Obi200 Problem: Person calling me cannot hear phone rings

[Babz]

I'm in my 2nd day of testing a new Obi200 w/ Google Voice. Most tests calls have been good, but one person calling me is reporting being unable to hear the phone ring. They dial my number and then hear nothing. I hear several rings on my end and answer and we can talk. But the caller hears no ringing.

This person is calling from a cable-company triple-play landline. The same person calling me from a cell phone works. But from the landline, no rings.

2 questions:

1. Has anyone else seen this issue? Any info/solutions?
2. Can an Obi200 unit be returned for a refund from Amazon? That is to say, once it has been activated, and an account linked to it, can that be undone and the unit returned and resold to another user?

If this issue can't be resolved, I have no choice but to return this Obi200 and buy an Ooma. It may be only one caller reporting the issue, but that's one caller too many. Can't take chances with missing calls.

Thanks for any advice!

[drgeoff]

1.  Do you have any other phones added to your GV account?  If not add one, eg your cellphone, even temporarily.  Both it and your OBi's phone should ring when your problem caller calls.  Does he/she hear ringing?  If not, the problem is not with your OBi200.

2. Unless and until the OBi is deleted by you from your Obitalk account it cannot be added to a different account.  However even if you did that, at least here in the UK it would be against trading laws for it (or anything else) to be represented and sold as a new item.

[SteveInWA]

In the USA, when you return a product to Amazon, they don't (intentionally) resell it as new.  In the case of OBiTALK products, they're returned to Polycom, where they are not put back on the market as new devices.

So:  if you're within the defined return period, you can return it for a refund.

The problem you are describing is not common at all.  In fact, I haven't seen any reports of it in a long time.

[Babz]

1.  Do you have any other phones added to your GV account?  If not add one, eg your cellphone, even temporarily.  Both it and your OBi's phone should ring when your problem caller calls.  Does he/she hear ringing?  If not, the problem is not with your OBi200.

I'm not sure I follow you. Are you talking about the "Linked number" setting in Google Voice? What that does is cause an additional phone (a linked phone) to ring when someone calls your Google Voice number. I can't see how that would make any difference in term of what a caller is hearing.

Remember, *my* phone (attached to the Obi200) rings fine. But the caller hears no phone ringing on their end (what is known as a "ringback tone", i.e, the ring sound generated by the phone company fed to the caller's earpiece). The caller dials my number and then just hears silence. They either hang up, or if they wait long enough without hanging up, they will eventually get my outgoing voicemail greeting and they can leave a message. I can't see how having another phone ringing at my house is going to make any difference in terms of what the caller is hearing. But I will try linking a number and see if it makes any difference, if that's what you meant.

[Babz]

In the USA, when you return a product to Amazon, they don't (intentionally) resell it as new.  In the case of OBiTALK products, they're returned to Polycom, where they are not put back on the market as new devices.

So:  if you're within the defined return period, you can return it for a refund.

The problem you are describing is not common at all.  In fact, I haven't seen any reports of it in a long time.

Thanks so much for the reply.

I should clarify. My second question is simply: How do I deactivate my ObiTALK account so it is no longer linked to this OBi200, so I can return it? Can it be done? If so, how? What steps?

What happens to the unit after that is not really relevant for me, but I assume that is what ends up being the "refurbished" units that are sold on Amazon.

I just need to know how to cancel and get out of this, if I need to. I will keep testing. So far, only one caller is reporting this issue. But, even if it is only one caller, it makes the whole thing too unreliable to me to be my main replacement phone for my erstwhile landline. I'll just pay a little more and go w/ something more reliable.

Thx.

[SteveInWA]

In the USA, when you return a product to Amazon, they don't (intentionally) resell it as new.  In the case of OBiTALK products, they're returned to Polycom, where they are not put back on the market as new devices.

So:  if you're within the defined return period, you can return it for a refund.

