OBiTALK Community

I wrote these instructions to help a friend and thought I'd share in case others might benefit. Some of this came from a post by @SteveInWA.

UPDATE 2019-09-08: Callcentric's previously "Free Phone Number" is now "Dollar Unlimited Phone Number" and costs $1/mo.

Google Voice provides free, unlimited calling, but does not support 911 or Caller Id Name. With this setup, calls coming into to your Google Voice number forward to your Callcentric number and then to the OBi to get Caller Id Name. Outbound 911 calls go through Callcentric, all other calls use Google Voice. You pay $1/mo (for phone number) + $1.50/mo (for 911 service) to Callcentric.

• 1. Sign up for Google Voice, OBiTalk, and configure Google Voice on the OBi - http://www.obihai.com/tutorial1
• 2. Update the OBi firmware - From the OBi-attached phone, dial ***6, 1  NOTE: In some cases, you may need to reconfigure Google Voice after updating the firmware
• 3. Make a test call from a different phone to your Google Voice number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings
• 4. Sign up for Callcentric's "Free Phone Number" (no longer Free, now $1/mo + $1.50/mo for optional 911 service) - http://www.callcentric.com/did/. The phone number you get will likely be a NY number, don't worry, it's only used for forwarding and doesn't need to be given out to callers. Enable CNAM - http://www.callcentric.com/faq/31#219
• 5. Configure Callcentric on the OBi - Log onto OBiTALK portal (http://www.obitalk.com/), click on the OBi device, add service provider (e.g. SP2), scroll to the bottom and select "OBiTALK Compatible Service Providers", select "Callcentric", enter your Callcentric account number and password, enable for 911
• 6. Make a test call from a different phone to your Callcentric number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings
• 7. Configure Google Voice to forward calls to your new Callcentric phone number - Log into your Google Voice account (http://voice.google.com/), and on the Settings page, add and verify your Callcentric phone (not account) number as a forwarding phone, place a check mark next to it and remove the check mark next to Google Chat
• 8. Make a test call from a different phone to your Google Voice number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings, and Caller Id Name works

NOTES:

• Steps 1-3 are for setting up the OBi with Google Voice
• Steps 4-8 are necessary if you want to use Callcentric for e911 and Caller ID Name
• Port your existing phone number to Google Voice - http://www.obihai.com/porttutorial
• Avoid paying OBihai's Premium Support fee by manually updating your firmware - http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0
• Distribute VoIP throughout your home - http://mi-telecom.org/distribute.html

Thank you very much!

One concern though - up until now I've been using the free gateway through https://simonics.com/gw/ for CNAM, but it has a delay where whenever I answer the phone, I have to wait for several seconds before I say "hello" or the person calling me won't hear me.  Its been getting really annoying, enough that I'm willing to pay Callcentric for their CNAM service if it means I don't have that delay any more.  So, my question is, if I use this technique will I still have that delay where I can't say "hello" right away?

Also, has anyone found any other workarounds for Caller ID names for incoming calls, like being able to forward the name Google Voice has in my address book or even manually entering common names and numbers into the Obi itself somehow?

I had the same problem with incoming calls thru the Simonics gateway. That initial delay is very annoying.

So I got a free Callcentric DID for incoming GV calls. There is no delay routing thru CC. An added bonus of using Callcentric for incoming calls is CNAM override (via their phonebook), call treatments, and two available layers of telespammer protection.

I still use the Simonics gateway for outgoing calls which continues to work well. And if you're short on SP slots you can just make Simonics into a Voice Gateway since it would be outbound only and you wouldn't need to register.

Quote from: Taoman on October 25, 2016, 12:53:27 PM
I had the same problem with incoming calls thru the Simonics gateway. That initial delay is very annoying.

So I got a free Callcentric DID for incoming GV calls. There is no delay routing thru CC. An added bonus of using Callcentric for incoming calls is CNAM override (via their phonebook), call treatments, and two available layers of telespammer protection.

I still use the Simonics gateway for outgoing calls which continues to work well. And if you're short on SP slots you can just make Simonics into a Voice Gateway since it would be outbound only and you wouldn't need to register.

Hi Taoman. How do you configure GV through Simonics as a voice gateway for outbound only without registering with Simonics? Is it like a SIP configuration that can be done with any SIP capable device (like a softphone)?

Quote from: LTN1 on October 25, 2016, 03:47:18 PM
Hi Taoman. How do you configure GV through Simonics as a voice gateway for outbound only without registering with Simonics? Is it like a SIP configuration that can be done with any SIP capable device (like a softphone)?

You would create a VG just as you would with any other voice gateway. The Simonics SIP server just requires basic authentication for outgoing calls.

AccessNumber:             SP1(gvgw.simonics.com)
AuthUserID:                 Simonics SIP login
AuthPassword:             Simonics SIP password

This assumes SP1 is a configured SIP trunk (dummy or real) and the Simonics gateway is configured and authenticated to your GV account. I have this configured on 3 different OBi devices. Works flawlessly. I put it in a trunk group and make it my default outbound route along with my failover routes.

Thanks, Taoman. Too bad about the delay for incoming call...otherwise, it would be a great asset for SIP devices.

I know this is old post but really useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks

Quote from: scadaguru on September 22, 2017, 07:45:00 PM
I know this is old post but really useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks

Use the corresponding features on your Google Voice account, not your Callcentric account.  Google Voice rings all forwarding phone numbers simultaneously, and it has its own spam blocking feature.

