http://blog.obihai.com/
Who's the partner, and far more important, how many minutes?
My first guess.......... Anveo
At this price point my guess is 300-500 outgoing minutes.
Completely guessing but this is my logic. Anveo appears to be partnered with Obi based on their recomending them for 911. Anveo has Geo caller Id so it's no stretch to think they would be willing to send our GV caller ID. Based on Anveo pricing schedules and the assumption we will get a small break for the year contract.
$3.33
-$0.80 caller ID
_______________
$2.53 Calling Credit
$2.53/$0.01= 253 minutes
I assume Obi negotiated some kind of price break so they round up to 300 minutes. Based on the post I don't believe these minutes will roll over. If they don't roll over and we figure in for users that won't use all of their minutes Anveo could be generous and add 200 minutes without affecting their bottom line. Thus giving us 500 minutes total outbound.
It is unlikely they could compete with magic jack on outbound minutes because Anveo offers a higher level of service. In addition Magic Jack is "Jacking" up their prices for those that want 911 calling.
I have no information that is not available to everyone else so don't ask me if I have any inside info. This is just a guess. For the noobs I don't work for Obi or Anveo. Anyone elses guess is just as good as mine.
Your logic seems reasonable to me, we'll see how it pans out!
BTW, Anveo does allow me to set my GV number for outgoing calls. (As does Localphone.) I still think my combination of Anveo and Localphone is cheaper than their bundle offer. And my ala carte approach is definitely more flexible.
Quote from: sdb- on January 02, 2014, 07:13:07 AM
Your logic seems reasonable to me, we'll see how it pans out!
BTW, Anveo does allow me to set my GV number for outgoing calls. (As does Localphone.) I still think my combination of Anveo and Localphone is cheaper than their bundle offer. And my ala carte approach is definitely more flexible.
I have settled on Localphone for outbound calling myself. I'm still deciding on inbound routing. I also have a MagicJack with a free year of service. I won't renew it after the year is up. After the year is up or maybe even before if service sucks I'll use it as an FXS for my computer.
Quote from: sdb- on January 02, 2014, 07:13:07 AM
Your logic seems reasonable to me, we'll see how it pans out!
BTW, Anveo does allow me to set my GV number for outgoing calls. (As does Localphone.) I still think my combination of Anveo and Localphone is cheaper than their bundle offer. And my ala carte approach is definitely more flexible.
Most certainly is. But anveo is the most likely candidate indeed. Their lack of free customer service on economy accounts is very much like Google Voice Google Voice. ;D
For me, the combo Localphone/ Callcentric with free NYC DID works the best.
Quote from: giqcass on January 01, 2014, 01:52:59 PM
$3.33
-$0.80 caller ID
_______________
$2.53 Calling Credit
$2.53/$0.01= 253 minutes
This plan is suppose to include a phone number and unlimited incoming. Anveo normally charges $2 a month for that.
Quote from: Cyclone on January 03, 2014, 03:51:19 PM
Quote from: giqcass on January 01, 2014, 01:52:59 PM
$3.33
-$0.80 caller ID
_______________
$2.53 Calling Credit
$2.53/$0.01= 253 minutes
This plan is suppose to include a phone number and unlimited incoming. Anveo normally charges $2 a month for that.
They should generate a small revenue on inbound calling to
help offset the cost of the DID itself. Giving away the DID should cost a company like Anveo next to nothing after you figure that in. I don't think they will be able to discount the 911 any further because they already have the lowest price in the industry. I expect DIDs in certain areas to be unavailable and not necessarily as good a selection as the $2 DID they sell.
Has anyone actually tried Localphone? The very few reviews I was able to find gave them the worst possible ratings.
Quote from: thunderstruck on January 04, 2014, 06:47:13 AM
Has anyone actually tried Localphone? The very few reviews I was able to find gave them the worst possible ratings.
I haven't had issues but I've barely used them. You can buy as little as $1 worth of credit which = 200 minutes to the US and they give you a free 5 minute call even before you buy credit.
Today I received my localphone statement for my first month of usage.
55 calls, total duration 3:46:47 for $1.329 (including a 1 minute call to Alaska at 2.9c/minute).
Call quality has been good, better than google voice.
