Move from Cox to ?

[ddrg]

Hello,

I'm hoping to benefit from the wisdom and experience of this group after reading numerous threads.  Sorry if this has been answered before - a link would be appreciated.

I have an OBI 200 and OBI 202 which are currently configured with two GV numbers.  They all work great - now I want to get rid of our Cox telephone service after I port our two Cox numbers somewhere else.  I have read about using burner SIMs to move lines to T-Mobile and then on to GV, but I don't believe that 480-899-xxxx numbers can be ported.

So I am looking for a service provider that offers:
1. Two line support (I want to port two 480—899-xxxx)
2. Multiple concurrent device support.  I have an OBI 200 and an OBI 202 which work great with GV.  With GV, both devices will ring until one device answers.  I want two devices so that when we leave our house, we can take one of the OBI's with us and still have phone service at our home.
3. Two lines concurrently active - the ability to use both ports on an OBI202 at the same time.
4. Ability to use one OBI device in Canada.
5. 911 service
6. Ability to port two numbers - according to voip.ms, my numbers may be portable to their service.
7. Fax support on one line would be a bonus.

Any suggestions on which way to go?

Thanks...  Duncan

[BigJim_McD]

ddrg, 

I use Google Voice forwarded to voip.ms extensions for our main {home} telephone service and I'm very happy with the power, flexability and various possible features  available from voip.ms.  I forward the Google Voice Home number to a voip.ms Flat Rate DID number.  I consider the cost to be very reasonable for the service provided.

I also have two Google Voice phone numbers that I use with voip.ms extensions for "Testing".  I have two "per minute" DID numbers, also two Virtual DID's that have a per minute cost that is a fraction of the cost of a regular DID phone number.  For these two "Test" Google Voice numbers, I use Simon Telephonics Google Voice Gateway with a "SIP URI" that sends calls to my voip.ms Virtual DID numbers.  This is a very low cost option for "Testing" and hobby use.

I use Google Voice for all outgoing calls on all three DID numbers.  I also built a rather extensive Google Voice Contact list, also an extensive Phone book in voip.ms.

[Taoman]

but I don't believe that 480-899-xxxx numbers can be ported.

Are you sure about that? Punch in your number here: (disregard message about needing to be mobile number)
https://www.google.com/voice/porting?pli=1

If you get a message back that says:

Ooops! We currently don't support porting from your carrier. We apologize and are working on adding support for more carriers.
then there is a good chance your number can be ported to Google Voice.

If you get the message back that says:
Ooops! This number appears to be from an area we don't currently support.

then you will be unable to port your number to Google Voice.

I also use and recommend VoIP.ms. And if you do end up porting to Google Voice I would also look very hard at the Simonic's GV gateway that BigJim_McD was referring to in the post above mine. Using that gateway you can forward your incoming GV calls (including CNAM) to VoIP.ms via SIP URI at no per minute charge to a standard DID or free iNum number. There is a minuscule charge when forwarding to a Virtual number the way BigJim_McD is doing it.

[MurrayB]

I recommend VOIP.ms as well!

Good Luck!

[SteveInWA]

Just a couple of points related to your requirements list:

#5:  Since you are giving up all of your existing land line numbers, you need 911 service.  Neither GV nor Simonics provide this.  So:  port one or both of the Cox numbers to a SIP VoIP provider (like voip.ms), which will provide E-911 service.

#7:  One of the other posters can answer this...  voip.ms may offer fax mailbox service (you'd either get an additional DID number and dedicate it to inbound fax calls, or temporarily re-assign one of your DIDs to the fax mailbox).  Otherwise, you would need to deal with the flaky reliability of forwarding the calls to a physical fax machine.  My VoIP provider, Callcentric, offers fax mailboxes.  The way this works, is that you get an always-on inbound fax number, and when a fax is received, it can be emailed as a PDF or TIFF or JPEG file.  Faxing using a Google Voice number, an OBi 20x and a physical fax machine works fairly well, by the way, however.

All your other requirements can be met with either voip.ms or Google Voice (e.g. ringing on both OBis, use in Canada, etc.)

[ddrg]

Thanks for all your replies.

I contacted voip.ms, and have a few outstanding questions.

