From the other post.
Here is what I did:
setup: sp1- GV (primary line), sp2- other sip service.
testing procedure:
1. Using cell phone1 call into AA and dial out using sp1(GV) to cell phone2 (got connected) .
2. then pickup home phone call cell phone 3. And get a greeting no service available something like that.Session 1 - first call comes into the Obi
Session 2 - call is forwarded to another phone (using the same provider, SP1 set as default for outgoing calls)
At that point placing a call from the phone would require dialing **2 to access the SP2 for the outgoing call because both sessions were already in use on SP1. The "no service is available to complete the call ...... message was received because they dialed as if they were placing the call using the default provider (which already had both sessions active).
Successfully placing the call would have given 3 active sessions, two on SP1 and one on SP2. With 2 sessions used for the first call you can still use the 2 sessions available on SP2, either from the phone port or another call handled by the Obi itself.
The Obi does support 2 calls per session for GV. This means you can have 2 simultaneous calls on the same GV account/number at the same time. The Obi's limitation is to one phone on the phone port, so both calls have to be from the same phone. The calls can be both incoming or outgoing, or one of each. Because only one phone is supported, one of the calls will have to be on hold (unless they are conferenced together).
QuoteHow do I hook-flash? Can this be done with a standard consumer phone? I tried using the flash button on my phone, but I did not receive a [second] dial tone.
Normally the use of the flash button would connect you to another incoming call (using call waiting). Switching between incoming calls works like normal call waiting feature.
A feature of the Obi is to give you access to another service/session while another call is active. To access this feature you hook/flash while on an active call. A dial tone should be presented and you can place a call as normal. All calling rules will apply with disregard to the existing call. This means you can place the second call using a different provider (dial **2, **8 or **9) while leaving the second session available on the first provider.
If I recall correctly, once you have two calls active the call waiting feature is unavailable because hook/flash will be directed to your active calls, not to answer a third incoming call.
QuoteDo I need call waiting for any of these functions? Is call waiting part of Obi or Google voice?
You need call waiting for incoming calls only. Call waiting is a feature of the service provider and/or the device. Google Voice does provide call waiting and the Obi supports it.
Each service provider needs to support multi session, GV supports 2 sessions.
With support for 2 calls if you have one GV account, you can get an incoming call and the Obi can forward or fork that call to another number using the same account. No second service provider needed. If you do have 2 providers set up on your Obi, the Obi can forward or fork an incoming call as described and you will still have another service provider to place or receive calls while the first call is still active, you won't tie up both providers with the same phone call.
Note: Since hook/flash from the phone port is local to the Obi, they initiated a "long hook/flash" feature that will connect the phone port to the PSTN. This allows one to answer call waiting calls from the PSTN provider instead of getting a second dial tone from the Obi.