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Obi 200 & Landline

Started by jbailey, July 15, 2018, 02:51:30 PM

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jbailey

I currently have landline service and dsl internet with 768 kbps and 300 up. Was wondering if you can have the Obi 200 with Google Voice along with landline service?  If the Obi setup worked, then I might cancel the landline. Thanks for any help.

A_Friend

One problem you may have with dsl is that your local telephone company might not want to sell it to you without phone service.  If they will provide it, you'll most likely also be charged for what they call a "dry line."  It was $10 a month here in New York before Verizon stopped offering it.

Call your local business office to find out what the possibilities are.

Either way, you can't use an Obihai device without an internet connection, and bear in mind that GV won't give you 911 service.  So, based on your situation, I'd say you probably want to keep your current service, and use the GV as an auxiliary line.  You'll be able to save money by not having to pay for outgoing calls, which will reduce your phone bill, but unless you buy an ObiLine (FXO bridge device), you're going to need two wired phones, one for each line.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

jbailey

A_Friend, thanks for that response and I will do as you suggest, keeping both for a while.  If i am satisfied with the Google Voice, i will see if i can get a better dsl speed without the landline, provided no extra fees added. Thanks again for your help.

LTN1

When determining if you have fast enough high speed internet for VoIP calls, check out SteveInWA's advice in this thread: https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=13514.0

Notice that it is not just speed (which yours is pretty low) but also stability--to maintain quality VoIP.

jbailey

Thanks for the link LTN1. Yeah, pretty crappy speed but I rarely use the phone and computer at the same time, so will be giving it the best chance for success as far as competition goes.  Stability of connection is another concern. I guess I should wait for a sale on the Obi200 before rolling the dice. Thanks for your time.

A_Friend

Quote from: LTN1 on July 15, 2018, 08:35:54 PM
Notice that it is not just speed (which yours is pretty low) but also stability--to maintain quality VoIP.

My experience (in the past) with Verizon's DSL service was that it was rock-solid for VoIP.  It might be slow-ish, but it's still much faster than the codecs and had very low latency and jitter, far lower than my experience with Spectrum 50Mb service.  Don't know if it's gotten worse, but with fewer users these days, it's probably fine.

LTN1

I think having low latency and jitters are the key.

jbailey

Used MegaPath's Speed Test Plus https://www.megapath.com/speedtestplus/

Results: .77up, .32down, latency56ms, jitter1ms

I will test at different times to get a range of performance and if i get the Obi200, will report my experience. Thanks again  A_Friend and LTN1.

A_Friend

Quote from: jbailey on July 16, 2018, 10:36:37 PM
... if i get the Obi200, will report my experience. Thanks again  A_Friend and LTN1.

I seem to be on Newegg's email list.  Their latest sale flyer includes this for the next 65 hours:

Obi202 for $49.95 with promo code EMCPWEV39, which at the moment at least, seems cheaper than most posted prices for the Obi200.  Although, I note that there's an "open-box" Obi200 (which probably means it's a return) for $32 listed there.


LTN1

I suggest getting the OBi202 for that great a deal. Not too often does the OBi202 go on sale for $49.99 + tax (if applicable).

jbailey

Thanks guys and for promo code A_Friend. It's on backorder. Saw that a 200 was on sale for 39.99.

I also should get an ethernet splitter of some sort since I only have one ethernet port on my Netgear modem so haven't been to checkout yet