Quote from: SteveInWA on September 23, 2017, 06:29:22 PM

Quote from: scadaguru on September 22, 2017, 07:45:00 PM
I know this is old post but really useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks

Use the corresponding features on your Google Voice account, not your Callcentric account.  Google Voice rings all forwarding phone numbers simultaneously, and it has its own spam blocking feature.

Perfect,
I will do that.

I just got my Obi200 this weekend and have never set up a voip box before.  I setup an account with callcentric and got a free NY phone number.  I cannot figure out how to add the NY number to my google voice account.  I also cannot find how to uncheck google chat - it is not there.  Do I need to disconnect google hangouts?  I figured out the first few steps of this tutorial but now I am completely stumped.  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Quote from: bigdaddy4 on October 14, 2017, 07:07:45 PM
I just got my Obi200 this weekend and have never set up a voip box before.  I setup an account with callcentric and got a free NY phone number.  I cannot figure out how to add the NY number to my google voice account.  I also cannot find how to uncheck google chat - it is not there.  Do I need to disconnect google hangouts?  I figured out the first few steps of this tutorial but now I am completely stumped.  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Log onto your Google/Gmail account on a desktop or laptop computer's web browser, not on a mobile phone or tablet, and go to the Google Voice web site  https://voice.google.com/calls (https://voice.google.com/calls)

Click the three horizontal "hamburger" menu icon at the upper left corner, scroll down and click "Legacy Google Voice".  Click the gear icon in the upper right corner to get to Settings.

Remove the check mark from Chat, and add and verify your Callcentric phone number, and put a check mark to the left of it.

Thank you for writing back so quickly.  I just discovered that legacy google voice line but had no idea what that was. When I went to that page, it asked me if I want to try the New google voice.  Should I give it a shot? Thanks

Currently, there are two different versions of the web UI:  the original one, now called the "Legacy" UI, and the new one.

Google is gradually adding features and settings from the old UI, to the new UI.  They're not close to being finished.  There is a small team of software developers working on it, and since tens of millions of users are involved, things tend to get done in a slow, cautious process, to limit consequences of potential mistakes. 

The old UI will not be removed until the new UI is at "feature parity", meaning, it has all of the currently-supported features and settings found in the legacy UI.  Billing features were recently added to the new UI, for example, and voicemail management settings will be added soon.

So:  use whichever UI meets your needs; settings made in one will be reflected in the other.  You may eventually find that you will be automatically redirected to the new UI, if the setting or feature is supported there.

Thank you for your help.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this topic and got me up and running with Google Voice and CallCentric. I'm especially thrilled to have free voice, and e911 with VOIP.

I'm stuck trying to get Caller ID to work. I followed the steps:
Went to GV Legacy
Went to Settings
un-checked Google chat
clicked on Add Another Phone
entered:
Name: CallCentric
Number: the CallCentric # from my CallCentric Dashboard
Phone Type: Home
Text Settings: unchecked box
When I clicked on Save, I got "The forwarding number is invalid."

My CallCentric Dashboard shows that 911 Service is Active on my account, and also shows the calls that I made and received that confirmed my active services.

I welcome any further questions. I hope that answers to this question might help others.

Thank you for any suggestions that you offer.

Quote from: WeaverGrace on December 03, 2017, 10:21:55 AM
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this topic and got me up and running with Google Voice and CallCentric. I'm especially thrilled to have free voice, and e911 with VOIP.

I'm stuck trying to get Caller ID to work. I followed the steps:
Went to GV Legacy
Went to Settings
un-checked Google chat
clicked on Add Another Phone
entered:
Name: CallCentric
Number: the CallCentric # from my CallCentric Dashboard
Phone Type: Home
Text Settings: unchecked box
When I clicked on Save, I got "The forwarding number is invalid."

My CallCentric Dashboard shows that 911 Service is Active on my account, and also shows the calls that I made and received that confirmed my active services.

I welcome any further questions. I hope that answers to this question might help others.

Thank you for any suggestions that you offer.

Let me guess:  you entered your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number as a forwarding number.   No, you can't do that.  The 1777 number id not a real PSTN telephone number.   It's your Callcentric account number, and it can be used for calls between two Callcentric numbers via SIP VoIP.  You need to get an inbound telephone number from Callcentric (known in the telco industry as a DID number).  Callcentric has free NY State numbers, or you can get a local number for a small fee. Forward your Google Voice calls to that number.

Steve, you guessed precisely. Thank you! I'll have to figure out how to get another number...

[a few minutes later]

Done! Thank you so much!

[now waiting for a call from anyone whom I didn't program into my phone so I can test the caller ID...will let you know]

Say, thanks for the great tutorial.

I've been using google voice with my OBI for a couple of years now and surely missed caller id and since my Anveo 911 was due up thought I'd try this.

Worked out great, thanks again.

Quote from: differentflies on January 16, 2018, 02:27:09 PM

Quote from: SteveInWA on December 03, 2017, 01:59:11 PM

Let me guess:  you entered your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number as a forwarding number.   No, you can't do that.  The 1777 number id not a real PSTN telephone number.   It's your Callcentric account number, and it can be used for calls between two Callcentric numbers via SIP VoIP.  You need to get an inbound telephone number from Callcentric (known in the telco industry as a DID number).  Callcentric has free NY State numbers, or you can get a local number for a small fee. Forward your Google Voice calls to that number.

Newbie here... I just signed up for a free NY number from Callcentric. Where/How the heck do I find the actual phone number to use in my GV call forwarding settings?! Been poking around the Callcentric site for an embarrassingly long time now...
[/quote]

Don't feel embarrassed.  It's not very clear to the novice user.

