OBiTALK Community

Each of the past two nights my Obi 100/Google Voice service disconnects.  Two mornings ago I noticed that when I attempted to make calls, I got a message over the phone that said "there is no service available to complete your call".  An hour or two later, the message changed to "Google authentication error".  This morning, I again awoke to no service and the "Google authentication error".  On both days, to fix the problem, I simply reconfirmed my current SP1 Google account  through the Obitalk interface.  The Obi 100 then restarts and my connection is good.  The service has worked perfectly in the 16 months I have used it and I have not changed any google passwords recently (which I don't think matters anyway since I log in through/with Google+). There have been no changes to my home networking setup. Interestingly, my Anveo E911 service on SP2 has been fully active and connected throughout these events.  Any idea what is going on here?  Concerned I may have a hardware problem.

Hi:

I don't think you have a hardware problem.  There is another thread where several 100/110 users' Google Voice service has gone offline.  My guess is that it will just magically fix itself soon.  So far, there are no reports of this happening to OBi 200/202/10x2 users.

Next time it happens, see if unplugging the power to the OBi, and plugging it back in again fixes it, just out of curiosity, since you didn't mention that you tried that...

Thanks Steve.  I did try rebooting (unplugging/replugging) the Obi 100, but that did not do anything.  I also tried rebooting the routers, etc. But that did not do the trick either.  In all cases, the power light on the Obi is solid green, the network activity light is occasionally blinking (as normal), but the phone light is off.  Yet, boom, when I reconfirm my Google account through Obitalk, on comes the light and the system works fine for hours.  Yes, I was expecting the service to come up on its own after a couple hours, but it really never did.  But now twice, on reconfirm of the Google account, the service is back up and running and the phone light is green.  Odd behavior, certainly.

Can you provide a link to that other thread you mention?

The other thread:  http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11250.0 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11250.0)

Ignore the comments by R_Chandra.

I have an old OBi 110 that wasn't in use; I am setting it up now with two of my GV test accounts to see if it fails.

Thanks again Steve - Yes, the thread you noted exactly describes what I have been experiencing as well.  Although I have yet to witness the system coming back on its own.

Thanks.  Would you please post again tomorrow, to let us know if this issue continues?

Same thing happened on my obi100 too yesterday. I was able to make it restore to connect status after sign into my google account again yesterday evening, but this morning it became Authentication error again.
What's going on here?

I have an Obi 100. it has worked perfectly for years, literally. This morning? Same issue. I upgraded the firmware yesterday. Now, backed off GV with an authentication error. Just came in here to see if there were others reporting the same issue.

I'll be watching this thread. Fortunately I have a 200 in a box, unopened, maybe today is the day. I do not like the fact this is unexplained though!! I have to wonder if it's correlated to the firmware update. hope it's not bricked, I've become attached to it! :)
have a great day.

My Obi110 is also doing what others describe...daily - after years of trouble free service.
(Oddly - my partner's Obi200 in the same room, on the same network is not disconnecting.)
No changes have been made on our network either.

Go ahead and call me paranoid, but:
This is the sort of thing that always strikes me as if someone - somewhere has dreamed up a clever way to annoy folks into buying NEW stuff...and of course I do hope I am wrong about that !!

Google finally starting to pull the plug from those still using the old authentication method?

I was under the impression that once GV is configured on an OBi device,  the Obitalk portal and servers play no part in GV calls. If correct,  hard to see how Obihai can be causing these reports.

Hmmm - What precisely do you mean the old authentication method?  Are you trying to say maybe we will have to go the two factor verification route with app passwords?  In any case, I know that after re-authenticating (logging-in), the system works for 12+ hours (and then disconnects overnight).  It seems odd that one could "authenticate" for that long period of time.  And why wouldn't a change in Google authentication affect Obi 200 users as well?  Not saying you are wrong - just curious.

Quote from: drgeoff on May 18, 2016, 08:41:37 AM
Google finally starting to pull the plug from those still using the old authentication method?

That was my first thought but if that were true it would be big news on BBR and so far only 1 report similar to those on this forum.

And it just doesn't make sense to me why this is only affecting OBi1xx devices. Not a single report (that I've seen) from someone with a 20x device or higher.

Quote from: vtsnaab on May 18, 2016, 08:19:05 AM

Go ahead and call me paranoid, but:
This is the sort of thing that always strikes me as if someone - somewhere has dreamed up a clever way to annoy folks into buying NEW stuff...and of course I do hope I am wrong about that !!

Since it seems to be affecting only 1xx devices it sure does make you wonder..........

If Google are starting with the longest standing accounts, that could explain only 1xx devices being affected at the moment. Just a thought.

Has anyone with a 1xx who has changed to Oauth2.0 had a reoccurence of their problem?

How does one know if they are using Oauth 2.0?  I hooked up my first Obi 100 device in January of 2015.  The associated google voice account is not much older.

This likely has nothing to do with the problem being talked about here, but for completeness, this morning, I discovered that when calling out on my primary GV line (which I pressed into regular telco service via an Asterisk server long before the terms OBiHAI and OATH2.0 ever entered our collective vocabularies) the audio was consistently one-way:  I could hear the party I called, but they could not hear me.  I switched over to GV line 2, which uses OATH2.0 on my OBi-202 and all was well.  (Both GV1 and GV2 terminate on my OBi-202 although, to the OBi, GV1 is just a SIP connection to Asterisk.)  After concluding the calls, I examined the OBi's Status page and everything looked good but test calls continued to fail.  I then (1) rebooted Asterisk and the problem persisted, and finally (2) rebooted the 202 and the problem resolved itself.

I don't recall having a problem with 1-way communications in the past, at least not since acquiring the OBi.  As I said, my problem today may be coincidental, or it may be another indication of some overarching GV problem.  Guess it will be interesting to see if it recurs.

This has absolutely, positively nothing whatsoever, not at all, in no way, uh-uh, to do with Google "pulling the plug".  Google has no idea what model of OBi you are using, nor how long you've been using it, nor do they care, as long as your device is using OAUTH 2.0 authentication.

If it had been one user reporting this, then it would have been the now-tiresome answer:  your OBi hasn't been updated in years, it's still using the old, pre-OAUTH authentication, and you need to upgrade firmware, reset the device and re-configure Google Voice on a SPx.

However, this is apparently happening to 100/110 models that are running current firmware and are using OAUTH authentication.

It looks like there's a problem with the OAUTH keys that are being generated for these models (a Obihai problem), and  nothing more.  I'm going to see what I can find out, but if any of you have a device under warranty, please open a ticket and point to this thread.

I reached out to my contacts at Obihai, and they're looking into this now.

Steve, I also have an ancient obi110 that has worked very well for years, and it suddenly stopped this afternoon, no calls in or out possible; I followed your instructions as per the link below

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8560.msg56460#msg56460

and although Obitalk let me delete the SP1 GV configuration (SP2 is an anveo account just for 911), I couldn't reconfigure SP1 - entered a circular hell where I keep clicking on the right buttons to go thru reconfiguration, but it just always brings me back to the Obitalk device config page, with the $10 message and completely unresponsive buttons (I've always set this up myself, this is driving me crazy).

Even if this is a glitch, when it's fixed I'll still be without phone service with my deleted SP1 and no apparent way to get it working again.  Can you suggest anything else to get my GV set up again?

Thank you in advance - your messages and instructions on this forum have solved most of my Obi problems in years past!

Last night, I took my old 110 out of storage and set it up with two Google Voice test accounts, which worked fine.

Today, the two accounts are still working, but the portal no longer allows me to configure the device at all.  Clicking the SP1 or SP2 links just circles back to the yellow message about needing a firmware upgrade, which is not the case.

We will just have to wait and see what Obihai says about it.  Speculation at this point would just be gossip.

Hi Steve, I don't have to wait until tomorrow to post (as you asked).  My Obi100 disconnected again at about 8pm Eastern (Weds. 5/18).  Now getting the same Google connection error message on the phone. And like you, I can't seem to bring up the screen in Obitalk where I can reconfirm my Gmail account.  So now, for the present, I am stuck with no service.  My status is backing off (851s)

This is my third connection failure in less than three days.

Download the following new firmware version and install manually:

http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw (http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw)

Please report back if that fixed the problem.

Yes, that got rid of the inability to configure the device via the portal.  I have no idea if it will resolve the GV authentication issue, since there has been no communication from Obihai about this FW build.

Quote from: Taoman on May 18, 2016, 05:30:55 PM
Download the following new firmware version and install manually:

http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw (http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw)

Please report back if that fixed the problem.

Why would I install OBI 110 firmware on an Obi 100?

100 and 110 units use the same firmware. 