I have had a few reports that my caller ID has not come thru, but every time I've tested it has come thru correctly.
Quote from: sdb- on January 05, 2014, 12:04:43 AM
......
I have had a few reports that my caller ID has not come thru, but every time I've tested it has come thru correctly.
your caller id usually comes thru, but do people on the receiving end get your name also?
Quote from: dircom on January 05, 2014, 07:39:12 AM
Quote from: sdb- on January 05, 2014, 12:04:43 AM
......
I have had a few reports that my caller ID has not come thru, but every time I've tested it has come thru correctly.
when you call you using local phone, you say caller id usually works.
do they people on the receiving end get CNAM also?
My understanding of how the U.S. phone system works, is that only the caller id (phone number) is transmitted from originating carrier to destination carrier. That destination carrier does a lookup in one or more databases to get the caller's name (CNAM) and sends the number and name to their subscriber (the callee). The callee's phone can also do a lookup and report that information in addition to or instead of the CNAM from their carrier (like my panasonic phones).
So yes, when I place a call using Localphone it behaves as I expect, every time I test. But one of my neighbors has reported once or twice, as have my inlaws, that my call came thru as "private."
RE: Caller ID name, or CNAM, expanding on sdb's comments:
In basic terms (leaving out the technology-used details), the original caller ID system simply displayed the calling party's telephone number, derived from the phone switches setting up the call. As long as the calling party's number is permitted to be displayed (the caller hasn't enabled caller ID blocking, or the caller isn't using some sort of scheme to avoid displaying the caller ID or otherwise alter/spoof it), AND the called party subscribes to caller ID service on their end, with their telco, then the sent number is displayed.
Caller ID NAME was added later. Since the phone network didn't send any sort of name data along with the call, the called party's telco used the calling party's number to perform a database lookup on their end, then added a string to the caller ID data sent to the called party. This all depends on 1) the calling party's telco "feeding" their subscribers' names and matching numbers to the various third-party database maintainers, and 2) the called party's telco paying for the use of those databases, which obviously cost money to maintain.
There are many problems with the system now: before the telco monopoly was deregulated, the "Baby Bell" carriers and the General Telephone and few other incumbent carriers maintained their own DBs. Now, there are various independent companies also selling the databases, and the accuracy and currency of their DBs varies. When they don't have a matching record, they, or the telco doing the lookup, may substitute some other string, such as the city and/or state of the caller, which is easily obtained from the area code and prefix. Or, they may display "Wireless Caller", for mobile numbers, since many cell phone carriers don't feed the DBs. (Sprint and T-Mobile do; I dunno about the others).
Finally, as has been pointed out, some non-telco alternatives exist: VoIP ITSP providers like Callcentric may offer a way for their subscribers to load in their own name/number data, and use that as an override for any telco-provided data. Telephone hardware, like most modern cordless or "feature" telephones, can also hold an address book in the phone itself, so what you end up seeing when the phone rings can come from a variety of sources.
I am of the understanding the information SteveInWA wrote above is correct for the US and most other locations. I also believe based on reading that CNAM is usually tossed out even when it is transmitted with CID. If you want your CNAM information to show up you can submit the info to some of the databases. I don't remember how to do that but it was discussed here before. Since there are so many it's impossible to tell whether the info will show up when calling any one provider. In the case of calling someone on the same sip provider you can often register the CNAM info you would like to display. This does not seem to carry over to PSTN calls or calls to other sip providers so far as I can see.
Minor Rant:
Honestly the whole CNAM/CID system could use an update. There is no way to be sure you are talking to the person you think you are talking to when you receive a call. The data is too easy to fake. My policy is to never discuss private information with someone that calls me. If they need that kind of information I call them back. The SMS system in the US is far more secure when it comes to identity.
Quote from: giqcass on January 06, 2014, 01:19:10 AM
I am of the understanding the information SteveInWA wrote above is correct for the US and most other locations.
I didn't think I needed your approval on my posts, but thanks, anyway. ::)
Quote from: giqcass on January 06, 2014, 01:19:10 AM
I also believe based on reading that CNAM is usually tossed out even when it is transmitted with CID. If you want your CNAM information to show up you can submit the info to some of the databases.