Callcentric is one of many Internet Telephone Service Providers (ITSPs) who provide VoIP telephone service, including pure VoIP<-->VoIP calling (in their case, using their private 1-777 numbers), and by issuing real 10-digit phone numbers.

You need to sign up with them for an actual phone number.  They offer free inbound telephone numbers (known as Direct Inward Dial or DID numbers in the telecom world) in NY state area codes.  Since they are a regulated telephone carrier, they own blocks of numbers, and offer some of them for free, to encourage use of their other (paid) services.  Like other ITSPs, they also offer DIDs throughout the US and other countries, at a monthly fee.

Once you sign up for a NY DID, you then assign a SIP password to that DID on their web dashboard.  The DID becomes an "extension" on your Callcentric account.  You then configure a SP (SP1--SP4) on your OBi device to register to your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number and the SIP password you assigned earlier.

You should also sign up for their 911 service, which has a $1.50/month fee.  If you use the OBiTALK portal to set up Callcentric, then you can also configure it to be the SP that is automatically used when you dial 911.

Thanks for this tutorial.  I did all 8 steps and it works.  I did notice my incoming call ring is a double ring instead of ring profile type 1(single ring).  I went into the expert settings and made sure the ring type is 1 for both sp1(GV), and sp2(call centric).  Is there a way to get all my incoming calls on obi200 to ring single ring type 1 again?

Quote from: Mrkeja on February 17, 2018, 08:20:01 PM
Thanks for this tutorial.  I did all 8 steps and it works.  I did notice my incoming call ring is a double ring instead of ring profile type 1(single ring).  I went into the expert settings and made sure the ring type is 1 for both sp1(GV), and sp2(call centric).  Is there a way to get all my incoming calls on obi200 to ring single ring type 1 again?

Check that the RingProfile is set to A.

Yes that fixed it!
The SP2 ring profile was set default to B.
I set it to A and now it's back to the normal ring!

Thanks so much!

These are really helpful posts, especially the tutorial from Dwestall. I was able to follow it and set up Callcentric E911 service with my ObiTalk 200. My SP1 is GV. Now when I call 933 to verify the service, the voice echoes my address correctly. But it tells me that I called from 1-631-909-****. I don't recognize this number. It's neither my GV number, nor CC number. However, when I call this number from another phone, the phone connected to ObiTalk rings. I expect it tells me that I called from my GV number.

Do any one know what this 1-631-909-**** number is? Is this expected or have I missed any setting?

Thank you in advance.

Quote from: GaryYang on March 06, 2018, 10:05:42 AM
These are really helpful posts, especially the tutorial from Dwestall. I was able to follow it and set up Callcentric E911 service with my ObiTalk 200. My SP1 is GV. Now when I call 933 to verify the service, the voice echoes my address correctly. But it tells me that I called from 1-631-909-****. I don't recognize this number. It's neither my GV number, nor CC number. However, when I call this number from another phone, the phone connected to ObiTalk rings. I expect it tells me that I called from my GV number.

Do any one know what this 1-631-909-**** number is? Is this expected or have I missed any setting?

Thank you in advance.

Read the question by LAZARUS and the answer with explanation by SteveInWA. https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5109.msg84944#msg84944

Thanks a lot drgeoff!!! I answered my question. I responded with a follow-up question as shown here:

"I am using Callcentric's E911 + GV. I noticed that the number read out by 933 test is not always reachable. It's only reachable for a while after I call 933. Do you know how long it remains reachable after 911 call? This is important too."

Do you know the duration that the call back number remains available?

Please don't cross-post the same question in multiple places.

I've just tried this, seems like the monthly cost will be at least $2.50 now since apparently they no longer give out a free number. Wish I'd known that before paying to set up the account, which is why I'm posting it here...

best

You don't need the inbound number, as long as you can skip CNAM.  Just pay for the E911.  And, seriously, is $1.50 per month too much to afford? 

Hi. I just discovered that on my own, after hours of poking around and a service ticket with callcentric, and was coming back here to correct my post.

The reason I THOUGHT it was necessary to have a number are the steps 7 and 8 in your otherwise-excellent tutorial, which specifically talk about needing to enter and test it. Might want to edit that so other newbies - people who have no idea what a CNAM is - don't make the same conceptual error.

My E911 is now working, and - as you say - a good deal at $1.50/mo

thanks

Quote from: kealolo on January 06, 2019, 01:00:55 PM
Hi. I just discovered that on my own, after hours of poking around and a service ticket with callcentric, and was coming back here to correct my post.

The reason I THOUGHT it was necessary to have a number are the steps 7 and 8 in your otherwise-excellent tutorial, which specifically talk about needing to enter and test it. Might want to edit that so other newbies - people who have no idea what a CNAM is - don't make the same conceptual error.

My E911 is now working, and - as you say - a good deal at $1.50/mo

thanks

I have been searching for this exact situation on the web.  I am planning to pull the trigger on getting obihai and callcentric but since they don't have the free number anymore all i saw was the plans they have which i thought i would have to fork out $3 a month.

I have no idea what CNAM is but i am going to look into it now. I just want to make it clear that once i purchase and setup my obihai with google voice, there will be an option for me to select $1.50 a month just for e911?  I am registered on callcentric right now and I cant seem to find this pricing anywhere lol.

I am wrong, could you assist me on what exactly to do to get that pricing just for e911? 