The problem you are describing is not common at all.  In fact, I haven't seen any reports of it in a long time.

Thanks so much for the reply.

I should clarify. My second question is simply: How do I deactivate my ObiTALK account so it is no longer linked to this OBi200, so I can return it? Can it be done? If so, how? What steps?

What happens to the unit after that is not really relevant for me, but I assume that is what ends up being the "refurbished" units that are sold on Amazon.

I just need to know how to cancel and get out of this, if I need to. I will keep testing. So far, only one caller is reporting this issue. But, even if it is only one caller, it makes the whole thing too unreliable to me to be my main replacement phone for my erstwhile landline. I'll just pay a little more and go w/ something more reliable.

Thx.

You are a very considerate person for asking these questions.  Most people couldn't care less.  I don't know what Polycom does when they receive the returned units, as far as removing the devices' OBi numbers from the system, but you can easily do that yourself before returning.  You don't need to delete the OBiTALK account; just delete the device off of your dashboard, and wait a few minutes while the portal reboots the device.

[Babz]

In the USA, when you return a product to Amazon, they don't (intentionally) resell it as new.  In the case of OBiTALK products, they're returned to Polycom, where they are not put back on the market as new devices.

So:  if you're within the defined return period, you can return it for a refund.

The problem you are describing is not common at all.  In fact, I haven't seen any reports of it in a long time.

Thanks so much for the reply.

I should clarify. My second question is simply: How do I deactivate my ObiTALK account so it is no longer linked to this OBi200, so I can return it? Can it be done? If so, how? What steps?

What happens to the unit after that is not really relevant for me, but I assume that is what ends up being the "refurbished" units that are sold on Amazon.

I just need to know how to cancel and get out of this, if I need to. I will keep testing. So far, only one caller is reporting this issue. But, even if it is only one caller, it makes the whole thing too unreliable to me to be my main replacement phone for my erstwhile landline. I'll just pay a little more and go w/ something more reliable.

Thx.

You are a very considerate person for asking these questions.  Most people couldn't care less.  I don't know what Polycom does when they receive the returned units, as far as removing the devices' OBi numbers from the system, but you can easily do that yourself before returning.  You don't need to delete the OBiTALK account; just delete the device off of your dashboard, and wait a few minutes while the portal reboots the device.

Thanks! It's not that I'm trying to be a "considerate person," I just want to make sure there is no link between this device and me and my account and my google voice #, etc... In other words, what is the procedure to make sure I "wipe it clean" like you would do if you were returning a computer or cell phone.  I am pretty much entirely uninterested/unconcerned about what happens to the unit after I return it. It just wondered if these units were only able to be activated once or not. I was concerned that they might be only able to be activated once. I wondered if anyone else has ever returned one and what that experience is like. That kind of thing. My guess is that there will probably not be any problem returning it. I have only tested it for a few hours. You can never really know if something is going to work until you try it out for yourself. But the fact that I'm having this problem right away does not give me a lot of confidence in the reliability of the product, and I may have to seek a better solution. I hope not, but...

[Babz]

1.  Do you have any other phones added to your GV account?  If not add one, eg your cellphone, even temporarily.  Both it and your OBi's phone should ring when your problem caller calls.  Does he/she hear ringing?  If not, the problem is not with your OBi200.

I'm not sure I follow you. Are you talking about the "Linked number" setting in Google Voice? What that does is cause an additional phone (a linked phone) to ring when someone calls your Google Voice number. I can't see how that would make any difference in term of what a caller is hearing.

Remember, *my* phone (attached to the Obi200) rings fine. But the caller hears no phone ringing on their end (what is known as a "ringback tone", i.e, the ring sound generated by the phone company fed to the caller's earpiece). The caller dials my number and then just hears silence. They either hang up, or if they wait long enough without hanging up, they will eventually get my outgoing voicemail greeting and they can leave a message. I can't see how having another phone ringing at my house is going to make any difference in terms of what the caller is hearing. But I will try linking a number and see if it makes any difference, if that's what you meant.

