Where in the World is RonR????

[anshuman26]

On a different note, I think we all should bring peace and stop attacking one another. Both Ron and MT has provided valuable resources to the forum and loosing both of them is not good for the community.

Let's all just let loose the ego and bring peace!

[mrjoe]

RonR, if you are reading this...

Please come back, we really need you.

You have been a massive help to all of us.

[livefortechnology]

MT's only advice to me for a problem was "donate your adapter to a homeless shelter", while I've probably read over 50 of the most popular posts on this forum and the ONLY posts that have helped me set up decent dial plans from Ron and they treated him like SH*T on this forum.......doubtful he's on vacation Obihai bit the hand that was feeding them (we the PAYING users) and one of the few people on this forum keeping their paying users on their devices.....all without actually PAYING him.....well I guess they did pay him when they publically stripped him of his beta tester denotation, right?

Without Ron on this forum, lets hope they don't introduce firmware with newer more complex routing features or they might actually have to HIRE him.

[maddawg]

What I find funny, we have no one from obahi support answering user questions.  I purchased the device, but did not know support was non existent.

[RFord]

I'm not sure that is an accurate statement that support is non-existent.  They do respond to support request directed at them.  Let's face it:  When RonR was actively participating on this forum, he (and a few others) was/were more or less serving the role as the de facto OBi Support.  IMHO, RonR new more about the product than OBi personnel.  He was the individual that came up with a number of clever schemes using the OBi product.

What I find funny, we have no one from obahi support answering user questions.  I purchased the device, but did not know support was non existent.

[carl]

I'm not sure that is an accurate statement that support is non-existent.  They do respond to support request directed at them. 

I cannot fully agree with that. As I stated in one of the postings, they are pretty responsive whenever you have any problem with the device itself. But they were never really helpful with configuration issues ( and I also suspect that Ron knew about it more than they did).

[Rick]

Having had my device for almost 6 months, I can safely say that without this forum I would have returned it.  OBi's support is virtually non-existent, and their communication (i.e. like what happened with the GoogleVoice outage) is AWFUL.  I can't recommend their device to anyone without the caveat of "IF you're prepared to have to troubleshoot things yourself and seek help on the forums".  I will state for the record that if RonR hadn't answered my questions this box would have gone back.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  In my opinion, the OBi products are not ready for mass distribution until they ramp up their support big time.  It's a solution for techies.  I would never consider recommending it for a non-techie.

If RonR has left, or been made to leave, that's unfortunate.  If it's because he "dissed" OBi on other forums, he should have used a different username...  

There are certainly other people on this forum with good knowledge, I'll call out Stewart as one, but no one answered questions as prolifically as RonR.

[carl]

Having had my device for almost 6 months, I can safely say that without this forum I would have returned it.  OBi's support is virtually non-existent, and their communication (i.e. like what happened with the GoogleVoice outage) is AWFUL.  I can't recommend their device to anyone without the caveat of "IF you're prepared to have to troubleshoot things yourself and seek help on the forums".  I will state for the record that if RonR hadn't answered my questions this box would have gone back.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  In my opinion, the OBi products are not ready for mass distribution until they ramp up their support big time.  It's a solution for techies.  I would never consider recommending it for a non-techie.

If RonR has left, or been made to leave, that's unfortunate.  If it's because he "dissed" OBi on other forums, he should have used a different username...  

There are certainly other people on this forum with good knowledge, I'll call out Stewart as one, but no one answered questions as prolifically as RonR.

I wish somebody from the Obi executive team read your posting.

[Ostracus]

Points noted Rick, although I'd argue VoIP in general isn't quite ready for the mainstream. We've made great strides from, roll your own, and sounding like the bottom of a barrel, communications. But we do have a ways from the 24/7 ease that telco users enjoy.

[carl]

Points noted Rick, although I'd argue VoIP in general isn't quite ready for the mainstream. We've made great strides from, roll your own, and sounding like the bottom of a barrel, communications. But we do have a ways from the 24/7 ease that telco users enjoy.

Not mainstream, but widestream. Not people like my mother, who wants to have something you plug into the wall and it works reliably 24/7.  But there are many people who want to go the extra mile, especially if they cannot afford the costs of PSTN on the top of overpriced broadband and cell phone. But one thing is extra mile and another thing extra 500 miles which Obi wants us to go.

