Obi100 as ATA for Skype?

[Stewart]

On a LINE port to PHONE port bridge, the OBi adds only a few milliseconds of delay, not enough to be noticeable.

However, why would you do that?  Skype (with appropriate plan) and NetTalk are cheap services that appeal to heavy users seeking very low cost.  IMO, that makes no sense for your situation; you already have Google Voice, which is free.  Your secondary service would only be used in case of problems; minute usage should be very low.  So, just pick a high quality provider with good support, such as Callcentric or Anveo.  You won't need any special hardware, as the OBi supports them directly.

An ATA with two Ethernet ports can work three ways:
1. Between modem and router, for QoS.
2. As a stand-alone router, for a user with only one computer.
3. As a two-port switch.  A computer or other device can be connected behind it, so it doesn't "consume" a port on the router.

[TimDan]

On a LINE port to PHONE port bridge, the OBi adds only a few milliseconds of delay, not enough to be noticeable.

However, why would you do that?  Skype (with appropriate plan) and NetTalk are cheap services that appeal to heavy users seeking very low cost.  IMO, that makes no sense for your situation; you already have Google Voice, which is free.  Your secondary service would only be used in case of problems; minute usage should be very low.  So, just pick a high quality provider with good support, such as Callcentric or Anveo.  You won't need any special hardware, as the OBi supports them directly.

I didn't realize that Callcentric offered a per-minute plan for domestic calling.  Now you've given me another optional setup in addition to my original plan to use 2 cheap services and to try several out, 2 at a time for comparison.  Thanks for the awareness expansion!

An ATA with two Ethernet ports can work three ways:
1. Between modem and router, for QoS.
2. As a stand-alone router, for a user with only one computer.
3. As a two-port switch.  A computer or other device can be connected behind it, so it doesn't "consume" a port on the router.

Facinating!  I'm anxious now to see the OBi202's full feature set and specifications.  Thanks for all the info!

TimDan

[TomR]

An ATA with two Ethernet ports can work three ways:
1. Between modem and router, for QoS.
2. As a stand-alone router, for a user with only one computer.
3. As a two-port switch.  A computer or other device can be connected behind it, so it doesn't "consume" a port on the router.

Or as general purpose router with a switch connected to it.  I like to have as few boxes as possible to keep the electric drain to a minimum.

-- Tom