UPDATE: I just tried adding a 2nd "linked number" to my Google Voice account, and as I expected, it made no difference. The person calling me still did not hear any rings, despite the fact that it made both phone lines ring on my end.

[SteveInWA]

There is no way anyone else can use your Google account with that device.  Simply remove it from your dashboard, and it returns the device to the same status as a new-out-of-the-box device.  The only difference would be, if the device was re-sold on the side (e.g. eBay or Craigslist), that the 1-year warranty period started the first time the device was connected to the OBiTALK system, and so the next user would be getting a device that wouldn't have a full warranty.  That scenario is N/A if you return it to Amazon. 

In general, consumer electronics manufacturers either recycle the devices or "refurbish" them, meaning some level of testing and repackaging.  The devices can then either be used for warranty exchanges or sold as refurbs.

[drgeoff]

On your dashboard, click the pale blue cogwheel icon on the OBi200 line.  On the next screen find the 'Delete Device' button and click it.

[Babz]

On your dashboard, click the pale blue cogwheel icon on the OBi200 line.  On the next screen find the 'Delete Device' button and click it.

Thanks, drgeoff!  I hope it doesn't have to come to that. I'll keep trying for another day or two. My next test will be to try using a different Google Voice phone number/ Google account. Maybe there is just something wacky about this particular GV number. ?   I can't think of anything else to try at this point.

Does anyone know the steps to do that? Can you have more than one Google voice number connected to the Obi, SP1, SP2...?  Or do I need to delete my SP1 Google voice number and replace it with a new one?  How do I do that, when my current SP1 Google account name and password is *also* account name and log in for ObiTalk?  

[SteveInWA]

The problem you originally described sounds to me like a carrier-related issue, in the path between that caller's telephone service provider, and Google Voice.  It has nothing to do with your OBi hardware.  I originally just went along with your concern of reliability and told you how to return the product.

If you now want to continue troubleshooting it, then yes, you can easily add up to four Google Voice accounts to the  OBi, on SP1 through SP4.

Open three different browser tabs in your desktop web browser (press Ctrl-T).  In the first tab, sign into the original Google/Gmail/GV account.  In the second tab, sign into your OBiTALK dashboard.  In the third tab, sign into the second Google/Gmail/GV account.  This assumes you have actually set up the second account and obtained another Google Voice inbound phone number.

Now, on the OBiTALK dashboard, click on your OBi device, then click on SP2.  Follow the prompts.  Eventually, it will pop up a window, showing both of the Gmail accounts, and asks you to pick one.  Pick the second one you created.

[Babz]

The problem you originally described sounds to me like a carrier-related issue, in the path between that caller's telephone service provider, and Google Voice.  It has nothing to do with your OBi hardware.  I originally just went along with your concern of reliability and told you how to return the product.

If you now want to continue troubleshooting it, then yes, you can easily add up to four Google Voice accounts to the  OBi, on SP1 through SP4.

Open three different browser tabs in your desktop web browser (press Ctrl-T).  In the first tab, sign into the original Google/Gmail/GV account.  In the second tab, sign into your OBiTALK dashboard.  In the third tab, sign into the second Google/Gmail/GV account.  This assumes you have actually set up the second account and obtained another Google Voice inbound phone number.

Now, on the OBiTALK dashboard, click on your OBi device, then click on SP2.  Follow the prompts.  Eventually, it will pop up a window, showing both of the Gmail accounts, and asks you to pick one.  Pick the second one you created.

Yes, my comments about "reliability" refer to the combination of OBi200 and Google Voice. I didn't mean to imply (and have no real way of determining) that the OBi hardware is problematic, but only that if that combination proves to be unreliable, then I will have to come up with another solution.

