Okaaaayyy... Something is adrift in the ether this morning. This replacement modem just won't stop locking up. I sent an email to my ISP to see if anything is going on on their end, but no reply, yet. At least I haven't checked my mail, anyway. I haven't been able to - my modem won't connect!

Well, it is connected now. I went to Westell's web site to see if there was a firmware upgrade for the modem I have. It said there wasn't. However, the guy at my ISP sent me an upgrade about two years ago that I never bothered to try. Today seemed like the day to try it, so I dug it up and fired it up and - guess what - it actually upgraded my modem firmware.

So why does the manufacturer say there is no update available?

Actually, the update - once complete - said "Update FAILED!" So, I tried it a couple more times. It gave the same results each time. However, when I run the diagnostic on the modem, it reports the new firmware version and it tests out fine. And I am writing a new entry in my 'blog, so it must be working.

We'll see if it locks up again.

Place your bets.