Several newbie questions!

[OuterEdge]

A new user to Obihai. There are several questions that I have and I have tried to search for them in the forums but have not gotten anywhere:

1. How can I configure Obihai SIP account on my Acrobits Softphone rather than using the Obihai softphone?
2. How do I receive/make SIP calls to/from other VoIP accounts such as Callcentric?
3. Is there any plans of integrating iNum functionality which will allow users to make/receive iNum calls? I think if Callcentric, ippi, and several others can do that, I am sure Obihai can do it
4. Does Obihai support voicemails when a person is using Obihai network only?
5. Finally, dial plans...I am not sure where to start with this. I have looked around in the documentation and on the web interface but cannot make any sense of dial plan and how to configure them. Is there any easy way to setup dial plans. For e.g., I would like all my calls beginning with "1777...." or "8835100...." to go through Callcentric. How can I do that without pressing ** codes. Other issue is how can I configure the dial plan to either strip of the leading digits (for e.g. 011 or 00) or append them according to which SIP provider is used.

I would appreciate the feedback. Thanks.

[ianobi]

OuterEdge,

Welcome to the forum 

Some of our regulars seem to be missing, so I will have a go at your questions – others please feel free to jump in!

1. Bad news – you have to use the Obion softphone. Quite a few of us have complained about this – see Obion sections of the forum.
2. You need to sign up with voip service providers such as Callcentric, which then terminate on your OBi device. Obihai is not a VOIP service provider, except that you can dial direct to any other OBi device using their OBiTALK network.
3. This can only be done via the VOIP SIP providers that you configure on your OBi device.
4. No. Again a VOIP SIP service or Google Voice is needed for this.
5. Almost anything can be configuered into the OBi dial plans / digit maps. My best advice on that is to set up your OBi device with service providers, make sure you can call in and out, then post back here with:
Which OBi is it (OBi110, OBi202 ect)?
Which Line is your Primary Line?
What the default DigitMaps show.
Exactly what numbers you wish to go to which service providers.
Then some of the very helpful folk on the forum will suggest solutions 

[OuterEdge]

Thanks for the feedback ianobi.

It is really sad that Obihai does not offer or disclose SIP credentials in order for us all to use their choice of softphone nor does it offer iNUM integration or provide voicemail functionality.

I will have to post back with more details as you asked. Regarding the dial plans, I really think Obihai has to do something to make it easy for the end user to configure it without reading an instruction manual or seeking help from an expert in the forum. Also, there is no mention on how to configure the dial plans in any of the help documentation including Administration Guide, Quick Start Guide, etc. BTW, Quick Start Guide has an part of the first page upside down. I just wish Obihai did a little more in ensuring a smooth user experience.

[ianobi]

Many of us here would agree with you. The OBi devices are great, but the weak points are certainly the OBiON softphone and the general documentation. The AdminGuide is 205 pages long, but fails to give good basic configuring information.

The best way to learn about DigitMaps is to use search mode here in the forum, enter "DigitMap" by user "RonR".

[OuterEdge]

Thanks ianobi.

The problem with Obihai is that it may be the best VoIP adapter out there for the buck but if a normal regular user is unable to configure and use it easily, I don't think I will be able to recommend it to anyone else.

Even simple software like Acrobits softphone which costs about $8 bucks comes with configurable dial plans which are simply too easy to use even by a regular user. I am sure Obihai can do the same. Apple is just hugely successful for a reason!

[Lavarock7]

The Quick Start guide does have a page upside down, because it is meant to be folded. You may have received this same guide inside your box.

The Obis were designed by"engineers" to existing standards and thus may be very simple t oset up initially. Because we have access to the "innards" we can get creative.

I think of it as a car that you can pretty easily drive out of the showroom. Then some owner wants it to make right-hand turns only (so they can do right-turn-on-red easily). Another driver wants the horn to honk automatically when he drives past his girlfriends house, but not on Sunday morning. Someone else wants the horn disabled and the interior lights to never come on, but there to be a light in the trunk.

Henry Ford wrote in his autobiography, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black". Black paint dried faster on the assembly line.

These VOIP options are all doable but are not stock items. So we go in and tweak a bit. If we had gotten an Ooma instead, we would have some options up front but probably no way to change anything special we wanted.

[Felix]

I am not familiar with Acrobits, but I want to make sure that OuterEdge and ianobi are talking about the same thing.

How can I configure Obihai SIP account on my Acrobits Softphone rather than using the Obihai softphone?

What do you mean by this question (I know what ianobi means when you say that you can't do that, but (s)he is not asking the question 

Again, OBi is not a service provider; so strictly speaking "Obihai SIP account" doesn't make sense. But don't worry about terminology - explain in your own words what are you trying to achieve.

Setting simple dial plans is not that difficult (and what you are describing is quite simple)... once you have both providers up and running - you will get help pronto!