OK, how exactly do I go about updating firmware (manually)?  I have never done it before.  My device is just 16 months old.

• Download and save the .fw file from Taoman's link.
• Pick up the phone attached to your OBi and dial ***1 and write down the IP address that it reads to you.
• Open a web browser to that address.
• Click System Management-->Device Update-->Firmware Update-->Select file to update firmware.
• Browse to the file you downloaded and select it.
• Click the "Update" button.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 05:48:33 PM

• Download and save the .fw file from Taoman's link.
• Pick up the phone attached to your OBi and dial ***1 and write down the IP address that it reads to you.
• Open a web browser to that address.
• Click System Management-->Device Update-->Firmware Update-->Select file to update firmware.
• Browse to the file you downloaded and select it.
• Click the "Update" button.

Damn you're quick! I was trying to beat you.  ;)

But, you forgot to mention the default password is admin

Heh heh.  Well, if we were any more helpful, we'd teleport ourselves out to fix the units ourselves...for a fee.

OK, I can report that I applied the firmware successfully.  The Obi 100 rebooted, my Green phone light is on, and I can make calls.  I did nothing else other than update the firmware.  I can also report that I can get to the SP1 configuration page that I could not get to an hour ago.  I was not asked to and I did not reconfirm my Google account.  I'll post again if the connection drops again.

The only thing I found confusing about the firmware upgrade was the little login box - yes the password being admin is important!  I actually typed in admin for the userid as well.

Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Double that. Even I'm still on that version without any issues. There is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 06:27:10 PM

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Double that. Even I'm still on that version without any issues. There is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

You're a fool.  That's a security exposure.  Just update the firmware and get on with life.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 06:29:52 PM

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 06:27:10 PM

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Double that. Even I'm still on that version without any issues. There is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

You're a fool.  That's a security exposure.  Just update the firmware and get on with life.

What do you mean by security exposure? Any links to refer?

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 07:03:42 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 06:29:52 PM

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 06:27:10 PM

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Double that. Even I'm still on that version without any issues. There is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

You're a fool.  That's a security exposure.  Just update the firmware and get on with life.

What do you mean by security exposure? Any links to refer?

Your device's downlevel firmware still contains your Google account's user ID and password, and it's directly logging into your Google Voice account.  This method was banned by Google back in 2013, and was the reason that Obihai had to stop supporting Google Voice until they updated their firmware to comply with Google's security requirements.

The current firmware uses the OAUTH 2.0 protocol to exchange secure tokens with Google, which only grants permission to certain limited services on your account -- in this case, Google Chat.  The OBiTALK web portal and the OBi devices never store your Google login credentials.

There is no legitimate reason to continue using the old login method.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 07:09:05 PM

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 07:03:42 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 06:29:52 PM

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 06:27:10 PM

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Double that. Even I'm still on that version without any issues. There is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

You're a fool.  That's a security exposure.  Just update the firmware and get on with life.

What do you mean by security exposure? Any links to refer?

Your device's downlevel firmware still contains your Google account's user ID and password, and it's directly logging into your Google Voice account.  This method was banned by Google back in 2013, and was the reason that Obihai had to stop supporting Google Voice until they updated their firmware to comply with Google's security requirements.

The current firmware uses the OAUTH 2.0 protocol to exchange secure tokens with Google, which only grants permission to certain limited services on your account -- in this case, Google Chat.  The OBiTALK web portal and the OBi devices never store your Google login credentials.

There is no legitimate reason to continue using the old login method.

Okay. I got it. Better to upgrade it but probably I will leave it as is for now because of this issue people are facing. Or is it resolved with the 2866 firmware?

Also, the google account I use with obi exists just for making calls, so not a big deal for me.  ;D

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 07:15:56 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 07:09:05 PM

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 07:03:42 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 06:29:52 PM

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 06:27:10 PM

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 06:17:16 PM
Once again, I'm reminded of why I still use 1.3.0 (Build: 2824) and only ever configure my device locally.

My Google Voice and SIP services continue to operate, trouble-free.

Double that. Even I'm still on that version without any issues. There is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

You're a fool.  That's a security exposure.  Just update the firmware and get on with life.

What do you mean by security exposure? Any links to refer?

Your device's downlevel firmware still contains your Google account's user ID and password, and it's directly logging into your Google Voice account.  This method was banned by Google back in 2013, and was the reason that Obihai had to stop supporting Google Voice until they updated their firmware to comply with Google's security requirements.

The current firmware uses the OAUTH 2.0 protocol to exchange secure tokens with Google, which only grants permission to certain limited services on your account -- in this case, Google Chat.  The OBiTALK web portal and the OBi devices never store your Google login credentials.

There is no legitimate reason to continue using the old login method.

Okay. I got it. Better to upgrade it but probably I will leave it as is for now because of this issue people are facing. Or is it resolved with the 2866 firmware?

Also, the google account I use with obi exists just for making calls, so not a big deal for me.  ;D

Today's firmware update resolved the issue.

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 06:27:10 PMThere is no way it will auto-upgrade, right?

It can auto-upgrade, if you have Auto Firmware Upgrade, ITSP Provisioning, OBiTalk Provisioning, or OBiTALK Service enabled.  Even with those disabled, it will auto-upgrade if you deal **5 (you can disable this with the DigitMap if you wish.)

Since it has not auto-upgraded by this point, you most likely have the above set already.

Quote from: cyclops on May 18, 2016, 07:03:42 PMWhat do you mean by security exposure? Any links to refer?

Google got its panties in a bunch about Obihai having access to thousands of OBi users' Google passwords via OBiTALK, so told Obihai they had to start using OAuth2.  If you have pre-OAuth2 firmware, there's no risk to using it, as you can't configure it with OBiTALK any more.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 07:09:05 PMThis method was banned by Google back in 2013,

Password authentication wasn't banned at all.  I've been using it since I bought my first 110 in 2011 and continue to use it today.  There's nothing wrong with password authentication - as long as your password isn't stored in the cloud.  Remember that 99.99% of consumer or SoHo-grade SIP devices use password authentication.  If you have a reason why a Google Voice password stored on my device is less secure than a SIP password stored on my device, let's hear it.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 07:09:05 PMThere is no legitimate reason to continue using the old login method.

The following quote from one of the other threads seems like a pretty legitimate reason:

Quote from: radleresq on May 17, 2016, 04:44:06 PMI had to make a call- I'm in a very rural US area, so had to drive to someplace with cell coverage-

You know darn well what I meant by "banned".  Google deprecated this method over two years ago, and required Obihai and other companies using it to stop doing so and change their authentication method.  Let's not play games here.  If you want to set up a sandboxed Google account that is only used for Google Chat, and no other Google services, that's your business, but don't advocate to the general user population that they continue to use this method.

You didn't answer my question.  Actually, I didn't phrase it like a question, so let me do so:

Why is a Google Voice password stored on my device any less secure than a SIP password, and what specific risk do I assume by using password authentication?

Can anyone confirm that the 2886 firmware that toaman linked fixes the problem?
Im getting auth errors and am being told I need to purchase support.  

EDIT  The update fixed the problem

Dialing ***6, 1 will update firmware if a firmware update is available.

Or download the file manually and update your ATA without using the portal

Will that work though, if OBi-latest.fw isn't actually the latest?

Quote from: Mango on May 19, 2016, 01:11:25 AM
Will that work though, if OBi-latest.fw isn't actually the latest?

Yes.

OBi-latest.fw needs to be manually updated by Obihai staff.
***6 does not.

I've tried ***6, and it says "Software Update Not available"

My obi is on firmware ending in 2872.  I downloaded the 2886 firmware from Taoman's link, but cannot log into the IP address (which I confirmed with ***1).

Admin admin doesn't work, nor any name or email & password or admin combo that I can find in my notes for my Obi account. 

Any way to reset the password for the IP's "authentication required" box?

https://www.obitalk.com/info/faq/Troubleshooting-sec/How-to-Factory-Reset

Note that the username is always admin and it is never an email address.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 18, 2016, 05:48:33 PM

• Download and save the .fw file from Taoman's link.
• Pick up the phone attached to your OBi and dial ***1 and write down the IP address that it reads to you.
• Open a web browser to that address.
• Click System Management-->Device Update-->Firmware Update-->Select file to update firmware.
• Browse to the file you downloaded and select it.
• Click the "Update" button.

So the IP is a 10.0.*.* number.

Update on my Obi110:
For a couple of days it disconnected overnight & I had to re-authenticate to get it back online;
Today when I got up it was still connected & working normally.
I have done nothing aside of re-authenticating...

Any ideas from anyone about how this somehow mysteriously seems to have resolved itself ??

Thanks.

Check your firmware; did it auto-update?