Thank you

Callcentric's website is confusing at first.  They sell inbound calling and outbound calling separately.  Since 911 service is outbound, you need to sign up for outbound calling at the per-minute (pay as you go) rate.  Once you do that, you can select 911 service for $1.50/month.

Quote from: SteveInWA on January 13, 2019, 01:21:27 PM
Callcentric's website is confusing at first.  They sell inbound calling and outbound calling separately.  Since 911 service is outbound, you need to sign up for outbound calling at the per-minute (pay as you go) rate.  Once you do that, you can select 911 service for $1.50/month.

Thank you for clarifying that.   Do you know why its asking to add funds to balance when i select pay per use?  it automatically sets it to $5.  im assuming this balance would be used for the 911 fee?  Thank you

They don't offer "use first; pay later".  It's prepaid, just like a prepaid cell phone plan.  Yes, the funds will pay all CC costs/fees.

Need some help...

I followed the updated step-by-step instruction by dwestall (the very first post in this thread) to set up my obi200 with Google Voice and Callcentric.  Along the process, test calls (step #3 and #6) per dwestall's recommendation were made successfully.  Then I added Callcentric phone number into GV (step 7) for forwarding.  I could not find any box for Google Chat as mentioned, however.  

Here is the issue:  My test call (Step 8 ) went into a message after 1 ring.  The setup at Callcentric is supposed to send calls to voice mail after 25 seconds (5-6 rings).   I do not have any call treatments in Callcentric.  

The call was received according to Callcentric call history as well as Google Voice call history.  

I would appreciate experts' insight to solve this puzzle.  Thanks in advance.

Those instructions are old, and outdated, so I am not sure that you have an actual problem, or if you are simply experiencing an expected failure.

Big picture:  you need to accomplish these steps, in order:

• Sign up for a Google Voice inbound phone number, using a Gmail account.
• Add an OBiTALK device to your OBiTALK device configuration portal:  http://www.obitalk.com/obinet/pg/obhdev (http://www.obitalk.com/obinet/pg/obhdev)
• Follow the prompts to configure Google Voice on that device's SP1
• You should now be able to make outbound calls and receive inbound calls using that Google Voice phone number and your OBiTALK device.  Does that work?  If not, don't proceed with any further steps.
• If it does work then obtain a phone number from Callcentric and then follow the steps to add it as SP2 on your OBiTALK dashboard
• Next, add that phone number to your Google Voice configuration page and remove the check mark to the left of the "OBiTALK Device" entry.  The goal here is to forward inbound calls to the Callcentric phone number instead of to the OBiTALK SIP client.
• Test it.

Hi, SteveInWA - 

Thank you very much for responding to my message.  Of the steps you suggested, bullets 1 through 5 were performed previously with successful test calls.  The Callcentric phone number was added to GV as a linked number.  Based on your Bullet 6, I just now unchecked the box to the left of the "OBiTALK Device" via the legacy GV setting.   

Then, I made a test call to the GV phone number.  Still, it went to the voice message after 1 ring.  Call history of both GV and Callcentric did log in the incoming call. 

Would appreciate any further advice. 

First, stop using the Legacy user interface.  Use the current UI, here:  https://voice.google.com/settings (https://voice.google.com/settings)

Second:  reverse the settings on the Google Voice settings page:  disable forwarding to the Callcentric number, and enable forwarding to the OBiTALK device.  Call the Google Voice number from some other, unrelated telephone number.  Your call should ring several times on the OBi-attached phone, and you should be able to answer that call.  What happens?

Under Incoming Calls on GV settings, three are listed as My Devices: Web, ObiTalk Device, Android, of which only the ObiTalk Device is enabled.  For call forwarding, only Callcentric number was listed but is now disabled.  The test call still just rang once and went to voice message.  

I should add: the call history of both GV and Callcentric has logged the call.  Given that I already disabled forwarding to Callcentric from GV, it's interesting that Callcentric would have the incoming call.  I assume this has to do with Callcentric being registered with the Obi200?

Update: A call just came in with 2 rings and then disconnected itself.  The call history of GV has this incoming call.  However, the call history of Callcentric does not have it.  This is different than the test call I made earlier.  So, I made a test call (from my cell) again.  As before, after one ring the recording came up.  This call is registered into the call history of both GV and CC. 

That makes no sense whatsoever.  IF you disable forwarding to the Callcentric number, then Callcentric should not be receiving the call, nor should it have any log of that call.

You are doing something wrong, but it's so borked-up that I can't tell from this end.

Start over.  Delete (de-link) the Callcentric number completely off of the Google Voice settings page.  Delete the SPx configuration for Google Voice on your OBiTALK dashboard.  Delete the OBiTALK entry off of Google Voice settings.

Unplug the OBiTALK device.

Link a real, 10-digit US telephone number to the Google Voice configuration.  Call the Google Voice number from some other phone number that is NOT a linked number.  The expected behavior is that your call will ring on the linked phone number, for about 25 seconds, until you answer it on that linked phone number.

Does this work?

Following your advice, I took the steps below in sequence:

1.  Delete Callcentric completely off Google Voice
2.  Delete SP1 configuration for Google Voice off ObiTALK (so Callcentric remains as SP2)
3.  Delete the OBiTALK entry off of Google Voice (so Web and Android Device remain as my devices)
4.  Unplug the OBiTalk device (without replugging in)
5.  Like a real 10-digit US phone number to Google Voice
6.  Call Google Voice from a different phone

Result: As expected, the test call rang 5 times on the linked phone number. 

What should I do next?  Thanks!

