OBi & Network & Homegroup - RESOLVED

[SteveInWA]

I dunno about whether or not the OBiTALK portal would override or change the router/bridge setting.  I really doubt it, since OBiTALK intentionally doesn't control that setting.  Of course, you could try it yourself and find out.

In bridge mode, it should behave just like another switch port.  The only caveat would be that both Ethernet ports on the 202 are 100Mb, not gigabit, and that the 202 is going to control its LAN port to prioritize for QoS.  Just something to keep in mind with regard to network performance when using the LAN port.

I don't know what the OP's issue was, getting the 202 to work in bridge mode.

[Dravial]

That's funny, because I am not sure what my original issue was either, other then everything was not working the way I wanted it (and expected it) too - maybe I hit an improper setting in the web based OBiTalk. I know resetting it resolved it, until I used the web based OBiTalk interface to reset up my account and GV on the OBi202. Therefore at this point I am thinking stay away from the web based OBiTalk interface...

LTN1: It is working perfectly now, you just have to be sure the settings are correct, and know how to find them. (And I think stay away from the OBiTALK Portal...) I also disabled the auto-provisioning as suggested by N7AS in all settings so it cannot revert.

FFS... The internet on the LAN port of the OBi202 just went out again, randomly, I didn't touch a thing... Seriously wth...

I reset the changes I made back to default and reset both OBi and the computer, it is working for now... I hope this is not going to be an on-going game. I prefer RTS to 'Real Time Annoying'...

[SteveInWA]

Hence my KISS solution to just use an external switch and don't worry about it.  I'm not saying that this is the best answer for everyone, or that the LAN port in the 202 isn't reliable or usable -- I'm just saying:  don't bang your head on the table over it, take the non-OCD approach and use a proven alternative.

[LTN1]

Dravial...since you are configuring your OBi202 to use the LAN port anyway, would you try putting the configuration back to the original setting of router, turning auto-provisioning on the Obitalk site (wait until it auto-provisions if needed) then try setting it to bridge mode via a telephone handset connected to the OBi202 by inputting this:

To put the OBi into bridge mode, on the attached phone dial ***0, 31#, 1,1#,1

See if that would work any better and let us know.

[Dravial]

It is still working fine. And I have not gone back to the Web based OBiTALK portal. I think that may be the problem here, or maybe I missed a reboot, but everything is working fine now - I would suggest to you activating bridge via IVR as mentioned previously, rebooting, then only using the locally based way of adjusting settings via 192.168.xxx.yyy per your routers assignment, and disabling any provisioning per N7AS's direction. In the end this seems to be working fine.

No offense, but I finally have it working and I do not want to be your Guinea Pig. You can always try it and do a factory reset if it fails, here's how: http://www.obihai.com/faq/Troubleshooting-sec/How-to-Factory-Reset

[LTN1]

No offense, but I finally have it working and I do not want to be your Guinea Pig.

You got me! If you could though, let us know how the bridge setup is working out for you. For example, did it caused any changes to the quality of the calls (e.g., diminish call quality), etc.

[Dravial]

I noticed no degradation in call quality at all, it is my understanding QoS in still in effect for calls - now please note I did not max out my bandwidth while on a call, so a better test may be in order.

With that said, the LAN port on the OBi202 dies again, the computer on the other end is not seeing the network or getting internet again... It simply reports connecting/not connected continuously over and over repeating about every 2-3 seconds...

UPDATE: I power cycled both the router and the OBi, and now it is working again - The computer on OBi's LAN port can see both internet and network... Let's see how long it lasts this time...

[LTN1]

Dravial...strange that your LAN port on the 202 keeps on doing that. I hope you don't have a defective unit.

Just want to also update you on how I actually configured my OBi202 to bridge mode. Since I wanted to continue to configure my OBi through the OBiTalk portal, I didn't undo the auto-configuration. I then used a phone connected to the 202 to enter the following programming codes (that I previously described): ***0, 31#, 1,1#,1

After entering the codes, the 202 automatically rebooted. After the reboot, I plugged in one of the ethernet connections (a PBX and hybrid ATA system) I had to my modem/router into the 202 LAN port and it immediately recognized the device--in fact the IP address for the device had not changed. It was as though I unplugged the device from one of the router ethernet ports and insert into another ethernet port on the same router. So now in bridge mode, the 202 LAN appears to be functioning as an extra ethernet port on the same network.

I then power cycled everything just to make sure when it started again, the 202 would not revert to the original configuration--and it didn't. The OBiTalk portal continues to stay connected. Testing of the VoIP phone did not show any different voice quality than before.

The initial process to program the code to bridging mode and automatic reboot was no more than 1 minute (everything thereafter was just me testing). I just wanted to follow up this with you in the event you ever want to go back to the OBiTalk portal instead of the web portal.

[Dravial]

Thanks for the update. I think if it was defective, it wouldn't be working at all. I did not disconnect everything and reconnect after changing modes as you stated, and this could have caused an issue. If that is the case, after power cycling everything this morning, I 'should' have no more problems. It may be a case of getting frustrated and not following proper protocol/procedure on my end. I will keep you updated in either event in case this information can help someone else.

UPDATE: Something is definitely not right with OBi... After the computer on OBi's LAN port goes to 'sleep' for a while, and is woken up, it can no longer communicate on the LAN port - the LAN light on OBi goes dark, and the computer reports connecting/not connected continuously over and over repeating about every 2-3 seconds...
And when the computer goes back to sleep, the data port on the OBi lights back up and acts as though everything is fine again, that is, until I walk over and strike a mouse button on the sleeping computer, then the LAN light instantly goes dim and the computer wakes up...
When I initially power cycled the devices this morning,  let the PC go to sleep for a few minutes and woke it up, and everything was fine. But after being gone all day and coming back 10-12 hours later, it is broken again...
Is there any help for this issue?
LTN1, does your computer go into sleep mode and perform properly when woken up? (Never-mind, I re-read and see you connected another ATA device into it, so I doubt it will act in the same manner).

OTHER THOUGHTS: Overnight last night they upgraded my internet service. In the process I did receive a new ip address, this could have screwed everything up again? I power cycled the OBi and Router and will check again later and see if the LAN port fails again...
This is why I drink so much bourbon...

[N7AS]

Did you ever try to set a Static IP on the OBi202? If you are using the OBiTalk Dashboard, this can be done through the Expert Configuration.

[Dravial]

Well, just got home and checked the computer on the LAN port of OBi again. Sure enough, after I woke the computer up, the LAN port died...

N7AS: I believe I disabled the functionality of the OBiTALK dashboard/portal per your instructions:
"To verify your IP address dial ***1 and listen for your network status. Write down the IP address and enter it in the address bar of Chrome.
If you want to configure OBi202 locally, you must disable Auto Provisioning.
Remember if you do this you won't be able to configure using the OBiTalk portal. It's either one or the other. When you disable Auto Provisioning, you may have to reenter passwords.
Go to System Management > Auto Provisioning >
Auto Firmware Update > Method > Disable
ITSP Provisioning > Method > Disable
OBiTalk Provisioning > Method > Disable"

Maybe I should re-enable it then... Something for sure isn't right here...

OK, trying this, basically exactly what LTN1 did...

1.   I removed all cables from the back of the Obi202,
2.   Since I was not exactly sure which settings I undid, or what to change them back too, because some of them do not default to being turned on, I did a factory reset per: http://www.obihai.com/faq/Troubleshooting-sec/How-to-Factory-Reset
3.   Then I let the device reboot,
4.   Then I plugged the phone back in, and the Internet Ethernet cable only (to the router)
5.   I logged in and reset the Obi back up with my GV,
6.   I then used the IVR interface and turned on bridge mode via: ***0, 31#, 1,1#,1
7.   I let Obi reboot
8.   I then connected the Ethernet cable to the other computer to the LAN port.
9.   It took a while, but the other computer got internet/network/homegroup access

I will see if it sticks this time, I made no other changes at all other then what I described above.

Thanks for your patience and support. Here is hoping this has just been a coincidence of unfortunate events... The bright side is unfortunate events justify, if not mandate, imbibing bourbon...

UPDATE: As of the next morning, everything seems to be working properly (he stated, scared it would cause him to jinx himself...).
UPDATE #2: Left it sleep all day, my daughter came home and used the computer to look up her grades, worked fine. My son comes back an hour later to use computer, and it has no internet/network when it wakes up and bounces back and forth again just like before between identifying and disconnected. After a reboot of the computer it is still the same.
I WAS JUST CHANGING MY POST TO RESOLVED when this happened (Which I reverted back seconds later). I rebooted the Obi and now the internet/network is back. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE...

OK. That last 'failure' was due to my son, as I have now realized. When the computer goes to sleep, it loses its connection, when it wakes up it re-establishes it. however, he does not give the computer 5-10 seconds to re-orient itself, instead he logs in and BAM opens a browser. This seems to cause an issue where it has not reconnected to the network yet, and cause the whole thing to freeze up. I have told him to 'count to ten' first when waking the computer up, and I am having no more issues. Here is hoping this info might be useful to someone else - the bridge feature works fine, but you have to have more patience then a 14 year old...
This is is resolved.
Thanks.

[Dravial]

Double Post, and at this point I could care less.

RESOLVED = bridge mode simply doesn't work. Either that or I have a faulty unit and please send a new one.

Either way Resolved only due to my patience ending. Listen to Steve, buy a port switch, because OBi cant handle a bridge. This is ridiculous and requires Maker's Mark with my homemade Amaretto...

Anyone have a coupon for a port switch?

[LTN1]

Duuble Post, and at this point I could care less.

RESOLVED = bridge mode simply doesn't work. Either that or I have a faulty unit and please send a new one.

Either way Resolved only due to my patience ending. Listen to Steve, but a port switch, because OBi cant handle a fuckin' bridge. This is ridiculous and requires Maker's Mark with my homemade Amaretto...

Anyone have a coupon for a port switch?

Sorry to hear your problems. My OBi bridge mode has been fine since March 23rd. Now I don't use the OBi LAN port to connect my computer, just a hybrid PBX system. As far as I can tell, the PBX system, which regularly sends out a signal for the SIP lines, continues to work.