Is there a star code to check the FW version, please ??
I have re-read this entire thread and do not see that detail, maybe I missed it ?!?

Been having the same problems for the last 3 days, come into the office and the phone doesn't work.  Simply logging in and re-entering my Google login fixed the problem.  Yesterday I ordered an OBi200, thinking maybe the hardware was just dying.

This morning I tried to do the same thing, re-enter my Google info, except I couldn't.  I was forced to pay $10 since my service contract had expired from original purchase to do the firmware update, and it now works.  Not really thrilled about this, who charges for firmware updates?

I'm going to keep the Obi200 on the shelf for a few weeks and if the Obi100 I have has no more problems, I'll return the 200 to Amazon.

Too bad you didn't read the forum first - you can upgrade the firmware manually to save the $10 fee.

Quote from: Mango on May 19, 2016, 09:08:15 AM
Too bad you didn't read the forum first - you can upgrade the firmware manually to save the $10 fee.

The wording on the device page had no indication it was a firmware issue, rather an authentication issue with Google.

I don't have time to dig through the forums, honestly I'm just disappointment in OBi for not being more transparent with the issue or sending out a newsletter.  Relying on user generated forums for support isn't ideal. 

Quote from: vtsnaab on May 19, 2016, 08:47:28 AMIs there a star code to check the FW version, please ??

Yes, you can use ***01#.

Alternately, the SoftwareVersion (same thing) is displayed on the device's internal web server under Status >> System Status.

If the problem returns, try to dial ***6, 1.  If that doesn't work, follow the instructions at http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11256.msg73954#msg73954 .  Let us know how things go.

Quote from: mikepanic on May 19, 2016, 09:29:28 AMThe wording on the device page had no indication it was a firmware issue, rather an authentication issue with Google.

Yep.  Obihai's behaviour is pretty deceptive, imho.  It's gone on long enough now (months) that there's no real possibility that was a mistake.

Quote from: LetsTalk on May 19, 2016, 10:00:25 AMThank you, Mango!  That got me in, I uploaded the fw file, updated, my phone is back.

Sweet :D

Rebooted it several times, nothing happened. Walked away, a few hours later it is back working.


EDIT:  So I did the firmware update, manually, as I  have done in the past, and now the unit is a blinking red / green light only. My dashboard status says "offline".


EDIT:  After ~10 minutes of the blinking red / green I disconnected the power, the first time for ~20 seconds, still the same. The second time for ~1 minute, it successfully rebooted. Firmware 2886 is running. I hope this ends the several days of problems, until the next firmware upgrade anyway.

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 07:57:04 PMYou didn't answer my question.  Actually, I didn't phrase it like a question, so let me do so:

Why is a Google Voice password stored on my device any less secure than a SIP password, and what specific risk do I assume by using password authentication?

SteveInWA, if you're going to call me names, I'd appreciate a technical explanation of why what I'm doing is wrong.

Quote from: Mango on May 19, 2016, 06:21:15 PM

Quote from: Mango on May 18, 2016, 07:57:04 PMYou didn't answer my question.  Actually, I didn't phrase it like a question, so let me do so:

Why is a Google Voice password stored on my device any less secure than a SIP password, and what specific risk do I assume by using password authentication?

SteveInWA, if you're going to call me names, I'd appreciate a technical explanation of why what I'm doing is wrong.

I am tired of playing word games with you.  You know that this was a policy decision made by Google.  If you want to continue to disagree with the policy decision, and Google continues to leave the direct authentication method open, then knock yourself out.

Obihai went to great lengths to cooperate with Google, and to update its device firmware to support Google's required OAUTH 2.0 authentication method, so that its customers could continue using the service.  This is an Obihai company-sponsored support forum, not DSLR.  Advocating here that users should not update their device firmware, and/or should not follow Google's approved authentication method doesn't belong here, and is likely to eventually get you banned off of the forum.

Given that there are only a very small number of OBi 1x0 devices left in the wild with the pre-OAUTH firmware, it's also a moot point, and only serves to distract current product owners from using their devices as currently supported.

thanks, yesterday we had a power failure and so when the power came on our three Obi 100 boxes rebooted and today the phones had the warning to pay $10 to update....

I downloaded the 2886 firmware, made the updates and now the GV accounts are working again!

Thanks all!

I was #7 post on this thread. Yesterday I got my obi100 to stop backing off and it worked all day. I switched my incoming to callcentric, and left my outgoing to GV.

Tonight, about 30 hours later, I went to dial out and got an automated google voice message stating my password had changed (it hadn't). Then on the obi site it went straight to the $10 request page. My machine has been up since 2012 and this is the first I'd seen that.

I came back to this thread and used the firmware that Taoman had provided and I wanted to say thanks.

I also want to say that this company is insane if this is how they approach needing money. I would be HAPPY to pay money every year to use this product, just send me a damn polite email. even though I have an unopened obi200 sitting on a shelf, it's now officially a paperweight because ObiHai has really screwed up with me.

Instead of being normal and sending out an email, asking for a subscription they basically borked my device and made me go spelunking through these forums. I'm not going to tolerate this misguided bullshit it's not worth it.

Thanks to all the kind people who are supporting others. I hope you all keep up the nice kind work, but frankly Obi is rotting. This is just no way to treat customers. They have my email, and email is at least been common for 20 years. Send a damn email and ask for money, don't hijack my device and demand ransom. I will never suggest this product to anyone ever again , in this lifetime or my next.

But nice people -- please have a great weekend and thanks again for getting me up and running until I find a replacement for this company. I'm happy to pay 10x what they are asking, just not to them.

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 08:43:29 PM
I was #7 post on this thread. Yesterday I got my obi100 to stop backing off and it worked all day. I switched my incoming to callcentric, and left my outgoing to GV.

Tonight, about 30 hours later, I went to dial out and got an automated google voice message stating my password had changed (it hadn't). Then on the obi site it went straight to the $10 request page. My machine has been up since 2012 and this is the first I'd seen that.

I came back to this thread and used the firmware that Taoman had provided and I wanted to say thanks.

I also want to say that this company is insane if this is how they approach needing money. I would be HAPPY to pay money every year to use this product, just send me a damn polite email. even though I have an unopened obi200 sitting on a shelf, it's now officially a paperweight because ObiHai has really screwed up with me.

Instead of being normal and sending out an email, asking for a subscription they basically borked my device and made me go spelunking through these forums. I'm not going to tolerate this misguided bullshit it's not worth it.

Thanks to all the kind people who are supporting others. I hope you all keep up the nice kind work, but frankly Obi is rotting. This is just no way to treat customers. They have my email, and email is at least been common for 20 years. Send a damn email and ask for money, don't hijack my device and demand ransom. I will never suggest this product to anyone ever again , in this lifetime or my next.

But nice people -- please have a great weekend and thanks again for getting me up and running until I find a replacement for this company. I'm happy to pay 10x what they are asking, just not to them.

I'm not going to defend Obihai's lack of basic communications regarding this issue, but I'll point out that it was related to the authorization keys used by OBi devices to access users' Google accounts.  Obihai quickly released a firmware update to fix the problem.  So, your OBi 100 device is now good to go, and your OBi 200 device was not involved at all in this issue, so, it is also ready to be used whenever you wish to upgrade.  I wouldn't abandon the products over poor customer communications.

Dear SteveInWA, so am I to understand that the fact i upgraded the firmware hours prior to this happening, was concidental -- then running into all these issues was b/c google changed it's authenticaton methods out of nowhere, and then the firmware posted by Taosman (sp) which repaired the current problem was Obi responding to the problem?

I ask because if I understand you correctly i would retract my post prior to this and feel a lot better. thanks for your time.

Thank You Mango, for being so kindly helpful.

Quote from: Mango on May 19, 2016, 10:32:44 AM
Yes, you can use ***01#.
Alternately, the SoftwareVersion (same thing) is displayed on the device's internal web server under Status >> System Status.
If the problem returns, try to dial ***6, 1.  If that doesn't work, follow the instructions at http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11256.msg73954#msg73954 .  Let us know how things go.

As of later that day my Obi110 came back to normal and is fine.

My .02 in this matter is that essentially I agree with the poster named Janice - these folks have taken a very poor stance and show extreme disregard for their users IMO.

Using a forum to (mostly) get support from other users rather than having any direct support from the parent company is OK and not unusual, BUT:
Making users pay via indirect means and bricking devices are grand methods to make enemies IMO.

Also - like Janice, I am not averse to paying a small yearly fee; compared with a monthly landline bill it would be trivial - and if it became a large fee there are other ITSPs who offer very fair pricing.

