One of my biggest complaints is you don't know if your service is down until after you've missed some calls. Is there any way to see (maybe an icon in the systray of my laptop) or on a smartphone something that confirms I have active service?
Nope. I set a Google Alert but it's not triggered. You could also set one for Google Voice.
One of the LEDs on the OBi should be off if it is no longer registered with the Service Provider. (I am currently 8000 miles from my OBi110 so unable to confirm the details by performing a real test.)
rick - tell me you mean by setting one up in GV
I realize you asked about some kind of "watchdog" like feature that will alert you and operate externally to your 'Obi Service' (and I''m not clear you mean your Obi device, or your SIP/GV service, or your Obi device's registration to your SIP/GV service), ... but an Obi202 and 302 can give you a distinctive dial tone when if your primary service is down.
Search for ToneOnPrimaryServiceDown in the Device Administration Manual (http://www.obihai.com/OBiAdminGuide.htm).
I played around with it some, but do not use it now
let me clarify what I'm looking for...it would be similar to the little icon in your systray which shows the status of your internet connection. If it goes down, you get the yellow "!" or something similar. This would be very helpful because I do not use my landline much, and I DO give the number out for people to call me. So lets say the Obi goes down for whatever (reason still undetermined) on a Sunday night at 2am....I may miss 3-4 calls and not even discover the problem until Tuesday...and if its down they cannot leave messages either.
also, my obi device is in a closet upstairs out of sight (where my internet switch and router and modem are)...not next to my phone, so checking the device would require running up and downstairs constantly...and...when it goes offline I don't get a red light, i get a fluttering green one, so its not that obvious
So what I need is some sort of immediate notification on my laptop or my phone which will alert me immediately so I can reboot the Obi as soon as I'm made aware of it not working. The root cause of it going out is still a mystery...I've tried everything suggested and yet it continues to happen. This is my attempt to at least have a "workaround" until (if ever) the problem gets resolved for good.
Nope again.
I setup a Google Alert, not GV alert, that looks for "OBi down" and "OBi service down" and similar combinations, figuring people would be yapping about it.
If you use GV with your OBi, all your messages work just fine since GV doesn't care if the forward is working or not working, 5 rangs and they get the leave a message prompt.
I know of nothing remotely that will tell you our OBi is down. Mine was down last week and I didn't know it until I went to make a call.
I think maybe my best option is to set up a temp forwarding number in GV which will allow BOTH the landline AND my cell to ring. That way, if the OBI goes down I still get the call to my cell and a notification of any vmail.
If I am home, I simply pick up the landline, but if not, I can still get the call when away and/or if home and the Obi is down (and I am unaware of it).
Sound good?
Some VOIP providers like Voip.Ms and Callcentric have a process to handle calls is there is no answer, the device is offline, etc. Thus the call could be routed to voicemail or a message or another phone like a cell.
I have it set up in GV at present. Its says "temporary" but that only means you can disable it whenever you wish, or leave it in place permanently
https://support.google.com/voice/answer/115084?hl=en
I suspect this will be the only foolproof way to make sure I don't miss any calls if the Obi decides to go down without my knowing it for days on end...
I think you're making things way too complicated.
I have GV setup with Google Chat (which is how it goes to the OBi) and a cell phone. I can check, or uncheck, either one, or have both checked or both unchecked. That tells GV what to ring (OBi and Cell, OBi only, Cell Only, or neither). Regardless of what rings, after 5 rings they get sent to GV's voicemail.
GV emails me when a) I miss a call or b) someone leaves a message, and it sends me the entire transcript including the ability to play the message on my phone.
So, if I am home and my OBi is down when someone calls, I get an email and go "Oh, my OBi must be down".
thats how i have it set up now with one twist. I presently have two GV accounts
Line One aka GV acct 1 (our landline) - forwarded to wife's work # and Google Chat. My cell added as a "temp forward to" line as well.
Line Two aka GV acct 2 - serves as another "virtual line" since it isn't connected to any physical phone. Forwarded to my cell and Google Chat
Calls to Line one get processed through GV with messages recorded, sent to my email, etc. They don't disrupt my wife's work because her line is left unchecked. but they DO also ring my cell because its temp forwarded there....
Calls to line two only ring my cell. Calls also get processed through GV same as above.
Frankly the only reason I have the second setup is because I have two Gmail accts so figured why not two Google Voice lines? but since I never use the second number I may just use the one acct and abandon having my second line.
I have not found the transcription to be that accurate...you?
If you're forwarding to Chat, then it's going to the OBi, which should then mean you have a physical phone connected to it.
The transcription also includes the ability to play the message. I find the transcription is good enough to get the gist of the call and see if I need to play the message or it can wait.
Got it - I unchecked forwarding on the virtual line to Google Chat - now it only goes to my cell.
On another note, have you or anyone figured out the fix for the "random disconnects" that occur 15-20 minutes into a call? I still get those often.