Quote from: arobatino on June 16, 2015, 11:23:00 PM
Is it known if removing a device which is currently labeled out-of-warranty and then re-adding it makes the portal think it's in warranty again? (Of course, they could store the OBi Number even after it's been removed, so it's probably not that easy.)
It could be that as soon as an OBi is connected to the Internet, it phones home to clock its identity... serial no., MAC address, etc. Commence warranty period.
It could be that
OBiTALK.com triggers out-of-warranty consideration only if the device firmware is not current, to impart more significance and urgency to their demand for your money... to make it seem less like 'pay us another $10-20 today just because'. At least they can then follow-up your payment with a firmware upgrade action instead of doing nothing in return.
Obihai says, "you will need to purchase a Support contract to enable firmware upgrades".
They are not selling an extended hardware warranty. Your device will remain out-of-warranty. If it dies, you must still buy a new one.
I think they are selling annual access to
OBiTALK.com, disguised as a nebulous Support contract that most users will not exercise beyond the first year of owning their OBi. It's more palatable to call it Extended Support than to simply put a lock on the
OBiTALK.com door and tell everyone who has been using it that they must now pay an annual subscription to continue managing their OBi.
Sorry to say, you can not trust the cloud. The hardware warranty ends after it initially expires. Annual subscription to
OBiTALK.com ends after you stop paying for it.
OE