Wireless device management with local and remote links
View Patent ↗A remote management system employs multiple wireless links, which may include a local wireless link and a remote wireless link. The remote wireless link may be in place between a troubleshooting device held by a person located at a service site, and a remote service center for a service provider, such as an Internet service provider. The local wireless link may be in place between the person at the service site and the equipment needing service, such as a DSL model provided by the service provider. Establishing the multiple links allows the service provider to troubleshoot the equipment, without incurring the substantial cost of sending a specialized service technician to the service site. As examples, the troubleshooting device may be a smart phone, the remote wireless link may be a cellular connection, and the local wireless link may be a Bluetooth or NFC connection.
1. A diagnostic method comprising:
at a remote management system, determining to collect diagnostic information on a device under test at a service location over a wireless diagnostic link, via a mobile device at the service location, by:
at the remote management system, establishing the wireless diagnostic link to a mobile device;
instructing the mobile device, via the wireless diagnostic link, to capture diagnostic information concerning the device under test via a sensor disposed on the mobile device; and
receiving over the wireless diagnostic link, from the mobile device, diagnostic information concerning the device under test.
2. The diagnostic method of claim 1 , further comprising:
pushing a diagnostic application from the remote management system to the mobile device.
3. The diagnostic method of claim 2 , further comprising:
instructing the mobile device to obtain the diagnostic information with the diagnostic application.
4. The diagnostic method of claim 2 , further comprising:
sending instructions to execute the diagnostic application from the remote management system for display on the mobile device.
5. The diagnostic method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending instructions for diagnosis of the device under test from the remote management system to the mobile device.
6. The diagnostic method of claim 1 , further comprising: communicating an equipment configuration update from the remote management system to the mobile device; and instructing the mobile device to transmit the equipment configuration update to the device under test, over an analysis link established between the device under test and the mobile device, for implementation in the device under test.
7. The diagnostic method of claim 1 , where the wireless diagnostic link comprises a cellular telephony link.
8. The diagnostic method of claim 1 , where the wireless diagnostic link comprises a voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) link.
9. The diagnostic method of claim 1 , further comprising instructing the mobile device to establish an analysis link to the device under test.
10. The diagnostic method of claim 9 , where the analysis link comprises a wireless communication link to the device under test, a wired link to the device under test, or any combination thereof.
11. A diagnostic system comprising:
a processor;
a wireless transceiver; and
a memory in communication with the processor and the wireless transceiver, the memory comprising:
equipment troubleshooting information; and
control instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
establish a wireless diagnostic link through the wireless transceiver to a mobile device located at a service location;
communicate a wireless analysis link establishment command over the wireless diagnostic link to the mobile device;
instruct the mobile device to capture diagnostic information concerning equipment at the service location via a sensor disposed on the mobile device; and
receive over the wireless diagnostic link, from the mobile device, diagnostic information concerning the equipment at the service location.
12. The diagnostic system of claim 11 where:
the wireless diagnostic link comprises a cellular telephony link.
13. The diagnostic system of claim 11 , where the instructions, when executed by the processor, also cause the processor to:
push a diagnostic application to the mobile device, the diagnostic application configured to diagnose the equipment at the service location.
14. A product comprising:
a machine readable memory other than a transitory signal; and
instructions stored on the memory that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
communicate over a wireless diagnostic link with a remote diagnostic system;
receive, at a mobile device located at a service location, a diagnostic command over the wireless diagnostic link from the remote diagnostic system, the diagnostic command configured to instruct the mobile device to capture, via a sensor disposed in the mobile device, diagnostic information concerning a device under test at the service location;
obtain, from the sensor disposed on the mobile device, the diagnostic information; and
communicate the diagnostic information to the remote diagnostic system over the wireless diagnostic link.
15. The product of claim 14 , where the instructions further cause the processor to:
receive a troubleshooting action over the wireless diagnostic link; and
execute the troubleshooting action on the device under test through a wireless analysis link established between the device under test and the mobile device.
16. The product of claim 15 , where the troubleshooting action comprises an equipment configuration action that the instructions are configured to communicate to the device under test through the wireless analysis link.
17. The product of claim 14 , where the wireless diagnostic link comprises a wireless telephony link.
18. The product of claim 14 , where:
the instructions are further configured to, when executed, cause the processor to establish a wireless analysis link between the mobile device and the device under test; and
the wireless analysis link comprises a wireless internet link, a Bluetooth link, or both.
19. The diagnostic system of claim 11 , where the sensor comprises an image sensor, a microphone, a radiation sensor, a temperature sensor, or any combination thereof.
20. The method of claim 1 , where the sensor comprises an image sensor, a microphone, a radiation sensor, a temperature sensor, or any combination thereof.