Having some intermittent issues here. Using Obi202 with Google Voice. Obi is about 3 years old. Has most current firmware installed in ObiTalk portal. Most annoying issue is that sometimes when I'm on a call and have a call waiting if I switch over to the other caller I can talk to them fine but when I switch back to my original caller I get just static and have to hang up. Also, I've been getting occasional dead air calls where the phone rings and I answer but can't hear the caller nor can they hear me.
I'm not apposed to buying a new Obi202 if it would help but I don't want to spend the money only to find out that the problem still occurs with the new device.
Anyone else having similar issues or have any suggested fixes?
I experienced the static when switching back to original call after call waiting for the first time yesterday.
I've been using the Obi devices for what seems like more than 10 years now and this is the first time this particular has shown up. I suspect it has something to do with GV switching from XMPP to SIP. Other than rebooting the Obi to see if it fixes it and/or removing the GV SP and adding it back, not sure what else to suggest. Hopefully someone with a lot more knowledge than I will chime in.
I will note that I DO NOT have the same issues on my callcentric and voip.ms SPs.
Interesting. For the first time yesterday I also received static when answering 2 incoming calls, without flashing to a call waiting. I switched to my backup SP2 Phonepower plan and so far *knock on wood* have not had the issue.
For anyone still having the problem, check your ATA's Call Status page during a call. Does the codec change to Opus when the symptoms are observed?
I will try and check on that next time it happens. An update -- I tried switching to SP2 which is configured with PhonePower and the issue still happens so it's not Google Voice specific.
It seems to be getting worse and now happens pretty much every time I switch back from call waiting. Here's a screenshot of the Obi status page while the static is happening:
To anyone still experiencing the static or distortion/echo under this scenario, please take note the next time this happens: stay on the call, despite the audio issue, for at least 10-15 seconds. Does the problem go away by itself?
Tested this. Static persists longer than 10-20 seconds. I let it go for nearly a minute and it never cleared up.
Quote from: managerharry on May 15, 2018, 06:55:23 PM
Having some intermittent issues here. Using Obi202 with Google Voice. Obi is about 3 years old. Has most current firmware installed in ObiTalk portal. Most annoying issue is that sometimes when I'm on a call and have a call waiting if I switch over to the other caller I can talk to them fine but when I switch back to my original caller I get just static and have to hang up. Also, I've been getting occasional dead air calls where the phone rings and I answer but can't hear the caller nor can they hear me.
I'm not apposed to buying a new Obi202 if it would help but I don't want to spend the money only to find out that the problem still occurs with the new device.
Anyone else having similar issues or have any suggested fixes?
I too am having this problem. The only difference for me is my OBi202 is less than 1 yr old, and the problem happens every time I switch from a call waiting call back to the original call and I can't say that I am getting the dead air calls.
If you have not already done so, please start a discussion post over on the Google Voice forum for this specific issue. The link is in my signature line below. I'm collecting data to try to pin down the root cause.
FYI, as I had mentioned earlier I also get this when connected to SP2 on my Obi which is using PhonePower, not GV, so it doesn't seem to be specific to GV.
Quote from: managerharry on May 22, 2018, 01:18:51 PM
FYI, as I had mentioned earlier I also get this when connected to SP2 on my Obi which is using PhonePower, not GV, so it doesn't seem to be specific to GV.
Well, that's interesting. Perhaps there's a firmware bug. Is your device under warranty or under extended/paid support? If so, open a ticket with Polycom.
I just had this static answering an incoming call waited a bit & it never went away.
It's the first time that has happened on an incoming call, up until now it has only happened when trying to put someone on hold momentarily.
I flagged it as a poor quality call with legacy GV.
I called him back & no problems.
Not sure if it's a codec problem but the way it sounds (static) that's a plausible theory.
Polycom and Google are investigating this issue.
Problem still persists. It does seem that a quick 10-15 sec switch back from call waiting generally works fine but if I'm on the other line for much more than that I get the dreaded static.
Hi managerharry:
I'm not entirely sure, because the information I have received is vague, but I believe that a fix to the static issue will be implemented early next week. Thanks for hanging in there.
Problem still persists as of 6/7/18. Seems to be pretty much any attempt at using call waiting function results in loud static when returning to the original call. I hope this can be resolved, I've been an Obi customer since the 100 series years ago and I've had remarkably few problems over the years but this is impacting my business and I'm starting to think I may need to find a new VOIP provider and device...
I've asked Google for a status update. I wish I had more information to share, but if/when I do, I'll post it.
I don't understand why this is perceived to be a Google bug. The Obi 1062 works fine and adjusts to the codec change after a hold/unhold situation. It seems like the Obi 2xx is just sticking with the original codec, resulting in noise. So Obihai should fix it.
Changing codecs on hold/unhold is unusual behavior but it is allowed and the Obi should handle it.
Quote from: billsimon on June 07, 2018, 04:56:42 PM
I don't understand why this is perceived to be a Google bug. The Obi 1062 works fine and adjusts to the codec change after a hold/unhold situation. It seems like the Obi 2xx is just sticking with the original codec, resulting in noise. So Obihai should fix it.
Changing codecs on hold/unhold is unusual behavior but it is allowed and the Obi should handle it.
...all I can tell you is that the two companies are working on it.
