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General Support => Installation and Set-Up (Devices) => Topic started by: videobruce on January 08, 2017, 07:17:48 AM

Title: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: videobruce on January 08, 2017, 07:17:48 AM
This may sound unusual, but for backup purposes if/when the ATA dies, can a 2nd Obi202 be setup with the same phone numbers; PhonePower & GV in this case?? Only one would be in use at one time.

My concern if the ATA goes down, I lost phone service. Ordering a replacement (or sending it back for repair) talks too long. It would make sense to have a spare ready to go (Plug n Play so to speak w/o completely setting it up from scratch which is a hassle).

One other thing; this is the only readily available telephone.  :-[
Title: Re: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: drgeoff on January 08, 2017, 08:13:43 AM
Yes that is possible.
Title: Re: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: videobruce on January 08, 2017, 08:59:30 AM
The more important question; would a VoIP provider allow this, PhonePower specifically, having two ATA's provisioned?
(I will contact them)
Title: Re: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: BigJim_McD on January 08, 2017, 01:13:31 PM
videobruce, 

Yes it's possible,  I have a Obi202 "Primary" and a Obi202 "Secondary" setup and online at the same time.
We use Google Voice for outgoing calls,  we use voip.ms for incoming calls, Caller ID and E911.

I setup one DID (voip.ms phone #) to work on two OBi devices, on voip.ms I setup two different "Sub-Accounts", one for each of the Obi202's.  I added a "Ring Group" that included both "Sub-Accounts", then pointed the DID (phone #) to the ring the "Ring Group".  Incoming Google Voice Calls are forwarded to the "voip.ms" DID (phone #).

The Primary Obi202 is located in our Family Room with a Vtech 2-Line portable phone base attached.  The Secondary Obi202 is located in my Home Office with an identical Vtech 2-Line portable phone base attached.  Either Obi202 or Vtech 2-line portable phone base can be swapped  and all calls come to both units.
Title: Re: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: Taoman on January 08, 2017, 01:21:26 PM
Quote from: videobruce on January 08, 2017, 08:59:30 AM
The more important question; would a VoIP provider allow this, PhonePower specifically, having two ATA's provisioned?
(I will contact them)

You absolutely can with PhonePower. They allow up to 4 simultaneous registrations. All endpoints will ring when receiving an incoming call.
Title: Re: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: drgeoff on January 08, 2017, 03:18:40 PM
If you mean that only one is active at a time, ie the other is unpowered or has its ethernet connection unplugged, an ITSP has no way of knowing which of two identical ATAs is in use. And even if the ITSP could know they would not even care.
Title: Re: Setup a backup (spare) Obi ATA?
Post by: videobruce on January 08, 2017, 09:15:30 PM
Interesting. Too bad that isn't true for MSO CATV customer owned Modems.   >:(