thinking about signing up, need advise

[kaniki]

I have been using a voip service for years. It is phone power. and when looking something up, I heard about Obihai devices, then clicked on a link and found that obi service through them, they said would be something like $60.. vs the 150 i am paying now. That sounds great as I went to VOIP services due to the low cost vs the old POTS lines. Well, I basically have been happy with my service through phone power over the years, but hey, if I can save a hundred dollars a year, or more, (am paying 150 for the service plus 50 something in taxes), I am all for that. but there are some things that I am not sure about.

How is the quality, reliability and service? My service now is good, but I have seen some that have delays in communication, like if you said something, by the time it got to them, it took a second or two, so you end up constantly doubling up as they are already talking when you start because you dont know that they are yet. I have also looked into and seen things like magic jack, and even have a friend that has tried it and have seen all the problems that go with it. Some times, it works great, other times, you get messages like they can not be reached at this time, or something like that, voice quality that constantly breaks up, etc.

Basically what I am trying to figure out is, is it really reliable? am I going to notice any difference vs the VOIP service that I have through phone power now? Is there much, if any downtime on it? Is there any downfalls to going to it besides if the power or internet go out, so does the phone, just like with my current VOIP service.

Also, I have a cloned line feature. basically, it is like having 2 lines on the same phone number. On the device, there is 2 phone jacks, and if someone is talking on one line, someone can pick up the phone on the second line and call someone else. Is something you can get with this service too? I am figuring that if that is a yes, that I will have to get the 202 model to do it, or use that feature if so.

and lastly, I have seen the many models of this device. other then one having 2 phone jacks, or 2 ethernet jacks (one in and one out), is there anything that makes one version better then another?? reliability, quality, features, etc??

Sorry for all the questions, but I am completely new to the obi thing and am just trying to figure out, is it worth trying? Is it worth getting into? What am I going to loose vs sticking with my current VOIP service? etc. considering that the one with 2 phone jacks is about 75 on amazon, that is a good amount of money to put into something just to say, I am going to try it. that is why i am trying to figure things out now. Thank you for any help that you might be.

[ProfTech]

You're on the right track, but may not want to jump just yet. I'm not familiar with Phone Power but they do have a pretty impressive list of features. The US government has just made some rule changes that may raise the price of some of the VOIP services. The Obi 202 would be the right one to emulate what you have already, but you're going to have to pick the right service provider and will need to configure everything yourself. Some of the cheaper VOIP providers will not have as many features as what you have now. Bottom line, if you're happy with Phone Power and like the features they offer you may want to think twice. If you do decide to try Obi I highly recommend Callcentric for a new user. But their price for the unlimited plan will cost more than what you are paying. If your usage is very low you can cut the cost but that is about it.

[Taoman]

Are you currently on the Aquarius network on PhonePower? If so, you should notice no difference in call quality or reliability if you were to get a PhonePower "OBi" plan.

No, these plans do NOT support cloned lines. Cloned lines are not supported for Bring Your Own Device plans.

[kaniki]

well, I can live without the cloned line thing. that just happened to be a bonus to signing up with them. as for the company, I noticed that phone power was also one of the companies that you could sign up with for service using this device too. and since I was already with them, I did not know how much things would change, with the exception of no tech support for the device through them, and I would have to buy one vs using the one that they gave me. But hey, if it cost me $75 for the device, and $60 for a years service, I am paying a little over $200 now with taxes for the year. So if things stayed the same, even with the cost of the device, it would still be a drop in price of around $70 for the first year. As for features, about all that I actually use is the call forwarding, where it rings a couple of times at my home, and then if no one answers, it transfers to my cell. That and caller ID. So I dont really use most of the features that phone power has.

Where I was not really sure much about was reliability, call quality, is there service lag or delay, does it always work or is there problems during certain hours (kind of like with magic jack service for example). Just how reliable is the service and quality?

[Taoman]

I did not know how much things would change, with the exception of no tech support for the device through them,

Where I was not really sure much about was reliability, call quality, is there service lag or delay, does it always work or is there problems during certain hours (kind of like with magic jack service for example). Just how reliable is the service and quality?

Although that is what they state publicly (since they certainly can't be expected to support every device out there) every PP support tech I have dealt with has been more than willing to give me direct support on my OBi. Some were quite knowledgeable about OBi ATAs while others..........not so much.