I'd like to know whether anyone with an Obi202 can currently use call waiting successfully? If there's a chance a new Obi202 will fix this issue I will buy it but seeing as how I see a few other posts complaining about the same issue (and another posting on this thread reports this happening with a <1 year old 202) I suspect this issue persists across all Obi202 devices?
If the 202 can't handle call waiting is there another model that is working correctly?
billsimon mentions the 1062 phone seems to be able to handle call waiting, however this review on Amazon suggests that the 1062 is also having issues: "I bought four of these phones for my business, and for the first year or so they were great. For the past several months, we've had nothing but problems with them -- no dial tones when calling someone, people on the other line not being able to hear us, incompatibility with Google Voice. Now, they're completely unusable with Google, which means I have to junk these and get four new phones. Complete waste of money."
I don't think the 1062 and the 202 have anything in common with each other really, but I could be wrong. Also that review sounds like nonsense, especially the part "completely unusable with Google" [Voice] - which works just fine. Seems like the reviewer had some bad luck or network problems.
I just now performed this test: With a Google Voice number provisioned on my OBi 202, I called that number from an unrelated mobile phone number. I answered the call on the OBi-attached phone, and verified that the call was working. I then called the same GV number from a different unrelated mobile phone number. The OBi-attached phone got the call-waiting beep. I pushed the flash key on that phone. It put call #1 on hold, and it answered call #2. I could then click the flash key repeatedly, to alternate between the two calls.
So, if that is your definition of call waiting, then yes, it works. No, there is absolutely no OBi hardware problem that would cause it to not work. It should work with all OBi 2xx series devices.
Given your various issues with Google Voice, I'm going to (again) suggest that you port your Google Voice number out to a VoIP ITSP that is more of a plain vanilla telephone service, with the typical calling features they provide.
Holy merger mania batman... I clicked on the Obihai is now part of Polycom banner read up on Polycom and shortly ended up at this page "Plantronics to acquire Polycom": https://platform.mi.spglobal.com/IRW/CustomPage/4611682/Index?keyGenPage=1073753325
All of which suggests to me that Obihai is probably headed to the trash heap of corporate merger consolidation; or at very least that there will probably not be much staff or energy left to fix bugs over the next few months while Plantronics takes over.
I hope I'm wrong, but in the meantime it looks like I better locate something to replace my once trusty Obi + Google Voice solution which has worked like a dream for years. For me there are a few must have features: support for a standard phone / handset, ability to send SMS and MMS from a computer, ability to record multiple voicemail greetings for holidays, closures, etc, voicemail to email transcription and ability to listen to messages from a computer, and a good android mobile app. *sigh* now that I look at the list it makes me remember why I've used obi for so long. dang.
Can the 1062 be used as a standalone device with google voice? I.E. no need to use the obi202, just connect it to my router, add it to obitalk portal, and configure google voice? Anyway to add a second cheap handset to these phones?
My current setup is obi202 with a Panasonic KXTGF380M phone which comes with one DECT wireless handset and has built in bluetooth so I can use my Jabra Motion bluetooth headset.
No. Just no. Stop jumping to conclusions.
There were three separate companies, each with separate core competencies in different equipment and services. Obihai's expertise was in VoIP hardware and business/enterprise-class device provisioning and management. Polycom's expertise was in legacy analog conference room phones and speaker phones, and later, IP phones. Plantronics' expertise is in headsets (they developed the first headsets used by the military, NASA and the telephone operators). When these mergers are completed, there will be one company that has comprehensive expertise, products and services for consumers, small business, large enterprise, and telephone carrier customers and system integrators. To quote Martha Stewart, "this is a good thing." Combined, they'll be the market leader, and will be a strong player in the Microsoft Skype for Business and Google platforms. The consumer market will benefit from more choices and better support.
Again:
- All current OBiTALK-heritage products (200 series ATAs, 1000 and 2000 series IP phones) support either Google Voice or any other SIP VoIP provider that will provide SIP credentials to their customers.
- You can use any combination of OBiTALK ATAs and IP phones, with any combination of service providers.
- All current OBiTALK products support call waiting as I detailed it above.
- Think of the OBiTALK IP phones as a telephone with the VoIP capability built in. Since they are all digital (except for their analog microphone/speaker/handset), there is no ATA function needed -- the phone does that.
Hmm, OK. I hope it will prove to be a good thing. When you put it that way it sounds like it could be. It's hard for people not to assume the worst when the customer support forums seem to be manned only by 1 person (thanks by the way!) with whole sections being gobbled up by spambots and the company gets bought by another company that gets bought by another company and all along the customers are given no real updates beyond the vague boilerplate text in the "Polycom Announces Agreement for Strategic Acquisition of Obihai Technology" press release. Keeping customers in the loop never seems to have been a strong point for Obi but in the absence of facts it is natural for people to speculate based on whatever information they can find. A concrete statement from Obihai basically stating what you stated re: the merger is a good thing, obi devices are not going anywhere, and indeed should get better features and more support, would go a long way.
