Issues with Obi200 (pickup delay, long calls terminated, service provider issue)
SteveInWA:
RE: pros and cons of another ITSP vs. Google Voice: I'm a long-time user of Google Voice, and I support the service over on Google's official help forum. So, I appreciate it's great features. I was ambiguous, but I was suggesting that you sign up for, say, Callcentric and get a number from them, then try some calls, to see if you're having the same problem. If so, then it would strongly point to your Internet service. If not, then it might point to a firmware issue - some value related to registration might be too tight...keep in mind, there have been perhaps 50-100 reports of that "service provider" symptom in the past year, with no resoundingly consistent cause, other than crappy ISP service.
RE: comparing features, you may be surprised - Callcentric can forward calls to some other number based on rules you define, and it has a "phonebook" you can use to create whitelists and/or blacklists, and you can devise "call treatments" to take various actions, based on groups you create in your phonebook, and other criteria. In the screenshot below, the treatment sends all calls from numbers I placed in my "junk caller" group to a SIT ("The number you called has been disconnected or is not in service...").
If it turns out that you do see some low MOS scores in your repeated tests, the most likely cause is bad coax cable on the poles or underground, leading from your neighborhood hub to your house. I don't think you covered it, but the other cause can be a failing cable modem. If you are using a cable modem that is more than a few years old, it might be the culprit.
Finally, you asked earlier if paying for support would help. Nope. :(
caleecs:
All of this is great information. Thanks so much!
Sorry I misunderstood your suggestion of another VOIP service to try some calls to diagnose the problem. That's a great idea! I assume the whole point would be to use one of my Obi200s with the other VOIP service. However, as some of my problems are intermittent, I assume I would need to order another Obi200 adapter (and a phone connected to it) as I assume it is not easy/convenient to reprogram the Obi200 from GV service to Callcentric and back and forth to debug.
My cable modem is a NETGEAR CM500 which I purchased in Nov. 2017. I suppose I could try switching it out. That would be easy enough except for Comcast who only allows you to register one modem at a time so I have to go through the hassle of being on hold with them to do that. Do you have a modem you recommend? I'm happy to try another one.
I have had Comcast come to the house and they have put an analyzer to the cable signal. Even though it all looked good, the tech replaced all the connections just to be doubly sure. But it could be a problem down the line still.
FYI: I do have another VOIP service, Ooma that doesn't seem to have the problems I'm having with GV. But that is something I don't use regularly since i switched to GV 3-4 years ago. As the Ooma is completely free for me, I keep it plugged in. Ooma has it's own hardware of course.
I took at look at the Callcentric website and it looks like there would be a bit of a learning curve as the information and website doesn't seem that user friendly for a novice (and the unlimited plan is not that inexpensive ($20/month). It's of course cheap to set up an account only for troubleshooting.
Appreciate the answer to if paying for support would help. That's what I was afraid of.
At this point, I can live with the "no response from service provider"as it doesn't happen that often and I know how to fix it. Having the call drop in the middle of a long hold is obviously infuriating, but there is no way to debug that problem easily (I suppose I could go looking for customer support with long hold time). So let me ask if you have any idea as to why there would be a delay in the call connecting on incoming calls. This is where I keep having to say hello after I pick up an incoming call because the caller is not hearing me.
Btw, my MOS score today was 4.2 on incoming and outgoing. But the SIP ALG detected showed 1/4 red. Do I need to worry about that?
SteveInWA:
No, you do not need another OBiTALK device. Each device can host up to four different service providers, on its SP1--SP4 configurations. Simply add Callcentric on one of the other SPs. Again, this can either be temporary, just for testing, or you may find you like it, and decide to upgrade to whatever plans suit you.
Callcentric sells things a la carte; that's why it is confusing to new customers. So, you need three (and possibly four things): an inbound telephone number, an inbound calling plan, an outbound calling plan, and E911 service. See my two screenshots below. The bare minimum you'd need for testing purposes would be:
A phone number, which is assigned to you as part of selecting one of their inbound plans: You can either start with "Dollar Unlimited", which is a NY State area code number with unlimited inbound calling or "Pay per minute" which includes a number in your area code of choice, and per-minute inbound calling.Outbound calling: "Pay per call", which is just what it sounds like (per minute pricing), or "North America Basic", which includes 120 minutes, with per-minute pricing after that, AND E911 service.