CNAM isn't transmitted from the calling party's PSTN, period. It is always a database look-up by the called party's telco. I tried the "listyourself" website once in the past. It's useless/broken/doesn't work for consumers; it's mainly a company selling database services.
Quote from: giqcass on January 06, 2014, 01:19:10 AM
Minor Rant:
Honestly the whole CNAM/CID system could use an update. There is no way to be sure you are talking to the person you think you are talking to when you receive a call. The data is too easy to fake. My policy is to never discuss private information with someone that calls me. If they need that kind of information I call them back. The SMS system in the US is far more secure when it comes to identity.
Caller ID was useful as a authentication system only under the original monopoly, closed Bell System. After the deregulation, that level of vertically-integrated database management went away, and it became merely informational. With the later advent of VoIP, and caller ID spoofing via PBX and SIP server software, its trust level declined substantially, but it's still useful as one piece of information, in context. If I get a call with caller ID = Wells Fargo, I don't trust it at all. If I get a caller ID with my best friend's name, it's highly likely to be him. While you could argue that SMS sender ID is more secure, it isn't "far" more secure, as it's also easy to spoof. Unfortunately, millions of people, often elderly and of low income, are scammed by both phone and text, using combinations of false or misleading identification or social engineering. The best defense is education, not technology.
Quote from: SteveInWA on January 06, 2014, 02:01:26 AM
CNAM isn't transmitted from the calling party's PSTN, period. It is always a database look-up by the called party's telco. I tried the "listyourself" website once in the past. It's useless/broken/doesn't work for consumers; it's mainly a company selling database services.
Although I can not personally verify it my reading suggests otherwise. Telephone systems differ from one country to the next. You really must consider the US and Canada as legacy telephone carriers. Do you have any Idea how far our telecommunication systems are behind other countries?
I am of course not referring to third world countries.
Quote from: giqcass on January 06, 2014, 06:07:18 AM
Quote from: SteveInWA on January 06, 2014, 02:01:26 AM
CNAM isn't transmitted from the calling party's PSTN, period. It is always a database look-up by the called party's telco. I tried the "listyourself" website once in the past. It's useless/broken/doesn't work for consumers; it's mainly a company selling database services.
Although I can not personally verify it my reading suggests otherwise. Telephone systems differ from one country to the next. You really must consider the US and Canada as legacy telephone carriers. Do you have any Idea how far our telecommunication systems are behind other countries?
I am of course not referring to third world countries.
My original answer was accurate, relevant to the discussion, and was simply expanding on the also-correct answer that sdb posted.
Given that the majority of OBi users are making US-based telephone calls, and there was no mention of international telcos in this thread, I was describing the PSTN Caller ID system as developed and implemented by the Bell System in the United States of America. That system is still used by USA-based carriers, for calls terminated on USA PSTN DIDs. Of course it doesn't apply to many other countries' phone systems, which have many other characteristics that differ from the US system. The service isn't even known as "Caller ID" in most other countries. I didn't think I needed a disclaimer to avoid a pedantic argument from you, but here you go:
My posts refer solely to the PSTN and VoIP technology deployed by US-based LECs and ITSPs. They do not apply to non-US countries, nor to military communications, ham radio, smoke signals, ship-to-shore communications, secret agent gizmos, tin cans and string, or yodeling. If you have an erection lasting more than four hours, seek medical help immediately. Warning, objects in mirror are closer than they appear, this bag is not a toy, and the beverage you are about to enjoy is very hot.
@SteveInWA
ROFL
The bad thing about Caller-ID is how much of the Obi's functionality goes away/impaired if it's broken, or missing. IMHO I personally like the Canadian way of doing it.
Quote from: SteveInWA on January 06, 2014, 04:20:12 PM
Quote from: giqcass on January 06, 2014, 06:07:18 AM
Quote from: SteveInWA on January 06, 2014, 02:01:26 AM
CNAM isn't transmitted from the calling party's PSTN, period. It is always a database look-up by the called party's telco. I tried the "listyourself" website once in the past. It's useless/broken/doesn't work for consumers; it's mainly a company selling database services.
Although I can not personally verify it my reading suggests otherwise. Telephone systems differ from one country to the next. You really must consider the US and Canada as legacy telephone carriers. Do you have any Idea how far our telecommunication systems are behind other countries?
