WE CLAIM:
1. A method for identifying information associated with a customer premises
5 equipment (CPE) (152a, 152b, 152c) in a network, the method comprising:
receiving (402), by a receiving unit (160), trace raw data communicated
by at least one CPE (152a, 152b, 152c);
extracting (404), by a processing unit (162), at least one identification
code from the received trace raw data;
10 mapping (406), by the processing unit (162), the extracted identification
code with a set of identification codes stored in a database (164);
retrieving (408), by the processing unit (162), information
corresponding to the mapped identification code if a match is found in the
database (164); and
15 identifying (410), by the processing unit (162), a CPE type based on the
retrieved information.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trace raw data includes a Type Allocation
Code (TAC), an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), a Mobile
Equipment Identifier (MEID), a serial number, or a Media Access Control
20 (MAC) address.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the trace raw data in a cloud
server and retrieving the stored trace raw data by the processing unit (162).
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a request by the
processing unit (162) to the at least one CPE (152a, 152b, 152c) for sending the
25 trace raw data.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes at least one of a
vendor name, a model number, networking protocols compatible with the at
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least one CPE (152a, 152b, 152c), version number, or any other unique vendor
attribute.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the CPE type is an outdoor customer premise
equipment (ODCPE) or an indoor customer premise equipment (IDCPE).
5 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a type of service
corresponding to at least one the CPE (152a, 152b, 152c) based on the extracted
identification code.
8. The method of claim 1, further compris