As far as reliability goes you need to answer the question I asked in my previous post. What network are you on at PhonePower? When you log into the PP web portal it is stated right on the landing page right below your Contact Phone. I will assume you are on the Aquarius network and not on the Capricorn network. If so, you should expect the same reliability and call quality you are experiencing right now along with all the features you are currently using (minus cloned lines). AFAIK, you would basically have the exact same service you have right now just without cloned lines and you would be using your own ATA and you would be on an "OBi" subscription plan. One other restriction is that on an OBi plan you can only register OBi devices (and the PP softphone). So you couldn't plug in a phone to your existing ATA and try to register that on an OBi plan.

If you can get by without the cloned line feature do you really need a 202 with the second phone port? You may wish to consider an OBi 200 that is cheaper and less complex.

Edit: So I assume you will want to keep your existing PhonePower phone number? That could be tricky. I'm not sure how PhonePower will feel about that. It wouldn't be a port because the number isn't going anywhere. So PhonePower would have to change your existing plan to an "OBi" plan? But I thought you could only get an "OBi" plan by signing up through the Obihai web portal? I'm so confused.

[kaniki]

I think it was the capricorn network that I have been on, but they transferred me to the aquarius network on friday, or just 2 days ago.. they sent an email stating that they are retiring the capricorn network. We are not heavy talkers on the phone here, so I really have not used the phone much since the switch. So saying how reliable the new network is, is kind of hard to do. what I was figuring was, if they did have the cloned line feature, then I would need to get the 202 model, and if I could keep the cloned line, I would, but if not, no big deal. If they did, it is only a one time charge since you buy the equipment, since you dont rent. but like you said, if cloned line is not supported, then it is just stupid to spend the extra on the more expensive adapter, just to have 2 plugs. I currently have my current device plugged into the home wiring (yes, I did disconnect if from the outside so it is not going back to verizons poles) so that it runs to all the phones in the house.

As for the 202 vs 200 model, since I dont use fax, then wouldn't the 100 model work just as good for me as the 200, or is there some major advantage to using the 200 over the 100? Also, the other reason I was considering the 202 was because, the way I have my network set up is like this. cable modem, phone device, then it goes out to my switch (16 port switch, not a router), which then goes to my computers.. all wired.. I use my current phone box or ATA as you called it, as a router to give IP addresses to the computers on my network. Also, doing it this way, if someone slams my upload, or download for the internet, this way i know that the phone gets priority over someone downloading something too. I only have 2 meg up, 20 meg down, so it is decent, but not great. Just so you know, we use standard cordless phones in the house. Nothing digital.. Also, I know I could not plug my phone into the existing ATA, as I would probably have to return it. It is one that phone power sent me, so I did not buy it. In any case, that is why I was considering the 202.. and trust me, not having to run new wires, and moving a lot of stuff around to put up a router, plus buying a router too, along with the phone device is well worth spending the extra $25.

I do have some time to figure things out, and check things out a bit, as I pay for my service by the year, and I have a few months before my service runs out and I have to renew, but I am checking things out now, this way, if I do go for it, I have some time to try it out and use it before I have numbers transferred and stuff, and this way, I know that I am happy with it before I switch for good. But like I said, if it saves me a lot of money every year, then I am more then willing to switch.. I just dont want to end up with some crappy service over it. I have seen how good magic jack is, or isnt.. and am not one bit impressed with them. and I have tried other things in the past that had a lot of delay, or echo's, etc. and dont want to end up with that either. like the saying goes, if it is too good to be true, it usually is.. but there are those exceptions, and I was hoping that this was one of them. That is why I am asking questions first. From what you said though, the quality of service would stay the same, if i stayed with phone power.. and that is good.. I checked things like this out last time I switched providers too.. but I guess this time, it is not so much providers, but more plans..