The other spinoff of all this forum usage is that -IF- Obihai had properly scouted their territory as time went on, they would have realized that their users would find out about all the permutations of connecting with the world via VOIP far more quickly via exposure to other users than they would have if there had only been direct company support.

An ancient tale from me which relates:
Once upon a time I had a friend who was a real, geniune software genius.
He made a product that was unique and way ahead of its time.
It sold well and he made plenty from the sale of it.
Then the troubles began - here's why:
He was too cheap to create any support options from his own resources AND he despised doing it himself simply because he wanted to be writing code and NOT answering calls.

The moral of this story ??:
Bankruptcy, as his users got discouraged and simply turned their backs, no longer spreading word of his great software.

The customer is ALWAYS boss (as the old saying goes) and can easily fire everyone in any company right up to the owner - this is neither new nor is it likely to change.

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 08:43:29 PMBut nice people -- please have a great weekend and thanks again for getting me up and running until I find a replacement for this company.

There are plenty of great service providers besides Google Voice that are compatible with your OBi ATA.  I see you're already familiar with Callcentric.  As well, popular service providers include VoIP.ms and Anveo.  If you don't want to use Google Voice or OBiTALK, I understand, but I urge you not to abandon Obihai's hardware.  Their ATAs truly are the best on the market today.

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 09:28:40 PMrunning into all these issues was b/c google changed it's authenticaton methods out of nowhere, and then the firmware posted by Taosman (sp) which repaired the current problem was Obi responding to the problem?

I would not assume Google caused the problem, unless there is information suggesting that, that I'm not aware of.

Regardless of who caused the problem, Obihai certainly responded to it poorly.  They could have pushed the firmware update automatically, or at the very least updated OBi-latest.fw and made ***6 operational.  (Some users reported ***6 worked and some reported it did not.)  I don't have a way of testing ***6, but OBi-latest.fw is still build 2872.

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 09:28:40 PM
Dear SteveInWA, so am I to understand that the fact i upgraded the firmware hours prior to this happening, was concidental -- then running into all these issues was b/c google changed it's authenticaton methods out of nowhere, and then the firmware posted by Taosman (sp) which repaired the current problem was Obi responding to the problem?

Steve is more trusting of Obihai than I am. It is my belief this whole incident happened because Obihai released a new version of firmware for the 1xx series. Those people with an OBi1xx series device out of warranty and also having a Google Voice configuration began having issues. I have an OBi110 but do not have a Google Voice configuration and I had no issues at all with my device even with the older firmware. A similar situation happened when a new version of the 2xx series firmware was released although it wasn't as severe as this one apparently was. When the new 20x series firmware was released it seemed to only affect those who were trying to change their password or GV configuration and their devices were out of warranty. It didn't actually make the devices stop working if I remember right.

I am not saying Obihai planned for this to happen in the manner it did. I have no proof of that. But I am saying there was no "fix" released by Obihai. Google did not suddenly change their authentication protocol and Obihai had to quickly fix something. If that were the case why didn't it affect any 20x devices and why did this incident only happen to 1xx devices that were out of warranty?

What happened is Obihai released a new version of firmware for the 1xx series and it inadvertently, or on purpose, caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. The only fix was to update to that new firmware.

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 09:28:40 PM
Dear SteveInWA, so am I to understand that the fact i upgraded the firmware hours prior to this happening, was concidental -- then running into all these issues was b/c google changed it's authenticaton methods out of nowhere, and then the firmware posted by Taosman (sp) which repaired the current problem was Obi responding to the problem?

I ask because if I understand you correctly i would retract my post prior to this and feel a lot better. thanks for your time.

It's likely coincidental that your prior update was the root cause of your problem.  More likely, your update just happened to coincide with this outage, and by rebooting the device, you caused it to go into the failure condition.

Google didn't change it's authentication method "out of nowhere".  This change was made more than 2 years ago.  The new authentication method is more secure, and involves generating and exchanging secure access tokens, stored on your device, to authorize access to the Google Chat service for your Google account.  Obihai released compliant firmware at that time, to allow all of its devices to continue to work with Google Chat.

An undisclosed, latent issue with the build 2872 firmware for 100/110 devices caused a failure to authenticate, starting the other day, with the OBiTALK portal's code that updates the keys.  Obihai updated the firmware to the 2886 level, to fix this bug.  This is the first such issue with the OBi/Google Voice authentication system since the new authentication method was introduced two years ago, and I don't expect it to be a regular occurrence.  

Again, while this was poorly handled from a PR standpoint, they did promptly jump on the problem and fix it.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 20, 2016, 10:38:00 PM

An undisclosed, latent issue with the build 2872 firmware for 100/110 devices caused a failure to authenticate, starting the other day, with the OBiTALK portal's code that updates the keys.  Obihai updated the firmware to the 2886 level, to fix this bug.  This is the first such issue with the OBi/Google Voice authentication system since the new authentication method was introduced two years ago, and I don't expect it to be a regular occurrence.  

Is that conjecture on your part or did Obihai actually directly inform you of this?

Quote from: Taoman on May 20, 2016, 10:30:04 PM

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 09:28:40 PM
Dear SteveInWA, so am I to understand that the fact i upgraded the firmware hours prior to this happening, was concidental -- then running into all these issues was b/c google changed it's authenticaton methods out of nowhere, and then the firmware posted by Taosman (sp) which repaired the current problem was Obi responding to the problem?

What happened is Obihai released a new version of firmware for the 1xx series and it inadvertently, or on purpose, caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. The only fix was to update to that new firmware.

I am not aware of any new firmware for the 100/110 series being introduced recently (I don't recall how long ago 2872 was released, but I believe it's been the one and only, stable release for a long time, having been released to update to the OAUTH 2.0 authentication method.

What I think happened, is that the 2872 firmware had some sort of date bug in it, that caused it to fail to update its keys.  The 2886 firmware released on the day you found it fixed that bug.

This certainly wouldn't have been a "time bomb" intentionally placed in the code; even the dumbest company wouldn't do that, knowing how today's social media and online forums would send the company into the ditch for such a practice.  As you pointed out, there was no corresponding bug in the 200 series firmware.  While the warranty status does muddy up and confuse the user when it comes to obtaining firmware upgrades, as long as a firmware upgrade is available, there is nothing preventing a user from manually upgrading their device.  In this particular instance, my guess is that the date in the device certificate stored on the 100/110 products improperly triggered some setting in Obihai's entitlement system, and thus locked those devices out configuring services via the portal.  Again, Obihai promptly fixed that issue after I reached out.

Quote from: Taoman on May 20, 2016, 10:42:55 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 20, 2016, 10:38:00 PM

An undisclosed, latent issue with the build 2872 firmware for 100/110 devices caused a failure to authenticate, starting the other day, with the OBiTALK portal's code that updates the keys.  Obihai updated the firmware to the 2886 level, to fix this bug.  This is the first such issue with the OBi/Google Voice authentication system since the new authentication method was introduced two years ago, and I don't expect it to be a regular occurrence.  

Is that conjecture on your part or did Obihai actually directly inform you of this?

I contacted Obihai to let them know this was happening.  They replied that they'd get right on it.  Soon after, you found the 2886 firmware.  They never got back to me directly, nor, of course, did they post anything here.

The fact that they needed to (and were able to, without much analysis) update the firmware, and, knowing what I know about Google Voice and OAUTH 2.0, and how Obihai installs digital certificates on its devices, I'd call it an "educated guess".

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 20, 2016, 10:55:12 PM

I contacted Obihai to let them know this was happening.  They replied that they'd get right on it.  Soon after, you found the 2886 firmware. 

But the firmware was released before that time. You posted at 2:47 on the 18th you were going to see what you could find out. I can only assume it was sometime after that point that you "reached out" to Obihai.

Rchandra posted he had already paid the $10 and got the updated firmware at 2:22 on the 18th. The updated firmware (not a fix) had already been released by the time you contacted Obihai.

If you truly believe your story, Steve, you need to answer these questions:

1>Why didn't this authentication problem affect 20x devices?
2>Why did this authentication problem only affect 1xx devices that were out of warranty?
3>Why did this problem suddenly crop up after all this time and only on 1xx devices?

The answers you've come up with so far stretch credulity.

Quote from: Taoman on May 20, 2016, 11:16:26 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 20, 2016, 10:55:12 PM

I contacted Obihai to let them know this was happening.  They replied that they'd get right on it.  Soon after, you found the 2886 firmware.  

But the firmware was released before that time. You posted at 2:47 on the 18th you were going to see what you could find out. I can only assume it was sometime after that point that you "reached out" to Obihai.

Rchandra posted he had already paid the $10 and got the updated firmware at 2:22 on the 18th. The updated firmware (not a fix) had already been released by the time you contacted Obihai.

