Newbie help with configuring home/home office setup using Obi
Kran:
Steve, thanks for taking the time.
Point taken about older/unsupported products. The TPA65 is a great option for a cordless DECT unit in a deskphone form factor. It works perfectly for the home office scenario.
I'm thinking about your second response about the single SIP server. Excuse me if I don't get the terminology correct, but here is my question.
If I got a traditional non-SIP DECT phone, I could have relied entirely on the Obi202's "routing" to connect to multiple service providers. Perhaps by prefixing my dialing with the appropriate code.
Could I similarly get the Panasonic TGP600, *not* rely on its inbuilt, "single-server" SIP configuration, and rely on the Obi202's routing, just like I would have with a non-SIP phone?
Of course, this would raise the question of why even bother with a SIP phone. But just to understand the capabilities of these devices before I make a choice.
SteveInWA:
If you get a OBi 200 or 202, and attach any regular telephone(s) to it (anything from a 1970s Bell System 2500 phone to a modern DECT cordless phone) then you can select which service provider to use on outbound calls by prefixing the call with a ** number.
For example: OBi 200 with four SPs:
SP1 = Callcentric DID 555-867-5309
SP2 = Callcentric DID 213-555-1234
SP3 = voip.ms DID 515-999-9999
SP4 = Google Chat kran@gmail.com
You assign any one of those four SPs as the default SP to use for outbound calls. So, just dialing a number will use that SP, e.g. SP1. To call using SP2, prefix the number like this: **24155551212
In theory a 202 can act as a limited-feature PBX, hosting the Panasonic IP phone as an extension. But, someone else here who owns one would need to confirm whether or not it actually works, and it would be a kludge. The more elegant solution is to use a OBi 200 or 202 with an analog DECT phone system for your home use, and, optionally, a IP phone for your office, with separate extensions registered on them. For example, using Callcentric, you can have as many different inbound phone numbers (DIDs) as you need, and you can set up as many extensions as you need. Each extension represents a separate SIP username/password registration to the Callcentric SIP server, so a phone like the Panny IP phone, that supports one SIP server and multiple DIDs could work that way. You can create separate extensions using the same DID numbers on the OBi. This seems mind-numbingly complex at first, but actually setting it up on the service provider's website is fairly easy.
I suggest you start with an OBi ATA, and a regular (not VoIP) DECT cordless phone system, and see if it meets your needs, then spend more money if you wish. Remember, pick a DECT cordless phone that has a headset jack on the cordless handsets. This way, you can simply plug in a wired headset to the handset, and clip the handset to your belt and roam around the house, talking hands-free.
drgeoff:
The capability and flexibility of the OBi ATAs includes the ability to recognise specific dialled numbers or area codes. If there are numbers which you always, or usually, want to go via a non-default SP ("Primary Line" in OBi parlance) that can be programmed to occur without needing the appropriate **n prefix. And on the occasions when you do want to use a different SP for those calls the **n method is still available.
Kran:
Thanks again SteveInWA and drgeoff. I have a better idea now. Will try these options, and maybe come back with additional questions if needed.
Btw, in this review of the TGP600 by OnSIP, it looks like multiple SIP providers can be set up on the phone itself.
SteveInWA:
Quote from: Kran on July 15, 2016, 02:34:16 pm
Thanks again SteveInWA and drgeoff. I have a better idea now. Will try these options, and maybe come back with additional questions if needed.
Btw, in this review of the TGP600 by OnSIP, it looks like multiple SIP providers can be set up on the phone itself.
Thanks for the link; that was a nice review. I think you will get the best sound quality from using an Ethernet-connected OBi IP desk phone, but having a DECT-attached desk phone option for the Panasonic DECT system is handy.
I'm sticking with my recommendation to start with an OBi 20x ATA, and then grow from there.
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