OBi110: How to bridge calls from OBi network to local PTSN in a foreign country?

[jiminalaska]

I would like to configure an OBi110 as a bridge from the OBi network (**9 number) to a local PTSN in a foreign country. 

While I have successfully configured OBi110s and OBi202s in a telephone <> OBi <> GV <> free US call manner and, more recently when GV's XMPP service was ended, an OBi220 in a telephone <> OBi <> VoIP SIP provider <> inexpensive US calls manner, using the OBiTalk web portal interface, I have not used the OBiTalk Expert interface nor the built-in OBi device web interface -- so I am really a newbie at what I'm attempting to do.

According to the documentation on the OBiTalk website, the "All Incoming Calls To Attendant" box needs to be checked on the Device Configuration page to activate the Attendant function -- but that box no longer exists in the OBiTalk web portal.  While I have seen bits and pieces of information that may be relevant to my situation in other forum posts, the information is not complete or, at times, not even consistent.  Hence, I'm making this post, hoping that someone can walk me through the steps to set-up the OBi110 in the manner I want to use it.
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Situation and goal:  Presently we live in a foreign country, but our permanent home is in the US -- and we have relatives in both countries.  In a few months, we will be returning to the US for an extended stay or perhaps permanently.  Before we go, I would like to set-up an OBi110 in a relative's home here in a foreign country, and configure it so that:

1.  Incoming domestic calls on the local landline in the foreign country would bypass the Attendant and the ring the phone in the normal fashion (-- I don't see any need for these calls to ever connect to us in the States --), and

2.  Outgoing domestic calls from the telephone bypass the Attendant and dial the domestic number, and

3.  Incoming calls from other OBi devices (-- I'll have an OBi when we are in the States --) to the foreign OBi will be answered by the Attendant and we will be given the option of continuing the call (to the hosting relative's telephone) or make a new call out on the attached landline in the foreign country.  (We may want to secure the make-a-new-call feature to be available to just our Stateside OBi device number.)  And,

4.  Outgoing calls from the relative's foreign telephone to us in the States would be on the OBi network to our Stateside OBi device (that is, it would be a **9 call from the foreign country).

In other words, we want the foreign relative's telephone to work normally for routine usage, but we want to be able to call the foreign relative's OBi from our OBi in the States and choose to either connect to his phone or to call other relatives via his landline.
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Because we will be Stateside and the OBi110 will be at the foreign relative's house, I would like to be able to maintain it remotely from the States.  This implies that I will need to use OBiTalk's Expert mode (instead of the OBi device's built-in web interface) -- assuming that it can be done from Expert mode.
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Is it possible to implement our specific approach?  If so, can someone give me specific, step-by-step instructions on how to implement this?  And/Or, if it can't be implemented or if someone sees problems with what I want to do or has a better approach, let me know that as well.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Jim

[ianobi]

Jim,

What you ask is exactly what OBi devices are designed to do, so you should have few problems, but see my notes at the end.

1. This is default behaviour for an OBi110. Using default settings the OBi110 will add a four second delay to incoming calls while it decodes CallerID before ringing the phone. Depending on the country this delay may not be needed.

2. This is default behaviour for an OBi110. The PSTN line is the Primary Line by default for an OBi110, so calls will go to PSTN unless you choose otherwise. The default digitmap may need tuning to the correct number formats to suit the country this OBi is in.

3. This is all about "Circle of Trust". If both OBi devices are added to the same account, then they will both be in each others' Circle of Trust automatically. Either one calling the other using the **9xxxxxxxxx number will get connected to the called OBi's auto attendant. This can be changed using expert settings. No other OBi numbers will have access to the auto attendant. If each OBi has its own account, then you need to send a request to be in the other OBi's Circle of Trust from your Dashboard and the other OBi needs to accept the request.

4. Any OBi can call any other OBi using the **9xxxxxxxxx number. However, it will only get connected to the called OBi's auto attendant if it is in the called OBi's Circle of Trust.

Notes: The OBi110 in the foreign country will need some changes to make it seamless for the people using it. Digitmaps need to be tuned to that country's number formats, some of the Line Port settings may need to be changed to suit the physical line characteristics and emergency numbers may need to be changed from 911 to whatever that country uses.

Having said all that, there's lots of OBi devices around the world set up to suit local parameters, so there's lots of knowledge here to do that. My OBi devices are in the UK and there's enough flexibility in the OBi settings to have them working seamlessly.

[jiminalaska]

Thanks, ianobi.

With the information that you gave me I was able to successfully setup the configuration I needed.

Jim