Can I use an Obi110 as a two line switch with Obi202

[Uncle_Wiggley]

Hi all, new Obi owner here.

I have an Obi202 that I want to transition our phone service to. In the short term, I would like to have calls come in on our existing land line as well as my new GV number. This means that I need to have a two line switch to connect to our phones in our home.

Looking around, I don't see any cheap solutions, but the thought occurred to me that an Obi110 might be configured to do what I want and probably, at $45, is as cheap as anything else out there.

Can this work and how would I configure things?

Or... is there a better way?

[RonR]

In the short term, I would like to have calls come in on our existing land line as well as my new GV number.

Please explain what you mean by this.  Are you going to have all incoming PSTN calls forwarded to your Google Voice number?  Or have all incoming Google Voice calls ring your PSTN number?  It's not clear to me what you're planning to do and exactly what you want the outcome to be.

[Uncle_Wiggley]

I would like all incoming PSTN calls to ring my home phones and all incoming GV calls to ring my home phones. Outgoing calls on the home phones would default to going out on the PSTN line.

The scenario is that I currently have a RingMaster business number along with my home phone number incoming on my land line. I can't port my numbers out as long as they are connected via RingMaster according to AT&T. So, my plan is to switch my business number over to a new GV number. In the near term, both my new GV number and old business number will still be active and I'll probably receive calls on both. Once most of the calls are coming in on the new GV number, I'll get rid of the RingMaster number and be able to port out my main home number to GV or another provider.

[RonR]

It sounds to me like you need an OBi110 and not an OBi202.

Siimply plug the PSTN line into the LINE Port of the OBi110 and configure one or two Google Voice accounts on SP1 and SP2.  Incoming calls from all sources will ring the PHONE Port.  One of the trunks (SP1/SP2/PSTN) will be the default for outgoing calls but you can explicitly select an alternate trunk by first dialing **1/**2/**8.

[Uncle_Wiggley]

Yes, my immediate/short term need does appear to be an Obi110.

What is involved in moving a GV number from a Obi202 to an Obi110?

In the end, I think I'll want the 202 as I was planning on connecting my alarm through the 2nd phone port.

[RonR]

What is involved in moving a GV number from a Obi202 to an Obi110?

It's just a matter of moving the Google Voice username/password from the OBi110 to the OBi202.

In the end, I think I'll want the 202 as I was planning on connecting my alarm through the 2nd phone port.

Most alarm systems are intended to share a single PSTN line, so it should connect equally well with the single PHONE Port on an OBi110.

Be aware that FAX and alarm systems can be problematic over VoIP connections.

[MurrayB]

In regard to configuring your installation to have your alarm to be configured with your use of the Obi the following is very important:

If your security system was properly installed the incoming PSTN line should go to an RJ-31X jack that connects to your security system and your phone jacks. The RJ-31X jack allows the security system to seize the line and hang up any phones that are off hook so an alarm can be transmitted to the monitoring station. Remove the connection to your phone jacks that go to the RJ-31X and replace that connection to the Line output of the Obi 110. The wires that you removed from the RJ-31X that connect to your phone jacks goes to the Phone connection on the Obi 110. This will maintain the integrity of your security system and all your phone jacks will be connected to the Obi. This will also allow your security system, assuming it's backup battery is functioning, to continue to be operative and connected to the PSTN during a power failure. Be careful not to reverse the Line and the Phone connections or you will probably fry the Obi.

[Uncle_Wiggley]

Most alarm systems are intended to share a single PSTN line, so it should connect equally well with the single PHONE Port on an OBi110.

Be aware that FAX and alarm systems can be problematic over VoIP connections.

Yes, I have read about problems with VoIP and alarm systems. If I have trouble with the VoIP connection, my plan is to switch to a cell connection for the alarm.

In regard to configuring your installation to have your alarm to be configured with your use of the Obi the following is very important:

If your security system was properly installed the incoming PSTN line should go to an RJ-31X jack that connects to your security system and your phone jacks. The RJ-31X jack allows the security system to seize the line and hang up any phones that are off hook so an alarm can be transmitted to the monitoring station. Remove the connection to your phone jacks that go to the RJ-31X and replace that connection to the Line output of the Obi 110. The wires that you removed from the RJ-31X that connect to your phone jacks goes to the Phone connection on the Obi 110. This will maintain the integrity of your security system and all your phone jacks will be connected to the Obi. This will also allow your security system, assuming it's backup battery is functioning, to continue to be operative and connected to the PSTN during a power failure. Be careful not to reverse the Line and the Phone connections or you will probably fry the Obi.

My security system is installed as you describe.

Connecting things up as you describe would seem to work for my short term plan where I want to run a mix of VoIP and PSTN, but my longer term plan is to get rid of the PSTN line completely, so I wasn't sure if that type of connection would work in that case. Seems to me I would need to connect the alarm system to a phone port on the Obi. The second phone port on the 202 would allow the security system to call out no matter what was going on with the other phone port on the 202 where the phones would be connected.

[Stewart]

Your alarm may work fine with the ATA, yet be much less secure.  See my comment here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:C2b8zavqAIsJ:www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,25202816+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk .