Packet8 Firmware Causes Outage?

by Tom Keating

I just received an email newsletter from Packet8 regarding firmware upgrades. Let me paste an excerpt:

8x8 is constantly working to improve the Packet8 service, and frequently pushes out new firmware to upgrade Packet8 communication devices (adapters, VideoPhones, and the Uniden UIP1868P). Sometimes these upgrades will take a few moments to upload the latest firmware. While this process occurs, your phone service will be unavailable. To avoid having the upgrade occur during an emergency, you can dial 012-0002 on your phone to reach the Packet8 upgrade server which will determine whether your device has the latest upgrade. If you need an upgrade, the voice prompt will advise you on what to do next.

So let me get this straight. Packet8 upgrades their firmware "frequently" and during these "frequent" firmware upgrades, your Packet8 phone service will the unavailable/down? I'm not sure this is something a broadband VoIP provider wants to advertise in their email newsletter. Simply changing the word "frequently" to "occasionally" would at least "soften" the blow of knowing your Packet8 phone service will experience an outage during the firmware upgrade. But I keep tripping over this word "frequently". Or maybe I'm just "tripping"? You tell me. Am I just being nit-picky?

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