of claim 8 , further including:
analyzing the state of the customer premises equipment, the analyzing done by the configuration server communicating with the customer premises equipment via the wireless device, wherein the changing the parameter is based on the analyzing.
13. The method of claim 12 , further including:
calling from the wireless device to a service provider to request help bringing a service into operation on the customer premises equipment, the service provider responsible for operating the configuration server.
14. The method of claim 8 , further including:
detecting a failure of communication between the customer premises equipment and the configuration server via the Internet and a modem coupled to the customer premises equipment and provides Internet access to the customer premises equipment, wherein the establishing the communication between the wireless device and the customer premises equipment is initiated by the configuration server based on the detecting the failure of the customer premises equipment to communicate via the modem.
15. A communication system, comprising:
a customer premises equipment having a main communication path and an alternate communication path that provides at least one broadband communication service based on an Internet connection;
a wireless device that provides the alternate communication path between the customer premises equipment and the Internet for maintenance of the customer premises equipment; and
a configuration server that establishes the alternate communication path and maintains the customer premises equipment via the alternate communication path.
16. The communication system of claim 15 , wherein the broadband communication service is provided to at least one service terminal selected from the group consisting of a voice over internet protocol telephone and an internet protocol television.
17. The communication system of claim 15 , wherein the customer premises equipment is a home gateway.
18. The communication system of claim 15 , wherein the wireless device is selected from the group consisting of a cell phone and a fixed wireless device.
19. The communication system of claim 15 , further including:
a broadband modem in communication with the customer premises equipment, the broadband modem provides the Internet connection, wherein the configuration server further maintains the customer premises equipment via the broadband modem.
20. A communication system, comprising:
a customer premises equipment operable to provide at least one broadband communication service based on an Internet connection;
a wireless device operable to provide an alternate communication path between the customer premises equipment and the Internet for maintenance of the customer premises equipment; and
a configuration server operable to establish the alternate communication path and to maintain the customer premises equipment via the alternate communication path, wherein the configuration server being operable to maintain the customer premises equipment includes setting parameters of the customer premises equipment, installing broadband communication service software on the customer premises equipment, running diagnostics on the customer premises equipment, and analyzing the results of the diagnostics on the customer premises equipment.