I am of course not referring to third world countries.
My original answer was accurate, relevant to the discussion, and was simply expanding on the also-correct answer that sdb posted.
Given that the majority of OBi users are making US-based telephone calls, and there was no mention of international telcos in this thread, I was describing the PSTN Caller ID system as developed and implemented by the Bell System in the United States of America. That system is still used by USA-based carriers, for calls terminated on USA PSTN DIDs. Of course it doesn't apply to many other countries' phone systems, which have many other characteristics that differ from the US system. The service isn't even known as "Caller ID" in most other countries. I didn't think I needed a disclaimer to avoid a pedantic argument from you, but here you go:
My posts refer solely to the PSTN and VoIP technology deployed by US-based LECs and ITSPs. They do not apply to non-US countries, nor to military communications, ham radio, smoke signals, ship-to-shore communications, secret agent gizmos, tin cans and string, or yodeling. If you have an erection lasting more than four hours, seek medical help immediately. Warning, objects in mirror are closer than they appear, this bag is not a toy, and the beverage you are about to enjoy is very hot.
I was elaborating on your answer. The purpose of writing
QuoteI am of the understanding the information SteveInWA wrote above is correct for the US and most other locations.
Was not because I felt you needed my approval or adulation. I wrote that so people would know I was referring to the fact other telcos may send what us Americans call CNAM but our US telcos ignore it. Many of us use these devices for international calling. One of the best Obi features is connecting Obi devices in different countries. So I felt it was relevant to the conversation.
I just hope faxing works. $40/year is reasonable if the service is quality and they include a fair number of minutes.
Fax would be a must, we only 2-3 times a month, but without faxing we would decline.
::) Still surprising how many people apparently care about fax. In that case, I would prefer a hard copy delivered by a horse carriage.
There are web based services quite inexpensive who only need fax occasionally.
Quote from: carl on January 11, 2014, 06:17:02 PM
::) Still surprising how many people apparently care about fax. In that case, I would prefer a hard copy delivered by a horse carriage.
There are web based services quite inexpensive who only need fax occasionally.
Go ahead and try and find a web one that is reasonably priced and doesn't require monthly commitments. I haven't found one. Sure, if you only need to fax a couple pages. But the folks that need you to fax them stuff these days are doctors and the government, and nothing you fax them is less than 10 pages it seems. I couldn't find a service that would do it.
I had forgotten about fax for years (always did email attachments) until one day I filed a dispute on a charge on my credit card and the bank wanted me to either snail-mail or fax the documents to them but no email attachments.
Some printers w/scanner & ADF already come with a fax modem built-in.
Quote from: MikeHObi on January 11, 2014, 06:19:24 PM
Go ahead and try and find a web one that is reasonably priced and doesn't require monthly commitments.
http://www.gotfreefax.com/
Free for 3 pages, then they have reasonable pay per fax for larger documents.
Concerning the 39.99 a year, worthless.
I would rather obihai focus on updating their systems to work post xmpp removal,
instead they focus on brokering more expensive than GV deals.
Considering it's been a couple of weeks with no word, I think they've lost focus. I like to plan things out well in advance, and would like to be able to evaluate their offering well before the drop dead date so if it's not up to the task I can choose an alternate.
Quote from: thunderstruck on January 14, 2014, 05:49:42 AM
Considering it's been a couple of weeks with no word, I think they've lost focus. I like to plan things out well in advance, and would like to be able to evaluate their offering well before the drop dead date so if it's not up to the task I can choose an alternate.
I would go ahead and plan things out. There are other providers you can sign up with right now. Then when this thing from Obi shows up you can evaluate switching to that. For now hold onto your Google DID and use the forwarding there to allow you to audition different providers.
Quote from: 7Priest7 on January 13, 2014, 11:09:04 PM
Concerning the 39.99 a year, worthless.
I would rather obihai focus on updating their systems to work post xmpp removal,
instead they focus on brokering more expensive than GV deals.
From what I've read, Google doesn't really have much interest in opening up whatever protocol they'll be using for Hangouts (which replaces Chat). It will be interesting to see, but Google has been against third party products using Google Voice/Chat the way they've been using it - my guess is that in beefing up the Hangout infrastructure, a nice side effect for them was to stop supporting XMPP.