Thanks for the tips on setting up multiple GV numbers w/ Obi. Yes, I am still not giving up on Obi and want to keep troubleshooting until I find a solution, and yes, it does seem to be some incompatibility between this person's phone service and GV. But, unfortunately, that person is a very important contact, and one of the main reasons why I got the Obi to begin with, so that number HAS to work.

Yes, I already have another GV number, which I've used for years w/ hangouts app to make calls. The one I've been testing with so far is a new GV number/account that I created the day the OBi200 arrived. So, maybe there is something wacky about it. I have been reading about people saying getting a new/different GV number has solved other problems, so it's worth a shot in this situation. I will try setting up Obi w/ my old GV number and report back the results.

Thanks so much for your input!

[SteveInWA]

Makes sense to me.  Let us know if this caller can hear ringback tones when calling your other number.  By the way, which telephone service provider is this person using to call you?

[Babz]

Makes sense to me.  Let us know if this caller can hear ringback tones when calling your other number.  By the way, which telephone service provider is this person using to call you?

OK, SOME PROGRESS, FINALLY!

I set up a 2nd Google Voice account/number for SP2, and tested it and it works! The caller can hear ringback tones when calling this 2nd GV number. So, obviously, the problem was that there was something flakey about the first Google Voice number that I used to set up the Obi. Moral of the story: Not all Google Voice number are created equal. If you're having issues, try using a different GV number.

I'm not sure of the ISP of the problematic caller, but it is part of a Phone, TV, Internet package from a major nationwide cable company. It is what I would call a "landline," but I think it is actually VOIP-based. Basically it is cable-package VOIP.

Incidentally, adding a 2nd google voice number to SP2 was easy. You just log in to your ObiTALK Device Configuration. Then log into your 2nd Google voice account in a 2nd browser tab. Then go back to the Device Configuration page and click the "Google Voice Set-Up" button and it walks your through it. (Just a couple of steps of agreeing to some terms and allowing Obi access to this GV account).

The only part that is a little confusing is that in order to have the SP2 take over as your outgoing phone number you have to check a box that says: "Phone 1" next to where it says "Primary Line for Outgoing Calls".  This is confusing because you are actually editing the settings for SP*2*.  What I guess this is supposed to mean is that you are telling it to make SP2 "Phone 1". That is, whatever SP account you designate as "Phone 1" becomes your outgoing number.

You can, apparently, have up to 4 GV numbers/accounts (SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4). But for me, all I need is one that works for all callers, and in this case that is now my SP2. Now I just need to get rid of SP1 (which is also my current login and password for ObiTALK.com), and change it to the SP2 account.

Thanks so much for to everyone who helped me troubleshoot this!

[SteveInWA]

Great.

RE:  the "Primary Line for Outgoing Calls" setting does one thing on a OBi 200, and two things on an OBi 202:  on a OBi 200, it lets you select which of the four Service Providers to use as the default when you place an outbound phone call.  Since the 200 has only one physical phone jack, "Phone 1", you'll always be choosing which SP to use when making outbound calls via the telephone line plugged into the "Phone 1" jack.

The OBi 202 has two physical telephone jacks on the back, which can be configured to ring when any of the four Service Provider slots have an incoming call.  For example, you could have a two-line telephone, with line 1 connected to the Phone 1 circuit, and line 2 connected to the Phone 2 circuit, and then decide which phone numbers (SPx) ring to which phone line.  So, on a 202, you will see settings to select which SPx will be matched to which phone jack, Phone 1 or Phone 2 for outbound service.  On the OBi 200, that setting just defaults to the one and only phone jack.

These settings only control outbound calling.  By default, inbound calls to SPs on a OBi 200 will of course, ring Phone 1.  On a 202, you can select which phone jack receives inbound calls from the four SPs.

