As an overall situation - we are
delighted with our Obi boxes & GV, BUT:
There are twists & exceptions which do apply.In terms of VOIP, GV does get both thumbs up, while also not being the final solution in that realm.
Worthy of note is that GV has some features which are far ahead of
all other providers when viewed as a whole picture rather than the small bits which make that picture, such as=>
- Spam call blocking - fantastic !!
- SMS via email - wow.
- VM transcripts.
- Using the GV numbers as public-facing numbers with appropriate choices made as to forwarding.
- Zero cost.That having been said - some of our equipment does not work directly with GV, so:
We also have need of using a paid ITSP - and our top choice has been Circlenet.
Sadly, that is more or less scheduled to go away after a while now, so others have been looked at.
With that change on the visible horizon, our 2 top choices for good, low cost VOIP are
VOIP.ms & CallWithUs - and a close 3rd is Callcentric.
Getting CWU to work with our Panasonic SIP phone has been a struggle that has eaten both time & funds...but that isn't a likely thing for most folks to have happen, so it is an unusual concern IMO.
VOIP.ms has incredible support IMO, as does Callcentric.Compared to either landline charges or bundled VOIP from an internet provider, any of the above can be seen as a great win.
As long as our Obi boxes & GV are still getting along, we'll stick with that - and frankly if the Obi2xx goes on sale for a
really super price I might consider picking up a spare if that came around sometime
soon.
Counting on this to last forever is
not a reasonable option IMO - but in contrast to that, even if the time of free GV via Obi ends, our Obi boxes are still great for use via a paid ITSP, if that is the
only choice remaining at some later date.
Final thought with this same idea:If one ONLY wants to mimic a POTS line using VOIP through their internet connection, there are lower cost boxes to be had which work perfectly with a paid ITSP.
Using care in choosing an ITSP is very, very important - as some have pretty good deals but abysmal non-support; others have deceptive deals which are used to entice join-ups - and finally, there ar & have been 'fly-by-night' ITSPs that want yearly payments (for example) which either go up radically later, or just vanish along with the user's funds & services.
So the final word as with ALL buying choices is...
Let the buyer beware.
Best Wishes.