Phone system cannot detect dial tone or seize line to make call

[fearfair]

Greetings,
 
   My obi202 is setup and works fine for calls from Google Voice, with an analog phone plugged directly into the unit, it can dial out no problem, etc.

   However when I plug my phone system into the ports on the obi, it cannot detect outside dial tone.  I am setting up a Voicepro VP206 system.  On the phone system support page, they state the following:

If you have trouble seizing an outside line to make calls, ask your provider to confirm that the modem or adapter provides -48 Volts DC standard loop current. A known solution we experienced is to reboot the modem.


Incoming calls ring and function just fine, just cannot place an outside call through the phone system. 

Does the VP206 provide -48 Volts DC standard loop current?

Is there a setting I can change to make it do so?  I have set  "DTMFMethod" = InBand, but that does not solve the problem.  Any advice?

[Mango]

For the sake of troubleshooting, I'm assuming your VP206 is configured properly and would work if connected to a POTS line.

I just checked my OBi110's Physical Interfaces -> PHONE Port -> Port Settings -> OnHookTipRingVoltage.  It's set to a default of 46.  You could try setting this to 48 just in case the 2V makes a difference.  I would be surprised if it does, but it can't hurt to try.

Is there any change in the symptoms if you adjust the Tip-Ring Voltage Polarity?  Try setting both to Reverse.

If neither of these solve the problem, you can change them back to default.  Let me know either way.

[fearfair]

For the sake of troubleshooting, I'm assuming your VP206 is configured properly and would work if connected to a POTS line.

I just checked my OBi110's Physical Interfaces -> PHONE Port -> Port Settings -> OnHookTipRingVoltage.  It's set to a default of 46.  You could try setting this to 48 just in case the 2V makes a difference.  I would be surprised if it does, but it can't hurt to try.

Is there any change in the symptoms if you adjust the Tip-Ring Voltage Polarity?  Try setting both to Reverse.

If neither of these solve the problem, you can change them back to default.  Let me know either way.

So, do you have the VP206 working with your OBi110?  If so, that gives me hope!

[Mango]

Unfortunately no - I've never used a VP206.  But I have used OBi ATAs with other legacy PBX devices, under the default port settings, with success.

[fearfair]

Tip ring voltage polarity or changing OnHookTipRingVoltage to 48 did not do the trick  

In both cases a standard phone plugged in to the obi still gets dial tone and functions normally.  I also tried changing OnHookTipRingVoltage to -48 with no success.

[Mango]

Sorry to hear that.  Let us know what the solution is, if you solve it on your own.  Any chance their support would have suggestions?

[fearfair]

While I do not have a POTS line available, I did take the vp206 to my office where I have ComCast voip service using an ARRIS TM604G/CT modem.. it worked just fine.. so it is definitely something with the obi202 that will not allow the phone system to detect dialtone

[hwittenb]

If the cabling between the  VP206 line port and the OBi202 phone port works OK for incoming calls then the problem probably lies in the technique the VP206 uses to check for dial tone on the OBi202.  The OBi issues the dial tone when it senses the phone port is off hook.  More than likely it senses this by a voltage drop and an increase in loop current.  If the VP206 does not actually take the line off hook or it does not wait an appropriate time for the OBi202 to issue the dial tone there could be a problem.

I would look at the OBi202 Phone Port Status to see if you can detect the VP206 is actually taking the line off hook..... Status-->PHONE Port Status

[fearfair]

The obi does not seem to know when the phone system takes a phone port off hook, at least judging from the status in obiexpert.  An  interesting point is that I can refresh phone status as many times as I like until I take a handset off hook; then I get unable to retrieve info from the device.  I did manually power cycle the obi one of the phone system's handsets off hook and when I was able to load phone status it still showed on hook.  However, I am hearing the stutter dial tone after a while and then a dial tone from the handset, but cannot dial out.  Dialing inside extensions using *10, etc. works just fine.

When I lift a handset, there is  silence for a few seconds, then two stutter dial tones, then a normal dial tone.. but you can't dial a number or anything.. you just get the stutter dial tone again.

[hwittenb]

but you can't dial a number or anything.. you just get the stutter dial tone again.

You will have a SPx service that needs to be properly configured to make outgoing calls.  Your analog phone will be
cabled to one of the two Phone ports.  This Phone Port needs to be configured with its Primary Line set to the SPx service you wish to use for the outgoing calls.

As previously said, if the VP206 is cabled to the phone port you need to actually take the phone port off hook for the OBi to generate a dial tone. 

The Phone Port has a setting, ToneOnPrimaryServiceDown, with the default NormalDialTone, that tells the OBi what to do when the Primary Service is what the OBi considers to be "down".

[fearfair]

It appears that the phone system does try to take the phone ports on the obi202 off hook, but apparently does not find a dial tone that it likes or something, because it then releases the port back and reports no outside dialtone.  This happens whether you are just picking up an extension causing the system to open an outside line, or if you force the phone system to pickup one of the two outside lines by dialing *81 or *82..

In this video, I mistakenly state that the cordless phone is connected to the obihai, it is actiually connected to extension 2 on the VoicePro (Phone System)

[hwittenb]

Obviously the VP206 is sensitive to something and the key to the solution is to find out what it is sensitive to.  One probably needs some sort of special tool to look at the electrical characteristics of the line between the units.

Google turns up a support forum, and looking thru their support forum, it is not unusual to see that they have compatibility problems with some voip adapters.  They often state that the adapters have unreliable voltages.

The support forum has a section on "Voip Compatibility Issues".  They don't mention the OBi adapters, however they state that their units are not compatible with the "Linksys Voice Gateway" (whatever that is) because the "line voltage is too low".  They also say it won't work with MagicJack or Ooma.

They say they require -48v DC which is what the OBi and the Linksys adapters provide.  It might be sensitive to polarity in which case you would need to reverse the two wires.

http://www.stok.com/voip-adapter-compatibility.html

On another page they say you could contact them with questions
http://www.stok.com/contact.html

[Shale]

I have no experience with the line port. However I have some ideas.

If you dial # , what happens? In an OBi110, that would connect you to the line port from the phone. I don't knwo for sure that it works the same way with an OBi200, but I would think it worth a try.

Can you rig a voltmeter to monitor the voltage across the line port? If you dial # or if you attempt an outgoing call, is there any change on the line port voltage?