On a positive note:
I just tried removing and re-adding my phone power account to the obi-- I had originally signed up in the brief window a few years back when it looked like google voice support was going to be axed and obi had a managed setup option for phonepower through the obitalk portal -- since the managed connection is no longer valid I had to enable SIP credentials on PhonePower in order to be able to reconnect the obi. my phonepower number spoofs the gv number so I use them interchangeably. just did a test while connected to sp2 with new phone power config and I'm able to flash between calls without static. I'll have to wait until the phone starts ringing more tomorrow to verify if this hold up since the last time I tried using the sp2 phonepower line a few weeks back I still got static when flashing between calls.
*fingers crossed*
Dang, I was hopeful last night that things were working properly after I removed and readded PhonePower and switched over to that night and did some quick testing where I could successfully flash between calls. However when I tried again this morning the static has returned when I try to flash between calls. Again, this is running through SP2 which is setup with PhonePower. I did notice one thing in repeated testing though--- if I dial out and call someone and then answer an incoming call it goes to dead air but I can then successfully flash back to the original call. However if I answer and incoming call first, then try to flash to another incoming call and flash back to the original call I get static. When I switched back to Google Voice on SP1 the static persists.
Any point to removing and re-adding Google Voice?
After removing and readding Google Voice and PhonePower to my original Obi202 to no effect, I went ahead and figured I'd try purchasing and setting up a new Obi202 in case there was some hardware problem causing these issues. Sadly, the exact same issue persists with the inability to use call waiting / flash functionality without static when returning to the original call.
Any updates on progress towards resolution of this issue?
Experienced the static today, surprised this is still going on..................
I contacted Obi support for my new Obi202 about this problem and received the following suggestion
"Regular analog phones simply use the hang-up once button to "flash" over. Try that."
Facepalm. I tried it for the sake thoroughness, and of course it does nothing to alleviate the static. I've got to say, this is a serious fuckup for a device that has a giant "Google Voice" logo on the front of it. And to get a flippant and frankly stupid suggestion like the above from the official tech support email is rather horrifying. At this point I'm starting to lose hope of any serious effort on the part of Obi / Polycom to address this issue.
Can anyone offer any further suggestions?
Maybe some combination of using another service for outgoing calls that spoofs my GV number and setting GV to ring my other number as well. Would that even solve it?
ahhhhhhhh :'(
I'm having this problem, as well. I hope it's resolved soon; it's so aggravating!
I occasionally get the static also. The person on the other end can hear me but I can't hear them. I don't ever use the call waiting feature, so that isn't it.
Verify that Profile(x) SIP
X_Sticky18x
has both boxes un-checked.
If using an IP attached phone, it may need Sticky 183 set to YES.
I've been having a similar problem with my Obi200 using Google Voice. I was going to start a new thread but then saw this one. If a call waiting comes in, the initial flash, to the second caller, works fine. But then the second flash, back to the first caller, just produces loud static. But in my case, the static is on both ends. Making things stranger still, sometimes the flash back to the first caller does work OK, in which case the static occurs with the third flash, i.e. when I go back to second caller. Standard analog phone.
This has been happening for a few months on my device. If I use the Google Phone app, there is no issue of the static when using hold or 3-way calling, but through the Obi device it is happening almost every time. I don't see where this is being fixed/addressed.
Can someone tell me if the call waiting works on obi202?
I can't seem to work this site very well either?
Thanks
Quote from: DHolmes on August 17, 2018, 04:07:22 AM
I can't seem to work this site very well either?
Not your fault. The forum is SNAFU. Starting a new topic returns an error message to the poster causing him/her to try again resulting in multiple identical posts. And adding attachments has been broken for months.
It is long past time that somebody in management got hold of the situation and sorted that out as well as buggy software updates and tech support that is worse than useless.
I, too, am getting static on my 6mo. old Obi202 line when I flip back from a call-waiting call. It's very frustrating to drop calls and hear loud static. Is anyone in engineering able to diagnose what's going on?
Quote from: jjtricket on July 18, 2018, 04:47:24 PM
Experienced the static today, surprised this is still going on..................
It seems I too am having the same issue with my OBI202
If I'm on a call via GV and bump the flash button I get nothing but static and can't get back to the original caller because that line is also static. This is the 3rd time I have had this issue. I'm currently on firmware version 3.2.2 (Build: 5921EX) however the issue existed with previous version firmware.
Here is a snippet of the syslog when having issue. SRTP:BadMAC keeps logging until I go on hook.
Oct 23 12:49:59 obi202 [DSP]: ---- H/W DTMF ON (FXS: 0, level:3) : 4 @ 173434336 ms----
Oct 23 12:49:59 obi202 [RTP] DTMF TX (RFC) -- dgt: 4, on_off: 1, t: 110
Oct 23 12:49:59 obi202 [DSP]: ---- H/W DTMF OFF @ 173434386 ms ----
Oct 23 12:49:59 obi202 [RTP] DTMF TX (RFC) digit end. Dur 720.
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 [JB]: switching ssrc -- curr: 1a5e27e5, new: 81d1ff29
Oct 23 12:50:00 obi202 SRTP:BadMAC
Same problem still happening after all these months. Now it occasionally happens in the middle of a call. No switching, no call waiting, just talking and suddenly... STATIC. Just learn to live with it?
Same here. Static and drop on call waiting and sometimes static and drop mid call, without call waiting.
Google and Polycom are still investigating this problem. There is no estimate of when it will be fixed.