1. Does voip.ms support simultaneous device ringing until one picks up.  As I mentioned before, I have an Obi200 and and Obi202, currently configured with two GV numbers.  Both devices cause the attached phones to ring when either GV number is called.  I'd like the same behavior with voip.ms.  Is this the voip.ms sub account feature, and if so, is there a monthly fee beyond the cost of originating / receiving calls?

2. When I asked about Obi202 support, the sales email pointed me to http://wiki.voip.ms/article/Devices which listed the 100/110 & 200 devices but not 202.  Is it correct to assume that the 202 is supported?

3. It seems that fax is supported via a virtual fax service with a dedicated virtual DID number and $1.99 / month + $0.029 / minute.  Are there other services providers which would allow a fax to be received by a fax machine attached to an Obi?

4. It seems that the service can be used from Canada should I take an configured Obi device there - correct?

5. It seems that if you expect 395 or less inbound minutes / line, then the per minute plan is the way to go - correct?

6. I think I have figured out the startup and recurring fees - is this correct, for 2 lines:

Setup	Line 1	Line 2	Row Total
Line	$0.50	$0.50
e911	$1.50	$1.50
Number Porting	$0	$0
Column Total	$2.00	$2.00	$4.00
Monthly	Line 1	Line 2
Line	$0.99	$0.99
e911	$1.50	$1.50
240 minutes at $0.01	$2.40	$2.40
Column Total	$4.89	$4.89	$9.78

I thought I'd ask all my questions before I ported my numbers and then regretted doing so :-)

Thanks again... Duncan

[SteveInWA]

Voip.ms has great prices and an extensive set of features, but they're not very good about documentation -- their target market is experienced VoIP users and resellers.  So, if you find their website lacking, you may be happier with Callcentric, which has better documentation.  Anyhow:

1) Yes, that would be implemented using sub-accounts, which are free.  See:  http://wiki.voip.ms/article/Sub_Accounts

2) Yes, their device setup section is really sparse and out of date, but this is pretty typical for DIY VoIP... it would cost them some staff time to keep up with the device manufacturers, and these providers operate on a low profit margin.  The setup for all the OBi ATAs (1xx and 2xx) are the same.

3) Do you really need fax support such that you are receiving more than one or two faxes per month?  If so, sign up for the virtual fax service.  If not, you can plug your OBi's phone port into your fax machine for occasional use on the same number you use for voice.

4)  Voip.ms is actually a Canadian company, and their service will work fine in Canada; no changes needed, just plug in your OBi and you're good to go.

5) It looks like your cost analysis is correct.

6) I dunno; you can check your own math 

[azrobert]

I use GV for my fax machine. I don't send or receive many faxes, but GV has never failed. You can setup your fax machine with distinctive ring. Now you can share a phone port with your fax and your machine won't pick-up any non-fax call.

[ddrg]

I neglected to ask an obvious question.  Is voip.ms voice quality about the same as GV?

[SteveInWA]

Yes.

Call quality can be impacted by multiple issues, including problems at any point in the network between your premises and the service provider, and the other party's service provider and their network, etc.

But, GV and voip.ms use the same G.711u audio CODEC, so calls over a theoretically excellent end-to-end route will sound the same.  There are a lot of intermediate, or "transit" carriers available for VoIP calls, and they charge "you get what you pay for" wholesale rates to the service providers.  Voip.ms apparently offers two tiers of service, with better/more reliable carriers used for their premium tier.  Somebody here who is a regular voip.ms user can comment on their personal experiences.  GV does not use the "bottom feeder" carriers, and so GV call quality has been consistently high for several years now, thanks to a large investment in carrier performance analytic work and selection of high-quality carriers.

[ddrg]

I was about to sign up with voip.ms but discovered that my Canadian number can't be ported.  Apparently CallCentric can do so.  Any downside to CallCentric vs voip.ms?

Thanks...  Duncan

[SteveInWA]

I was about to sign up with voip.ms but discovered that my Canadian number can't be ported.  Apparently CallCentric can do so.  Any downside to CallCentric vs voip.ms?

Thanks...  Duncan

Other than slightly higher rates for calling, no, there's no downside.