Please help a newbie (me) who has had the product for years understand landscape

[markintheforum]

Hello, all.  I have had an obi202 for years and have not logged in for a long time (since I first configured everything), but had an issue (resolved) that made me check on my configuration.  I only today learned that polycom bought obihai, etc. and am having problems finding current products and understanding the state of obi hardware availability.

I have an obi202 with PhonePower voip provider as 1 line and also 1 line and google voice on the other.  It has worked fairly flawlessly for years (used to reboot itself a lot but not in ages) and I just want to keep things straight to make sure I do not get orphaned...

Thanks in advance for reading/replying.  Overall I want to see if obi is active and in good health even though searching  for the hardware (such as to buy a replacement) seems a bit scary...

(1) Is obi202 still made and supported for real? Amazon has it at $299 through some 3rd party seller.  The price shocked me as i did not pay over $150 for mine back in 2013 or so...  Googling around I also see startechtel.com selling it for just $125 (assume that is real? Why the price difference?).  But not getting a good sense if these are all leftovers.  These aren't the broad list of sellers i would normally expect to see, like major electronics companies (best buy, etc.) or even Amazon itself as a direct seller instead of 3rd party.

(2) As an alternate box (if it ever was) that seems to support 2 lines, is ob302 still made and supported (I see it new on AMAZON but not listed here)?  I see it as NEW on amazon for JUST $74.50, but not sure if it is legit, again some 3rd party seller I have never heard of and obitalk does not show it as a current product.  That is much better than $299 but it is supported still (should I stockpile 1 for future)? I guess if Obi service goes down having the device won't help, but it seems that the device (obi202 which IS supposedly active) is very scarce as to point (1) above!

(3) Is Obi a viable ongoing product for consumers?  Polycom bought them, it is not being phased out that anyone knows, is it?

To complicate matters, I see both the 302 and 202 on polycom's website, but "where to buy" seems to list these massive phone/communications provisioning companies, like (for NY) NTT SOLUTIONS AMERICA INC, a "polycom platinum partner".  I will try to reach them tomorrow but wonder if they only deal with large businesses, not selling single boxes etc.
https://www.poly.com/us/en/products/phones/obi/obi202 (or obi302)

Thanks.  I like my phone setup and just want to be sure am not going to find myself stranded without service.  Any advice/history on the state of obi is appreciated!!

[LTN1]

I don't want to get into details but in short the OBi302 does not apply to most users--it will not work with Google Voice. Don't buy it if you need to use it with GV. To be safe, especially if you don't know what you are doing, don't buy it at all.

The price of the OBi202 has increased substantially in part due to lack of supply and price gouging. The "newer" 202 can be found here: https://www.newegg.com/polycom-2200-49522-001-accessories/p/N82E16833617016?Description=obi202&cm_re=obi202-_-33-617-016-_-Product

These things sell out quick.

[markintheforum]

Thanks LTN1.  It seems then that Obi is is still supported.  I will avoid the 302. Gouging is surprising, I would think obi/poly sells the 202 broadly enough to avoid it.  I mean they do want to sell boxes (right?)...

I do see the Obi200 on Amazon sold by Obi Technologies itself (yeah!) for a reasonable price ($49)  at the moment.  It would suffice in an emergency.

Are there any other products by Obi that could fill the Obi202 niche? Looking for 2 lines  I output one to my office and the other to my main phone system in the house.  I could replace my analog-input phones with new digital-SIP input if I needed to.

Or I could use 2 obi200s? A  bit bulky but that would give me the functionality I need if there is no reason I can't do it (just need router ports to plug each in).

Thanks again.

[Taoman]

Or I could use 2 obi200s? A  bit bulky but that would give me the functionality I need if there is no reason I can't do it (just need router ports to plug each in).

That's what I do and what I would recommend given the current price discrepancy between the OBi200 and the OBi202.
Bulky? Their footprint is 2.70" x 2.70" x 1.20". Close to half the size of an OBi202.

[Sheffield_Steve]

It seems to me that a single Obi200 would be suitable for his needs. Am I missing something?

[Taoman]

It seems to me that a single Obi200 would be suitable for his needs. Am I missing something?

Seems to me the OP needs an OBi202 or 2 OBi200s.

Looking for 2 lines  I output one to my office and the other to my main phone system in the house.

[markintheforum]

Taoman, good to know the Obi200 is so much smaller, although each one would does need a plug unfortunately.  Does anyone know if 2 obi200s can they be daisy-chained? I see my obi202 has an network jack that I have never used (labeled "LAN" in yellow.)   My router only has 4 ethernet-style connectors (ports?) on it and occasionally I have filled all 4, so adding 2 obi200s would not be ideal, but I could if I really needed to.

The reason I want two is that it seems obi200 can support 2 services (google voice and phonepower say) and I can select an outbound line when I make a call, but I would want 2 separate, simultaneous lines for calls.

[SteveInWA]

You can buy a new OBi 202 for $89 from Newegg, which is an authorized retailer:

https://www.newegg.com/polycom-2200-49522-001-accessories/p/N82E16833617016

[Taoman]

Does anyone know if 2 obi200s can they be daisy-chained?

No, they can't.

SteveInWA found an OBi202 for a good price. I'd jump on that while you can.

[markintheforum]

SteveInWA, thanks for that info.  Very reassuring and a great price.