If you truly believe your story, Steve, you need to answer these questions:

1>Why didn't this authentication problem affect 20x devices?
2>Why did this authentication problem only affect 1xx devices that were out of warranty?
3>Why did this problem suddenly crop up after all this time and only on 1xx devices?

The answers you've come up with so far stretch credulity.

I'm not on the witness stand. I am not going to argue timelines.  For all I know, Obihai already found and fixed the issue by the time I contacted them; as we know, their communications skills are abysmal.  We also know that the various firmware update methods often are out of sync (***6 vs. downloading the supposedly "latest" generic firmware link, vs. downloading a build-specific firmware link).  It's terrible version control, and users shouldn't have to do detective work to find the truly latest firmware.

My own experience was that the firmware update was required to fix the issue; there is no reliable (multiple user reported) evidence that the 2872 build could be made to work.  Personally, I took a first-generation, out-of-warranty 110 device out of storage and plugged it in.  It was already running 2872.  It was configured with two different valid/working Google Voice accounts, one on SP1 and the other on SP2.  SP1's Google account had an expired password, which I successfully updated.  SP2 worked out of the box.  So, both then worked briefly that evening, then both SPs failed the next morning, consistent with symptoms reported by others.  After updating to 2886, it worked.  That's all that matters to me.

The 100 series devices have an entirely different SoC (MIPS-based) and thus, different firmware, than the ARM-based 200 and 10x2 series devices.  I think it is reasonable to assume that Obihai made a mistake in either the 100-series device firmware or back-end systems that handle security for those particular devices.  Digital certificates have expiration dates.  OAUTH keys are periodically refreshed.  Something broke that procedure.  They fixed it.

This is the most plausible explanation I can offer, and yes, it is only my educated guess.  If you feel it's valuable and productive to come up with a different educated guess, you're welcome to it.

Obihai's treatment of firmware upgrades on in-warranty vs. out-of-warranty devices has always been vague, inconsistent, and poorly-implemented.  I don't think it's productive to try to reverse-engineer what happened with regard to a device being in-warranty or not.  As we've seen, out-of-warranty devices can be updated manually, and, this case was no different; as soon as the new firmware was released, everyone was able to update their devices, regardless of warranty status.

I have no reason to believe that there was any malice or conspiracy here; just a technical error.  If there had been some evil-doings, then a) the 100/110 devices would now be permanently bricked, which is most certainly not the case, and b) other evil things would have happened, such as bricking out-of-warranty 200 and 10x2 devices, which again, didn't happen.  Haven't you ever made some sort of error in your work?  Software companies discover f-ups every day, the hard way, in their code, when things like this happen.

Bottom line:  old news about Obihai's misleading and distracting "advertisement" to buy the $10 support upgrade, but no change in the ability to manually update the devices, once a newer build becomes available.

Several of us have directly complained to Obihai about this messy situation.  I've personally brought it up with Sherman.  I have no way, short of a Carl Ichan-style takeover, of controlling their behavior.

Quote from: SteveInWA on May 20, 2016, 11:45:20 PM

I'm not on the witness stand.

Didn't intend for you to feel like you were being cross examined. Obviously I draw a different conclusion from the available evidence than you do. It would be interesting to read the Release Notes for this firmware version if Obihai were ever to post them.

I'd like to cross-examine the witness.

Why cha you do it Steve? Why?

(http://cdn.indiewire.psdops.com/dims4/INDIEWIRE/aac45a7/2147483647/thumbnail/680x478/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fdl9fvu4r30qs1.cloudfront.net%2Fb5%2F30%2Ff7dc8b44450990db09d320b3928b%2Fdumb-and-dumber-to.jpg)

Where am I?

(http://cdn.newsbusters.org/images/2013/July/Carrey%20Crying.jpg)

Thank you everyone for your responses. I really appreciate it. There are several facts i can add to this discussion which might be of interest.
One: I habitually log into my Obi about every month or so at the most. This was a software update waiting that was not there prior to my last login, which i believe was actually only last week. Two: Last night, before my latest post on this board I tried dialing **x(whatever) someone said to do and it said "software unavailable". Three: I then downloaded Taoman's contributed link to the firmware upgrade and all of a sudden everything worked again. Auto firmware update has been disabled for years. The uptime on the obi box was about 10 days -- it had NOT been running continuously without upgrades when it went out of warrantee in 2013.

I provide this fact pattern b/c I want to be clear I also feel it was connected to my upgrade. Everything happened an a 30 hour period or so after that.

I appreciate Mango's point that this is a great device. And in fact I DO maintain a Callcentric account, as well as a landline. I work 4-5 hours a day on the phone.

But my point is my impression of Obi as a company has gone from a 10 to a 1.5 and is unlikely to recover because they have treated their happy customer base (for instance me just buying an extra one and putting it on a shelf!) with either a very stupid lazy aggravating manipulation to get money -- OR really really terrible QC of a firmware upgrade and in both cases *ZERO* communication. They can send me product announcements, but they can't send an email about paying $10?

That ain't right. Truly, there is no assurance that when we are next to log in to our devices - that Callcentric will not work without a $10 payment b/c of an unspecified security patch we cannot download without making a "contribution".

As I said earlier, I got no problem paying, but I do have a problem with a thug sticking gun in my back when I am in a great mood whistling just walking down the street.

And now the Obi200 in the box. When I open for the first time, it will it be out of warrantee? Stay tuned.

Thank you all SO much for your insights and input. This has been interesting and you all are very kind supporting this user base and folks like me.
-janice

Quote from: Taoman on May 20, 2016, 10:30:04 PM

Quote from: janice on May 20, 2016, 09:28:40 PM
Dear SteveInWA, so am I to understand that the fact i upgraded the firmware hours prior to this happening, was concidental -- then running into all these issues was b/c google changed it's authenticaton methods out of nowhere, and then the firmware posted by Taosman (sp) which repaired the current problem was Obi responding to the problem?

Steve is more trusting of Obihai than I am. It is my belief this whole incident happened because Obihai released a new version of firmware for the 1xx series. Those people with an OBi1xx series device out of warranty and also having a Google Voice configuration began having issues. I have an OBi110 but do not have a Google Voice configuration and I had no issues at all with my device even with the older firmware. A similar situation happened when a new version of the 2xx series firmware was released although it wasn't as severe as this one apparently was. When the new 20x series firmware was released it seemed to only affect those who were trying to change their password or GV configuration and their devices were out of warranty. It didn't actually make the devices stop working if I remember right.

I am not saying Obihai planned for this to happen in the manner it did. I have no proof of that. But I am saying there was no "fix" released by Obihai. Google did not suddenly change their authentication protocol and Obihai had to quickly fix something. If that were the case why didn't it affect any 20x devices and why did this incident only happen to 1xx devices that were out of warranty?

What happened is Obihai released a new version of firmware for the 1xx series and it inadvertently, or on purpose, caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. The only fix was to update to that new firmware.

Quote from: janice on May 21, 2016, 08:19:59 AMTruly, there is no assurance that when we are next to log in to our devices - that Callcentric will not work without a $10 payment b/c of an unspecified security patch we cannot download without making a "contribution".

If you disable OBiTALK Service, and only manually install firmware updates after they've been out a while, it is highly unlikely that the device would suddenly cease to function with Callcentric (barring outside issues like physical damage).  Nothing is impossible of course, but every widespread issue with OBi ATAs that I can think of has been caused by a firmware upgrade.  The SIP-based service providers don't require constant firmware upgrades.  Google Voice is a different animal due to it using a different protocol and authentication method.

Got it. And again, thanks for the education and the info. I didn't know - or at least think through about the engineering side of it. :)
-janice

If you disable OBiTALK Service, and only manually install firmware updates after they've been out a while, it is highly unlikely that the device would suddenly cease to function with Callcentric (barring outside issues like physical damage).  Nothing is impossible of course, but every widespread issue with OBi ATAs that I can think of has been caused by a firmware upgrade.  The SIP-based service providers don't require constant firmware upgrades.  Google Voice is a different animal due to it using a different protocol and authentication method.
[/quote]

Quote from: Taoman on May 18, 2016, 05:30:55 PM
Download the following new firmware version and install manually:

http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw (http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw)

Please report back if that fixed the problem.

I followed these directions and upgraded with no problem. Anyone have any ides how to update a remote device that is still connected to the network?

the pvkid

Looks like they figured out a way to really tighten the thumbscrews on folks with older Obi boxes now - as mine utterly refused to re-authorize today (right after getting a call).

Fortunately I was able to update it and all is well - for now - but these folks are NOT making any friends by continuing down their chosen path.

