Quote from: winger13 on April 12, 2012, 11:10:31 AMI am new to OBI, but what level of service are we (customers) expecting to have from tech support? IS it low-level since we only paid $50'ish for the device???
I'm going to take a wild guess and say that reading every thread in these forums is not the highest priority for Obihai Support right now, since they are basically focused on getting the OBi202 ready to ship. So posting here probably does not constitute a support request.
I've always suggested that the best way to get support is to e-mail
support@obihai.com and include the 9 digit OBiTALK number from the bottom of your device and a CLEAR description of the problem, including what you have already tried. I will also note that Obihai has more or less said that if you choose to configure your OBi device manually rather than use the OBiTALK portal, it limits their ability to help you. So if you choose manual configuration, your support request may gravitate to the bottom of the pile, so to speak.
With the OBi202, I've had a couple of minor issues (though no problems whatsoever with Google Voice, except for the recent weekend when almost everybody was having issues because Google screwed something up) and in both cases they have been able to push a beta firmware build to my device that fixed the issue. That simply would not be possible if I had followed the bad advice given by one person on these forums that tries to discourage everyone from using the portal (just because HE finds it easier not to use it. Then he wonders why his support requests get ignored sometimes. Duh!).
Having said that, there may be reasons that a person cannot get Google Voice to work that are simply beyond Obihai's control. I always say, if possible, try taking your device to the home of a friend (preferably one using a different ISP than the one you use) and see if you still have the problem. If not, it's likely either your ISP, the crappy cable or DSL modem they provided, or your router. Or, you may have configured something incorrectly.
I will also point out that I have never had to forward ports from our router directly to any VoIP hardware device to make it work. So if you're having to do that, that again indicates you may just have a router issue. One thing you can temporarily try is connecting the OBi directly to the cable or DSL modem (bypassing the router entirely) to see if that makes a difference. If it does, it's highly likely that it's your router (or an improper setting in your router).
I'm not saying that when 35 people have an issue that's not significant, but remember that there are thousands of satisfied Obihai users and most of us just aren't seeing the problems you're reporting. And I am pretty sure that Obihai isn't seeing the issue at their location, or they'd be trying to fix it. You have to know what's causing a problem before you can fix it, and you have to know that the problem exists, which they actually may not if relatively few people have bothered to file an actual support request rather than just carping in this forum. There will always be a few people who can't get a a particular networked device to work, and the reasons can be anything from a bad network cable (NOT as rare as you might think!) to a crummy or misconfigured router to a problem with the ISP's service or modem. Obihai can't control (nor even detect) many of those kinds of situations, nor can any other networked device manufacturer. Remember, though, that VoIP is much more impacted by severe packet loss than just about any other type of networked service, and that's a problem only your ISP (or
you, if it's a bad cable in your home) can fix.