RE:  what to do now, I suggest that, if you aren't going to use the first Google Voice phone number, but you want to keep the second phone number, to do this:

• Create another Gmail account (#3).  This will be a "throwaway" email address that you can delete or ignore afterwards.
• Follow the instructions linked below to transfer the Google Voice telephone number on Gmail account #1, to the new/temporary account (#3).  At that point, you can either forget about it, or use it for some other purpose.  Now, Gmail account #1 has no Google Voice number.
• Next, transfer the new, correctly working Google Voice number from Gmail account #2, to Gmail account #1.  At this point, you now have Gmail #1 with your desired phone number, Gmail account #2 with no number, and Gmail account #3 with the flaky number.  Optionally, if you wish, you can transfer the flaky number back to Gmail #2 and delete Gmail #3.
• Sign into your OBiTALK dashboard.  Delete the SP2 configuration.  Then, open the SP1 configuration, and follow the instructions shown (after you get past the emergency call warning) to change the Google credentials to use Gmail account #2.

The end result will be that you now have your fully-working Google Voice phone number on your original Gmail account, configured on SP1 of the OBi.  You do not need to do anything about the OBiTALK portal login, since it will still be Gmail account #1.

[Babz]

Great.

RE:  "Phone 1" nomenclature, this is actually a setting that is only significant on the OBi 202 (which shares the same firmware).  The OBi 200 and 202 can logically connect to four service providers, labeled SP1--SP4.  These SPs are not electrically wired to a specific telephone jack on the back; they are configurable via firmware.

The OBi 202 has two physical telephone jacks on the back, which can be configured to ring when any of the four Service Provider slots have an incoming call.  For example, you could have a two-line telephone, with line 1 connected to the Phone 1 circuit, and line 2 connected to the Phone 2 circuit, and then decide which phone numbers (SPx) ring to which phone line.  On the OBi 200, that setting just defaults to the one and only phone jack.

RE:  what to do now, I suggest that, if you aren't going to use the first Google Voice phone number, but you want to keep the second phone number, to do this:

• Create another Gmail account (#3).  This will be a "throwaway" email address that you can delete or ignore afterwards.
• Follow the instructions linked below to transfer the Google Voice telephone number on Gmail account #1, to the new/temporary account (#3).  At that point, you can either forget about it, or use it for some other purpose.  Now, Gmail account #1 has no Google Voice number.
• Next, transfer the new, correctly working Google Voice number from Gmail account #2, to Gmail account #1.  At this point, you now have Gmail #1 with your desired phone number, Gmail account #2 with no number, and Gmail account #3 with the flaky number.  Optionally, if you wish, you can transfer the flaky number back to Gmail #2 and delete Gmail #3.
• Sign into your OBiTALK dashboard.  Delete the SP2 configuration.  Then, open the SP1 configuration, and follow the instructions shown (after you get past the emergency call warning) to change the Google credentials to use Gmail account #2.

The end result will be that you now have your fully-working Google Voice phone number on your original Gmail account, configured on SP1 of the OBi.  You do not need to do anything about the OBiTALK portal login, since it will still be Gmail account #1.

So, then, if the "Phone 1" setting has no effect for the Obi200 (which is what I am using), and checking it makes no difference, then it must mean that whatever is the most recent Google Voice acct/number you add, it automatically becomes your outgoing number. All I know is that after I added the second number (which included checking that Phone 1 box), the second number took over as my outgoing number. I wonder, if you had 3-4 Google Voice numbers, if there is a way to switch which one is your outgoing number as needed. Is there a master setting for choosing which SP is your outgoing number on an OBi200?

Also, I notice that if you go to Edit Profile, you can simply change your Login Email address and Password there. So couldn't I just change that to my 2nd Google Voice account, and then delete the first one? (I haven't tried it yet. I'm still mulling over options and trying to decide what number/acct from various choices will be my final main number. But I definitely want to delete and never again use the problematic GV account, which is currently assigned to SP1 in my Obi account.)

[SteveInWA]

I was unclear in my description of the setting, and since I can't attach a screenshot (that forum function is currently broken), I can't show you what I meant.

