OBI Google Voice Setup fails with non-gmail.com GV account

[markpizz]

The OBI Google Voice setup is, in general, very straightforward. It works fine if the Google Voice Account is someuser@gmail.com. 

However, if the Google Voice account is of the form: myusername@mydomain.net, which Google Voice is quite happy to use for other purposes (i.e. Android setup, hangouts, etc.), the setup process flows exactly the same way (including getting the OAUTH token), but then the OBI device always fails to connect.

I had opened a ticket with Obihai support and they seem to know about this and they recommend adding Gmail to the Google Account. (Click on the 9 dot button in the upper right corner of the Google Voice page).  I REALLY DON'T want to to do this, since once that happens, MANY OTHER Google things change, which are undesirable.  Creating a gmail account would seem to be a 'work around' to the underlying Obihai issue that is observed here.

[SteveInWA]

You answered your own question.  Use a Gmail account.

[thejesse]

I have the same issue as Mark -- I think.

This is with an OBi100.  I use 2 gmail accounts with GV.  One is an @gmail.com domain and the other is @otherdomain.com.  Both seem to set up correctly in the dashboard and both list as connected.  SP2 works great, but outbound calls on SP1 get 503 errors and inbound calls don't ring.

An old forum post from 2011 (in feature requests) said that OBi had some beta firmware that could fix this.  When I emailed support to get a copy they said that it should just work with the firmware I have.  All I can find on bittorrent are older firmware versions.

The snarky, "Use a Gmail account." advice is less than helpful.  Logging in and out of multiple google accounts is a drag.

[zorlac]

The snarky, "Use a Gmail account." advice is less than helpful.  Logging in and out of multiple google accounts is a drag.

I dunno, if a suggestion works it's helpful.
"but outbound calls on SP1 get 503 errors"
Is your area code set for 7 digit dialing?

[thejesse]

Thanks zorlac for the reply.  You're right, inconvenient is better than broken.  I'm probably going to unmigrate from google apps so I can talk on the phone again.

I usually leave the 7-digit dialing box blank -- same as on the, working, SP2.  I'll try switching to 7-digit when I get in the office and see if that fixes it.

[SteveInWA]

Would it have been less "snarky" if I padded my correct answer with some  happy-faced help desk language, like:  "Thank you for your post!  I'm so glad you asked, and I am delighted to assist you!  If I understand your question, then <repeats the user's question> and offers a scripted answer..."?

It's not a 7-digit vs. 10 or 11-digit issue.  The 503 error code means the service is unavailable.  It's unavailable because you're using an Apps domain account.

OBi devices use the old Google Chat/Talk (XMPP) protocol.  Google is phasing out Chat support across its product line.  It's unclear from Google's documentation whether or not Chat/Talk has been completely removed from Apps accounts at this point in time, but you can log into your Apps domain console to look for yourself.  I don't have an Apps domain, so I can't test this myself.  I will say that using GV with Apps domains is strongly discouraged.  It is too easy to accidentally delete or otherwise modify the Apps account, resulting in losing the associated GV number permanently.

If it is still available to you, then you can try enabling it.  You will also need to set up Google Voice on that account, including adding Chat as a forwarding destination by making an outbound phone call from a web browser, using Chat.  Again, it's not clear if this will continue to work on an Apps account, but if you're motivated, you can try it.

https://support.google.com/a/answer/60767?hl=en

Obihai substantially updated their device firmware last year to conform to Google's authentication requirement.  Direct account sign-on (passing a user name and password from OBi device to Google) has been deprecated by Google and is now replaced by exchanging secure access tokens via OAUTH 2.0.  So, downgrading to an old OBi firmware version will not solve your issue at all.  The fact that you see the service as "connected" merely means that the OBi device was able to successfully access your Google account, not that you can use it for calling.  Any posts made prior to last spring are no longer valid nor relevant.

[thejesse]

Thanks Steve.  Snarky was probably the wrong term.  I do appreciate the help.  I'm coming from the perspective of seeing that this was a feature request 4-years ago and it's still an issue.  Saying it will never work and that I should give up seemed a little dismissive and I was frustrated.

I do have google chat enabled and it appears to be one of my forwarding "phones".

I tried reverting from Hangouts to talk, but I can't seem to place a voice call now.  Gmail still loads the hangouts window but won't log in.  This must be an apps thing because the free account behaves differently and allows calls from google talk.

I miscommunicated earlier.  I'm not trying to find older firmware, I'm was trying to find beta firmware.  But I have a strong belief that you are right and that this is google's fault.  They love breaking 3rd-party software solutions.

[kba1]

If Obihai no longer supports non-Gmail addresses, they really need to update their web documentation.  In at least two places, they say, "Yes, you can use non-gmail account (such as your Google Apps account) and your Google Voice account can be configured on the OBi." They even provide (apparently outdated?) instructions on how to do it:

http://www.obihai.com/faq/GV-and-the-OBi/nonGmail-Username-with-GV-on-OBi
http://www.obihai.com/GoogleVoiceUG

For those of us who relied on those instructions, It would be nice to know from Obihai if this is a temporary bug they're working to fix, or a permanent effect of last year's authentication changes.

[thejesse]

I've been back and forth with support this morning.  The final resolution was that I need to transfer my number back over to my free gmail account.

So, Steve, you're 100% correct.  OBi does not support non @gmail.com domains even if they are gmail accounts.

Thank you to everyone for your help.

[SteveInWA]

Jesse, thanks for confirming the solution.  I appreciate it.

[billsimon]

Probably too late to help here, but in Google Apps, in the administrator console, there is an option for using "Google Talk or Hangouts" or "Hangouts Only." The new default is Hangouts Only, which of course prevents the Google Apps account from connecting on Google Chat, which Obi needs.

[TylerSD]

I can confirm that Obi (at least 100 model) does not support GV Apps (with account ending in custom domain name).

I spent many hours today troubleshooting why one of my 2 GV numbers wouldn't work, including spending at least a hour on the phone with Obi, and I only came to this conclusion after looking in these forums.  When I set things up the same way with a normal Google Account (@gmail.com), it worked again.

Frustrating, especially since the Obi website and support seem to think it should work.  They even had me contact Google Apps for Work. 

[SteveInWA]

Hi Tyler:

Did you take a look at your Google Apps administrator dashboard (not your Google Voice settings page)?   Since Google Chat/Talk is obsolete, Apps accounts now default to using Google Hangouts instead.  You need to explicitly enable (give permission to use) the old Chat/Talk service.  Please confirm whether or not you have done that.  Sorry, but I don't have an Apps account myself, so I can't add any screenshots.

Background:  OBi devices aren't actually using Google Voice, which is an inbound PSTN call forwarding system.  They're using the XMPP protocol that was part of Google Chat and Talk.  So, that service needs to be active to place or receive calls via an OBi device.

[TylerSD]

Thanks, Steve.

I had done this, but didn't fix it.  See screenshot attached.

[SteveInWA]

Hmmph.  What happens when you select the third option, to use only "Google Talk"?  Even if you do want to use Hangouts, it would be interesting to try the third option as an experiment to see what happens.