Obi200 Problem: Person calling me cannot hear phone rings
Babz:
Quote from: drgeoff on August 25, 2018, 06:20:13 pm
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:
Quote from: SteveInWA on August 25, 2018, 07:37:04 pm
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:
Quote from: SteveInWA on August 25, 2018, 08:13:27 pm
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!
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