Frustratingly random.
First OG call in morning, hold, static.
Next calls, hold, no static.
Next day first call, no static.
Hour later, static.
Not a fluke.
I dial a "Consumer Cellular" cell phone # in NJ, the guy picks up, I hear the dreaded static, he hears nothing.
He immediately calls me back, no problems.
Consistently repeatable and quite annoying. >:(
At this time it seems to be the only number that this happens with consistently.
Would it be worth it to manually flash my obi200 from 3.2.2 (Build: 5898EX) to 3.2.2 (5921EX) and see if it helps? ???
Quote from: zorlac on November 05, 2018, 11:03:54 AM
Not a fluke.
I dial a "Consumer Cellular" cell phone # in NJ, the guy picks up, I hear the dreaded static, he hears nothing.
He immediately calls me back, no problems.
Consistently repeatable and quite annoying. >:(
At this time it seems to be the only number that this happens with consistently.
Would it be worth it to manually flash my obi200 from 3.2.2 (Build: 5898EX) to 3.2.2 (5921EX) and see if it helps? ???
You won't break anything by upgrading the firmware, but I am pretty certain it won't fix the issue. I met with the Polycom folks and the Google team last week, and they don't know why it's happening, but the CODEC mismatch is a strong suspect.
I'm not sure if this is a related issue (or if its been addressed in other posts) but I've been having a slightly similar problem with my 1062.
When I called someone this am, I could not hear the other person. They could hear me and said I sounded very strange. I then called them back from SP2, they could hear me but again I sounded strange, this time i could hear them.
I rebooted and it fixed the issues. This has happened several times over the past few weeks.
I realize not the same issue as listed above, but wanted to see f its related.
Amazingly this issue still persists. It did seem to get better for about a week, them came back. Occasionally if I flash to an incoming call, and then very quickly flash back to the original call I won't get static, but about 90% of the time it doesn't work.
Also at least 1-3 times a day I answer a call and get only dead air. Usually the caller calls back and I can hear them fine.
I even purchased a new Obi202 which had the exact same issue so I returned it and kept using my old 202 model.
If you are going to advertise this device as compatible with Google Voice, it seems like a very basic, fundamental feature to be able to switch back and forth from original and incoming calls.
I've learned to work around it for now but it's a major pain in the ass and the moment I can find a suitable replacement for Google Voice + Obi I will be happy to move on.
I have this issue as well. Using the OBI 200. it also persists, in most cases, when recording a call in Google Voice. It's always done that (started using it in May). I'm not using this for business or anything, so it's not a super big deal. Still an annoyance, though, and one I'd love to see fixed...
-Noah
It happens to me when I dial a speed dial digit for the first caller. My solution was to dial their actual number.
Is this actually being worked? I have opened trouble tickets with ObiHai in addition to posting on ObiHai Forums and GV forums. I have not been contacted and have not seen a acceptable official position from either company on this topic. It would be nice to get an update
Happy New Year GV & Polycom!
The annoying static still happens at random in case anyone's actually keeping score. ::)
Oh for the good ol days when this didn't happen! ;D :o
I just received Obi200 this week from Amazon and set it up with Google Voice. Now facing this annoying static noise when lifting the handset. The noise is there with the dial tone. It is intermittent problem. Sometime the line is just clear. But most of the time the noisy just won't go away.
I tried replacing Dc power supply (12V 2.0 A), RJ11 phone cord, Ethernet cord. The static noisy just don't go away. It looks like the device problem (hardware problem). As I still have Vonage phone in my home, and the same analog phone has no noise when connected to Vonage device.
My firmware is 3.2.2 (Build: 5921EX). Hope support team can come up with a solution.
Quote from: polin on February 07, 2019, 12:18:00 PM
I just received Obi200 this week from Amazon and set it up with Google Voice. Now facing this annoying static noise when lifting the handset. The noise is there with the dial tone.
That is an entirely different problem from the one everyone else is discussing.
Quote from: zorlac on November 05, 2018, 11:03:54 AM
I dial a "Consumer Cellular" cell phone # in NJ, the guy picks up, I hear the dreaded static, he hears nothing.
I was just able to call this person
without the static when he picked up.
We got 3" of snow today so I'm going with that for a fix. :D
Fingers crossed.... ::)
has anyone had a response from GV or Obi/Polycom?
I too have used multiple Obi devices for many years and this is an annoying and relatively new problem. Still, it has been an issue for many, many months and makes using the device and GV rather difficult.
It would be nice to have some official response from GV and/or Obi/Polycom. Trust is key with continued use of devices AND suggestions to others who are considering buying them or looking for thoughts on the right technologies to buy. With this problem continuing, I could not, in good faith, suggest purchasing an Obi, as this is a problem that makes an important and heavily relied upon feature create a problem that is unacceptable.
Thanks to everyone for their help on this forum.
Nope, they just continue to ignore their customers! We spent the money, they don't reply. Lucky us!
Quote from: SRobi on February 11, 2019, 09:16:44 PM
has anyone had a response from GV or Obi/Polycom?
I reported it to support, but they wouldn't help because my OBi200 is out of warranty. Maybe someone in warranty will have better luck.
