Also: acknowledging that this is a long thread with a lot of experimentation, but it seems like starting with the basics hasn't been adequately covered:
Forget for the moment about "bridging", and adding extra routers. From my understanding, your source of internet service is via a WiFi connection to your service provider. So, for example, when you're using your Windows laptop, you're using a WiFi connection on the laptop to your ISP. In other words, this is similar to sitting at a Starbucks or other place with available WiFi internet service, if I understood your comments.
Go to this website, and run their SIP VoIP test:
http://myspeed.visualware.com/index.phpThis will accurately simulate a true end-to-end VoIP connection. Therefore, it will definitively tell you two things:
- Does your ISP allow or block VoIP traffic?
- If it allows the traffic, does your WiFi signal strength and overall network performance support reliable VoIP conversations?
If yes to the first question, and you score a 4.0 or higher on the second question, then you can use VoIP on an OBi or on a soft phone client.
Next: you should be able to install a basic softphone SIP VoIP client on your Windows laptop, set it up with a SIP internet telephone service provider, and see how it performs. I like Counterpath's X-Lite, but there are other good clients, too. You can get an inexpensive VoIP account on
voip.ms (Canadian company, eh) or Callcentric (NYC company), with an inbound telephone number. Either of these providers are fully supported on OBi devices, and both provide excellent performance and customer support.
If it works, then you can also connect an OBi 200 or 202 with an OBiWiFi dongle to that same WiFi network, and use it just like you'd use the softphone.