TPI 550B Plus

The complexity of installing and troubleshooting ISDN BRI has continued to be an obstacle due to the lack of standardization and the variety of calling types, Service Profiles, and other parameters that a field technician must know in order to install a service. Furthermore, physical layer impairments, such as load coils, lengthen the time for service deployment and subsequent revenue generation. Fortunately, the TPI-500 provides a number of features that make it the easiest, complete field tester for the installation and maintenance of ISDN BRI service.

The TPI-550 offers a full array of features, functions, and performance capabilities to turn-up and troubleshoot Basic Rate ISDN, EBS (P-Phone), and POTS and supports all US call controls and ISDN central office switches. NT1/TE, NT, and LT emulation, 40 Khz measurement, and Layer 3 English decodes make it ideal for the installation and troubleshooting of ISDN BRI service. Features such as Auto SPID, SPID Guess, test macros, and configuration downloads make the TPI-550 easy-to-use.

This compact, handheld instrument can be used for BRI testing both at the consumer premises equipment (CPE) and also at the central office (CO). An all-weather solution, the TPI-550 is ideal for portable ISDN BRI testing and can be used in al conditions, from inside an office environment to a noisy, wet outdoor span repeater. A built-in speaker and microphone enable hands-free operation and an optional handset can be used in high-noise areas. For protection, connectors are secured behind a weather-resistant lid.

Highlights

• Enables IDSL service qualification with 128 KHz and 144 KHz BER testing
  
• Makes test setup and ISDN synchronization a breeze with features such as Auto SPID, SPID Guess and various LEDs
  
• Multimedia services (for example, video conferencing) testing with features such as dual call support, dual channel BERT and interchannel delay
  
• Layer 1, 2, and 3 results, including plain English decodes of D-channel cause codes
  
• Enables turn-up and troubleshooting of Adtran Total Reach ISDN and DDS circuits
  
• Receives 40 Khz tones and measures loss for line qualification

Features

• Auto SPID feature reports and displays the SPIDs, allowing you to select the correct SPID for testing, eliminating the confusion of identifying this configuration
  
• SPID Guess determines the SPID after the 10-digit directory number has been entered
  
• Auto Video Test auto-answers and loops both B-channels for video calls
  
• Emulation of the NT1, NT1/TE and TE for testing voice, 56/65K, 3.1K, and D-packet call types on both the S/T and U interface
  
• U monitor capability allows bidirectional monitoring of in-service D-channel messages with storage, display, and RS-232 data port outputs
  
• Sync, Active, and Ready status LEDs provide indication of proper Layer 1, 2, and 3 synchronization

Line Qualification

Typically, a 40 Khz loss is measured to ensure that it meets line requirements. In addition, the TPI-550 can be placed into an LT or NT mode and send/respond to EOC loopbacks providing a method of testing the 2B1Q BRI signal quality of the BRI line. Testing in either mode, the unit can now run a BERT test on either B-channel, both B-channels (2B), or the entire line (2B+D), using patterns such as 2047. This test verifies the U interface.

Service Verification

Once the physical layer has been tested, the actual BRI service can be tested by placing and receiving calls, which verify proper switch translations. The TPI-550 can place and receive these voice and data calls to a known telephone number or to an automated test line such as the TPI-560B/P. The TPI-560 will automatically answer an incoming call, provide a voice identification of the calling number and call type, and then immediately return a call to the TPI-550, thereby verifying the switch translations. Using the TPI-560B/P, much of the hassle and delay of testing with a centralized tester or a central office tester can be avoided, decreasing installation time. BER testing and a voice path via a handset is provided to qualify these data and voice calls, respectively.

Troubleshooting

Nonintrusive bidirectional monitoring of in-service D-channel signaling messages also makes troubleshooting a new ISDN turn-up easier. Results can be stored, displayed on the LCD screen, or output through the optional RS-232 data port. If the problem can't be isolated, then sectionalization can be accomplished by using the various emulation modes of the TPI-550 to access both the U and S/T interfaces. This enables the technician to sequentially replace each piece of premise equipment to identify the source of errors.

Lastly, by using the remote ViTL software (no software disks included), a technician can leave a tester on the