Good.  That means your Google Voice phone number is working as expected.  So, something was wrong with your OBiTALK setup.

Delete the OBiTALK device completely off of your OBiTALK dashboard.  Double-check that its SIP entry has been removed from your Google Voice account.

After deleting the device, wait a few minutes, then pick up the attached phone and key in ***8 to restore the device to factory defaults.  This will take some time, so wait until the power light stops blinking.  Power-cycle the device.

Go back to the OBiTALK dashboard and follow the **5 xxxx steps to re-add the device, then configure it to the correct Gmail account for Google Voice.

Did that configuration process complete, such that the SP1 status now shows "Connected"?  If not stop and reply.

If so, then make a test phone call from the OBi-attached phone to some other unrelated telephone number, not another Google Voice number.  Does that call work?  If so, then call the Google Voice number from that phone number.  What happens?

The following steps were taken in sequence:

1.  Check Google Voice that OBiTALK is removed
2.  Delete OBi200 from OBiTALK (so that the only thing remaining on the Dashboard under My OBi devices is a Softphone)
3.  Replug the power into Obi200; after a while the left green light becomes steady, the middle green light brinks constantly; the right light is off.   
4.  Press ***8 and then press 1 to confirm factory default.  After a while of silence and occasional clickings, the line's dialing tone retunes.  I then hang up the phone.
                  (At this point, Softphone is still the only device on the OBiTALK Dashboard.)
5.  Add device with **5 xxxx and confirm my Gmail Account.  After a while, the Dashboard indicates that Google Voice is connected as SP1.
6.  Test call from OBi-attached phone to an unrelated number.  The call was successful.
7.  Test call to Google Voice number from the unrelated number.  The call was also successful.

So, all steps went through without hiccups.  Thanks.  I would really appreciate if you could lead me through integrating my Callcentric account into this set up. 

Great.  So, now it is working properly with Google Voice.

There are two reasons to also use Callcentric:  Caller ID name (CNAM) and E911.  CNAM really isn't that useful any more.  There are so many robocalls with spoofed caller ID numbers, that the names are meaningless.  But, if you insist, then do this:

Assumptions:  you already have a Callcentric account, with a Callcentric number (e.g. 17771234567).  CC sells inbound calling and outbound calling separately.  For CNAM, you need to obtain an inbound phone number from them (known as a "DID").  This can be one of their $1/month NY State numbers, which have unlimited inbound calling.  For E911, you need to subscribe to outbound calling.  I suggest signing up for their North America Basic plan:  https://www.callcentric.com/rate/plans/north_america_basic/ (https://www.callcentric.com/rate/plans/north_america_basic/), which provides both E911 and some outbound calling minutes just in case you need them.

Set up the DID number on Callcentric's dashboard, as an extension, on the "Extensions" page.  You'll need to add a SIP password, which is not necessarily the same as the CC account password. Go to the "Preferences" section and click on the Voicemail tab, then click edit.  Change the ring period to 30 seconds.

Click on the SP2 configuration slot on the OBiTALK dashboard.  On the next page, decline the offer to set up Google Voice on this SP.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "OBiTALK compatible service providers" link.  On the next page, fill in your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number and SIP password and submit.  Wait, and then SP2 should say "Registered".  Test inbound calling and outbound calling to and from that number to some unrelated phone number.  Fill in the E911 information and submit.

Does the CC DID number properly make and answer calls now?  If not, stop and reply.  If so,

Go to the Google Voice settings page and add your CC DID number as a linked number and enable it to ring on inbound calls.  Toggle off the ringing to the OBiTALK device.   Test it.  You're done.

Per your advices, I took the following steps in sequence:

1.  Use the Callcentric default extension 100 for the account and add a SIP password.
2.  On Preference page, click on the Voicemail and change the ring period to 30 seconds
3.  Click SP2 at OBiTALK, instead of setting up Google Voice, click Next for OBiTALK compatible service providers; click "Callcentric"
4.  Fill in 1777xxxxxxx and password, and submit.  Voicemail box is checked, Phone 1 for incoming calls to ring is checked
5.  SP2 now is registered with Callcentric
6.  Test inbound call from an unrelated number.  - Success
7   Test outbound call to an unrelated number -  Success
8   Check the box for 911 and submit
9.  Add CC phone number as a linked number at GV; inbound calls enabled. 
10  Disable rings to OBiTALK device
11  Test inbound call from an unrelated number - failed, it went to a message after 1 ring[/b]
12  Test outbound call to an unrelated number - success

So, there is still a problem.  Any insight?

WHAT message, exactly, are you hearing after one ring?

The message:  

"The person your are trying to reach is currently not available.  Please leave a message after the tone. ...."

I also received an email notification from Callcentric about having a message. 

That's the Google Voice system default greeting, so your call is getting forwarded to Callcentric, and Callcentric is somehow rejecting the call.  I can't help you with that; perhaps they can.  At minimum, you should look at the Callcentric calls log and confirm that the call is received, and perhaps there will be a clue as to how it is then handled on their side.

...and, I hope you did not try to set up any call forwarding rules on your Callcentric account.  There needs to be a call treatment that rings your default extension for up to 30 seconds (I actually use 25 seconds, but 30 is safer), then drop to Callcentric voicemail.  See my screenshot attached.

The failed test calls indeed were captured in call history by Callcentric.  

The Callcentric setup is the most basic as there is no call treatment besides the default which directs calls to one destination: the default extension 100.  