Quote from: pvkid on May 23, 2016, 10:25:43 AM
I followed these directions and upgraded with no problem. Anyone have any ides how to update a remote device that is still connected to the network?

the pvkid

Depends on how good the network connection is for the remote obi host.

I have tried ssh'ing into the router via satellite internet and from there running a tunnel to port 80 on the obi box. I have tried to access the call history but I found the satellite internet connection to be very janky. Sometimes it works and sometimes it hangs. I personally would not feel comfortable uploading a firmware update that way. It might be more reliable over a landline connection (DSL/cable/fiber/etc) and a SSH http tunnel to the obi host might be more feasible.

If the connection to the remote network is unreliable, it might be better to actually ssh into another host on the network and download the firmware there and see if you can do the update through a console browser like lynx. You could try running gnu screen so that if you get disconnected the update can continue.

Hope that helps

Yikes.  I went to make a call a couple hours ago only to be greeted with the voice message that I needed to reauthenticate Google Voice because of a password change, which wasn't correct, since nothing changed.  The Obitalk web site had disabled the Settings button so it would not let me attempt this.  I tried deleting the SP1 (which it let me do) only to discover it would not allow me to run Setup again, so SP1 was now not configured to anything.  And, I saw the ransom note at the top about the device being out of warranty... since February BTW and it had been working great so what's special about now I have no idea.   Yeah... no way am I paying that with the hope that it might fix the problem.  I also tried ***6 but it said no updates were available.

Thanks to this forum and DSLReports, the link posted to the firmware worked.  It works again.  But, I am extremely unimpressed.  If Obihai wishes to charge an additional fee for some kind of additional service on top of the base services that I paid for, I'm happy with that and would even consider paying depending on what it is.  But, bricking the device with no warning, giving me no useful info about what is actually wrong, not sending me any email about it or anything, and appearing to require sudden payment to make it all work again... well, I am very unpleased and will not be buying any more Obihai products in the future nor recommending them to anyone.

Quote from: ChuckInNH on May 24, 2016, 01:45:19 PM
Yikes.  I went to make a call a couple hours ago only to be greeted with the voice message that I needed to reauthenticate Google Voice because of a password change, which wasn't correct, since nothing changed.  The Obitalk web site had disabled the Settings button so it would not let me attempt this.  I tried deleting the SP1 (which it let me do) only to discover it would not allow me to run Setup again, so SP1 was now not configured to anything.  And, I saw the ransom note at the top about the device being out of warranty... since February BTW and it had been working great so what's special about now I have no idea.   Yeah... no way am I paying that with the hope that it might fix the problem.  I also tried ***6 but it said no updates were available.

Thanks to this forum and DSLReports, the link posted to the firmware worked.  It works again.  But, I am extremely unimpressed.  If Obihai wishes to charge an additional fee for some kind of additional service on top of the base services that I paid for, I'm happy with that and would even consider paying depending on what it is.  But, bricking the device with no warning, giving me no useful info about what is actually wrong, not sending me any email about it or anything, and appearing to require sudden payment to make it all work again... well, I am very unpleased and will not be buying any more Obihai products in the future nor recommending them to anyone.

Obihai fixed the issue immediately.  Yes, their communication skills blow, but you were able to get it working, for free.

I have 110 and have tried upgrading the firmware to 2886 but for some reason, this is not successful even after doing a hard reset.  It still shows the firmware as 2872.  I am trying to manual upgrade by logging into the device; the device is connected to my ISP's router; the computer is connected to the same router via wifi.  Am I doing something wrong?

We have no way to know what you are doing wrong.  It should simply work, if you follow the instructions.

• Download and save the .fw file from this link:  http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw (http://fw.obihai.com/OBi110-1-3-0-2886.fw)
• Pick up the phone attached to your OBi and dial ***1 and write down the IP address that it reads to you.
• Open a web browser to that address.
• Log into your OBi device.  The default username and password are both admin
• Click System Management-->Device Update-->Firmware Update-->Select file to update firmware.
• Browse to the file you downloaded and select it.
• Click the "Update" button.

I was finally able to get the 110 to accept the update.  Rather than using the ISP router, I connected the 110 and the computer to a separate router.  Undoubtedly one of the ports that was required was being blocked by the ISP router.

Hopefully this might help someone else as well.  And sorry about posting the same question in two different threads.

Instead of asking for $10 they should have pointed us to their official link for manual update:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0

They haven't even updated that yet; it still lists build 2872.

Quote from: valley_nomad on May 26, 2016, 04:56:07 PM
Instead of asking for $10 they should have pointed us to their official link for manual update:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0

Really, what a terrible underhanded scumbag move and company. Just leave you hanging thinking that you have to cough up $10 to continue using a device that I thought I owned with no mention that you can upgrade manually and how to do it.

Had to go searching around and waste time out of my day to get help from the good people on this forum. Thank you for that.

Shame on Obi, I have recommended them to several people wanting to cut the cord from their phone or cable company. Never again!

I manually updated my OBi110 from 2872 to 2886 from the local device (thanks for the instructions/link!).  I was able to register a GV account with the ObiTalk portal using the new version.  (SIP service on the second line never stopped or had an issue.)

I have a second OBi110 with 2824 that continues to chug along without issue on the same GV account.  This one did not need the update.


Regarding the future, the handling of this (unofficial?) upgrade/service fee does make me worry about ObiHai and the future of their SIP/GV devices.  I have purchased and manage a fleet of seven OBi (100, 110, 200, 202) ATAs.  I have recommended them to many people, and was looking to purchase a few more to help people understand the technology.  That said, I will keep recommending the devices, albeit with a strong caveat that free may only be for today.

The ones who are more nervous about 'free', I point to VoIP providers like CallCentric or voip.ms.

Quote from: joda on May 29, 2016, 12:02:44 PM
I manually updated my OBi110 from 2872 to 2886 from the local device (thanks for the instructions/link!).  I was able to register a GV account with the ObiTalk portal using the new version.  (SIP service on the second line never stopped or had an issue.)

I have a second OBi110 with 2824 that continues to chug along without issue on the same GV account.  This one did not need the update.


Regarding the future, the handling of this (unofficial?) upgrade/service fee does make me worry about ObiHai and the future of their SIP/GV devices.  I have purchased and manage a fleet of seven OBi (100, 110, 200, 202) ATAs.  I have recommended them to many people, and was looking to purchase a few more to help people understand the technology.  That said, I will keep recommending the devices, albeit with a strong caveat that free may only be for today.

The ones who are more nervous about 'free', I point to VoIP providers like CallCentric or voip.ms.

You've made some good points.  Nobody should ever assume that they are entitled to free telephone service, nor that any service will remain the same forever.  Many people are blinded by the lure of "free!" in Obihai's marketing material, and don't bother to research that Google Voice is not a "free telephone company".

Obihai is a separate company from Google, and it is piggybacking on Google's goodwill in letting OBi users access its service.  Obihai has no leverage to force Google to continue to support its products indefinitely.  The Google Voice team has no objection to OBi users accessing the service, as long as they use Google's approved authentication method.  Google Voice isn't going away, but Google certainly has the right to modify its own service over time, to meet its own design and support goals, and OBi users are a very tiny fraction of the overall Google Voice and Hangouts user population.

I just switched routers and my Obi100 first had backed up auth errors so I manually updated the FW from 2834 to 2886.  Now this wiped out my SP1 (Service not configured) and clicking the Google Voice Setup button returns a 'Instances full" response.  I click the Gear icon in SP1 and this allows me to reauthenticate and then I get a 'Configuration has updated successfully." on top of the OBItalk screen but the SP1 just keeps saying 'Configuring' and eventually times out with nothing configured to my GV account which works fine through regular online GV callback.

I find this whole thing frustrating and don't understand why the upgrade did NOT fix things for me.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Quote from: synchron on June 04, 2016, 12:33:25 PM
I just switched routers and my Obi100 first had backed up auth errors so I manually updated the FW from 2834 to 2886.  Now this wiped out my SP1 (Service not configured) and clicking the Google Voice Setup button returns a 'Instances full" response.  I click the Gear icon in SP1 and this allows me to reauthenticate and then I get a 'Configuration has updated successfully." on top of the OBItalk screen but the SP1 just keeps saying 'Configuring' and eventually times out with nothing configured to my GV account which works fine through regular online GV callback.

I find this whole thing frustrating and don't understand why the upgrade did NOT fix things for me.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear that.  The instructions below will sound like a PITA, but should only take about 10 minutes.

First, confirm that you did, indeed, update to the required firmware build.  Pick up the phone attached to the OBi and key ***0 then 1# and the last four digits read back to you should be 2886.  If not, you need to update the firmware per this thread.

