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ObiWiFi5G to enable cell phone's Wi-Fi to answer/make calls?

Started by TimDan, June 18, 2017, 02:02:52 PM

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TimDan

Could I use an ObiWiFi5G dongle attached to an Obi302 adapter to answer/make calls using my cell phone's WiFi?  I have the Obi302 ahead of my WiFi router to use PhonePower's VoIP.  My cell phone has WiFi for Internet access. 

Would the cell phone need an app to do that?  If so, what app(s)?

Thanks for any info.
TimDan

SteveInWA

Hi:

No, the OBiWiFi5G dongle is only used to connect the OBi device itself to your LAN, as a substitute for using an Ethernet cable.  Think of the OBi like a laptop which has both WiFi and Ethernet; you can use one or the other to access the internet.

The thing you want is the OBiBT (Bluetooth) dongle.  You then pair your mobile phone to the OBiBT, and your mobile phone then acts like another service provider for the OBi.  You can make and receive calls on your analog telephone, plugged into the OBi, using the mobile phone as you would if you were using PhonePower.

Are you sure you have an OBi 302, not a 202?  Did you get it from PhonePower?  If it's a 302 from them, you should contact them and ask if the configuration of the 302 is locked down, or if you can access its settings to add the Bluetooth dongle.

drgeoff

@TimDan

It is not clear to me what you are asking.

If you want to make and answer PhonePower calls using your cellphone, there is an Android app for that which works over Wi-Fi or cellular data.  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonepower.softphone.android.  Maybe there is one for iOS.  No OBi required.

Or if Obion works on your cellphone you can give that the softphone number provided gratis on your Obitalk portal accountl.  That softphone can then be linked to your 302 to make and receive calls on the PhonePower account configured on the 302.  No OBiWIFI required but this approach is contingent on the 302 not being locked down as SteveInWA alluded to.

SteveInWA

Quote from: drgeoff on June 18, 2017, 02:51:32 PM
@TimDan

It is not clear to me what you are asking.

If you want to make and answer PhonePower calls using your cellphone, there is an Android app for that which works over Wi-Fi or cellular data.  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonepower.softphone.android.  Maybe there is one for iOS.  No OBi required.

Or if Obion works on your cellphone you can give that the softphone number provided gratis on your Obitalk portal accountl.  That softphone can then be linked to your 302 to make and receive calls on the PhonePower account configured on the 302.  No OBiWIFI required but this approach is contingent on the 302 not being locked down as SteveInWA alluded to.

It was clear to me; that's why I answered his question correctly.

drgeoff

Quote from: SteveInWA on June 18, 2017, 03:02:06 PM
Quote from: drgeoff on June 18, 2017, 02:51:32 PM
@TimDan

It is not clear to me what you are asking.

If you want to make and answer PhonePower calls using your cellphone, there is an Android app for that which works over Wi-Fi or cellular data.  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonepower.softphone.android.  Maybe there is one for iOS.  No OBi required.

Or if Obion works on your cellphone you can give that the softphone number provided gratis on your Obitalk portal accountl.  That softphone can then be linked to your 302 to make and receive calls on the PhonePower account configured on the 302.  No OBiWIFI required but this approach is contingent on the 302 not being locked down as SteveInWA alluded to.

It was clear to me; that's why I answered his question correctly.
That you answered his question correctly may be irrelevant to him if the specific wording of his question did not accurately reflect what he really wants to achieve.

Nothing either of us has written is incorrect.  Neither of us has a monopoly on offering info or advice.  As long as he does not receive conflicting info, he can choose whichever best meets his needs and ignore anything which is not useful.

TimDan

Quote from: SteveInWA on June 18, 2017, 02:33:38 PM
No, the OBiWiFi5G dongle is only used to connect the OBi device itself to your LAN, as a substitute for using an Ethernet cable.  Think of the OBi like a laptop which has both WiFi and Ethernet; you can use one or the other to access the internet.

OK, connecting the adapter to the Obi302 is not my objective as that is done with Ethernet cable.

QuoteThe thing you want is the OBiBT (Bluetooth) dongle.  You then pair your mobile phone to the OBiBT, and your mobile phone then acts like another service provider for the OBi.  You can make and receive calls on your analog telephone, plugged into the OBi, using the mobile phone as you would if you were using PhonePower.

I'm not trying to use my cell phone's tower services.  I'm trying to answer/make calls using my cell phone's WiFi and PhonePower while I work on my car in the carport.  The cell phone is just to be, in effect, a wireless phone.
My cell phone's service contract isn't even activated.

QuoteAre you sure you have an OBi 302, not a 202?  Did you get it from PhonePower?  If it's a 302 from them, you should contact them and ask if the configuration of the 302 is locked down, or if you can access its settings to add the Bluetooth dongle.

I do have an Obi302, and it's from PhonePower.  I haven't called them because it's Sunday.  :-)

TimDan

TimDan

Quote from: drgeoff on June 18, 2017, 02:51:32 PM
@TimDan

It is not clear to me what you are asking.