I can't really offer any additional "tech support" regarding your cable service. It sounds like you've done what you can. I'd try the Callcentric experiment first. If that works, then great; forget about Google Voice. If it fails, too, then I'd consider replacing the cable modem, with either a rental one from Comcast, or buy a new one. Yours is now outdated. The current cable modem specification is DOCSIS 3.1, which provides significant improvements. Any DOCSIS 3.1 modem from Arris or from the cable company would be fine.
caleecs:
Thanks for explaining how to sign up with Callcentric and that I don't need another adapter. I looked at the Obi dashboard and see where there is SP1-4. Once i configure SP2 for Calcentric, do I just activate one or the other to switch between the two. I didn't see how to do that.
Another newbie question. i tried to find info on the Callcentic website re: theirPhone book, but couldn't find any information. My question is how easy is it to export my 500 Google contacts to the Callcentric phone book. I obviously don't want to re-enter in each one by hand.
If it does turn out that everything works fine with Callcentric, what does that tell me? That GV is very buggy and not really a great solution?
To make sure I don't misunderstand you, you are recommending the Arris brand of modem over a Motorola or Netgear 3.1 modem, is that correct? Another newbie question: Researching the modems, I mainly see talk of 3.1 supporting higher gigabit speeds. I clearly don't need 3.1 for higher speed. Tom's Guide says my CM500 (Doscis 3.0) will support speeds of 686/132 Mbps which is far above the service I have with Comcast. So when you say DOCSIS 3.2 provides significant improvements, is that with regards to reliability, errors, etc. Should I expect a better MOS score with the new modem?
Thanks again for our patient and detailed explanations. For the first time in my seeking help on the Obi forums over the last couple of years, I feel like I'm getting somewhere!
SteveInWA:
Quote from: caleecs on May 19, 2020, 05:28:14 pm
Thanks for explaining how to sign up with Callcentric and that I don't need another adapter. I looked at the Obi dashboard and see where there is SP1-4. Once i configure SP2 for Calcentric, do I just activate one or the other to switch between the two. I didn't see how to do that.
When you set up a SPx, the menu will ask you whether or not to make this SP the default for outbound calling. It's just a check box. After you do that, you can still use all of the other SPs to make calls. For example, assume SP1 is Google Voice, and SP2 is Callcentric, and you've set SP2 as the default. To make calls using SP1, you will prepend the dial string with ** and the number of the SP. In this case, it would look like this: **12135551212
Another newbie question. i tried to find info on the Callcentic website re: theirPhone book, but couldn't find any information. My question is how easy is it to export my 500 Google contacts to the Callcentric phone book. I obviously don't want to re-enter in each one by hand.
It's difficult. Some users have written code to do it. The problem is that you can export your Google Contacts to a CSV file, but it looks nothing like the format that CC expects to import. So, you have to use some spreadsheet smarts or a script to massage the list. I gave up on doing that, so I can't help.
If it does turn out that everything works fine with Callcentric, what does that tell me? That GV is very buggy and not really a great solution?
It means that some unknown issue with the way OBiTALK devices implement Google Voice support is causing a problem, that nobody has been able to nail down, and, if CC works better, then use CC.
To make sure I don't misunderstand you, you are recommending the Arris brand of modem over a Motorola or Netgear 3.1 modem, is that correct? Another newbie question: Researching the modems, I mainly see talk of 3.1 supporting higher gigabit speeds. I clearly don't need 3.1 for higher speed. Tom's Guide says my CM500 (Doscis 3.0) will support speeds of 686/132 Mbps which is far above the service I have with Comcast. So when you say DOCSIS 3.2 provides significant improvements, is that with regards to reliability, errors, etc. Should I expect a better MOS score with the new modem?
That's out of scope for an in-depth discussion here. The raw speed isn't the issue. It's the robustness and reliability of the connection. DOCSIS 3.1 modems are, well, better in that regard. Do your own research. As for brands, ARRIS, which is a spin-off of Motorola, is the industry leader and makes great modems. There are obviously other choices. You are limited to the list that Comcast has on their website that they will support.
Thanks again for our patient and detailed explanations. For the first time in my seeking help on the Obi forums over the last couple of years, I feel like I'm getting somewhere!
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page