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Monthly or annually *autopay* E911 service to use with Obi200?

Started by Rick441, November 15, 2017, 12:48:34 AM

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Rick441

I just registered with Anveo on their website, intending to sign up for the $1.50 per month E911 service to use with my new Obi200 and Google Voice.

While I was expecting a monthly or yearly autopay option, instead it looks like you have to fund a prepaid reserve of $15 or more.  I looked at Callcentric's FAQ, and it appears they have a similar system.

I prefer not to have to worry about having to replenish an account -- and remember to do so -- especially when it is for an emergency service.  This is nothing you'd have to worry about keeping track of with Ooma, or the voip provider I used in the past, Viatalk.  Even if Anveo/Callcentric sends low-balance alert emails, I prefer not to deal with the possibility of, e.g., a missed email -- again, especially given that we are talking about an emergency service.  (I am assuming that if I sign up for Anveo E911 at the somewhat-higher $25/year cost through the Obitalk portal, the billing will be handled the same way.  Please correct me if that assumption is wrong.)

Does anyone know of a reasonably-priced, good-reputation E911 service to use with the Obi that will do a monthly or annual automatic payment from PayPal or a credit card?

Thanks.

GPz1100

We're set up with callcentric.  $0 balance is kept on the CC account.  Instead each month it charges the credit card $1.95 (we're on the NA 120 plan).  I expect the $1.50 E911 only plan to be billed similarly.

We're using them for their free inbound DID (with cnam), so it only made sense to add the e911 service rather than sign up with a separate service and use another SPx slot.

Rick441

Thanks GPz1100, I'll give Callcentric's E911 a try.  After seeing that Anveo has a manual prepaid reserve system for payments, I concluded Callcentric was the same based on this part of their Billing FAQ:

"Why do I need to add a deposit to my balance?
Callcentric collects a deposit which is placed into the balance of your account. We deduct from this balance every time you make a call outside of your rate plan."

But it was late and I guess I glossed over the fact that this says, "make a call *outside* of your rate plan," and gives an example.  (Link at bottom of post).

BTW, the Callcentric plan I would get is the free phone number.  I understand from the forums that I could use this for 911 even though it is an incoming service.  Do you (or anyone) know if I can still use GV for incoming calls while using Callcentric's free number for E911?  I don't need the CNAM (caller id with name) that using Callcentric for inbound would provide.

https://www.callcentric.com/faq/3/85

drgeoff

Quote from: Rick441 on November 15, 2017, 10:43:12 AMDo you (or anyone) know if I can still use GV for incoming calls while using Callcentric's free number for E911?  I don't need the CNAM (caller id with name) that using Callcentric for inbound would provide.
I don't understand what you are asking there.

You can choose whether incoming calls to your GV number come directly to your OBi or via Callcentric.  That is determined by the "Forwarding Phones" radio buttons under "Settings" ar google.com/voice.  (You may need the legacy UI to see them.)

Whichever you choose has no bearing on outgoing calls using the GV account connected to your OBi.

GPz1100

In addition to the cnam, callcentric has better spam filtering than google.  Many numbers pass google's filter but get stopped by CC.

Rick441

OK, tis afternoon I registered with CallCentric and got a free NY number.  Then I registered this on the Obitalk portal as SP2.  But a test call to the number does not ring my Obi200.  Instead I get a message that the person I am calling is not available, and the Obitalk portal says authorization failed.  Callcentric's site has a "not registered" message, although it *does* have a record of the attempted calls.  Of course I have double-checked my Callcentric password.  Any suggestions before I contact support?  Thanks.

drgeoff

Quote from: Rick441 on November 15, 2017, 02:43:42 PM
OK, tis afternoon I registered with CallCentric and got a free NY number.  Then I registered this on the Obitalk portal as SP2.  But a test call to the number does not ring my Obi200.  Instead I get a message that the person I am calling is not available, and the Obitalk portal says authorization failed.  Callcentric's site has a "not registered" message, although it *does* have a record of the attempted calls.  Of course I have double-checked my Callcentric password.  Any suggestions before I contact support?  Thanks.
An educated guess!

The Callcentric SIP password is NOT necessarily the same as the password for logging in to your account at callcentric.com.  You enter whatever SIP password you want to use through the Extensions tab on the site.

Rick441

Quote from: drgeoff on November 15, 2017, 02:51:08 PM
Quote from: Rick441 on November 15, 2017, 02:43:42 PM
OK, tis afternoon I registered with CallCentric and got a free NY number.  Then I registered this on the Obitalk portal as SP2.  But a test call to the number does not ring my Obi200.  Instead I get a message that the person I am calling is not available, and the Obitalk portal says authorization failed.  Callcentric's site has a "not registered" message, although it *does* have a record of the attempted calls.  Of course I have double-checked my Callcentric password.  Any suggestions before I contact support?  Thanks.
An educated guess!

The Callcentric SIP password is NOT necessarily the same as the password for logging in to your account at callcentric.com.  You enter whatever SIP password you want to use through the Extensions tab on the site.

Thanks.  I thought of that possibility, so I went to the CallCentric extensions tab and entered the same password I use for logging onto my CC account, and applied the change.  Then I went back to the ObiTalk portal, entered that same password to ensure everything matched, and applied the change.  Unfortunately, after doing that I'm still having the same problem.

