Call Waiting drops original call

[RyanG]

Here's the scenario I'm encountering over and over:

1. I'm on a call
2. A second call comes in
3. I press Flash button on my phone and am connected to the second call
4. I press Flash button again to switch back to the first call and I get noting but silence - I cannot hear the other person and they cannot hear me. (I verified by calling them back)

I've tested this multiple times. Note the following about my setup:

1. I'm using Google Voice (SP1) and also have a PSTN line connected to line port (not sure if this matters)
2. Both calls came on on the Google Voice number (I verified this)
3. My unit is Obi110
4. Hardware version is 3.4
5. Software version is 1.3.0 (Build: 2690)

Any ideas?

[RonR]

Does the problem occur only when one or both parties are using cell phones?

Does the problem occur if both parties are landline calls?

There is a similar problem with conference calls that occurs when cell phones are involved.

[RyanG]

I've had it happen in the following situations for parties A/B:

cell phone/cell phone
cell phone/Magic Jack
cell phone/Google Voice

I haven't been able to test land line/land line as most people I know only have cell phone, but I will try to see if I can.

Are you aware of any fixes to address the cell phone problem?

BTW, I'm not surprised to hear there's a similar problem with conference calls as I've encountered it too but was waiting to see if the fix for call waiting would also fix conference calls.

[RyanG]

Any answers anyone?

[ProfTech]

Check the setting Phone Port -> HookFlashTimeMax. It defaults to 900. The solution may be as simple as extending this setting a little. I was having a similar problem with a cordless phone. I changed the setting to 1250 and it corrected the issue. If the phone you are using "drops" the connection for more than 900 milliseconds when you press flash, the Obi thinks you have hung up.

[RyanG]

I changed it to 1250 but that didn't really solve the problem. After testing a few times some of the time  I can switch back to the original call but this was happening too when it was set to 900. I'm on a Uniden cordless and was testing with two cell phones.

[jnfrluis]

I have  SP2  setup with FPL which outbound with  Google Voice.It has work flawlessly for me and I don't get any kind of tacts to attend second most call online.

[RyanG]

I have  SP2  setup with FPL which outbound with  Google Voice.It has work flawlessly for me and I don't get any kind of tacts to attend second most call online.

I'm happy it worked for you. What is FPL? Also, since Call Waiting is concerned with inbound calls only I'm not sure of the significance of outbound as mentioned.

[pc44]

I'm happy it worked for you. What is FPL? Also, since Call Waiting is concerned with inbound calls only I'm not sure of the significance of outbound as mentioned.

Ryan,

I think he's referring to FreePhoneLine (freephoneline.ca).  I too have the same problem you mentioned.  Unfortunately, I decided many months ago to simply disable call waiting.  Terrible resolution I know... so if you find any answers, please keep me posted.

Thanks,
pc44

[RyanG]

I got it working. Try this:

Under your ITSP Profile A or B (where you have your Google Voice account) RTP section, set the parameter KeepAliveInterval to 5  (the unit in seconds). It should help to keep your last call alive during call waiting.

You can use the OBitALK expert configuration to set this value, for example.

pc44, does this work for you?

[pc44]

I got it working. Try this:

Under your ITSP Profile A or B (where you have your Google Voice account) RTP section, set the parameter KeepAliveInterval to 5  (the unit in seconds). It should help to keep your last call alive during call waiting.

You can use the OBitALK expert configuration to set this value, for example.

pc44, does this work for you?

Hi Ryan,

Per your instructions, I have modified the KeepAliveInterval setting in my Obi accordingly.  I will test hopefully a little later today and report my results back here to you.

Thanks for the advice,
pc44

[pc44]

Hi Ryan,

Sorry for the late response!!    I completely forgot that I had not followed up on this issue.  I modified the settings as you described but have not yet been successful with a call waiting procedure.  The situation 'appears' to be improved, however, as I do not lose or drop the call as quickly as before.

I'm currently using and testing this setup on my Obi100 that is using a non-essential line.  I will keep testing/trying and let you know if I make any progress in the future.  Although my problem is not completely solved, at least you have pointed me in the right direction!

Thanks again for your help  
pc44