[JohnBowler]

My experience on forums like this mirrors that reported here.  I've found I either have to take time out or walk out, and that's on two forums that have, I think, extremely supportive relationships (I walked out on one, I've been in and out for 18 years on the other.)

The issue is neither time nor money; it's emotional drain.  It is very difficult to handle an argument on deeply held issues, which may appear minor to everyone else, without external (non-forum) support, and that is sometimes unforthcoming because, guess what, the people who would otherwise give it can feel very jealous of the forum!

That said, the two forums I've been closely involved in have both had a central figure who refuses to get involved in arguments and is consistently polite to everyone.  This counterbalances people like me whose first response is direct insult or (in my case) sarcasm.  Those people really are the foundation of a successful forum; internecine squabbles simple break and wash away from their rock.

It's also the case that both the forums I was/am involved in were not set up by corporations; they are both entirely voluteer based.  It's an added disincentive to major contributors to start to feel you are doing work for the benefit of a corporation and not getting any support.  (Notice, I said *support* in that sentence; not reward.)

My impressions so far of the OBi202 (after only a few days) are that the hardware is good, the software is ok, but the support is missing.  Obihai will need to fix this or they'll learn the support lesson the hard way, by going out of business.  They've just blown a major opportunity by losing two contributors who could have made a difference to their future.

So... now I guess we start to talk about Obihack.  I assume it's an ARM inside, right?

John Bowler <jbowler@acm.org>

[carl]

That said, the two forums I've been closely involved in have both had a central figure who refuses to get involved in arguments and is consistently polite to everyone.  This counterbalances people like me whose first response is direct insult or (in my case) sarcasm.  Those people really are the foundation of a successful forum; internecine squabbles simple break and wash away from their rock.

... but the support is missing.  Obihai will need to fix this or they'll learn the support lesson the hard way, by going out of business.  They've just blown a major opportunity by losing two contributors who could have made a difference to their future.



John Bowler <jbowler@acm.org>

Actually, Ron was a person like that. MT was rather an example of a person who blows every forum.
I would say one very major contributor but the fact remains that Obihai's handling of this case was  extremely irrational . They shot themselves in the foot with a hunting rifle.

[Ostracus]

Obihack? Yes , I believe the Obi202 uses an ARM chip. They seem to be pretty popular these days. As far as all the rest? Read through all the posts and make one's own decision.

[Felix]

Since RonR is still MIA, I would like to chime in...

I disagree with RonR on the value of OBi Web portal, and i disagree with MT on politics, but I hope I was able to be respectful to both (and everybody else on this forum).

Maybe Michigan Telephone (asxhole) can shed some light on this issue, since he has waged a one-man war to have RonR ban from this forum.

I don't think it was a healthy was to start the thread... If OBi banned RonR just on MT's say so - they are the stupid ones; not MT. I think RonR's complaint about back door access was correct; but it could rub somebody in OBi the wrong way. So, if Ron was banned - and it's a huge if - maybe OBi didn't take criticism well. Or maybe they didn't take criticism well, and Ron decided that he has better things in life than to compensate for woefully inadequate documentation for a company that doesn't listen to his opinion. Like everybody else - I don't know what happened. But there are many more options than MT had RonR ban from this forum.

Now, what's next? Maybe, somebody in OBi will realize that having good user documentation is important. Well, given absence of OBi staff in this thread (and, if I remember correctly, they were absent from the conversation about back door as well for long time) - that's unlikely to happen. Maybe, the sales of OBi devices will decrease (when people won't know how to set them up, and end up returning). Maybe, OBi is signing up a deal with VSPs, where they will sell 100,000 "preconfigured" devices, and dissatisfaction of tinkering geeks will be a drop in the sales bucket.

But also, maybe people will not set up the plans that are beyond their comprehension. As I was reading Ron's responses, more than once I was thinking, do you really need something that complex? Maybe start with something simpler (more permissive) - and see if you want to adjust it later. But when somebody gives you a working solution to the complex configuration that you asked - sure, why settle for less!

All in all - OBi is a great family of devices (I own four); but if Ron's departure will force OBihai do some soul-searching - it may be a great thing. That said, I sincerely hope that Ron is on a highly-paid gig, and will show up tomorrow to calm us all down 

[jimates]

I don't think Obiahi did anything, I think RonR said WTF and left.
RonR helped many, many users, including myself, with configurations. I didn't have any problems directly, I just didn't like his biased, cynical attitude, which always led to biased guidance and cynical remarks.

If he hadn't have been so biased, I think Obihai would have tried to do something (compensation) concerning his "much needed" help here.

Obihai is moving on from us little fish. I saw the info the other day somewhere. Look for voip providers offering the Obi customized for their systems and locked down for only their configurations. I see Anveo as a good target.
Now is the time to partner with Obihai and start a voip company.

[Ostracus]

Obihai is moving on from us little fish. I saw the info the other day somewhere. Look for voip providers offering the Obi customized for their systems and locked down for only their configurations. I see Anveo as a good target.
Now is the time to partner with Obihai and start a voip company.

A win, win, for them. Shifts some of the burden to the VSPs, just like Microsoft shifts some of the burden to OEMs. If RonR was smart, he could partner with one of these VoIP providers doing set-up...and a paycheck.

[jimates]

Obihai is moving on from us little fish. I saw the info the other day somewhere. Look for voip providers offering the Obi customized for their systems and locked down for only their configurations. I see Anveo as a good target.
Now is the time to partner with Obihai and start a voip company.

A win, win, for them. Shifts some of the burden to the VSPs, just like Microsoft shifts some of the burden to OEMs. If RonR was smart, he could partner with one of these VoIP providers doing set-up...and a paycheck.

True, I am sure much of RonR's knowledge of digit maps and call routes never came out on this forum. I wish I knew just half of the stuff we had the opportunity to receive from him. If I did, I would be selling these things at every county fair in our area. Fair season is coming soon.

Here is the info I referenced in my earlier post. It was in the Obi202 thread.

Cloud-Based Configuration and Software Management
       The OBi202 includes the ability to be managed by the OBiTALK cloud configuration service. From anyplace where there is an Internet connection, OBiTALK allows users to add OBi devices, configure VoIP accounts and share services amongst their own OBi endpoints and those of their trusted friends. In-service software updates are easily performed either automatically from the OBiTALK portal or by dialing ***6 from a phone attached to the OBi device.
   
Zero-Touch Provisioning with Remote Management / Diagnostic Troubleshooting
       With Obihai Zero-Touch provisioning (ZT), it is very easy for service providers to purchase OBi units in quantity and realize the benefits of touch-less provisioning to lower operational costs and speed-up customer deployments.  OBi units provisioned via ZT can be fully customized such that the OBi factory default settings are those of the service provider and securely locked to the OBi device after initial power-up and ZT provisioning.  Subsequent subscriber-targeted profile configurations can be directly served from the service provider's network with security and reliability.

       Complimentary to ZT, Obihai have a specialized web-portal for VoIP service providers.  Via the portal, service provider support engineers can access each device individually to troubleshoot and configure specific parameter settings as well as set-up and perform loop-back calls and other tests without requiring the end user subscriber's assistance or intervention.

[Felix]

Zero-Touch Provisioning with Remote Management / Diagnostic Troubleshooting
...
Complimentary to ZT, Obihai have a specialized web-portal for VoIP service providers.

I assume it's still aspirational, or at least not public! I haven't heard of any VSP deploying locked OBiHai the way Linksys or Grandstream adapters are deployed. Maybe Ron's startup will be the first one  Good luck then!

[carl]

Obihai is moving on from us little fish. I saw the info the other day somewhere. Look for voip providers offering the Obi customized for their systems and locked down for only their configurations. I see Anveo as a good target.
Now is the time to partner with Obihai and start a voip company.

The beauty of Obi is the fact that it is not locked and can be used with different providers, at least if you know how to configure it or chew through Ron's old postings ( God bless him). I do not think that anybody is waiting for one more proprietary device. If this is the direction they want to go and I would have to buy and run a separate VOIP adapter for every provider I use I may decide to quit VOIP all together.

[jimates]

On the Obi202, web access is disabled out of the box, so the local user can't access it on their network. The device will be accessible from the "specialized web-portal for VoIP service providers" by the provider itself.

It seems like the 202 is a little overkill if it is going to be locked down by a single provider.