Connect to campus internet with OBi100

[GBrook]

Hello,

Before I get started, I did see a thread on this however no one answered and it was back in 2012. I am hoping if I revive this I may get an answer.

My boyfriend and I bought the OBi100 because we can make free calls to each other. He is currently overseas and wants to use is OBi100. Sadly, when we tried just the other night it did not go through because of the internet on campus being protected. By this I mean if he were on his laptop he would have to login to access the internet.

I have looked around on the expert settings on my OBi100 here trying to figure out how I can help. Sadly, I had no idea what I was looking at. Could some please help us in this situation? Otherwise we will have to either A. figure out how to return them or B. figure out a way to get rid of them. We would then have to go to another provider. Please help! We want free international calls!

[Rick]

The OBi is not intended to be used on a public network that requires log in.  As you note, there is no way to log in.  One option is for your boyfriend to try logging into the network on his PC, then plugging the OBi into that port afterwards.  If that doesn't work, he can plug into the PC using Internet Connection Sharing and he might get that to work.

In short, if he's looking to have the OBi always hooked up (vs. setting it up to make a call to you) in that environment, he can't.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=2504.msg16180#msg16180

[GBrook]

Alright. Thank you for the quick reply. I guess if what you proposed doesn't work then he and I will just have to pay for calls and try to return the OBi box. This is incredibly disappointing.

[Rick]

You'll have the same result from any internet-connected device.  In short, the college is trying to prevent students from using their bandwidth in a manner that they don't intend, and only want authorized users.

Many of them refresh the connection regularly so you have to log back in.  Hotels usually do it every 24 hours. 

Keep the device - get a new boyfriend that's local 

[Shale]

Consider Skype. It can go computer to computer fairly robustly.

[drgeoff]

Instead of the boyfriend using the OBi100, discard it and install OBiON PC and a SIP softphone on his computer.  Then the login device and the 'phone' are the same device.  

However, there may still be a problem if the campus network blocks the ports that OBi uses.    Only way to find out is to try it.