And I wasn't all that impressed with the call quality of GV. I had GV -> Callcentric -> Obi for incoming CNAM, and obi -> GV for outgoing calls. In all my calls, I had a walkie-talkie effect - there was a noticeable 1 or 2 second delay and we'd end up talking over each other all the time. It got so bad that someone would call and my wife would call them back on her cell phone.
When I took GV out completely and used a pay per minute CallCentric plan, that went away completely. Likewise with Obivoice (the $60 for two year unlimited/e911 thingy that is evidently not what the topic of this thread is about).
So, I'd agree. Unless Obi brokers a free service with better quality than GV, I'm happy paying $2.50/month with a third party provider and leave ObiHai to improve the hardware. But I think they are kinda roped into this because most of their "advertisement" has not been "The Obi devices are powerful little VoIP adapters" (which they are), it has been "Use the Obi to get free phone service with Google Voice!" Expectations and impressions trump reality in many cases, and I think this is one of those cases - people think that Obi only works with GV - go and read the Amazon reviews sometime. I applaud the people who post reviews there who try to set people straight, but I'm afraid that it falls on deaf ears.
Quote from: TheoGeek on January 14, 2014, 11:04:49 AM
Snip....
Expectations and impressions trump reality in many cases, and I think this is one of those cases - people think that Obi only works with GV - go and read the Amazon reviews sometime. I applaud the people who post reviews there who try to set people straight, but I'm afraid that it falls on deaf ears.
I would take humor if those folks dumped their OBis on ebay for peanuts and went out and bought some other brand ATA only to find out later their OBi would have worked just fine or even better.
I am mostly clueless about all this but I have been reading a lot on this forum in order to come up to speed. One thing that seems overlooked are mobile apps. My current GV-Obi202 setup lets me use the Google Voice app on an iPad to listen/read/respond to GV voicemail and SMS. Since my wife uses her iPad to text and retreive voice mail, there is a huge WAF vested in the current setup. Anything that upsets this apple (no pun intended) cart will only bring grief ;D
My question is this: Will forwarding my GV number to an ITSP DID bypass GV's voicemail and SMS thus rendering those GV features useless or will GV's voicemail and SMS messaging still work? If I lose those GV features, what ITSP's offer similar apps/features to access voicemail and SMS messaging?
I assume that most ITSPs have some sort of web interface but I'm looking specifically for those with apps that can be downloaded onto her iPad for quick and ready access to voicemail and SMS. I am willing to pay to keep the wife happy since it has taken a while for her to be comfortable with our GV setup.
One persons perspective,
"What's really happening with Google Voice?"
http://tech.iprock.com/?p=10372
Quote from: soundview on January 14, 2014, 11:45:16 AM
My question is this: Will forwarding my GV number to an ITSP DID bypass GV's voicemail and SMS thus rendering those GV features useless or will GV's voicemail and SMS messaging still work? If I lose those GV features, what ITSP's offer similar apps/features to access voicemail and SMS messaging?
I haven't used the Apple versions but I hear the Hangout app for the Ipad is better then the Android version. I heard the Ipad version can place and receive calls directly on the Ipad and will even after the XMPP shutoff. The Google Voice app should continue to work as well but does not have that feature to my knowledge unless you do some tweaking.
Forwarding to another ITSP will not mess with any of the Google Voice features as long as you either disable voicemail for those services or make sure they take longer then 30 seconds for voicemail to pick up.
Quote from: giqcass on January 14, 2014, 04:27:15 PM
I haven't used the Apple versions but I hear the Hangout app for the Ipad is better then the Android version. I heard the Ipad version can place and receive calls directly on the Ipad and will even after the XMPP shutoff. The Google Voice app should continue to work as well but does not have that feature to my knowledge unless you do some tweaking.
Thanks giqcass. I don't believe Hangouts in its current form can retreive voicemail so I'll stick with the Google Voice app for now. Your right about disabling the ITSP's voicemail so that should work. Given all the services out there, there must be an ITSP that provides a similar or better app than Google Voice for their clients.
