Will Obi 200 work without a analog telephone connection/ service or do you have to buy a Obi IP phone ?
Also, if a separate IP phone is needed, will my current vonage hardware work in place of the IP phone ?
Hope this make sense , Thanks
An OBi200 is essentially the same as a Vonage adaptor. It has one socket to plug in an ordinary analogue phone (corded or cordless) and one socket for an ethernet cable to connect to your router. The fundamental difference is that the Vonage box has locked down software which only works with a Vonage account. The OBi is "open" and can be configured to work with almost all Internet Telephony Service Providers who use the industry standard protocol (SIP) and the somewhat customised version of it used ìn Google Voice.
You either need an IP phone (and no OBi200) or an OBi200 (or OB202) plus a landline type phone instrument. Your current Vonage hardware will be redundant. You will also need an account with at least one ITSP or GV. If you want to retain your current phone number that can impact your choice of ITSP.
Thanks, that helps explain a lot, I already have a ISP and GV account so just wonder why the phone is more expensive than the OBI 200 ? I see it listed for $149 and I really don't need a dedicated phone if it can be avoided, just a cheap analog phone. Also for some reason my analog telco line service was disconnected or should I say deactivated, how much would it cost to have it turned back on— just trying to compare the cost —I'm paying vonage $281/yr so it would seem any cost will be better in the long run.
I tried to send a personal message but it was rejected. Is your email address in your profile correct? It might be a forum issue.