Configuration advice for three people

[Johnny]

Hello everybody!

I was hoping some of the good folks on here could give me some advice on setting up the Obi 110 for three people.

Here's the scoop.  Myself, my wife and daughter.  All have separate cell phones.

We all have Google Voice accounts and would like to set things up so that we have our own number with the Obi 110. 

We currently pay about $40.00 per month for our land line to Verizon for just local calling.  No long distance at all.  Hopefully we can set the Obi 110 in such a way that we can cancel the Verizon service.

Should I purchase two Obi 110's to accomplish what we need?

Can we all call out separately without having to input the **?

What are most people using for 911 service?

I really just need step by step help.  Just a little confused with all the different ways to configure this puppy.

Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks for listening.

[jimates]

Since you will not have a landline you can get two of the Obi100 units. They should be available in a week or so on Amazon.

Use one for two people and the other for the third person. This would be the most versatile, especially for the third person on the unit alone.

Unit with 2 users:
At least one person will have to dial **1 or **2 when placing calls (unless they dial the same numbers all the time). Only one outgoing call at a time (unless you hold the first call and place the second).

For 911 you can set the unit to call a local emergency number when 911 is pressed. Some people get a cheap SIP service that provides 911 but you can't set up 2 GV accounts and a SIP.

I guess you could use a splitter/combiner to make all the phones ring for all 3 accounts, but this would limit you to the use of only one user because the phone would be in use. You may not get the call waiting tone either from the Obi that is "not connected" using this setup.

You could use a Obi110 with the phone port from a second Obi plugged into the LINE port of the first. This would give you the ability for distinctive ring for all 3 accounts but you would be limiting yourself to the usage of your phones.

[Johnny]

jimates,

Thanks for that fast and informative reply.

Not sure I understand the part about 911 service.

Does the Obi 110 have the ability to call a local 911 service?  I didn't think it did.

So, there's no way all three people could call out at the same time?

Thanks

[jimates]

You can check with your local 911 center or local police dept. for a local 7 or 10 digit number you can call for emergency service. You can then create a rule for the Obi. When you dial 911, the Obi will call the other number instead of 911.

Make sure you get an EMERGENCY NUMBER, not the non emergency number or just a number for a dispatcher. Make sure they understand what you want. You don't want some phone ringing on a desk while they clean the donut powder from their face.

Also, once you get the number and set it up you should make an appointment with the call center to "test" your setup.

That should provide the equivalent of 911 service, not E911. You will still have to give your information/address when calling but at least your call will be to the right place.

[Johnny]

jimates,

Thanks again.  I didn't realize there were other local emergency numbers besides 911.

I will definitely set it up that way.

Thank you.

[jimates]

By the time you need to know how to set up the 911 I will know how to do it. I sent an email to support with an example and asked them to verify it. I haven't received verification yet.

[QBZappy]

Hi and welcome,

Another take on your questions.

Should I purchase two Obi 110's to accomplish what we need?

That would be ideal as each OBi can be setup with 2 GV accounts. Since you plan to have 3 GV users it sounds that you do not want to share a GV account. Two OBi's is the way to go in that case. Note that you can make 2 outgoing calls with a GV account at the same time.

Can we all call out separately without having to input the **?

Yes. With the proper dial plan setup that would be possible. You could setup the OBi box with the "Trunk" setup as the primary line. Each OBi can be configured to line hunt in this case allowing you to make a direct call without pressing any extra digits. A few things can be setup to give you a regular phone experience.


What are most people using for 911 service?

I think some people rely on their cell phones for 911. This service is free on a cell phone, not requiring a monthly package or prepaid plans. If you have one or can get your hands on a used one, it could do the job. Others with voip accounts rely on e911. You could Google it for more of a in depth explanation.

You could do what jimates is suggesting. Every 911, 311, 411 etc... has a regular phone number you can call. All these numbers can be configured into the OBi unit, giving you "normal" expected telephone behavior.

Read this thread I explain how it can be setup. The general concept works some tweaking might be involved depending on how you want to configure everything together.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=124.msg386#msg386


Hope that helps.

[Johnny]

QBZappy,

Wow!  More great info.  Thanks a bunch.

I will try to digest some of this, and play around with the units when I get them.

Then try to explain it to the wife and daughter

Thanks

[jimates]

I forgot about that other thread where we discussed this. But that setup is not complete.

I don' think it does any good to create the rule in the ITSP DigitMap without editing the Phone OutboungCallRoute.

The default Phone OutboundCallRoute has a rule that tells the Obi to always send 911 to the PSTN. You must first tell the Obi to send 911 to SP1 (or SP2).
Then the rule that tells it to dial xxx xxx xxxx when 911 is pressed should work in the ITSP DigitMap

I have posted a configuration for the alternate 911 setup here
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=339.0