Quote from: soundview on January 15, 2014, 12:47:22 PM
Given all the services out there, there must be an ITSP that provides a similar or better app than Google Voice for their clients.
I don't know of anyone that quite matches what Google Voice does. There are services with similar features. I just don't know of any with all of them. Most of the feature rich ITSPs either lack good software that integrates with their service or they have excellent software without ATA support.
It occurs to me that if we sign up for the upcoming collaboration Obihai is working on we might be supporting them, which seems like a good idea. ;)
Quote from: ceg3 on January 16, 2014, 12:07:36 PM
It occurs to me that if we sign up for the upcoming collaboration Obihai is working on we might be supporting them, which seems like a good idea. ;)
Amen! I needed E911 and the Obiha/Anveo collaboration made it easy enough for a caveman to set up. Hopefully Obihai is keeping an on these forums and will come up with a good solutiion. I want to support them and I love my 202.
Quote from: soundview on January 16, 2014, 02:39:22 PM
Quote from: ceg3 on January 16, 2014, 12:07:36 PM
It occurs to me that if we sign up for the upcoming collaboration Obihai is working on we might be supporting them, which seems like a good idea. ;)
Amen! I needed E911 and the Obiha/Anveo collaboration made it easy enough for a caveman to set up. Hopefully Obihai is keeping an on these forums and will come up with a good solutiion. I want to support them and I love my 202.
I've had Anveo E911 on my OBi100 for a year, but it runs out tomorrow; Anveo sent out *NO* instructions on how to renew it so I finally had to call Anveo sales for details. (Like you, I'm not much on SIP setup.) Basically, they said their renewal would still be for a full year as THEY'RE not directly affected by the XMPP shutoff, even though nearly everyone using this particular plan *IS* affected. >:(
Luckily, there's an easy way to let it go: If you don't put any funds in your Anveo account (I never had any besides my original $15 for E911 a year ago), it won't renew. Oddly enough, that may also be my simplest option for the end of XMPP: Just unplug my OBi (and landlines) on May 15 and answer everything on my prepaid cellphone (unlimited voice & text + 2.5GB data), which GV has always rang along with my OBi. (I ported my old home number to GV via the double-port "T-Mobile" method, but with my old Tracfone, when I got my OBi.) I might still go for the OBi $39.99/year option (full service with no hidden costs like MJ, etc.), but it's coming a little too late to replace Anveo E911 for me. :(
You could trial obivoice.com free for 30 days/60 minutes. E911 is included. It's here today, unlike the OBihai offering. And it's $39.99/year with unlimited minutes.
The future OBihai plan is the same cost but they never said how many minutes you get.
Quote from: gderf on January 17, 2014, 11:36:25 AM
You could trial obivoice.com free for 30 days/60 minutes. E911 is included. It's here today, unlike the OBihai offering. And it's $39.99/year with unlimited minutes.
The future OBihai plan is the same cost but they never said how many minutes you get.
One small problem: Obivoice has
NO phone numbers in my state, and they won't take my existing number. :( I could get a number in another state and have GV ring there, but would E911 work that way?
Quote from: RBBrittain on January 17, 2014, 12:08:02 PM
Quote from: gderf on January 17, 2014, 11:36:25 AM
You could trial obivoice.com free for 30 days/60 minutes. E911 is included. It's here today, unlike the OBihai offering. And it's $39.99/year with unlimited minutes.
The future OBihai plan is the same cost but they never said how many minutes you get.
One small problem: Obivoice has NO phone numbers in my state, and they won't take my existing number. :( I could get a number in another state and have GV ring there, but would E911 work that way?
E911 won't care what your phone number is when trying to locate you. You enter your address into the system. Many people use out of state numbers these days. Obivoice can spoof the CID of your GV number so it appears the call is coming from there but I don't know if they spoof CID to E911. It would be preferable if they don't but if they do it shouldn't cause any outbound issues.
I've minimal sophistication re: voip, and telephony in general. Not enough so that I can parse all the earlier posts without a big time investment. TIA for your indulgence.
A few months ago, I set up mom - 91 years and still wanting to more with her computer - using Google Voice and Obi100. My motives were the voicemail integration with gmail, which she uses everyday, and eliminating/minimizing nuisance calls. "Mission accomplished".