Then, delete the OBi off of your OBiTALK dashboard.  Then, on the attached phone, key ***8 then 1 to factory reset it.  Wait a few minutes for it to finish.  Then, add the OBi back to your dashboard, using the **5 procedure.

Now, carefully follow my instructions, here, to configure Google Voice on your OBi:

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8560.msg56460#msg56460 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8560.msg56460#msg56460)

Thanks SteveInWA.

Good news:  That fixed it. (in 5 minutes)

Bad news:  It wiped out my SP2  which is another GV number going through sipsorcery.  Took me 30 minutes to refill everything out and correctly register.  Unfortunately that account hasn't been used in a while and I'm going through google auth errors with that too.  GV callback works though,

IMO, the fact that updating the firmware caused this glitch is unacceptable on Obi's part.  Things are not free as I spent most of the afternoon on this and very little getting my other devices up and running with the new router.

Thanks again for not having me to pay the $10 to Obi.  I owe you a beer. 

Firmware 2886 fixed my problem.  Just some more information:

1) Firmware 2872 apparently doesn't even try and send the login information, even though it says it fails.

I returned and booted up after vacation and found the Obi not working.  Among the things I tried was creating a new app password for the Obi since I use 2-factor authentication, and it has never been used.  I entered the app password on 192.168.x.x Obi page, saved and rebooted.  I suppose it is possible that the save and reboot didn't take.

2) Not all 100/110s have this problem.  My tech-unsavvy friend has an Obi 100 and it is still connected(it is listed on my ObiTalk portal) with firmware 2872.  I have made calls on this 100 since May 18.  Obvious differences from my own situation:

a) It is a 100, mine is 110.
b) It uses a GV account with no phone number associated(only used outbound).

Firmware updated fixed this problem. Thanks you guys of this thread. Shame on OBi. Why don't you just send me an email and ask for a contribution. I am just glad to give you $10 buck. I have an Obi100 LOL I don't remember when and it still works flawlessly unless somebody in Obi start messing with it.

This morning I found my phone not working.  I power cycled all devices, then opened OBI portal and saw Google backing off.  I had trouble with this several years ago and ended up creating a new google voice account to resolve, so I was happy to find this thread. Installed the firmware and within a minute it was back online.

Thank you.

Same as the folks above.  2 hours ago, realized i can't make a call to my bank with my 110.   2 hours later, fixed with the help of manually flashing to 2886.  i am a little pissed off as i waisted so much time on this and i am also not sure of OBihai did this on purpose w/out first letting us know or it is some weird system issue w/ google auth.  what is also weird is that many had the issue start on May 18 but for some of us, only this morning. 

also, who created FW 2886 and why was not deployed normally and why do i need to side load it?

My 2 Obi110 with Build 2824 are still working.

However, got the same error on my Obi200 running 3.0.1 (Build: 4350). All FW are pre-OAuth2.

Was working 4 hrs ago during my last call, then 1hr ago despite Obi reboots, Router Reboot, still getting Backing Off (3s):TCP connection to 125.208.194.173 failed


Suspect sometime today, OBi110 will start failing too. So, what's the latest Obi patched FW for the OBi200.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9983.msg73801#msg73801

Quote from: hapollo on June 14, 2016, 11:52:30 AM
My 2 Obi110 with Build 2824 are still working.

However, got the same error on my Obi200 running 3.0.1 (Build: 4350). All FW are pre-OAuth2.

Was working 4 hrs ago during my last call, then 1hr ago despite Obi reboots, Router Reboot, still getting Backing Off (3s):TCP connection to 125.208.194.173 failed


Suspect sometime today, OBi110 will start failing too. So, what's the latest Obi patched FW for the OBi200.

Software version level: 3.1.0 (Build: 5264)
http://fw.obihai.com/OBi202-3-1-0-5264.fw

Quote from: Mango on June 14, 2016, 11:54:41 AM
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9983.msg73801#msg73801

Quote from: GeorgeObi on June 14, 2016, 11:55:32 AM


Software version level: 3.1.0 (Build: 5264)
http://fw.obihai.com/OBi202-3-1-0-5264.fw

Thanks to both of you.

So, will this result in $10 ransomware from Obi or this is my only choice if I want to get my Obi200 working again having avoided post OAuth-2 for the longest time?

No, upgrading (manually) does not require paying $10.

Today is the first time people with pre-OAuth2 firmware have reported Google Voice problems.  So far you know as much as I do.

Personally, I'm not going to risk the upgrade - at least not on my primary ATA.

Ok, thanks. Does anyone know if these new FW prevent downgrading to lower FW once manually upgraded?

Since I can still receive calls, I'll use Hangouts for the time being for outgoing till I get a better handle on downgrade options.

Since only the 2 GV slots on the Obi200 are backing off while the other 2 SIP providers still work, I am pretty sure this is some roll out of GV/OBi authentication creating issues.

Edit: 1 hr after posting this. My 2 OBi110 have started backing off. Rollout is coming quickly!

You are right. What Obi is doing certainly will leave a bad taste in many people's mouths. Shameful!

Quote from: hapollo on June 14, 2016, 12:03:41 PM
Ok, thanks. Does anyone know if these new FW prevent downgrading to lower FW once manually upgraded?

Since I can still receive calls, I'll use Hangouts for the time being for outgoing till I get a better handle on downgrade options.

Since only the 2 GV slots on the Obi200 are backing off while the other 2 SIP providers still work, I am pretty sure this is some roll out of GV/OBi authentication creating issues.

Edit: 1 hr after posting this. My 2 OBi110 have started backing off. Rollout is coming quickly!

As of right now, there is no reported issue with OBi 200/202 devices experiencing Google authentication issues.

Make sure your OBi 20x device(s) are at 3.1.0 (Build: 5264) or higher.

Yeah, my OBI200 went down around noon and 2x OBI110 went down 2 hrs later.

All running Pre-OAuth- OBI200 3.0.1 (Build: 4350) and OBI110 1.3.0 (Build: 2824).

I suspect most OBI200s already running POST 4350 Builds.

Upgraded one OBi110 remotely to 2886 and not crazy about the Obitalk GV Portal so holding off on upgrading the other 2 for now.

Can still receive calls on OBi200 thru Callcentric and calls out through Hangouts for now.

Thinking of going the Simon Telephonics route if I can keep my 2324 and 4350 Builds for them.

Quote from: hapollo on June 14, 2016, 07:16:36 PM

Can still receive calls on OBi200 thru Callcentric and calls out through Hangouts for now.

Thinking of going the Simon Telephonics route if I can keep my 2324 and 4350 Builds for them.

No problem keeping those builds with Simonics gateway. It's just a standard SIP registration.

Only downside with the Simonics gateway (at least for me) is there is an approximate 2 second delay on incoming calls before the calling party can hear your voice after you answer. No way around this. So..............
I answer my GV calls on my Callcentric trunk which has zero detectable delay but still provides CNAM. But for outgoing calls I do go thru the Simonic's gateway.
This combination works great for me.

Edit: Just to be clear, the 2 second delay on incoming calls thru the Simonic's gateway is only for that initial 2 seconds after you answer the phone. After that there is no delay or latency detected when having a conversation.

Quote from: hapollo on June 14, 2016, 07:16:36 PM
Yeah, my OBI200 went down around noon and 2x OBI110 went down 2 hrs later.

All running Pre-OAuth- OBI200 3.0.1 (Build: 4350) and OBI110 1.3.0 (Build: 2824).

I suspect most OBI200s already running POST 4350 Builds.

Upgraded one OBi110 remotely to 2886 and not crazy about the Obitalk GV Portal so holding off on upgrading the other 2 for now.

Can still receive calls on OBi200 thru Callcentric and calls out through Hangouts for now.

Thinking of going the Simon Telephonics route if I can keep my 2324 and 4350 Builds for them.

Let's sum this up:  you created a spam-storm over the OBi 100/110 firmware update issue, which was already documented.   Now you are posting about your 200 issue.

You've created your own problem by refusing to use OAuth 2.0 authentication.

Yeah, that spam storm you call was to help you from having to rant and rave how the solution was posted over and over again in various threads and to save a few unsuspecting OBIs from paying the ransomware.

But you know what? Even now 10 hrs later, you're still having to reply to new threads asking about this and posting the same manual upgrade solution to those running OAuth 2.0 I can assure you, my 3 posts saved you from having to cut/paste your "spam" post at least a half dozen times. Majority were those running Post OAuth2-2372 builds, so I didn't create my own problem. The problem arose for ALL users. Pre and Post OAuth!

Instead of seeing as a way to alleviate you having to post that over and over, I posted 3x in sub-forums. That's spam?

One can argue each time you keep posting the same cut/paste solution, it is spam. How many times did you spam your "solution" today.  Ever think of that?