Quote from: bbarker on February 17, 2019, 12:59:03 PM
I reported it to support, but they wouldn't help because my OBi200 is out of warranty. Maybe someone in warranty will have better luck.
One thing to understand is that if your device is in warranty (or you pay for the extension) you will get a response. That is different than you will get a fix. The last known comment was "they are working the issue, but do not yet understand the root cause".
From the last known hint, there were issues finding a reliable reproducer. Does anyone have a 100% reproducible case (not it happens occasionally when you call someone, 100% step by step reproducer that never fails to reproduce the issue).
Quote from: RFC3261 on February 18, 2019, 01:59:14 PM
Quote from: bbarker on February 17, 2019, 12:59:03 PM
I reported it to support, but they wouldn't help because my OBi200 is out of warranty. Maybe someone in warranty will have better luck.
One thing to understand is that if your device is in warranty (or you pay for the extension) you will get a response. That is different than you will get a fix. The last known comment was "they are working the issue, but do not yet understand the root cause".
From the last known hint, there were issues finding a reliable reproducer. Does anyone have a 100% reproducible case (not it happens occasionally when you call someone, 100% step by step reproducer that never fails to reproduce the issue).
I was under warranty when I reported this problem, called Obi Support and Submitted an online support request. Never heard a word back from Obi. I am no longer under warranty as of Oct '18 and there is no way I am paying for support considering they did not respond while I was under warranty. Bottom-line the claim that if you are under warranty you will get a response is/was false, at least in my case.
As far as reproducible case, I can repeat this problem all day every day reliably. Not sure who they have reached out to or how they reached out but this has been happening ever since GV moved away from XMPP
Me too, has been happening for a couple of years for me, finally getting around to seeing what to do to fix it. Simple to reproduce by taking a call waiting and then returning to original call, or trying a three-way call. It's irritating as hell to see that Polycom appears not to care. Add them to the corporate Hall of Shame.
I don't know if this is a similar issue. I'm using Obi 200 with GV.
Twice in the last couple of days I have been on longish calls. About 10 minutes in on one call and about 30 minutes in on another call, the audio was lost and replaced with static white noise. The party on the other end could no longer hear me, but heard a GV message "This call is now being recorded". Their side of the conversation ended up being left as a voicemail message.
I was able to hang up and redial to continue the call.
In response to bbarker, while under warranty I filled out support requests multiple times (on a different issue) and called in and never heard back from support.
I should add the following info in case it's not already in this thread. When the loud static/white noise happens, and it also happens mid-call sometimes for me too, the person on the other end can't hear it and can hear me fine. I'll usually talk into the white noise and ask them to call me right back.
Having same issues with two 200's at different locations that I got six months apart (but within the year warranty).
I filed a support ticket with obi, and if they don't fix it before my warranty is up I will not buy the extended.
I had three 110's for about 5yrs and had no issues...until I was forced to buy new hardware (200's).
Lets see how they handle this...so far this thread is 10 months old, and still no fix.
Same issue here with my model 200 as of about 6 months ago. Someone said to try another 200 power supply. I will attempt this since I have a backup unit in the box. Never had this problem with my OBI 100 model.
Quote from: flamaest@gmail.com on March 14, 2019, 03:50:35 PM
Same issue here with my model 200 as of about 6 months ago. Someone said to try another 200 power supply. I will attempt this since I have a backup unit in the box. Never had this problem with my OBI 100 model.
This is a known issue, unresolved for months. Nothing to do with power supply.
I'll chime in too. I've been having the static problem when I answer an incoming call (not call waiting) for months now. It happens frequently but not often enough to plan a test.
I think it's OBI and not GV because I have GV send the call to my OBI and cell. When someone calls my GV number, my obi phone and cell phone both start ringing. I go to pick up on the obi and I get loud static. I then notice the cell is still ringing. Unfortunately I can't remember ever having been able to make it to the cell phone and successfully answer the call on it. I have grabbed the cell and hit answer but nobody was there and I'm not sure if I just missed them hanging up or if it was dead or if it was just another robo call checking to see if I'd answer.
Purchased a new Obi200 which also had the same issue out of the box. Recently the frequency of it cutting to static has gone down significantly, but unfortunately the dead air (answer incoming call, can't hear caller, they can't hear me) issue has gotten worse. Obi is running 3.2.2.5921, the latest AFAIK.
Ahhh.... what a pain.
The static has only happened rarely for me. It happened again a couple of weeks ago, but that was probably only 1 time in a few weeks.
The dead time when initially answering a call happens every time and therefore is extremely frustrating. Really makes it almost unusable.
Well its been about a month since I posted and opened a ticket for both of my obi's and, .......crickets.
No support response....so what good is paying for extra support, when they don't even answer your problem.
I filed multiple support tickets and left messages with customer support all with no response.
I even filed a complaint through BBB, but they said they never received a response from Polycom.
I have no idea how they can have 4.4 stars on Amazon for the product.
Even though you have to pay a little, it seems to me at this point, Ooma is the far superior product and support.
Glad to find this forum. Been having this issue for over a year for sure, and was hoping to come to this thread for a fix. Does anyone have any ideas at all on how to fix this? I use my phone for work, and can't ever do conference calls due to this issue.
