Google Voice "forwarding number" thing confuses me
Rhizomorph:
Hi OBi people,
Can someone help me figure out the Orwellian doublespeak of Google Voice?
I got my OBi100 set up and everything worked well for the tests and all. However, when I went to choose a Google Voice number to use with it, I got trapped in their linguistic loop.
I chose a phone number, but then at the end of the setup it asked me for a forwarding phone number that Google Voice will ring when people call that number. Huh? That makes no sense to me, because the same number I just chose IS the number I want to ring when people call the Google Voice number I chose! So I don't know what they mean, it's like a logic loop.
This number will be for a home office phone and I don't need any fancy cellphone forwarding or anything like that... I simply want the phone on my desk to ring if someone calls the GV number I choose, and if I don't grab it by 4 rings or whatever, for GV to do its email/voicemail thing.
Can anyone help interpret this labyrinth?
thanks
R
Felix:
First, relax and take a deep breath. There is no doublespeak in what you see. Certainly, Google is providing you with a free voice service and doesn't want to be a big brother in return. Nothing Orwellian here!
Now, with these metaphors out of the way, let's get to the GV setup. GV wants to associate the free number they give you with some real US-based phone number. I assume you have a phone number, if not - there are ways around it. Once you specify the real number, Google will make a verification call and will ask you to put two digits that they will give you.
Once you have an account established, you need to uncheck forwarding to this real number, and check forwarding to google chat. see documentation for more details. It is believed that you need to make an outgoing call using Google chat, however, I was able to start dialing out of OBihai device without it. One you finish all the setup, the phone on your desk will ring if someone calls the GV number you chose, and if you don't grab it by 4 rings or whatever, for GV to do its email/voicemail thing
Good luck!
Rhizomorph:
Thanks, Yeah I was just kidding about the Orwellian thing, but it was definitely unclear to me.
What you just easily explained is how they should say it. It is very easily understood the way you just phrased it. So I merely have to use a landline at first, then move it over to Google Chat. Thank you, I'll try that.
However, since the whole "forwarding number" thing confused me, I bailed out of the number registration at the last second, yet I still got the email from Google saying that I do have that number. So now I'm confused as to whether I do, or don't have that number... what should I do about that? Believe the email, or rely on the fact that I canceled the registration?
QBZappy:
Rhizomorph,
Login to your GTalk account and call yourself from a phone you did not use to register with GV. If it rings then you have an active acct. Make sure you have setup your calls to go to Google Chat in the GV setup portal.
Felix:
Thank you - I appreciate your nice words :D
Remember, one of big OBi selling points is ability to set up calling through Google Voice - no other adapter can do it. On the other hand, Google doesn't know or care about OBi... they came with their service several years before OBi devices hit the market.
Google's selling point was that you give out your single phone number ("for life") - and you set it up to forward to your real telephone - home, cell, or office. Tomorrow you change jobs, move, or get married - but your single GV contact number remains the same.
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