Line Identifier - what's it for?

Post by Captain America
Recently, Comcast Cable began installing Line identifier's in each
apartment in buildings. The Line identifier is made by Diversified
Technology. I was wondering what is this used for since I remember
previously, they would connect a probe on one side and then use something
to locate the cable at the other end but how is the line identifier device
different? Does each line identifier device has a different electronic
identification number or what do they do differently to locate the correct
cable in the building than before since don't they still have to use
something to locate the cable on the other end even with the device?

If it's the type of line identifier I am familiar with, I would be surprised
to see them permanently installed. We did something similar years ago in a
cable system I used to work at. You install an end piece in the lock box on
each drop, and then go inside each unit. Inside the unit, you hook up the
test equipment to see which end device is detected on the other end of each
drop. The ones I know of have a different number on each one, and each has a
different resistance value. The test device used inside the unit has a
display that will show the number of the end piece in the lock box. If the
building is wired in such a way that you can't tell which lock box the units
are fed from, they might install the end pieces in all the drops until they
are done with the building, but they probably will take them out once
they've ID'd all the drops or tested enough of them to verify whether they
are labeled correctly.

Captain America

2004-04-15 13:07:30 UTC

Post by Captain America
Recently, Comcast Cable began installing Line identifier's in each
apartment in buildings. The Line identifier is made by Diversified
Technology. I was wondering what is this used for since I remember
previously, they would connect a probe on one side and then use
something to locate the cable at the other end but how is the line
identifier device different? Does each line identifier device has a
different electronic identification number or what do they do
differently to locate the correct cable in the building than before
since don't they still have to use something to locate the cable on
the other end even with the device?

If it's the type of line identifier I am familiar with, I would be
surprised to see them permanently installed. We did something similar
years ago in a cable system I used to work at. You install an end
piece in the lock box on each drop, and then go inside each unit.
Inside the unit, you hook up the test equipment to see which end
device is detected on the other end of each drop. The ones I know of
have a different number on each one, and each has a different
resistance value. The test device used inside the unit has a display
that will show the number of the end piece in the lock box. If the
building is wired in such a way that you can't tell which lock box the
units are fed from, they might install the end pieces in all the drops
until they are done with the building, but they probably will take
them out once they've ID'd all the drops or tested enough of them to
verify whether they are labeled correctly.

I'm not sure what the other end looks like except the one they install in
each apartment is the size of a splitter where the incoming line is in a
Secured sleeve and then the outgoing is connected by a RG-59. The ones
they installed in apartments don't have any display or anything on it.

Gary Tait

2004-04-15 13:54:39 UTC

On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 13:07:30 GMT, Captain America

Post by Captain America
Recently, Comcast Cable began installing Line identifier's in each
apartment in buildings. The Line identifier is made by Diversified
Technology. I was wondering what is this used for since I remember
previously, they would connect a probe on one side and then use
something to locate the cable at the other end but how is the line
identifier device different? Does each line identifier device has a
different electronic identification number or what do they do
differently to locate the correct cable in the building than before
since don't they still have to use something to locate the cable on
the other end even with the device?

If it's the type of line identifier I am familiar with, I would be
surprised to see them permanently installed. We did something similar
years ago in a cable system I used to work at. You install an end
piece in the lock box on each drop, and then go inside each unit.
Inside the unit, you hook up the test equipment to see which end
device is detected on the other end of each drop. The ones I know of
have a different number on each one, and each has a different
resistance value. The test device used inside the unit has a display
that will show the number of the end piece in the lock box. If the
building is wired in such a way that you can't tell which lock box the
units are fed from, they might install the end pieces in all the drops
until they are done with the building, but they probably will take
them out once they've ID'd all the drops or tested enough of them to
verify whether they are labeled correctly.

Thise would be the other way round then. They'd connect the drop to
their reader, and it will read the ID of the doohickey in the unit.
Techincally, I'd suspect you'd send a command to activate the unit in
the unit, it would respond with its ID, all in an RF channel (probably
sub 40 Mhz).

Captain America

2004-05-01 10:56:12 UTC

Post by Gary Tait
On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 13:07:30 GMT, Captain America

Post by Captain America
Recently, Comcast Cable began installing Line identifier's in each
apartment in buildings. The Line identifier is made by Diversified
Technology. I was wondering what is this used for since I remember
previously, they would connect a probe on one side and then use
something to locate the cable at the other end but how is the line
identifier device different? Does each line identifier device has
a different electronic identification number or what do they do
differently to locate the correct cable in the building than before
since don't they still have to use something to locate the cable on
the other end even with the device?

If it's the type of line identifier I am familiar with, I would be
surprised to see them permanently installed. We did something
similar years ago in a cable system I used to work at. You install
an end piece in the lock box on each drop, and then go inside each
unit. Inside the unit, you hook up the test equipment to see which
end device is detected on the other end of each drop. The ones I
know of have a different number on each one, and each has a
different resistance value. The test device used inside the unit has
a display that will show the number of the end piece in the lock
box. If the building is wired in such a way that you can't tell
which lock box the units are fed from, they might install the end
pieces in all the drops until they are done with the building, but
they probably will take them out once they've ID'd all the drops or
tested enough of them to verify whether they are labeled correctly.