From what I've known and learned, that these days, regular Google Voice accounts (i.e. regular Gmail email address and phone numbers) are not suited to run small offices or small businesses, not very reliable. Granted that Google Voice service is free, no monthly, nor yearly charges to worry about and with all the in/out calls in north America are free BUT don't count on it as reliable for offices or businesses. In addition to very limited features.
For businesses/offices (big or small), Google Voice service has the Google Voice for G Suite, with based offering meets all of these requirements. See SteveInWA's posting:
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=15746.msg98743#msg98743
(and I am not Salesman too, just did lots and lots of reading and homework).
Quote from: cj4331 on March 19, 2019, 09:12:45 AM
I'll chime in too. I've been having the static problem when I answer an incoming call (not call waiting) for months now. It happens frequently but not often enough to plan a test.
I think it's OBI and not GV because I have GV send the call to my OBI and cell. When someone calls my GV number, my obi phone and cell phone both start ringing. I go to pick up on the obi and I get loud static. I then notice the cell is still ringing. Unfortunately I can't remember ever having been able to make it to the cell phone and successfully answer the call on it. I have grabbed the cell and hit answer but nobody was there and I'm not sure if I just missed them hanging up or if it was dead or if it was just another robo call checking to see if I'd answer.
Obi 202
I get static at random times on incoming or outgoing calls. It''s not just GV, also another SP.
Seems to happen at least 10 minutes into a call and I have to hang up. It's been going on for a few months.
Has anyone had any response to this issue?
Same problems here with an Obi 202.
1) random occasions ofloud static when calling someone
2) same static when connecting in a 3rd party to a call
3) same static when coming back from a call waiting.
In most all cases, the other party did not hear the static and could hear me perfectly. The only solution is to hang up and call back.
GV and Obi are great, but this issue is really annoying and the first major problem with the combination. It limits my ability to suggest this combination to others!\
thanks, in advance, for any thoughts and information.
No responses; the company seems to be mostly in a holding pattern for the past few years.
Well I guess this explains why I haven't heard back from support on my issue.
I too get calls cutoff to static on longer calls (10 mins+) occasionally. I can always reproduce this by calling any business with an IVR and trying to navigate the voice prompt by pressing the number pad. Instant static.
Okay been 3 months no response...I would advise nobody to buy extended support.
Time to file with the BBB just for the record.
Quote from: dazedxxx on May 20, 2019, 05:35:54 PM
Okay been 3 months no response...I would advise nobody to buy extended support.
Time to file with the BBB just for the record.
So you're going to file a complaint because the FREE service Google offers occasionally causes static on an Obi ATA?
That's definitely the way to encourage the continued free offering of GV and to encourage Obi to keep selling and updating their unbelievably cheap devices. <----- Yes, sarcasm.
Yes it would be nice to have a solution to this problem. I experience some sort of static experience once a week. But for gods sake, when's the last time you paid a phone bill? It's been more than 10 years for me, so I'll put up with a tiny hiccup every once in a while... which is resolved 100% of the time by calling the person back.
New Obi202 out of the box with v 3.2.2 (Build 5921EX). Same issue; static when switching back to original caller after call waiting. I couldn't find a link on the site to request a support ticket.
Quote from: JoeK on May 25, 2019, 11:27:41 AM
I couldn't find a link on the site to request a support ticket.
Seems you didn't try very hard. https://www.obitalk.com/info/support/request-support. Button at the bottom. But don't get your hopes up that opening a ticket will lead to a solution.
It's July already... No movement on this issue? Only work around is to disable call waiting??
Quote from: Marc on May 20, 2019, 06:14:55 PM
Quote from: dazedxxx on May 20, 2019, 05:35:54 PM
Okay been 3 months no response...I would advise nobody to buy extended support.
Time to file with the BBB just for the record.
So you're going to file a complaint because the FREE service Google offers occasionally causes static on an Obi ATA?
That's definitely the way to encourage the continued free offering of GV and to encourage Obi to keep selling and updating their unbelievably cheap devices. <----- Yes, sarcasm.
Yes it would be nice to have a solution to this problem. I experience some sort of static experience once a week. But for gods sake, when's the last time you paid a phone bill? It's been more than 10 years for me, so I'll put up with a tiny hiccup every once in a while... which is resolved 100% of the time by calling the person back.
No I filed a complaint about call waiting issue on 2 BRAND NEW devices. They offer paid support (or free for the first year), which I have not got any.
Guess what? They responded to the BBB the same way the support responded to me....NOTHING.
I was forced to upgrade my older obi's that did not have this problem, with 2 new ones that come with free support, and after that you could pay....but why would you. This is also to inform any future people of what to expect if they pay for (or get included the first year) support for an OBI product.
I too filed support tickets and left multiple messages for support on new devices (which are supposed to come with support for 1yr) with no response. I too filed a complaint with BBB and they also had no response.
I posted on Google voice... No word yet... 2 ISSUES I have not been able to use call waiting. The call I have to put on hold never is there when I come back......Just static. This has been going on for over a year and even after getting a New Obi 202 device it still happens. Now add another issue too. The phone rings but I hear nothing and the caller hears nothing. This just started today 7/12/19 However I can call out and it works ok.
Same issue here started and reported early summer 2018 or so...no solutions here and no responses from Obi support. How can they just ignore their customers?
Hopefully now I'll get updates on this issue by posting here :-).