Uhh...with the GV announcement, not so fast...
At this point, I'm looking for a high level response, e.g. "yes that's right, it'll work" or "no you dumb***, it won't...but this will". I'll worry about plumbing issues later.
My goal is to make whatever I do transparent to mom. From the earlier posts, it would seem that I could continue to use GV for her inbound calls - hence the voicemail/gmail setup would continue to work. I'd set the forwarding to the Obi phone service, which then rings the handset plugged in to the Obi100. Outbound calls could be set to "spoof" (did I get the jargon right?) the CallerID so that her GV # would display. So far, so good? Did I also understand that I could configure the E911 to work with this setup?
Either way, one more question. As before, high level response greatly preferred. Keeping in mind the transparency-to-mom goal, are there other solutions that I should be looking at? Are there sources on the 'net where I can educate myself about the topic? (OK, two physical questions, but virtually one :) )
To the folks at Obihai, I just think the Obi100 and the setup/integration tools nail what it takes for a fantastic experience. Great job!
And to those of you who read and ponder this issue, and especially those who help this newb solve his quandary ... You're Awesome!!! Thank you.
Yup, you can still do something like that after GV "stops working" with products like the Obi, but it won't be free. :)
What you'd do is get set up with someone like CallCentric, Obivoice, or some other VOIP provider that can get you a DID (a phone number for all intents and purposes) and a calling plan (on a per minute, per month, or per year rate, etc). You then have GV forward calls to that DID and have the Obi registered with that provider.
I currently have Obivoice and they allow you to spoof outgoing Caller ID as long as you own the number (basically, they call it and have you enter a code).
Forum gurus, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think most VOIP places will charge incoming minutes for calls forwarded from GV, right?
Anyway, it's not drop-in, but close. You'll need to set up her Obi, and manage payment for the account you buy the DID from, but other than that, her number will be the same.
Cons to this approach that I encountered:
1) I had a pretty noticeable lag when talking to others. I'm not sure why, and others have reported no problems. I had (OutsideWorld -> GV -> Callcentric -> my Obi) for incoming and (My Obi -> GV -> outside world) for outgoing. I was always talking over people who called me and whom I called. It got bad enough that the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) went negative rather quickly. :) We switched to Obivoice for everything and now it's great. Services like CallCentric and others offer different options based on your need, but they should be fine as well.
2) The "timeout" if you will that determines when GV picks up for voicemail is not very configurable. I had to set my physical answering machine to pick up after two rings to make GV not pick up (sometimes it would pick up after 3 rings, sometimes 2, sometimes 4, it was too inconsistent). If you only want GV (and not a local answering machine as well) to pick up, this won't be an issue for you, and you can just disable the local answering machine.
Alternatively, you can port your GV number to a VOIP service that offers voicemail similar to GV, but if your grandmother is used to GV, that might be a non-starter.
Hope that helps. If and when you decide to take the plunge, there are many people here who can help you out.
Later!
Jeff.
Quote from: Peter_R on January 20, 2014, 06:04:55 PM
A few months ago, I set up mom - 91 years and still wanting to more with her computer - using Google Voice and Obi100. My motives were the voicemail integration with gmail, which she uses everyday, and eliminating/minimizing nuisance calls. "Mission accomplished".
Whatever you are currently doing for E911 you can continue to do. I assume you are aware that Google voice does not provide 911 services. It is very likely your E911 provider can also provide you the DID for incoming and outgoing calling. You will need to take a look at your mom's usage and try to find the best value from the various service providers. The new OBI service (or services) will certainly work as well assuming it isn't something weird. Most providers (and we assume the OBI service will as well) allow you to specific the CID number to display when making outgoing calls. The only requirement is that is a valid number for you that they test by calling it.
Quote from: TheoGeek on January 20, 2014, 08:36:27 PM
Forum gurus, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think most VOIP places will charge incoming minutes for calls forwarded from GV, right?
That depends. Some providers have unlimited incoming calling numbers that are free, and some have unlimited incoming calling plans so there are no minutes charged, just either free or a fixed monthly fee. But yes, calls forwarded from GV are considered calls, and as such minutes are accumulated. GV doesn't use SIP to place calls, it actually calls the number.