If you want to make and answer PhonePower calls using your cellphone, there is an Android app for that which works over Wi-Fi or cellular data.  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phonepower.softphone.android.  Maybe there is one for iOS.  No OBi required.

I want to answer incoming PhonePower calls that come in on my PhonePower number using my cell phone as if it were a wireless analog phone.  I want to also make outgoing calls on my PhonePower number using my cell phone.  In both cases, my cell phone is merely acting as if it were a wireless phone, i.e. not using cell towers or cell phone carriers.

QuoteOr if Obion works on your cellphone you can give that the softphone number provided gratis on your Obitalk portal accountl.  That softphone can then be linked to your 302 to make and receive calls on the PhonePower account configured on the 302.  No OBiWIFI required but this approach is contingent on the 302 not being locked down as SteveInWA alluded to.

That may be the answer.  I'll grill the PhonePower tech support on Monday.  Thanks, guys.

TimDan

SteveInWA

Yes, in theory, you could use your "cell phone" (actually just a WiFi tablet, for this use case), but it wouldn't be using either of the two types of OBi dongles.  There are several methods, including Obion (sucks) or a softphone app like Counterpath X-Lite or Zoiper.  However, in real-world use, you aren't going to be satisfied at all.  You'd need a strong WiFi signal, and you would get rather poor battery life, keeping the WiFi/VoIP connection "awake" all the time.  And, then there's getting your greasy hands on the phone and trying not to drop it.

The better, and frankly obvious solution is to simply plug a modern DECT 6.0 cordless telephone base station into the OBi, and take the handset outside.  DECT has much greater range than WiFi, is designed to be used while moving around, and has far better battery life.  You can either use what you might already have, or buy a new one at your favorite big box store for not much money.

TimDan

Quote from: SteveInWA on June 18, 2017, 08:11:14 PM
..... The better, and frankly obvious solution is to simply plug a modern DECT 6.0 cordless telephone base station into the OBi, and take the handset outside.  DECT has much greater range than WiFi, is designed to be used while moving around, and has far better battery life.  You can either use what you might already have, or buy a new one at your favorite big box store for not much money.

Yup, that would be a straight-forward solution and a solution that I was trying to simulate.  I wanted a way to make my pre-paid cell phone do double duty via its WiFi feature.  I use it now just to check the news and get stock quotes via WiFi, and I don't even have it activated as a "cell phone".  I guess I'll check eBay for cordless phones.  Thanks for the clarification.

TimDan

azrobert

I bought a cell phone on sale for $10 just for this purpose and I can make and receive calls with it. It's a fairly easy setup and doesn't cost anything, so you can see if it meets your requirements.

Use OBi Expert for OBi302 Setup:
Service Providers -> ITSP Profile D -> SIP -> ProxyServer : 127.0.0.1
Service Providers -> ITSP Profile D -> SIP -> X_Proxy:  Checked
Service Providers -> ITSP Profile D -> SIP -> X_SpoofCallerID: Checked
Voice Services -> SP4 Service -> AuthUserName : OBi302
Voice Services -> SP4 Service -> AuthPassword: password
Voice Services -> SP4 Service -> X_ServProvProfile : D

This will process outbound calls and route them to SP1:
Voice Services -> SP4 Service -> X_InboundCallRoute:
{OBi302>(Msp1):sp1},{ph}       (OBi302 must match User in CSipSimple)

This will send inbound SP1 calls to CSipSimple:
Voice Services -> SP1 Service -> X_InboundCallRoute:
ph,sp4(OBi302@local_client)

The above assumes your provider is on SP1 and the ITSP A DigitMap doesn't have any custom code that will cause problems. I don't own an OBi302 and I'm assuming it has the X_Proxy parm the same as an OBi2xx. This is need for the softphone to register to SP4.


Install CSipSimple softphone on your Android.
Add a new Account.
Select the BASIC wizard
Account name = OBi302
User = OBi302
Server = xx.xx.xx.xx:5063        (OBi302 IP address and SP4 port#)
Password = password
SAVE

Under Settings
Network > Lock WiFi: checked
User interface > Use partial wake lock: checked

Edit:
I just tried my cheapo phone outside on my patio and I successfully placed a call. This was approximately 70 feet away from my router. The outside wall is mostly glass, but the signal also passed through 2 interior walls.


TimDan

Quote from: azrobert on June 19, 2017, 01:45:58 PM
I bought a cell phone on sale for $10 just for this purpose and I can make and receive calls with it. It's a fairly easy setup and doesn't cost anything, so you can see if it meets your requirements.
. . . . .
I just tried my cheapo phone outside on my patio and I successfully placed a call.

Amazing!  Amazing!  You don't mention explicitly that you use an ObiWiFI5G dongle plugged into a Obi202, though.
Or do you use the WiFi from a WiFi router to link with your WiFi cell phone?  And can you receive a call?
If so, what is the indication that a call has come in?

