An apparatus to actively monitor a network having a plurality of
twisted-pair communication links. The apparatus includes a plurality of
amplifiers corresponding, respectively, to the plurality of twisted-pair
communication links, each amplifier having a sufficiently high input
impedance and common-mode voltage tolerance to non-intrusively copy a
data signal transmitted through a corresponding twisted-pair
communication link and amplify the copied data signal. The apparatus
further includes a plurality of isolation transformers corresponding,
respectively, to the plurality of amplifiers, each isolation transformer
receiving the amplified, copied data signal from the corresponding
amplifier, and outputting a transformed data signal, and a connector
receiving the transformed data signals from the plurality of isolation
transformers in a pin order corresponding to the plurality of
twisted-pair communication links. A protocol analyzer is also provided to
receive the transformed data signals via the connector for decoding and
monitoring purposes.