The "Primary Line for Outgoing Calls" setting does indeed control which Service Provider (SP1--SP4) is the default SP used when you pick up the phone and call.  I led you astray with the fact that it will always refer to "Phone 1", which is the one and only phone jack used.  So, what the setting truly means is:  "If you pick up the telephone handset on the telephone plugged into the Phone 1 jack and make an outbound call, it will use this SPx."  On a 202, it will show Phone 1 AND Phone 2, and allow you to designate two separate settings -- for example, use SP1 on Phone 1, and use SP2 on Phone 2.  SP's and physical phone lines can be mixed up however you wish.

So:  if you select SP2 as the Primary Line for Outgoing Calls, then your calls will be placed using SP2.

If you want to place the call using one of the other SPs, then you prefix the dial string with ** and the number of the SP you want to use.  For example, if the default is to use SP2, but you want to use SP1, then press **1 followed by the telephone number.

The unrelated issue you are discussing is which Google account to save and use, and which Google account to use as your OBiTALK signin.  Those two things are actually independent.

OBiTALK, the web portal, like most websites, is secured with a login.  You can either create a dedicated username and password, having nothing to do with Google, or you can use an authentication service provided by Google, similar to the services provided by Facebook and Microsoft:  You tell OBiTALK to ask Google who you are, and in order to do that, you sign into your Google account.  It can be any Google account, independent of Google Voice.  Remember:  Google Voice is a service on a Google account.  You have a Google account, not a Google Voice account.  That Google account can be used to access any of Google's services, like Gmail, Calendar, Docs, etc.

So:  you can use whichever Google account you wish, as your login credential, or, to avoid confusion, just create a dedicated signin directly with OBiTALK.

As for which Google account you keep or jettison, the reason I walked you through that procedure, was that most people have their Google Voice service associated with their "main" Google account -- the one they use for Gmail.  So, I assumed your first Google account was the one you wanted to keep.  It's all up to you; do whatever works best for you.

[A_Friend]

I wonder, if you had 3-4 Google Voice numbers, if there is a way to switch which one is your outgoing number as needed. Is there a master setting for choosing which SP is your outgoing number on an OBi200?

There is such a master setting.  I can only tell you where it is on the local UI.  [It's probably in a similar place on ObiExpert, so check there first, but I'm no expert on that (i.e. fairly clueless), as for various reasons that some here vigorously disagree with, I tend to avoid the Obitalk portal.]

On the local UI (which you get to via a browser to the Obi200's IP address), you'll find it under Physical Interfaces/Phone1 Port.  It's called PrimaryLine.  Besides SP1 through SP4, there are a few other choices, some only available with external add-ons. 

You can always access any of the registered SP's on an individual call with **1, **2, etc., and you can code those into your speed dials, too.  But the PrimaryLine setting determines which trunk gets used if you don't explicitly say.

[SteveInWA]

I wonder, if you had 3-4 Google Voice numbers, if there is a way to switch which one is your outgoing number as needed. Is there a master setting for choosing which SP is your outgoing number on an OBi200?

There is such a master setting.  I can only tell you where it is on the local UI.  [It's probably in a similar place on ObiExpert, so check there first, but I'm no expert on that (i.e. fairly clueless), as for various reasons that some here vigorously disagree with, I tend to avoid the Obitalk portal.]

On the local UI (which you get to via a browser to the Obi200's IP address), you'll find it under Physical Interfaces/Phone1 Port.  It's called PrimaryLine.  Besides SP1 through SP4, there are a few other choices, some only available with external add-ons. 

You can always access any of the registered SP's on an individual call with **1, **2, etc., and you can code those into your speed dials, too.  But the PrimaryLine setting determines which trunk gets used if you don't explicitly say.

Ignore this moron.  He posts utter nonsense in multiple threads.

I already correctly answered Babz question.  The OBiTALK portal allows the user to easily set which SP is used as the default for outbound calls.