Use a gVoice account for default outgoing calls, without inbound calls

[J-of-OurIT]

I have 5 Devices on a network using google voice (each has their own discrete account).

I would like all devices to call out using the "Main" number (x1111 for example), but only have the "Main" number ring 2 of the phones on inbound calls.

I know to have the phones (mostly Obi1022's) use an account "outbound" that the account has to be signed in and set as the"Primary Line for Outgoing Calls" in the SP# configuration pane.

What I am trying to figure out how to do is to sign in to the "Main" account on all devices, so they will all call out with the same "Main" outbound caller ID, but only certain phones will ring. To do this I need to set the other phones not to ring with a call comes in on the "Main" number.

Is this possible? If so, where in the settings do I need to go?

Thanks in advance!

[drgeoff]

Use Expert Mode on the portal to set the X_InboundCallRoute for the relevant SP to () instead of the default ph

[J-of-OurIT]

THANKS A MILLION!

I feel silly for trying to negotiate getting the individual accounts' CID registered with CNAME/LIDB for 5 months, more-so for not thinking up this option, and most-so for not asking here sooner!

Use Expert Mode on the portal to set the X_InboundCallRoute for the relevant SP to () instead of the default ph

It took 32 minutes for you to answer a 5 month question. Thank you!

Now if I can only figure out how to set the Outbound CID of the individual accounts my boss would love me. *Gotta remember that sometimes the enemy of good is better*

THANKS

[drgeoff]

Now if I can only figure out how to set the Outbound CID of the individual accounts my boss would love me.

I don't understand.  GV has no flexibility on that.  On outgoing calls it always sets the Caller ID to the GV number of the account.

[J-of-OurIT]

Now if I can only figure out how to set the Outbound CID of the individual accounts my boss would love me.

I don't understand.  GV has no flexibility on that.  On outgoing calls it always sets the Caller ID to the GV number of the account.

I'm aware. The issue is that I created with Vonage in a block, and before defining the CID/CNAME/LIDB (not sure which is the right thing) information properly, ported the number to TMobile, then to Google Voice.

By "Properly" I mean that I did not update the City, State, or Caller ID Name while the # was still with Vonage, and now it's on Google Voice with no name and the wrong city.

Some Forum lurking research turned up that people recommend TrueCNAM.com to update the "Caller ID Info" for a number you have with Google Voice, but so far that service has not worked. I'm not sure if that's because of some idiosyncrasy with how the numbers are input into TrueCNAM (i.e. using "+1" or "1" for the country code, or somesuch, I really don't know enough to know what may be wrong) or if TrueCNAM is the wrong service for what I'm looking for, or if they're a scam.

TL;DR:
The new numbers I ported to Google Voice show up on other people's Caller ID without a name, and with the wrong city of our office and I cannot figure out what service I should use to fix/update/correct that issue short of porting the numbers back to Vonage, updating the info, and porting them back to gVoice.

Sorry for the wall of text, just trying to clarify the issue. Thanks again for the time and concern!

[drgeoff]

Perhaps you are one of the many people who don't understand a fundamental difference between Caller ID (number) and Caller ID Name.

POTS trunk networks carry Caller ID number from the caller's phone service provider to the callee's phone service provider as a digital message as part of the call setup signalling.  The callee's phone service provider converts that to modem type tones for analogue transmission over the local loop to the callee's phone. (Or as a digital message is the SIP signalling if the callee has a SIP VoiP service.)

Those trunk networks have no provision to carry Caller ID Name.  Where the callee's phone service provider sends a Caller ID Name to the callee's phone it obtains that name by a database lookup on the Caller ID number.  Some service providers do a lookup and some don't (eg GV).  Moreover there is no single industry wide database. It is up to the callee's service provider whether to obtain a name and if it does, where to get it from.

So, you as caller have no direct control over what name if any will be displayed on your callee's phone.  There may be means to increase the probability that various databases contain the name that you would wish to be associated with your number.  But nothing you do on your OBi or your GV account has any impact.

[SteveInWA]

...adding to drgeoff's explanation, and specific to Google Voice:  you cannot set caller ID name.  Your description of doing something with caller ID name while the numbers were with another service provider rarely works.  Generally, CNAM may be reset to nothing when a number is ported, or the old CNAM may remain, but this is entirely up to the CNAM database (LIDB) providers.  Your ported numbers may retain their old CNAM information for some undetermined time, and then suddenly their CNAM LIDB entries may be deleted.  They will not respond to requests from end users; only authorized service providers can do that.

Aside from that, your plan to have multiple people call out or receive calls on the same Google Voice number is not going to work.  AFAIK, you can only have two simultaneous calls (channels) at a time.

Whatever modest amount of money you may be saving by using Google Voice is easily offset by these limitations. Use a paid commercial SIP VoIP Internet Telephone Service Provider (ITSP) instead of Google Voice.  You'll gain control of CNAM, be able to set up as many extensions as you need, configure them for either simultaneous ringing or a hunt group, set up an IVR, etc.