I sought help from Callcentric a couple of days ago to no avail.  They asked me to do a few things, including the delete/add, unplug/replug, etc as you had done with me.  Eventually, the guy told me everything functions the way they expected on their end and suspected that something might have gone wrong on the OBiTALK side, or even possibly a hardware issue with OBi200.  That's why I turned to this Forum for some help.  

I am at the point of dropping Callcentric all together as this seems going no where, but I really like its call treatments feature and the E911.

Any further thoughts from you would be greatly appreciated.  

I'd recommend not using the inbound call forwarding to a CC DID.  Just use Google Voice directly.  You can still use CC for E911, though - those are separate functions.

When you configure SP2 to use your CC credentials, click the box to use that SP for 911 service.  That modifies the digit map such that, when you key in 911, the OBi will route the outbound all to SP2 instead of to SP1.

Thank you greatly for your expertise, spending time and being patient with me! 

You're welcome.  You may want to create a call treatment like mine (although mine shows it forwarding to multiple different CC extensions, which you can ignore and just use your default extension, 100.

You may also get a clue by looking carefully at the full call log (https://my.callcentric.com/call_history.php (https://my.callcentric.com/call_history.php))  to see if the call is being answered, and also look at the call log for the OBiTALK device on it's local web user interface (the local IP address), to see if it shows any sort of error status code.

Hi SteveInWA - I am back with information from Callcentric and a look at call history of OBiTALK.  Perhaps you can decode the mystery?  First, some background behind my exchanges with Callcentric might be useful:

Two categories of calls were checked:

Category 1.  Calls that are sent to voice mails after 1 ring: may be just a coincidence, but these calls happened to be from my own cell and people I recognize.  
Category 2.  Calls that are sent to voice mails after about 5 rings:  they are numbers that I do not recognize.  Some of them left a voice message with Callcentric and some with Google Voice.  

Response from Callcentric based on their investigation, in summary -

1.  For category 1 - calls were "terminated" by either Google Voice or their underlying carriers for a lack of "200" ok (whatever this meant I do not understand).  I quote "your OBi200 issued an immediate 486 Busy Here then our system forwarded the call to your Callcentric Voicemail"

2.  For category 2 - calls were handled by (I quote) "your OBi200 issued a 180 Ringing at .8 secs and after 30 seconds our system forwarded to Voicemail".  They did not explain why some has recording with CC while others with GV.  

So, in a nutshell, Callcentric was basically saying it handled calls properly.  

As to the call history of my OBi200, one interesting pattern is that

1.  For the category 1 calls, it indicates that calls are from SP1 (GV) to PH1
2.  For the category 2 calls, it indicates that calls are from SP2 (CC) to PH1

I could only imagine that the category 2 calls were made by robot callers directly into my Callcentric number which I supposed was not publice anywhere. 

I hope these might shed more light for you to help me solve this mystery.  Thanks again.  

Sorry, but I can't make any sense out of your post.  There is too much ambiguity around forwarding to "voicemail" -- Google Voice voicemail vs. Callcentric voicemail.

Generally speaking, and ignoring Callcentric:  by design, if you link a mobile phone number as a forwarding number, and you call your Google Voice number from that linked number, your call will go directly to your Google Voicemail system, where you would enter your voicemail PIN to listen to messages.

Also by design:  if you have multiple forwarding numbers linked, and one of those numbers is busy or powered off, its own voicemail will grab the calls after one ring.

So, you have some sort of configuration error, but I give up.  I can't offer any further assistance.

I understand the non-sensible part of my issue as I have been frustrated.  Perhaps you could allow my one more question on the following OBiTALK expert setting.  

Under Voice Services -> SP1, there are these parameters and values (in parentheses) that I do not know what exactly they do.  My question is - could any of them dictate how long an incoming call forwarded from GV (SP1) will ring?

- X_KeepAliveExpires (15)
- X_DefaultRing (1)
- X_CallOnHoldRing (8 )
- X_RepeatDialRing (5)
- X_BargeInRing (4)
- X_CallParkedRing (10)

Thanks.

I should add SP2 for Callcentric has the same setting as SP1.

NO expert-mode settings changes are necessary for the proper operation of Google Voice nor of Callcentric, nor when forwarding GV to CC.

Quote from: ThomasL on September 21, 2019, 10:35:19 AM

1.  For the category 1 calls, it indicates that calls are from SP1 (GV) to PH1
2.  For the category 2 calls, it indicates that calls are from SP2 (CC) to PH1

I could only imagine that the category 2 calls were made by robot callers directly into my Callcentric number which I supposed was not publice anywhere. 

You said you enabled incoming GV calls to Callcentric (SP2) and you disabled incoming GV calls to your OBiTALK device (SP1). Is that correct? How exactly did you do that?

If so, you shouldn't be getting any incoming calls to SP1 but you apparently are but from "people you recognize." Does this mean all those callers have Google Contacts? If so, then just unchecking the box in front of your OBiTALK device will not uncheck it for all those callers in your Contacts.

If you want all your incoming GV calls to be forwarded to your Callcentric line (SP2) the easiest way (at this point) would be to just block all incoming calls to SP1 using {} in your X_InboundCallRoute.
In OBi Expert:
Navigate to Voice Services-->SP1 Service-->X_InboundCallRoute and uncheck both boxes to the right of the field. Then change the field to be {} instead of ph and save your settings.
Make some test calls (including from your Contacts) and report back your results.

To confirm whether the calls to your Callcentric line were direct "robot calls" check your Callcentric call log with your GV call history. Do the Callcentric calls also show up in your GV call history?

