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Obi 1xx/2xx GV end of life - Afterlife?

Started by sembello_micheal, May 17, 2022, 12:06:01 AM

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sembello_micheal

I have enjoyed using an Obihai 202 on my in-house LAN and Google Voice for on-the-go connectivity over the last decade.  My configuration includes an Obi 202 with 2 active lines (Anveo/GV), Vtech 2-line wireless house phones,  and 2 Android cell phones.  But watching recent Obi/Poly announcements and trends in telecom forums, I sense a contraction in interest, support, and market for legacy low-end ATA/VOIP technology configurations like mine. ome tv So at this point, I am beginning to think about what the next system configuration will be for me and I am wondering what other Obi users are planning.

Given my retirement, probably simplest solution would be to drop the house landline and port the GV line over to the cellular provider. https://omegle.site However, it would be convenient to utilize the half-dozen or so cordless phones distributed around the house.  Cursory research reveals a few devices (cell2jack for example) which bridge cell phones to analog in-house phones.  Does anyone have experience with any of these devices, in terms of features or cost/benefits comparison with Obi?

In terms of a more direct Obi alternative, it appears that Ooma markets several levels of VOIP/ATA connection ranging from bare-bones free to pricey feature-laden services.  Again, does anyone have an opinion about Ooma versus Obi?

Thanks, Just thinking ahead.

drgeoff

In terms of an ATA to work with "standard" SIP as opposed to GV I see no reason to switch away from an OBi device to any other make until/unless it suffers a hardware failure.  Even if Obihai/Poly/HP shut down the portal completely the OBi devices can still be configured locally and to the best of my knowledge none of the competitor offerings has a better feature set.

sembello_micheal

Okay, got it, Understand it, Thanks for the help. :)

vtsnaab

When it was time to let go of our last Obi110 we tried an Ooma Telo.

1st of all - their 'free' level came with ~$6/month of taxes & fees;
2nd - it was unreliable AT BEST, so even forwarding that GV number to it was futile.

Result:
It is all boxed up, sitting here as uselessly as could be after we bought a newer Obi box to keep using GV.

When the 2xx EOL comes around - if no other good alternative also comes around, we'll likely try out a Cell2jack box.

Since we already have handhelds with the GV app that seems to be the most logical choice.

Our landline type cordless phone set is excellent for us older folks as listening with 2 ears via speakerphone is far better than using just 1 ear, and with the volume turned up it works way better than using a cellular on speaker.

I would NEVER again buy nor recommend the Ooma as any sort of alternative for VOIP.

If we got desperately stuck with no other GV alternative it is a no-brainer to just re-use the Obi box as an ATA via VOIP.MS for its low monthly cost and just forward the GV number there.

azrobert

Quote from: vtsnaab on May 31, 2022, 03:34:37 PMIf we got desperately stuck with no other GV alternative....

Do you have a Windows computer?
Do you still have your OBi110?
Would you like to try my GV Callback script?

You won't need OBiTalk to make GV calls.

vtsnaab

Greetings Azrobert !!
We gave up on windows years ago & are very happy full time Linux users ever since then.

Yes - our dear old Obi110 is carefully stored in case a non-GV ATA is needed.

BUT:
After posting the above reply I also remembered that our Panasonic cordless phones have bluetooth (Link2Cell ??) - so that is yet another option by just using the GV Android app & bluetooth.

Right now I am most curious to see if anything comes next after the Obi2xx boxes for using GV - or if GV itself is headed for darker times in the same fashion as 'Google Workspace' has done lately.

Thanks for all your wonderfully shared works here Azrobert !!

azrobert

Quote from: vtsnaab on June 01, 2022, 01:01:44 PMAfter posting the above reply I also remembered that our Panasonic cordless phones have bluetooth (Link2Cell ??) - so that is yet another option by just using the GV Android app & bluetooth.

I think you can only route calls via Bluetooth to your cell carrier and not an app. Let us know if you get it to work. I would like to do the same.

vtsnaab

According to some answered questions, that function does work with VOIP according to Panasonic.

Right now I have some cellular nonsense which I must try to settle with Tracfone's 'customer disservice' dept. regarding their latest round of forced changes after being bought out by VZ - what a mess !!

I'll post back here once I've tried the BT with GV & wifi, which will be the goal to reach with that - else we may still consider Cell2jack, later.

BGood

Caution: Readers should be aware that this post (subject and body) is a verbatim copy of my original post (https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=19206.msg111552#msg111552) from March 1, 2022 with the interjection of two external links.

I have no idea why my post was hijacked in this manner, except possibly to promote the external links, but I do wish there were better forum moderation to filter Keto diet, CBD gummy, ED cures, and other spam topics.

drgeoff

Unfortunately, I suspect that sooner or later as part of the death by a thousand cuts there will no longer be a forum for genuine users and spammers to post to.