TimDan

azrobert

I don't use an OBiWiFi on my OBi200, but it won't hurt to use one. The cell phone connects directly to your router via WiFi and sends and receives calls over the network.

When you receive a call the cell phone will ring.

drgeoff

The only purpose of an OBiWIFI is to connect the OBI302 to your router instead of using an ethernet cable between the two.  Your cellphone connects to the router by Wi-Fi (and thence by cable or OBiWIFI to the OBi302).  The cellphone does not (and cannot) connect directly to the OBi302.  An OBiWIFI plays no part in connecting the cellphone to the router.

TimDan

Quote from: azrobert on June 21, 2017, 03:04:40 PM
. . . The cell phone connects directly to your router via WiFi and sends and receives calls over the network.
When you receive a call the cell phone will ring.

Quote from: drgeoff on June 21, 2017, 03:32:23 PM
The only purpose of an OBiWIFI is to connect the OBI302 to your router instead of using an ethernet cable between the two.  Your cellphone connects to the router by Wi-Fi (and thence by cable or OBiWIFI to the OBi302).  The cellphone does not (and cannot) connect directly to the OBi302.  An OBiWIFI plays no part in connecting the cellphone to the router.

OK, thanks guys.  So the cell phone running the Android app "CSipSimple" acts as a SIP phone connected to, say  PhonePower, via the Internet.  Right?  And not having to buy the WiFi dongle sounds good.
How is the delay going through the "CSipSimple" software on Android on a cheap cell phone?  Noticeable?

TimDan

SteveInWA

For gawd's sake.  You could have bought a brand new DECT 6.0 cordless phone by now, and be happily making phone calls.

For example:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vtech-CS6114-Cordless-Phone-with-Caller-ID/15529448 for $15.00

azrobert

QuoteSo the cell phone running the Android app "CSipSimple" acts as a SIP phone connected to, say  PhonePower, via the Internet.

This is NOT what I'm suggesting. The softphone registers directly to the OBi. Outbound calls are sent to the OBi and then routed out SP1. Inbound calls on SP1 are routed to the phone port and to the softphone.

You could register the softphone directly to Phonepower. I'm not familiar with Phonepower, so I'm not sure it will work. Phonepower would have to support 2 extensions, the OBi and the softphone and it must be able to route inbound calls to both.

TimDan

Quote from: SteveInWA on June 21, 2017, 08:00:57 PM
For gawd's sake.  You could have bought a brand new DECT 6.0 cordless phone by now, and be happily making phone calls.
For example:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vtech-CS6114-Cordless-Phone-with-Caller-ID/15529448 for $15.00
Of course, that is the 1st solution that I thought of, but it involves device proliferation and it's not as elegant as just carrying a cell phone to the carport in my pocket.  It is cheap, though.  Maybe I'll just drop a twisted pair out my kitchen window to the carport and use an old princess phone.  How's that for clunky?  :-)

TimDan

TimDan

Quote from: azrobert on June 21, 2017, 08:12:43 PM
QuoteSo the cell phone running the Android app "CSipSimple" acts as a SIP phone connected to, say  PhonePower, via the Internet.

This is NOT what I'm suggesting. The softphone registers directly to the OBi. Outbound calls are sent to the OBi and then routed out SP1. Inbound calls on SP1 are routed to the phone port and to the softphone.

You could register the softphone directly to Phonepower. I'm not familiar with Phonepower, so I'm not sure it will work. Phonepower would have to support 2 extensions, the OBi and the softphone and it must be able to route inbound calls to both.
I've already spoken with the lead tech support agent at PhonePower, and he offered no solutions and never mentioned a SIP client for Android, and I felt that I was pushing beyond his tech envelope.  I'll try PhonePower one more time, though.

TimDan

SteveInWA

Quote
not as elegant as just carrying a cell phone to the carport in my pocket.  

What's elegant about that?  It isn't even a cell phone, since you canceled service on it.

You know, you can save those little scraps of bar soap, and use a kitchen grater to turn it into laundry soap, or you can use stolen grocery dairy cartons and an old door as a table, or you can save up kitchen grease and run your diesel car on it, or you can turn a tuna can into a stove...

There comes a point where it turns into being a pathological cheapskate, just for the sake of seemingly saving a buck.  I give up.

Taoman

Quote from: azrobert on June 21, 2017, 08:12:43 PM

You could register the softphone directly to Phonepower. I'm not familiar with Phonepower, so I'm not sure it will work. Phonepower would have to support 2 extensions, the OBi and the softphone and it must be able to route inbound calls to both.


It should work. PhonePower supports 4 simultaneous registrations to the same account. All endpoints will ring for incoming calls. PhonePower doesn't support "extensions" (with separate SIP credentials for each extension) the way your average VoIP provider does.
For that matter they don't support SIP URI either which is an instant fail for me.