Can anyone recommend a service that actually works with Obi and Google voice?

[Michelle1x]

Hi - ever since the changes to GV about a year ago my vestalink service doesn't work correctly.  Almost every other time I need to call out, it says "there is a problem with your google voice- please disassociate and associate" etc.  Also the inbound calls rarely ring.  Usually I get a VM in my inbox and I call those people back, sometimes without GV, just the vestalink number whatever that is.

I've about given up on this- I've paid for the next 2 mos and after that looking for other options.  Any opinions?  thx

[SteveInWA]

Ummm...

Just use Google Voice?  You may have signed up for Vestalink during the period when people were concerned about Google Voice support going away.  That concern was resolved.

See my step-by-step directions here:  http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8560.msg56460#msg56460

[BigJim_McD]

Michelle1x,  
It appears that several people that signed up for Vestalink Service have come to suspect that the service is slowly disappearing.  I have seen several post where people are moving or planning to move to other services.  I noticed the same issue you are describing when Vestalink offered and I tried "Google Voice Integration" with Vestalink.  

There are several good choices to replace Vestalink, including Google Voice or Google Voice alone or with an other VoIP service provider.  Months ago, I ported out the DID number that I had ported into Vestalink.  

I decided to use Google Voice along with voip.ms for our main incoming telephone service.  On voip.ms I have one Flat Rate DID and a couple of "per minute" DID's.  I use Google Voice for Outgoing calls.  I also have a couple of Google Voice numbers that I use to Test (Play with voip) that I use with Simon Telephonics Google Voice Gateway, forwarding to voip.ms DID's via SIP URI's.  

Using voip.ms for incoming calls and E911 along with a few CNAM lookup's cost me a few dollars each month but the service is dependable and well worth the cost.  I also enjoy the many features on voip.ms that I can play around with at no additional cost.

[ceg3]

I know I'm a one trick pony lately  but I can't find a thing wrong with my PhonePower service at 59.99 a year for unlimited.  I have been using them for a couple of months and it has eliminated the bad taste Vestalink left in my mouth for premium VOIP service.

[SteveInWA]

"Four out of five doctors recommend:  Callcentric, Phonepower, or voip.ms."

[lhm.]

Some 5th doctors might recommend Callcentric, Voip.ms and gv911.com that also work well together with GV.

[SteveInWA]

Some 5th doctors might recommend Callcentric, Voip.ms and gv911.com that also work well together with GV.

Pointless, as both Callcentric and Voip.ms work just fine with GV, and both offer E-911 service.  I'd rather trust my 911 service to a well-known company, than some anonymous mystery dude, whose service could disappear at any time, just to save the cost of a couple of drinks per year.

[Ansextra]

Everything works fine with my VOIPo account and GV.  When I want to use GV I just preface my calls with **3.  Incoming calls work fine.

[mrcinaz]

I have found the combination of Obi202, PhonePower $35 ObiHai account, and GV about as smooth and easy as anything could be. We mainly wanted the PP account to preserve our landline number, but find the PP service preferable to GV for most calls. Having both GV and PP provides a lot of extra capabilities. (Plus unlimited GV calls to my spouse's Canadian relatives, although the 300 minutes of Canadian calls on our PP plan is more than enough.)

The Obi arrived 12th of December and I immediately provisioned it with GV on SP1. That worked perfectly. Also signed up with PP the same day from the ObiTalk page and provisioned that on SP2. Also entered an order at PP to switch our landline number. However, our landline was still connected so, after testing, I disconnected the DECT base unit from the Obi and connected back to house wiring for receiving calls. Downloaded and installed the PP Softphone on several computers and found it worked great for outgoing calls via PP. I also downloaded and installed the GV hangouts app to use as a GV dialer. The PP account was set up to ring the GV number in case the Obi isn't talking to it.

On 21 December, Our landline number port to PP finally completed and I moved the DECT phones to the Obi202 Line 1 input.

Outbound calls from handsets prefixed with **1 go via GV, other calls from handsets go via PP. Calls to either GV number or PP number ring the handsets. Calls to the PP number ring both the softphone and the handsets. I find having both is great for testing. For instance, I can use the GV hangouts app to dial our PP number to test changes to the Obi settings.     

I don't know what additional ways these could all work together, but I am extremely happy with what I have right now.  At one point (after disconnecting landline at the premises junction) I tried connecting the DECT base to the Obi via the POTS house wiring, but found that resulted in horrible static on the dial tone, so I use it directly connected to the Obi.

As always, YMMV.