Bob
Let's see...
The OBi device (i.e. OBi200, OBi202, or other OBis)...bought 1-time, gets the following when Google Voice service is added and which Google Voice service is also free:
Outbound/inbound calls are FREE in the US/Canada.
No monthly charges.
No yearly charges.
Free call-forwarding to your cell phone (or others) with Linked numbers so you won't missed important calls.
Free to forward message to your Gmail email account so you can review.
Free get email alerts for missed calls.
You can screen calls before actually talking to the caller.
Send calls to GV voicemail by Do Not Disturb.
Has Voicemail greetings or record your own greetings and also manage greetings if you have multiple greetings.
And overseas calling with rates applied (low cost too).
Once in while a little hiccup, a little static here and there. "Hey, let me call you back" on this free Google Voice service with my OBi here. WOW.
And I have multiple OBi devices with Google Voice services and have not paid a phone bill for the last 6 plus years. Love it!
Paid that monthly phone bill (to Comcast, AT&T, others...?) or pay nothing. Hmmmm? Imagine Google Voice service (or Google, or Alphabet) deemed Google Voice service no longer needed and ends the service (again).
Btw, if you have not done so, update your OBi firmware here (free too) http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0
Thank you.
I am grateful to the service...
Point is, it worked fine for a year, year and a half which means the technology was fine...some change was made either by obi or google that caused this...
As an obi customer, they should still reply even if only to say google made a change which caused this and they have attempted to contact Google and what the response was.
Just some human decency and good customer support.
FYI - went to your update link - I cannot see any yellow triangle in my admin - on what tab specifically would I see this?
To magicwine,
Go back to that link, select firmware for your OBi device and save to desktop but DO NOT OPEN: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.0
At phone connected to your OBi device phone port, dial ***1 and retrieve the IP Address on a piece of paper.
Open a browser (Chrome) on a pc, input that IP Address into the address bar, hit Enter at your keyboard.
Log into your OBi device with default username/password as admin/admin (unless you've changed it)
Click System Management-->Device Update-->Firmware Update-->Select file to update firmware.
Browse to the file you downloaded at your desktop and select it.
Click the "Update" button.
Allow up to a minute to complete and will also reboot.
What happened to the automatic update via dialing directly into the Obi and using the prompts and auto update feature? When I check it that way it says that I am up to date although I see the file available is a newer file then what my device is using. To reply to the comment of the other poster who was being sarcastic about the service being free etc etc it's not that I or anybody else doesn't appreciate Google Voice being free it's just that it used to work and all of a sudden it doesn't now and you just kind of wonder what is going on.
I am experiencing the same static problems. Any updates would be greatly appreciated! I only noticed problems with mine within about the last 4 months.
I have helped so many people buy and set up these devices, that I am now worried. I will hold off recommending these units until a fix is released.
Quick update, it's only been a few days, but I simply tried to replace my Obi200 power supply and I believe that the issue is now gone. I wouldn't have believed that my power supply could have been causing this, but it appears that it was related. I was previously having my calls dropped-with-static about 4 or 5 times a day.
From where did you get the replacement power supply?
Quote from: flamaest@gmail.com on November 18, 2019, 01:11:04 PM
Quick update, it's only been a few days, but I simply tried to replace my Obi200 power supply and I believe that the issue is now gone. I wouldn't have believed that my power supply could have been causing this, but it appears that it was related. I was previously having my calls dropped-with-static about 4 or 5 times a day.
I always have a backup obi unit sealed in the box just in case, and I pulled the power adapter and plugged it in, replacing the one that I had already been using for over a year.
Marc:
I have tested and confirmed that this power supply works fine with the 200 and 2000 families. I don't have any 1000 series phones anymore, but this adapter should also work, since it's rated at 2A.
https://www.amazon.com/Chanzon-Switching-Adapter-100-240V-Transformer/dp/B07HNL5D56 (https://www.amazon.com/Chanzon-Switching-Adapter-100-240V-Transformer/dp/B07HNL5D56)
Quote from: SteveInWA on November 19, 2019, 12:54:16 PM
Marc:
I have tested and confirmed that this power supply works fine with the 200 and 2000 families. I don't have any 1000 series phones anymore, but this adapter should also work, since it's rated at 2A.
https://www.amazon.com/Chanzon-Switching-Adapter-100-240V-Transformer/dp/B07HNL5D56 (https://www.amazon.com/Chanzon-Switching-Adapter-100-240V-Transformer/dp/B07HNL5D56)
Thanks. I'll pick one up and let you know if it works with the 1000 series phones, I have a few of them still in use.
Marc
Quick update,
I can say that with this 2nd power supply, the issue is happening about 80% less than usual. I usually have about the same amount of phone calls throughout the day.
This issue has historically been happening for me for about 6 months, making me have to restart the OBI200 unit about five times a day.
I now only have to restart it about once a day. Then again, it might just be good luck.
Edit: so I changed my flash button timing on my Panasonic cordless phone from 700ms to 400ms and it been working fine now.
Edit: Issue is still sporadic but it works at least half the time now.
Changing the power supply worked for me as well! My original was a 12v DC 1 amp and I just switched it with an old netgear router PS that is 12v DC 1.5 amp. I have the obi 202 and it worked fine for a long time and about 6 months ago the loud static crap started.
