Patent ID: 8780933

Claim:
A method of performing an automated transmission protocol conversion at a site that is remote from a central office or other site wherein the remote site equipment is connected to the central office or other site by a first carrier type that supports a first transmission protocol comprising: storing first firmware for connecting at least one port at the remote site to the first carrier type that supports the first transmission protocol, and second firmware for connecting the at least one port at the remote site to a second carrier type that supports a second transmission protocol, in a memory accessed by the remote site equipment; operating the remote site equipment in accordance with the first firmware and transmitting outgoing signals from the remote site equipment in the first transmission protocol in accordance with the first firmware; determining if the transmission protocol of an incoming signal to the remote site equipment has transitioned to the second transmission protocol following the connection of the at least one port to the second carrier type instead of the first carrier type; and reconfiguring the remote site equipment to operate in accordance with the second firmware instead of the first firmware to convert, prior to the transmitting, the transmission protocol of the outgoing signal to the second transmission protocol when the determined transmission protocol of the incoming signal is the second transmission protocol, and to continue operating the remote site equipment in accordance with the second firmware instead of the first firmware thereafter to transmit any subsequent outgoing signals in the second transmission protocol; wherein the remote site equipment comprises a processing device operating in accordance with the first firmware; and wherein reconfiguring comprises loading the processing device with the second firmware in place of the first firmware to control the processing device such that the processing device supports only the second carrier type and requires reloading the processing device with different firmware if the determined transmission protocol of an incoming signal changes from the second transmission protocol supported by the second firmware.