[Diane]

I have had an Obi100 for about a year.  I am not that tech savvy and setting up was a lot more complicated/frustrating than expected.  Not any service help that I'm aware of other than this forum.
I use Vestlink.  There are delays in the communication and calls are often dropped.  I'm on a very tight budget and always try to stretch a dollar, but often doubt that it's worth the aggravation.  I'm currently having trouble with either my Obi or Vestalink service and have just posted a thread for Troubleshooting. *sigh

[kaniki]

I dont know what kind of service that you have, but with any kind of voip type of service, being though a company like phone power, or the obi devices, they all use a certain amount of bandwidth to work right. If say, you have a very basic DSL or cable company internet plan, some only have something like 768k down, or 128k up. I am not exactly sure what the obi devices use, but a lot of companies can use 128 k for their service, both up and down, and if you say, have an internet plan that is only 128 k up, and you decide to click on something on the internet while on the phone, it can short your connection for the phone line, which can caused dropped calls. If say, your internet provider drops your service to below that 128k, the same thing can happen too.

As for me, I took the plunge. they had the 202 ones on sale this past weekend for $50, so I bought one, and now am just waiting for it to come in to give the service a try. Now I just need to figure out, Do I still need to sign up with a company like phone power too, to get the full features (being able to call anyone, no matter the type of phone), or do I get them just using the google network?

[OzarkEdge]

I dont know what kind of service that you have, but with any kind of voip type of service, being though a company like phone power, or the obi devices, they all use a certain amount of bandwidth to work right. If say, you have a very basic DSL or cable company internet plan, some only have something like 768k down, or 128k up. I am not exactly sure what the obi devices use, but a lot of companies can use 128 k for their service, both up and down, and if you say, have an internet plan that is only 128 k up, and you decide to click on something on the internet while on the phone, it can short your connection for the phone line, which can caused dropped calls. If say, your internet provider drops your service to below that 128k, the same thing can happen too.

As for me, I took the plunge. they had the 202 ones on sale this past weekend for $50, so I bought one, and now am just waiting for it to come in to give the service a try. Now I just need to figure out, Do I still need to sign up with a company like phone power too, to get the full features (being able to call anyone, no matter the type of phone), or do I get them just using the google network?

The codec being used to encode your voice to digital packets, plus the transport protocol etc., determines the Internet service bandwidth required... say 87Kbps max in one direction per call.  A good DSL connection or better is sufficient.  Plus a good router/connection that does not interfere.

A good VoIP service provider interconnects with the traditional telephone network (PSTN).  You can call to/from 'regular' phones worldwide, subject to routing issues and unserved areas.  Google Voice may have more limitations than most VoIP providers, but you can hope to call your contacts using GV no matter the type of phone.  GV does not call 911 and provides no customer service.

OE

[kaniki]

I dont know what kind of service that you have, but with any kind of voip type of service, being though a company like phone power, or the obi devices, they all use a certain amount of bandwidth to work right. If say, you have a very basic DSL or cable company internet plan, some only have something like 768k down, or 128k up. I am not exactly sure what the obi devices use, but a lot of companies can use 128 k for their service, both up and down, and if you say, have an internet plan that is only 128 k up, and you decide to click on something on the internet while on the phone, it can short your connection for the phone line, which can caused dropped calls. If say, your internet provider drops your service to below that 128k, the same thing can happen too.

As for me, I took the plunge. they had the 202 ones on sale this past weekend for $50, so I bought one, and now am just waiting for it to come in to give the service a try. Now I just need to figure out, Do I still need to sign up with a company like phone power too, to get the full features (being able to call anyone, no matter the type of phone), or do I get them just using the google network?

The codec being used to encode your voice to digital packets, plus the transport protocol etc., determines the Internet service bandwidth required... say 87Kbps max in one direction per call.  A good DSL connection or better is sufficient.  Plus a good router/connection that does not interfere.

A good VoIP service provider interconnects with the traditional telephone network (PSTN).  You can call to/from 'regular' phones worldwide, subject to routing issues and unserved areas.  Google Voice may have more limitations than most VoIP providers, but you can hope to call your contacts using GV no matter the type of phone.  GV does not call 911 and provides no customer service.

OE

I was mainly answering Dianne's comment there. I knew that it was low, just did not look up the exact specs. but like I stated, it a lot depends on your service. Here, verizon has DSL, and it is not always very reliable for speeds. and the max I can get at my house is 128k up. If that got split in half with another service on a router, that would bring it down to 64k, and if your service requires 87, then that is a bit short. I dropped them and went with cable for this exact reason.