Thank you so much for this fix!! Been way to long with call waiting and 3 way calling not working.
Obi/Poly, step up your power supply game! and tell your customers to replace the power supply. Better yet, send them a new power supply.
Thanks again!!
I tried swapping for a 2A power supply and got static on my first call. My situation may be a bit different because I get static when my call first connects to a one person that uses Comcast phone service.
Yes, I also still get this issue when calling a specific conf-line from certain service providers, even after using the new power supply. There must be some signal or timing being sent to the OBI unit which is does not like and causes it to transmit static back into our ears. I can confirm the other side of the call can still hear me OK, but I cannot hear them, so I have to hang up.
Sadly, I can reproduce this exact issue about 90% of the time to these specific phone numbers.
The one saving grace with the new power supply, is that I used to get static after being a long phone call , like 20 minutes+, out of nowhere to all kinds of phone numbers. This only happens rarely now.
Quote from: flamaest@gmail.com on December 19, 2019, 04:18:28 PM
Sadly, I can reproduce this exact issue about 90% of the time to these specific phone numbers.
One thing I've found that works 100% of the time is starting the call from Google Voice and not dialing it. Sadly, I'm not able to select my Obi line directly any more. The only reason I can still do this is because I have one GV number forwarded to another from back when it was still a regular land line.
For the past week this is now starting to happen ALL THE TIME. I can't have any phone calls last more than 15 minutes before I get STATIC on the line and get dropped! Where the heck is OBIHAI or POLYCOMM for support? THIS is becoming unusable!!!!
This also appears relevant: https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r32056299-General-Calls-drop-after-15m32s
I too have this issue 100% of my calls and I use ANVEO as my service provider. People can hear me but I have a hard time understanding them.
I've had this static problem going back over a year. It was dormant for months, but now having it again. Not related to call waiting - an incoming call that goes on longer than 10 minutes gets interrupted by very loud white-noise type static. Only I hear it - the caller can't hear it but can hear me saying "call back". If they call back, the noise is gone, but will recur if the call goes on long enough.
Like everyone else, I too get the static issue. All my calls get static at around 15½ minutes into the call. I have to hang up and recall. If I answer call waiting, I get static when I switch back to the original call. This issue has been going on for years on this forum. Is there no answer?
I don't know about you, but my obihai has not failed more than once since this pandemic broke out. So it's been almost 5 weeks and I've only had to reset it once the entire time. I still have the same amount of phone calls every day since I use it as my main landline. Multiple hourly conference calls all throughout the day. No problems.
we should all take heed on this notion, because I am fairly certain that there is foul play at hand with the issues that we have been experiencing. Something, somewhere, somehow has been implementing a deliberate reduction in phone line experience on these little boxes, which is clearly not present during this time, perhaps because someone told whomever is doing this to stand-down during the pandemic.
I may be overthinking it, but reality is that I have not had to reset the unit almost at all.
I also have this issue very annoying
Quote from: flamaest@gmail.com on November 18, 2019, 01:11:04 PM
Quick update, it's only been a few days, but I simply tried to replace my Obi200 power supply and I believe that the issue is now gone. I wouldn't have believed that my power supply could have been causing this, but it appears that it was related. I was previously having my calls dropped-with-static about 4 or 5 times a day.
This worked for me as well... I can now do 3way calling and no static when doing call waiting ...Thats quite strange a power supply changed all these issues. I used my old 110 one....thanks
I think that one person mentioned this in passing in a previous comment, but I was able to solve this problem by adjusting my flash timing. Up until now I would go to static every time I tried to return from call waiting. I raised my HookFlashTimeMax setting from the default 900 up to 1250. I've tested it 3 times in a row now and it is working. No new power supply. Just tweaked that one setting.
Get on a web browser and head to the IP address of your OBI device. You can find and adjust this setting here:
Physical Interfaces::PHONE(#) Port, then scroll down to Timers. HookFlashTimeMax is the first option under Timers.
I hope this helps everyone else. I think the problem is that many phones have Hook-Flash settings that are too close to or exceed the 900 ms allotted by the OBI200 default settings.
This only solves the OPs problem of static when switching back back to original caller after call waiting. This will not solve the issue of calls cutting out into static mid-call that are unrelated to call waiting.
I posted on Google voice... No word yet... 2 ISSUES I have not been able to use call waiting. The call I have to put on hold never is there when I come back......Just static. This has been going on for over a year and even after getting a New Obi 202 device it still happens. Now add another issue too. The phone rings but I hear nothing and the caller hears nothing. This just started today 7/12/19 However I can call out and it works ok.
Quote from: Chistofero on May 06, 2020, 02:15:00 PM
I raised my HookFlashTimeMax setting from the default 900 up to 1250. I've tested it 3 times in a row now and it is working. No new power supply. Just tweaked that one setting.
Get on a web browser and head to the IP address of your OBI device. You can find and adjust this setting here:
Physical Interfaces::PHONE(#) Port, then scroll down to Timers. HookFlashTimeMax is the first option under Timers.
Chistofero,
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I haven't had three-way calling for months, but following your instructions fixed it! I'm a happy man!
If this fix works, it needs to be put on the FRONT PAGE.