GPz1100

You should be using the CC assigned 1777xxxxx # as the username in obi, not your callcentric login name.

drgeoff

Quote from: GPz1100 on November 15, 2017, 03:17:29 PM
You should be using the CC assigned 1777xxxxx # as the username in obi, not your callcentric login name.
The "Example: 17771234567" directly underneath the entry field on the portal is a rather strong hint about that.  :)

Rick441

I clicked on CallCentric as the provider in ObiTalk, and the screen I got doesn't have a field for username.  Instead it asks for "Callcentric Number" which I did enter in the specified format.  Should I be in a different screen??

Rick441

Also, I am using the (pre-filled) defaults for

Service Provider Proxy Server:  callcentric.com
Service Provider Proxy Server Port: 5060

And the exact error message I am getting on SP2 is:  "Register Failed: 403 Incorrect Authentication"

GPz1100

Well,

Assuming you're using proper credentials, properly copied and pasted (no extra spaces or anything), then it's possible something else is blocking access.  Is there a firewall between the obi and the internet?  Has it been configured to allow sip traffic?

You can test this out by connecting the obi directly to your modem.  You'll probably need to reboot the modem after connecting as most residential services only allow for a single ip.  If the obi is able to connect then you know it's something in your router/firewall. For security reasons don't leave it connected too long, and reboot your modem again after reconnecting the router/firewall.

https://www.callcentric.com/faq/9#226

SteveInWA

Quote from: Rick441 on November 15, 2017, 03:50:58 PM
I clicked on CallCentric as the provider in ObiTalk, and the screen I got doesn't have a field for username.  Instead it asks for "Callcentric Number" which I did enter in the specified format.  Should I be in a different screen??

On the Callcentric website, click the "Extensions" tab, and look at your extension.  It should say that it is registered, in green.  If it doesn't, then you didn't set up your Callcentric account correctly.  What does it say?

See below.

Rick441

Quote from: GPz1100 on November 15, 2017, 04:02:33 PM
Well,

Assuming you're using proper credentials, properly copied and pasted (no extra spaces or anything), then it's possible something else is blocking access.  Is there a firewall between the obi and the internet?  Has it been configured to allow sip traffic?

You can test this out by connecting the obi directly to your modem.  You'll probably need to reboot the modem after connecting as most residential services only allow for a single ip.  If the obi is able to connect then you know it's something in your router/firewall. For security reasons don't leave it connected too long, and reboot your modem again after reconnecting the router/firewall.

https://www.callcentric.com/faq/9#226


But if I were having these problems, wouldn't it be affecting any calls to the obi?  It's working fine with Google Voice, in and out (although maybe that does not use sip traffic?).

Rick441

Quote from: SteveInWA on November 15, 2017, 04:05:11 PM
Quote from: Rick441 on November 15, 2017, 03:50:58 PM
I clicked on CallCentric as the provider in ObiTalk, and the screen I got doesn't have a field for username.  Instead it asks for "Callcentric Number" which I did enter in the specified format.  Should I be in a different screen??

On the Callcentric website, click the "Extensions" tab, and look at your extension.  It should say that it is registered, in green.  If it doesn't, then you didn't set up your Callcentric account correctly.  What does it say?

See below.

EDIT:  CORRECTION IT DOES INDEED SAY "YOUR PHONE IS NOT REGISTERED."  I was thinking of something else when I initially replied.

SteveInWA

So then, call the New York area code number from some other phone, and see if it rings on the OBi.  You do know that the 1777xxxxxxx number is not a working telephone number, right?  It is only used as your Callcentric SIP user ID, and for CC<-->CC on-net calling.

If a call to the real phone number doesn't work, then you have some basic mistake on your OBi configuration.

Delete the SP, and use the OBiTALK web portal to re-do it.  Click the SP.  On the next page, after accepting the warning about emergency calling, scroll down to the bottom and click "OBiTALK Compatible Service Providers".  On the next page, click "Callcentric".  Fill in the 1777xxxxxx number as the Callcentric number, and your Callcentric SIP password and submit.

Rick441

Quote from: SteveInWA on November 15, 2017, 04:23:51 PM
So then, call the New York area code number from some other phone, and see if it rings on the OBi.  You do know that the 1777xxxxxxx number is not a working telephone number, right?  It is only used as your Callcentric SIP user ID, and for CC<-->CC on-net calling.

If a call to the real phone number doesn't work, then you have some basic mistake on your OBi configuration.

Delete the SP, and use the OBiTALK web portal to re-do it.  Click the SP.  On the next page, after accepting the warning about emergency calling, scroll down to the bottom and click "OBiTALK Compatible Service Providers".  On the next page, click "Callcentric".  Fill in the 1777xxxxxx number as the Callcentric number, and your Callcentric SIP password and submit.

SORRY, AS NOTED IN EDIT ABOVE, IT DOES INDEED SAY "NOT REGISTERED."  Also, I *had* been trying to call the CallCentric number from my cellphone (not the phone attached to the Obi).  I just now tried calling from the Obi-attached phone instead, and it just rang for a long time before cutting to a dial tone.

SteveInWA

 >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

Then, you need to edit that extension in CC settings, and assign a SIP password to it, and follow my instructions to set it up on your OBi.

Rick441

Thanks, I finally got it to work.

It's confusing to set up because when Obitalk asks for the "Callcentric Number," it sounds like they are asking for my Callcentric phone number rather than an extension id-- which is further compounded by the fact the 1777xxxxxxx looks like an eleven digit phone number.