Tell you what. I have a life. I'll let you sit in front of your computer all day/night to answers all the questions going forward. I can see why others call you mean Steve and stop posting after a while after your abrasiveness.

Good-bye. Enjoy YOUR forum. You moderator wanna-be  ::)

 :) - Thanks it worked -- I actually had 2 - 110s - Both stop working over 1 year ago - One came back online after
a couple of days -- And Just today it went dead --- Ran the the manual update and your steps on the one the one that has been dead for 1 year and its back working -- Have not tried the other one yet -- One thing I noticed on the one I got working - It had all the original account info - but the Google Voice setup was missing -- on the device - just readded it and now its  working..

My 202 stopped working with Google Voice today. My Phone Power seems to be working. Strange thing is that I cannot access the obi through the IP address so I'm not sure if Google Voice is the issue.

I reset power multiple times. No change. I read part of this long thread but am unsure what to do since I have a 202 and they have not been impacted.

Quote from: B34N on June 23, 2016, 07:03:37 PM
My 202 stopped working with Google Voice today. My Phone Power seems to be working. Strange thing is that I cannot access the obi through the IP address so I'm not sure if Google Voice is the issue.

I reset power multiple times. No change. I read part of this long thread but am unsure what to do since I have a 202 and they have not been impacted.

Log onto your Google Voice account from a laptop/desktop computer's web browser, and go here:  https://www.google.com/voice#phones (https://www.google.com/voice#phones)

Confirm that you see the exact two words, "Your number" on the left side of the web page, and underneath it is, in fact, your inbound Google Voice number.  If so, then press Ctrl-T to open a new browser tab, and go to your OBiTALK dashboard page.  Click your device.  Click the SP that you are using for Google Voice, and delete it completely.  Now, click the SP again, and follow the instructions to set up Google Voice again.

Quote from: SteveInWA on June 23, 2016, 07:15:37 PM
Log onto your Google Voice account from a laptop/desktop computer's web browser, and go here:  https://www.google.com/voice#phones (https://www.google.com/voice#phones)

Confirm that you see the exact two words, "Your number" on the left side of the web page, and underneath it is, in fact, your inbound Google Voice number.  If so, then press Ctrl-T to open a new browser tab, and go to your OBiTALK dashboard page.  Click your device.  Click the SP that you are using for Google Voice, and delete it completely.  Now, click the SP again, and follow the instructions to set up Google Voice again.

Thank you SteveInWA. That worked perfectly. I did update allow WAN access and then updated my firmware first. I don't know if that was needed but I am now working.

Thanks for all of the detailed instructions. I am able to use my phone again!

I have a Model OBi202, and I received today a message: "no service configuration error"; I logged in and attempted to follow reconfigure instructions and deleted the SP1 for google voice; I get a message that the "devise may be out of date"; nothing is working.  I noticed that the warranty period has expired and I've even tried to buy the $10 service through Amazon and that doesn't even work.  Any advice on how I proceed ....

Quote from: LowTechUser on June 24, 2016, 05:52:47 PM
I have a Model OBi202, and I received today a message: "no service configuration error"; I logged in and attempted to follow reconfigure instructions and deleted the SP1 for google voice; I get a message that the "devise may be out of date"; nothing is working.  I noticed that the warranty period has expired and I've even tried to buy the $10 service through Amazon and that doesn't even work.  Any advice on how I proceed ....

Try ***6 from your OBi-connected phone and see if an update is available.

If that doesn't work, download and install the latest fw update manually thru the local web interface. ***1 will tell you the ip address to use to access the local gui. admin is the password for both fields when prompted. Download from here: fw.obihai.com/OBi202-3-1-0-5135.fw
(http://fw.obihai.com/OBi202-3-1-0-5135.fw)
Problems accessing the page to pay $10 thru Amazon for support are quite often browser related. Try using a different browser if you want to go that route.

Being a fone-freak for many years i loved any type of free calling. Unfortunately, now that I use GV for part of my business, I just pay the (*^%%) $ 10 so i can continue to have a great service that Obihai provides.
I payed and it started to work again immediately.  And besides, I get tech support. And I know that this company will be in business for the long run (I hope!! ;D )

The manual firmware update fixed the issue with my Obi110. It took maybe 15-20 min before the correct firmware version showed up on the dashboard (so I could re-add my device with google voice).

I tried updating the firmware.  I appears to load onto my Obi 100 and reboots it.  It still comes back flashing red and green alternately.  The only thing I can see in the web interface is the firmware update page.  The phone does nothing when off the hook.  Any ideas?

I've tried firmware 2824, 2853, 2868, 2872, and 2886.  It does the same thing.

Quote from: rectifier on August 10, 2016, 04:29:24 PM
I tried updating the firmware.  I appears to load onto my Obi 100 and reboots it.  It still comes back flashing red and green alternately.  The only thing I can see in the web interface is the firmware update page.  The phone does nothing when off the hook.  Any ideas?

I've tried firmware 2824, 2853, 2868, 2872, and 2886.  It does the same thing.

"He's dead, Jim."  See your cross-post here:

https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11350.msg75919#msg75919 (https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11350.msg75919#msg75919)

Is OBi100 completely out of service now? This past summer i upgraded to the latest firmware...

HardwareVersion   3.4   help
SoftwareVersion   1.3.0 (Build: 2886)

used the new OAuth service to connect to Google Voice. Suddenly now it stopped working. Tried factory reset, reboot and also the hard reset behind the device. Nothing works. Its still stuck at Configuring page and after 5,10 mins reports Error...

Anything i'm missing??

Quote from: My_VOIP on October 21, 2016, 08:14:39 AM
Is OBi100 completely out of service now? This past summer i upgraded to the latest firmware...

HardwareVersion   3.4   help
SoftwareVersion   1.3.0 (Build: 2886)

used the new OAuth service to connect to Google Voice. Suddenly now it stopped working. Tried factory reset, reboot and also the hard reset behind the device. Nothing works. Its still stuck at Configuring page and after 5,10 mins reports Error...

Anything i'm missing??

I'm still using an OBi110 and an OBi100, both working perfectly though I don't have GoogleVoice on either of them.

Use SteveInWA's instructions and follow them to the letter.http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11384.msg74892#msg74892

I too lost my GV service on my 110 about a week ago. Standard "Backing Off (XXXs): Authentication Error." message.  I had not changed my Google password, but this seems to happen from time to time.  (Google or ObiHai on another push to get people to buy a new device?)

I was trying to do the reset as instructed, but kept getting an error message.  I had deleted the device from my profile, re-added the machine using **50011, and started the Google Voice setup procedure.  I was logged into the correct Google account, but when I tried to complete the process I got a small pop-up stating "Cannot configure device. Please try again!"  I went a little more advanced, tried updating the network settings to include a public DNS (instead of my gateway router's IP).  Still no success.

I noticed someone else mention browser, so I thought I would give that a go.  I generally roll with Firefox, but when I want the "full experience" I use Internet Explorer.  I don't have AdBlock, NoScript, etc.. running on IE.  So I was using Internet Explorer but it was just not working.  So I jumped onto Google Chrome.  I had to temporarily disable ScriptSafe, turn off AdBlock and AdBlockPlus.  Once I logged into ObitTalk and tried to configure the device again, I finally had success.

So if you have been reading messages but haven't seen this issue addressed, make sure to give different browsers a try.  ObiTalk uses some scripts to link with Google in getting the GV account authorized.  Hopefully this note helps the handful of odd cases like myself who weren't seeing resolution from the standard reset instructions.

Thanks to forum members, especially SteveInWA, who patiently work to resolve users' issues
!  I have been enjoying "free" home phone service for 5+ years thanks to my ObiHai 110.  I keep wondering each time this happens (about once a year) if "this will be the time it finally dies".  Not this time.  I appreciate the efforts of those who help us make the most out of these devices.

Sounds like javascript being blocked on FF or Chrome would have been the culprit; I dunno why MSIE wouldn't work. 

I use Adblock Plus and Ghostery, and they don't interfere with Gmail or Google Voice, but most websites these days rely heavily on javascript.

Thanks for your post and kind words.

I have tried many times to update my firmware to the 1.3.0 (Build: 2886). After rebooting, the system continues to show firmware version of 1.3.0 (Build 2872) and I continue to not have GV set up.

Anyone with similar experience?

Quote from: ng2016 on November 30, 2016, 06:20:10 PM
I have tried many times to update my firmware to the 1.3.0 (Build: 2886). After rebooting, the system continues to show firmware version of 1.3.0 (Build 2872) and I continue to not have GV set up.

Anyone with similar experience?

Follow these instructions, exactly:  http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11384.0 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=11384.0)