For some reason caller name sometimes works with Call Centric other times it just says unknown name. Like previous posts I didn't  really get much support from Call Centric in this regard . In fact it has been several hours now with no reply .

Anybody have a solution to this problem ?
I have used them for years with out a problem but I accidentally deleted their number and had to go and reconfigure it again and nowise hit or miss with caller id with name

Thanks

I just received a telephone call from cal Centric . Of course they hung on me. I went to the message board and they stated that they made a call and the call was successfully forwarded to me. But once again it says unknown number .

Quote from: scadaguru on September 22, 2017, 07:45:00 PM
I know this is old post but r  Bluestacks (https://bluestacks.vip/) Lucky Patcher (https://luckypatcher.pro/) Kodi (https://kodi.software/) eally useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks

Google Voice provides free, unlimited calling, but does not support 911 or Caller Id Name. With this setup, calls coming into to your Google Voice number forward to your Callcentric number and then to the OBi to get Caller Id Name. Outbound 911 calls go through Callcentric, all other calls use Google Voice. You pay $1/mo (for phone number) + $1.50/mo (for 911 service) to Callcentric.

They are being forwarded to call centric as I said but when my phone rings it says unknown number.

Quote from: Kate on October 08, 2019, 09:06:53 PM
They are being forwarded to call centric as I said but when my phone rings it says unknown number.

What does your Callcentric phone history say? When a call comes in that says "unknown" what does it say in your Callcentric call history report?

Quote from: ThomasL on September 18, 2019, 12:15:51 PM
Need some help...

Here is the issue:  My test call (Step 8 ) went into a message after 1 ring.  The setup at Callcentric is supposed to send calls to voice mail after 25 seconds (5-6 rings).   I do not have any call treatments in Callcentric.  

The call was received according to Callcentric call history as well as Google Voice call history.  

I am having the same issue. For me, when I call my GV number, sometimes I hear ringback tones, but the Obi doesn't ring, or rings only once or twice before going to GV voicemail. Many of our calls are not ringing through and going to Google voicemail, even though they show up on the CC call log. It seems to have started around the same time as ThomasL's post above.

I created a similar post here: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=16253.0. I have had GV->CC setup for CNAM and e911 for more than three years. I prefer to have GV forward to CC to get the Caller Name information that Google Voice doesn't provide. In general it has been working well, with only one time (Feb 2017) where I recall having a similar issue with delays in the phone ringing.

I contacted CallCentric and provided the timestamp of a couple of test calls. They told me that for one of the calls where I didn't hear the phone ring (GV->CC), that the Obi did not respond to the "invite". When I called the CC number directly a minute or so later, the phone rang, although with some really strange sounding ringback tone patterns. I then called the GV number again (GV->CC) a minute or so later and the phone rang.

It's almost like calling the CallCentric number directly woke up the Obi to allow it to respond. I have been on 5921EX for several months now. Nothing else has changed in my network recently other than the firmware on my router that was updated, but that occurred a couple of months before the phone issues started.

Any ideas of things to check or test would be appreciated.

I checked the Call Centric logs and the calls are going to my Google voice number. The only thing I noticed and I hope this can provide some insight innate the problem. When I uncheck the Obi device in the dashboard my home phone will not ring . When I check it again the phone will ring

Quote from: Kate on October 09, 2019, 04:41:06 PM
I checked the Call Centric logs and the calls are going to my Google voice number. The only thing I noticed

You didn't notice the CNAM (name of calling party) underneath the calling number in the column titled Calling #?

Quote from: KateWhen I uncheck the Obi device in the dashboard my home phone will not ring . When I check it again the phone will ring

In the OBiTALK dashboard, does your Callcentric line (I assume on SP2?) say "Registered" under the Status column?

What happens when you call your Callcentric number directly?

ou didn't notice the CNAM (name of calling party) underneath the calling number in the column titled Calling #?

It shows the name of the party calling me!

Yes it says registered in the dashboard!

When I call the call centric it did ring my google number. Now when I try it form my two cells phones the google voice number does not ring

Quote from: Kate on October 10, 2019, 12:17:53 PM

When I call the call centric it did ring my google number.

That doesn't make sense to me. If you are calling your Callcentric number directly it should ring your Callcentric configuration (SP2?) on your OBi device........none of which has anything to do with Google Voice.

Google Voice only comes into play when your GV number is called and it is forwarded to your Callcentric number. Right now you're testing calling your Callcentric number directly which bypasses Google Voice entirely.
If possible, have a friend call your Callcentric number directly and post what happens.

Just called my call centric number and now the calls go thru to my home phone ! Calls did to go thru before . Maybe Call Centric does not have their act together!

?

Is CNAM via forwarding GV to CallCentric still working A-OK?  My Vestalink subscription is about to renew, and although there are a lot of features, and it is inexpensive, it's kind of a ghost operation.
Also is the call quality good?
TIA

Quote from: dircom on January 25, 2020, 12:08:57 PM
Is CNAM via forwarding GV to CallCentric still working A-OK?  My Vestalink subscription is about to renew, and although there are a lot of features, and it is inexpensive, it's kind of a ghost operation.
Also is the call quality good?
TIA

Yes and yes.

I'm amazed you're still with Vestalink. Can you even contact or get any kind of tech support with them these days?

It is hard to get a response from VL, but I did contact them a couple of weeks ago to see how long they were going to be around. "We will be in business for at least 5 more years.  Thank you!"

