Hey guys, I setup my Obihai to provide the DTD for my gate call box. It has been working flawlessly for quite some time. I did this so I can have the gate call box call a google voice number that rings my cell phone, my wife's cell and the home phone. That way if we aren't home we can answer and speak to whoever is there.
When we want to open the gate we press 9 after answering. This function stopped working recently. It will not work from any of our three phones that answers. I have rebooted the gate call box, and the obihai. Unfortunately it isn't working. I do hear the 9 being pressed if that makes sense. I also have the security system option enabled.
If anyone has any suggestions PLEASE let me know this has been frustrating to say the lease.
Thanks in advance!
Neil
Google Voice is currently having a problem recognizing DTMF (TouchTone) for call screening, voicemail, etc.
Google is working on fixing it, but it's complex, and there is no ETA.
If you can't wait, then get a VoIP phone number from some other service provider, like voip.ms or Callcentric.
Wow thats good information - how in the world would a normal person know that?
Can you suggest or provide a list of decent provider? Its hard to beat free - but if it doesn't work....
I think I'm a "normal" person, although some would disagree. You would have known, if you were actually using the service for its intended purpose of making and receiving actual telephone calls, and you would have run into this problem.
I support Google Voice over on their forum, and I have contacts within the Google Voice staff, so that's the source of my information (not guessing).
You can get a really inexpensive phone number from voip.ms, and the OBiTALK dashboard has a pre-configured template to set up the number on one of the device's SPx slots. You simply click on the SP you want to configure, decline the offer to set up Google Voice on it, and go to the next page, which shows other service providers. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click "OBiTALK compatible service providers". The next page is a list, from which you can pick to configure service.
So can I ask a dumb question: I use google voice to call google voice. Will replacing google voice on my obihai connected to the call box allow the receiving google voice numbers to dial digits? Not sure if that made sense but I hope it did.
I'm sorry; I don't understand what you are asking. Please try again.
This bug is impacting most, but not all Google Voice users at this time. It doesn't matter which carrier(s) is/are involved on the other end of the call.
If it helps: OBiTALK devices can support up to four separate VoIP service registrations. For example, I have three Callcentric numbers and one Google Voice number configured on my 200 and 202. You can call out with whichever of those numbers you wish. You designate one of them as the default for outbound calls, and then, if you want to call out using one of the others, you prefix your dial string with **1, 2, 3, or 4, depending on which SP you want to use.
For example, on my OBi 200:
- SP1 is Callcentric number xxxx. I set it as the default. When I pick up the phone and key in a number to call, that call will travel over SP1's Callcentric service.
- SP4 is Google Voice. If I want to make an outbound call using that service, then I key in **4 xxx xxx xxxx.
- INbound calls will ring according to your configuration settings. On a 200, the default would be for calls people make to any of the four SPs will ring the same physical telephone plugged into the device.
My gate call box is using the OBihai to make the call. The device is using GV. It dials out to the GV number. Which GV service is the problem?
That doesn't make sense.
Your gate call box places a regular telephone call, using whatever telephone carrier's service is physically connected to the telephone circuitry in that call box. It is calling your Google Voice phone number, service for which is provided by Google Voice, and configured on your OBiTALK device.
The failure is happening when you, the party answering the call, try to press DTMF digits, and Google Voice is failing to process those digits, so they can't be sent to the call box's telephone.
OBIHAI connected to google voice is used to call ANOTHER GV number. Which is the problem.
I don't get it. The call box has its own telephone service, not an OBiTALK device. It calls YOUR OBiTALK device.
Where is the other OBiTALK device?
...and no, as I've already stated, the cause of the failures is a bug in Google Voice's back end telephony infrastructure. It has nothing to do with your devices; it happens to regular calls on mobile phones. The bug is causing touch tones to not be recognized. You can't fix it. You'll have to wait for Google to fix it.
I said originally in the first post. The obihai is providing service to the gatecall box. The gate call box is not connected to a pots line but the obihai. I don't know how to clarify any better.
Oh REALLY? Well then, I have just the solution for you.
Look at the bottom of YOUR OBi, in your house/apartment (not the one providing service for the gate). Write down the nine-digit OBi number (three groups of three digits).
Have whoever is in charge of programming the gate phone, set it to dial **9 xxx xxx xxx where the x's are your OBi number. Ba da bing, it will call you over the OBiTALK network, instead of Google Voice, and touch tones should work fine. All solved.
That won't work because the idea of the receiving GV number that the obihai calls isn't received by a OBIHAI. In otherwords only one obihai to provide service to the gatebox. The gatebox via obihai calls a gv number that rings 2 cells and an xfinity voip line.
Then get a cheap VoIP phone number and service, and use that instead of Google Voice. It's only a couple dollars a month.
For example: Get a local DID from Callcentric. The Callcentric DID can be configured to forward to several other numbers, just like Google Voice.
Thanks for the advice. I signed up with CallCentric to receive the calls and now everything is working beautifully.