Have you contacted Obitalk support to see what else you can do? You can try sending it in for replacement. If it was me, I would buy another one just to test if the new one has any issues. If it does, perhaps it is something with the network configuration. If it works without problems, you know that you have a defective unit. Return the new one under warranty and send the defective one in for replacement.

One last thing...I'm sure there are a number of us that would appreciate you refraining on the profanity. Life can get a lot tougher than the troubles of a $74 equipment. I realize its been a headache...but try to remember, it is only a small piece of imperfect technology in a world where people have a lot more life and death issues.

[SteveInWA]

Duuble Post, and at this point I could care less.

RESOLVED = bridge mode simply doesn't work. Either that or I have a faulty unit and please send a new one.

Either way Resolved only due to my patience ending. Listen to Steve, but a port switch, because OBi cant handle a fuckin' bridge. This is ridiculous and requires Maker's Mark with my homemade Amaretto...

Anyone have a coupon for a port switch?

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=9645.msg63934#msg63934

Just buy a switch.  They're reliable and cheap.  Shop Newegg's deal pages for a discount/sale price.  Netgear and Trendnet are my top picks for value.

[Dravial]

Spelling fixed and improper language usage removed. My apologies as I sat down to this yesterday evening late after enjoying finally getting outside all day after winter, working around the house was tired and had, of course, a bourbon or two. Not that it's an excuse, but it is what it is, just like OBi Bridge mode...

And yes, I talked to support via e-mail, and basically told me turn on bridge mode and walk away slowly; "Please don’t disable the OBi provisioning, you won’t be able to make any changes to obitalk and it will have severe issues down the road.
The easiest solution to the LAN port issue, is to simply turn the LAN port into bridge mode, that’s all.   And you can do so without disabling the OBi provisioning."

I think I will just go with this for a $5 solution as the computer is about 12 feet from the Router (w/ WiFi) anyway: http://www.ebay.com/itm/301399250734

I wonder if OBi would work with this instead of the computer or if you have to buy the OBi branded one...

[LTN1]

I think I will just go with this for a $5 solution as the computer is about 12 feet from the Router (w/ WiFi) anyway: http://www.ebay.com/itm/301399250734

I wonder if OBi would work with this instead of the computer or if you have to buy the OBi branded one...

That's a pretty good find. I don't know for sure if it will work with the OBi but I can't see why not? Perhaps others will know. Even if they don't, if you are brave enough to buy it and test...let the rest know if it works. The item does seem to have a 14-day return warranty if it doesn't work and I suppose shipping is pretty light to return.

If you ever get the chance though, I would eventually buy another OBi202 from Amazon...they have a great return policy for items that doesn't work properly--to see if this darn issue that you are facing is actually truly caused by a defect or if it is something else? I know that Steve's solution is the cheapest and quickest solution, but I like to always determine what the real issue is also. You at least know that I have mine on bridge mode for almost a week without any noticeable problems...but you also know that I started the bridge mode without ever turning auto-provisioning off.

[drgeoff]

I'd put money (but not my life) on that NOT working.

USB dongles have a vendor and product pair of ID codes which the host device uses to recognise the dongle and where necessary load the appropriate driver.  OBi ATAs are only programmed to recognised Obihai's own WiFi and Bluetooth dongles.

[Dravial]

I figured. My intended use for the USB Receiver was on the PC - using it on OBi was a second thought. I will depopulate the LAN port on OBi since it does not play well with others if I can not get this resolved and put the USB received in the afflicted PC.
I have also followed up with e-mail support in case they have any ideas. I will let you know if they do.

Also: I even tried setting a static IP on OBi today as per N7AS via OBiTALK web portal / expert config / router settings / change DHCP to Static and the IP line under it to the IP it was assigned at the time. It worked for a while, then the computer went to sleep, and when it woke up, OBi would no longer play with it.
After doing this I could no longer make or receive calls, even though OBiTALK Web portal showed everything was functioning normally.
Deleting the IP in IPAddress and clicking the radio button back to 'OBiTALK Settings' while leaving the AddressingType to Static and allowing OBi to reboot has resolved the issue of making and receiving calls. (The Red Exclamations remain however).

[N7AS]

When setting a Static IP on the OBi202, I would use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for the DNS Servers. I use these on all my devices.

[Dravial]

I have absolutely no idea why you would do that, so I will not try to imitate you, but thanks for your input.
However after the computer on the LAN port of OBi went to sleep, and was awoken, with the last settings I described above, the LAN port was dead and it bounced a few times, but then finally connected.
I will leave it here for now until I find, if there is one, a better solution.

UPDATE: Once the computer sleeps overnight, and is woken the next morning, I have the same result as before: LAN PORT 'dies', computer goes from connecting to no connection over and over.

LTN1: Feel free to send me one Amazon, and I will test it. You can even send me a shipping label and I will send you this one for your trialing pleasure. I do not have the resources for that, hence why I am opting to an initially free phone alternative to start with, and so frustrated it will not work within my current setup. I treat my money differently then most, and I will leave it at that as that discussion is more political and of no relevance to the issue at hand.