The service is three dollars and change per month, no problems really with the service other than the static on calls after many minutes, but that problem seems to be happening with both VL and GV calls.  They did get rid of the ability to text and fax two or three years ago.  I also have a problem of occasional Can't be Heard at times which is really annoying.
I got a 2182 a couple days ago.  I'll see if that makes any difference.

A big thank you for the Tutorial. Very helpful.

Here is the way I have mine setup. A cheap 6.0 cordless phone.

The device is Obi200. Was easy to setup.

SP1 is setup to Google Voice. Inbound and outbound calls will be done with this. Test calls have been made and all works well so far :)

SP2 is setup for Callcentric, specifically so I could have a 911 option besides my cell phone.

For Callcentric, I bought the $1 DID then ordered the North America Basic plan with 120 outbound minutes. Couldn't find anything to pay for just 911 service. Comes to $3/month, still a small price to pay.

Wanted to make sure the correct address would be given in case of emergency, so a test call to 933 was made. Information was accurate.

There was a step in the tutorial that I did not follow though.

That was Step #7. Is this step really needed? What is the purpose of it?

you missed the part in the thread which is underlined below.
Tutorial: Setup with Google Voice and Callcentric for Caller Id Name and e911

you have to fwd your GV calls to Callcentric in order to get Caller Id Name

I didn't miss a step, I skipped a step :)

If you aren't worried about CNAM, than there is no need to do this step.

Quote from: SteveInWA on September 18, 2019, 05:30:57 PM
Those instructions are old, and outdated, so I am not sure that you have an actual problem, or if you are simply experiencing an expected failure.

Big picture:  you need to accomplish these steps, in order:

• Sign up for a Google Voice inbound phone number, using a Gmail account.
• Add an OBiTALK device to your OBiTALK device configuration portal:  http://www.obitalk.com/obinet/pg/obhdev (http://www.obitalk.com/obinet/pg/obhdev)
• Follow the prompts to configure Google Voice on that device's SP1
• You should now be able to make outbound calls and receive inbound calls using that Google Voice phone number and your OBiTALK device.  Does that work?  If not, don't proceed with any further steps.
• If it does work then obtain a phone number from Callcentric and then follow the steps to add it as SP2 on your OBiTALK dashboard
• Next, add that phone number to your Google Voice configuration page and remove the check mark to the left of the "OBiTALK Device" entry.  The goal here is to forward inbound calls to the Callcentric phone number instead of to the OBiTALK SIP client.
• Test it.

I used your more concise instructions and everything works just fine. I went one step further. I set SP1 to ring when calls are transferred from Google Voice to Callcentric, which is set up on SP2.

Actually, I posted a complete and up-to-date set of instructions to use Google Voice with Callcentric, here:

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=17024 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=17024)

Quote from: dwestall on June 22, 2016, 07:36:41 AM
I wrote these instructions to help a friend and thought I'd share in case others might benefit. Some of this came from a post by @SteveInWA.

UPDATE 2019-09-08: Callcentric's previously "Free Phone Number" is now "Dollar Unlimited Phone Number" and costs $1/mo.

Google Voice provides free, unlimited calling, but does not support 911 or Caller Id Name. With this setup, calls coming into to your Google Voice number forward to your Callcentric number and then to the OBi to get Caller Id Name. Outbound 911 calls go through Callcentric, all other calls use Google Voice. You pay $1/mo (for phone number) + $1.50/mo (for 911 service) to Callcentric.

• 1. Sign up for Google Voice, OBiTalk, and configure Google Voice on the OBi - http://www.obihai.com/tutorial1
• 2. Update the OBi firmware - From the OBi-attached phone, dial ***6, 1  NOTE: In some cases, you may need to reconfigure Google Voice after updating the firmware
• 3. Make a test call from a different phone to your Google Voice number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings
• 4. Sign up for Callcentric's "Free Phone Number" (no longer Free, now $1/mo + $1.50/mo for optional 911 service) - http://www.callcentric.com/did/. The phone number you get will likely be a NY number, don't worry, it's only used for forwarding and doesn't need to be given out to callers. Enable CNAM - http://www.callcentric.com/faq/31#219
• 5. Configure Callcentric on the OBi - Log onto OBiTALK portal (http://www.obitalk.com/), click on the OBi device, add service provider (e.g. SP2), scroll to the bottom and select "OBiTALK Compatible Service Providers", select "Callcentric", enter your Callcentric account number and password, enable for 911
• 6. Make a test call from a different phone to your Callcentric number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings
• 7. Configure Google Voice to forward calls to your new Callcentric phone number - Log into your Google Voice account (http://voice.google.com/), and on the Settings page, add and verify your Callcentric phone (not account) number as a forwarding phone, place a check mark next to it and remove the check mark next to Google Chat
• 8. Make a test call from a different phone to your Google Voice number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings, and Caller Id Name works

NOTES:

• Steps 1-3 are for setting up the OBi with Google Voice
• Steps 4-8 are necessary if you want to use Callcentric for e911 and Caller ID Name
• Port your existing phone number to Google Voice - http://www.obihai.com/porttutorial
• Avoid paying OBihai's Premium Support fee by manually updating your firmware - http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0
• Distribute VoIP throughout your home - http://mi-telecom.org/distribute.html

Just wanted to note that today I noticed that Google has stated they will no longer support messages forwarded to linked numbers. I don't know if that will impact the voice feature or not.

Quote from: Gladpants on March 26, 2021, 07:45:28 AM
Just wanted to note that today I noticed that Google has stated they will no longer support messages forwarded to linked numbers. I don't know if that will impact the voice feature or not.

You are late to the party.  :)

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=18065.0