Test and Measurement Equipment for Today's Cable Plant: Selection and Acceptance

By Mike Zeyak

In an ever-increasing competitive environment that requires provisioning, deployment and maintenance of the latest service offerings, MSOs are challenged beyond the cable operators of yesterday that offered only a video service to their subscribers. To maintain a competitive edge, new technologies are being integrated, the frequency range of the cable plant is being extended to 1 GHz to add needed bandwidth, and the return path has encroached on the forward path to accommodate new services.

Today's subs have many providers to choose from, which requires MSOs to completely ensure that their offerings meet their customers' needs and expectations -- or lose them to the competition. Retaining loyal subscribers means that MSOs must provide uninterrupted and competitive services, which can only be delivered through a clean cable plant. And, of course, a clean cable plant requires maintenance.

T&M Decisions Under Budget Pressures

Plant maintenance -- planned or not -- requires the deployment of the correct test equipment matching it to a specific application. As maintenance budgets become more taxed, and with a myriad of test equipment vendors pursuing MSO business, proper selection of test equipment can become unclear and burdensome, adding additional costs and delays. There are many factors to weigh prior to selecting test equipment for purchase. Some key factors that need to be considered are: application, performance specifications, feature set, product training and support and maintenance costs.

Applications

Applications will encompass forward and return path, and digital and analog signals from the headend to customer premise. Will the equipment be assigned to an installer or to a higher-tier technician? Some equipment will be for monitoring, while other will be for field techs, and all will be for testing signal quality to ensure the service is sufficient for subscriber use.

Today, some test equipment vendors opt for flashy graphical user interfaces, often masking test results and creating inefficient operation. For this reason, I recommend this be avoided. Additionally, many test equipment applications today require support through associated software packages enabling further analysis and management tools. The operation and maintenance of these software packages are often as important as the test equipment itself.

Performance Specifications

Performance specifications are necessarily important, but are often not considered or are completely overlooked. Not focusing on the equipment performance specifications can be a result of historical reliance on a specific vendor, unfamiliarity with the product or simply expedience. All can result in costly corrections, delayed maintenance actions, technician frustration and most importantly, subscriber displeasure with a service disruption that may not be efficiently addressed. Additionally, it is necessary to know if the equipment will perform in the environment in which it is intended to be deployed.

Feature Set

The feature set of any given piece of test equipment is critical. Many of today's field analyzers, signal level meters (SLMs), return path monitoring and cumulative leakage index (CLI) equipment each come with associated software that offer an apparent and common test suite. Yet on closer investigation, distinctions can and should be identified.

Comparing the features with the product specification will result in understanding if the potential equipment will support your test needs: What standards and modulations are supported?: QAM xx/xxx? DOCSIS x.x? HD? What tests are offered? What does their competitor offer? Many of these questions can be answered quickly by reviewing and comparing the data sheets from the respective vendor. Equally important to know is if the equipment being purchased will support future technological advances.

Product Cost

Product cost should be considered with respect to the applications, performance specs and the feature set offered. Of course, cost will vary with application: higher end field analyzer to installer SLM; laboratory analyzer to portable analyzer. Cost-to-function must be considered. Just what is being purchased, how does it benefit and what is the return?

Training and Support

Product training and support have not always been 100% necessary, but both are becoming an increasing concern. Therefore, they should be a primary consideration before making a purchase. Product firmware is a support concern, so it should be a primary factor to maintain the highest level of operation while incorporating the most recent test capability.

Further, with the increasing complexity of testing and maintenance needs, equipment is often accompanied with supporting software to gain efficiencies in setup and test time. Does this require installation and setup? Can it be performed in the field or is factory-training recommended?

Cost of Ownership

Maintenance cost or cost of ownership is critical. Knowing the quality of a product as well as its robustness will provide a clear picture of the viability of the respective deployment and a clear picture of the respective product lifecycle. Many components are related to the life of a product: warranty term, calibration cycle and if future features are to be integrated.

In regard to the upgradeability question, you need to consider if the product can be upgraded in the field or if it will require factory return. What is the recommended calibration cycle and the associated cost? What is the turnaround time? How does that impact downtime, and by extension, service delivery?

The Dry Run

Once the aforementioned issues have been satisfactorily addressed, a dry run would not be out of the question. Obtaining a demonstration model and putting it in the hands of the end-user can provide invaluable feedback. That will help you to know that techs are comfortable and confident with the flow and operation of a product, and that the battery operating life for portable analyzers will meet their test needs. A dry run will confirm if they can see a display in varying outdoor conditions, and that temperature changes will not impair their ability to efficiently perform their tests.

Immediate and Future Cost Reductions

This cursory look at important considerations prior to the selection and deployment of cable plant-specific test equipment provides a fundamental viewpoint that if considered, will result in immediate and future cost reductions.

There also are many initial unknowns that you'll end up taking into account during the initial selection of test equipment. However, if you address the major points outlined in this article, you'll mitigate maintenance costs, reduce operating costs, speed return to service through gained efficiencies, and ensure a loyal subscriber base while integrating new and maintaining existing service offerings.

Mike Zeyak is product manager at Trilithic.

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