I'm not sure what the other end looks like except the one they install
in each apartment is the size of a splitter where the incoming line is
in a Secured sleeve and then the outgoing is connected by a RG-59.
The ones they installed in apartments don't have any display or
anything on it.

One question though, since there are over 60 wires on the other end,
wouldn't they have to unscrew each cable randomly to figure it out since I
think it's more to identify which is the correct wire on the other end?

techcom

2004-05-02 08:20:48 UTC

Looks like the cable company is engaged in some illegal activity.The company
you mentioned deals with high security hardware for the goverment.Maybe
those devices for electronic spying-what the customer is doing on the
internet or what kind of tv programs he is watching.What's wrong with
tracing the line and putting a tag on it?Why do they have to resort to
"electronic tagging"?

The Cable Act in 1989 made law that the cable company can't charge monthly
for outlets anymore.No matter who installed the outlets, the inside wiring
belongs to the apts, not the cable company. Same thing goes for single
family homes,the inside wiring including the splitters belongs to the
customer.

Security equipment such as security sleeves are only used at lockboxes and
tap boxes. They are not to be used on inside wiring that belongs to the
property owner. The cable company guarantees service from the tap box up to
the connection point and 12inches past the connection point to where the
cable becomes the property owners responsiblity.

Post by Gary Tait
On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 13:07:30 GMT, Captain America

Post by Captain America
Recently, Comcast Cable began installing Line identifier's in each
apartment in buildings. The Line identifier is made by Diversified
Technology. I was wondering what is this used for since I remember
previously, they would connect a probe on one side and then use
something to locate the cable at the other end but how is the line
identifier device different? Does each line identifier device has
a different electronic identification number or what do they do
differently to locate the correct cable in the building than before
since don't they still have to use something to locate the cable on
the other end even with the device?

If it's the type of line identifier I am familiar with, I would be
surprised to see them permanently installed. We did something
similar years ago in a cable system I used to work at. You install
an end piece in the lock box on each drop, and then go inside each
unit. Inside the unit, you hook up the test equipment to see which
end device is detected on the other end of each drop. The ones I
know of have a different number on each one, and each has a
different resistance value. The test device used inside the unit has
a display that will show the number of the end piece in the lock
box. If the building is wired in such a way that you can't tell
which lock box the units are fed from, they might install the end
pieces in all the drops until they are done with the building, but
they probably will take them out once they've ID'd all the drops or
tested enough of them to verify whether they are labeled correctly.

I'm not sure what the other end looks like except the one they install
in each apartment is the size of a splitter where the incoming line is
in a Secured sleeve and then the outgoing is connected by a RG-59.
The ones they installed in apartments don't have any display or
anything on it.

Mike Rush

2004-04-14 19:32:17 UTC

I read your message again after posting my reply, and it looks like you're
saying they installed the end pieces in the apartments, not in the lock
boxes. If that's the case, they must supply their installers with the test
unit so they can tell at the lock box which cable they need to connect. The
devices would still work like I described in my other post. Sounds like an
odd way to go about things if that's what they are doing. It would make more
sense for the installer to put in an end piece himself.

Captain America

2004-04-15 13:10:07 UTC

Post by Captain America
Recently, Comcast Cable began installing Line identifier's in each
apartment in buildings. The Line identifier is made by Diversified
Technology. I was wondering what is this used for since I remember
previously, they would connect a probe on one side and then use
something to locate the cable at the other end but how is the line
identifier device different? Does each line identifier device has a
different electronic identification number or what do they do
differently to locate the correct cable in the building than before
since don't they still have to use something to locate the cable on
the other end even with the device?

I read your message again after posting my reply, and it looks like
you're saying they installed the end pieces in the apartments, not in
the lock boxes. If that's the case, they must supply their installers
with the test unit so they can tell at the lock box which cable they
need to connect. The devices would still work like I described in my
other post. Sounds like an odd way to go about things if that's what
they are doing. It would make more sense for the installer to put in
an end piece himself.

Yep, you have that right. The line identifiers are actually in the
apartments and looks just like a splitter except it has one in and one out.
One weird thing is they are connecting it using RG-59 jumper cables from
the wall instead of RG-6 cables they normally use for everything else. Do
these devices actually affect the signal quality at all though?

techcom

2004-04-15 06:52:19 UTC

I think that its a resistor that's connected across the center conductor and
the braid. Then it's read with a ohmmeter from the other end of the cable.
The ohmmeter should read the resistor value and some cable resistance. A
possible concept that their using these with unknown values so that only the
cable company knows that a regular person wouldn't know.Maybe they are doing
away with "drop tags".

Captain America

2004-04-15 13:12:07 UTC