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Tutorial: Setup with Google Voice and Callcentric for Caller Id Name and e911

Started by dwestall, June 22, 2016, 07:36:41 AM

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dwestall

I wrote these instructions to help a friend and thought I'd share in case others might benefit. Some of this came from a post by @SteveInWA.

UPDATE 2019-09-08: Callcentric's previously "Free Phone Number" is now "Dollar Unlimited Phone Number" and costs $1/mo.

Google Voice provides free, unlimited calling, but does not support 911 or Caller Id Name. With this setup, calls coming into to your Google Voice number forward to your Callcentric number and then to the OBi to get Caller Id Name. Outbound 911 calls go through Callcentric, all other calls use Google Voice. You pay $1/mo (for phone number) + $1.50/mo (for 911 service) to Callcentric.

  • 1. Sign up for Google Voice, OBiTalk, and configure Google Voice on the OBi - http://www.obihai.com/tutorial1
  • 2. Update the OBi firmware - From the OBi-attached phone, dial ***6, 1  NOTE: In some cases, you may need to reconfigure Google Voice after updating the firmware
  • 3. Make a test call from a different phone to your Google Voice number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings
  • 4. Sign up for Callcentric's "Free Phone Number" (no longer Free, now $1/mo + $1.50/mo for optional 911 service) - http://www.callcentric.com/did/. The phone number you get will likely be a NY number, don't worry, it's only used for forwarding and doesn't need to be given out to callers. Enable CNAM - http://www.callcentric.com/faq/31#219
  • 5. Configure Callcentric on the OBi - Log onto OBiTALK portal (http://www.obitalk.com/), click on the OBi device, add service provider (e.g. SP2), scroll to the bottom and select "OBiTALK Compatible Service Providers", select "Callcentric", enter your Callcentric account number and password, enable for 911
  • 6. Make a test call from a different phone to your Callcentric number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings
  • 7. Configure Google Voice to forward calls to your new Callcentric phone number - Log into your Google Voice account (http://voice.google.com/), and on the Settings page, add and verify your Callcentric phone (not account) number as a forwarding phone, place a check mark next to it and remove the check mark next to Google Chat
  • 8. Make a test call from a different phone to your Google Voice number to confirm the OBi-attached phone rings, and Caller Id Name works

NOTES:

Taron

Thank you very much!

One concern though - up until now I've been using the free gateway through https://simonics.com/gw/ for CNAM, but it has a delay where whenever I answer the phone, I have to wait for several seconds before I say "hello" or the person calling me won't hear me.  Its been getting really annoying, enough that I'm willing to pay Callcentric for their CNAM service if it means I don't have that delay any more.  So, my question is, if I use this technique will I still have that delay where I can't say "hello" right away?

Also, has anyone found any other workarounds for Caller ID names for incoming calls, like being able to forward the name Google Voice has in my address book or even manually entering common names and numbers into the Obi itself somehow?

Taoman

I had the same problem with incoming calls thru the Simonics gateway. That initial delay is very annoying.

So I got a free Callcentric DID for incoming GV calls. There is no delay routing thru CC. An added bonus of using Callcentric for incoming calls is CNAM override (via their phonebook), call treatments, and two available layers of telespammer protection.

I still use the Simonics gateway for outgoing calls which continues to work well. And if you're short on SP slots you can just make Simonics into a Voice Gateway since it would be outbound only and you wouldn't need to register.

LTN1

Quote from: Taoman on October 25, 2016, 12:53:27 PM
I had the same problem with incoming calls thru the Simonics gateway. That initial delay is very annoying.

So I got a free Callcentric DID for incoming GV calls. There is no delay routing thru CC. An added bonus of using Callcentric for incoming calls is CNAM override (via their phonebook), call treatments, and two available layers of telespammer protection.

I still use the Simonics gateway for outgoing calls which continues to work well. And if you're short on SP slots you can just make Simonics into a Voice Gateway since it would be outbound only and you wouldn't need to register.

Hi Taoman. How do you configure GV through Simonics as a voice gateway for outbound only without registering with Simonics? Is it like a SIP configuration that can be done with any SIP capable device (like a softphone)?

Taoman

Quote from: LTN1 on October 25, 2016, 03:47:18 PM
Hi Taoman. How do you configure GV through Simonics as a voice gateway for outbound only without registering with Simonics? Is it like a SIP configuration that can be done with any SIP capable device (like a softphone)?

You would create a VG just as you would with any other voice gateway. The Simonics SIP server just requires basic authentication for outgoing calls.

AccessNumber:             SP1(gvgw.simonics.com)
AuthUserID:                 Simonics SIP login
AuthPassword:             Simonics SIP password

This assumes SP1 is a configured SIP trunk (dummy or real) and the Simonics gateway is configured and authenticated to your GV account. I have this configured on 3 different OBi devices. Works flawlessly. I put it in a trunk group and make it my default outbound route along with my failover routes.

LTN1

Thanks, Taoman. Too bad about the delay for incoming call...otherwise, it would be a great asset for SIP devices.

scadaguru

I know this is old post but really useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks

SteveInWA

Quote from: scadaguru on September 22, 2017, 07:45:00 PM
I know this is old post but really useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks


Use the corresponding features on your Google Voice account, not your Callcentric account.  Google Voice rings all forwarding phone numbers simultaneously, and it has its own spam blocking feature.

scadaguru

Quote from: SteveInWA on September 23, 2017, 06:29:22 PM
Quote from: scadaguru on September 22, 2017, 07:45:00 PM
I know this is old post but really useful information, thanks a lot for the details.
I have setup this with Google Voice and CallCentric works really good as expected and no issues.
Does anyone know that we can use CallCentric feature called "Call Treatments" with this setup for "Simultaneous ringing", "Hunting", "Telemarketer Block" or "Spam call probability"?
Thanks


Use the corresponding features on your Google Voice account, not your Callcentric account.  Google Voice rings all forwarding phone numbers simultaneously, and it has its own spam blocking feature.

Perfect,
I will do that.

bigdaddy4

I just got my Obi200 this weekend and have never set up a voip box before.  I setup an account with callcentric and got a free NY phone number.  I cannot figure out how to add the NY number to my google voice account.  I also cannot find how to uncheck google chat - it is not there.  Do I need to disconnect google hangouts?  I figured out the first few steps of this tutorial but now I am completely stumped.  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

SteveInWA

Quote from: bigdaddy4 on October 14, 2017, 07:07:45 PM
I just got my Obi200 this weekend and have never set up a voip box before.  I setup an account with callcentric and got a free NY phone number.  I cannot figure out how to add the NY number to my google voice account.  I also cannot find how to uncheck google chat - it is not there.  Do I need to disconnect google hangouts?  I figured out the first few steps of this tutorial but now I am completely stumped.  Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Log onto your Google/Gmail account on a desktop or laptop computer's web browser, not on a mobile phone or tablet, and go to the Google Voice web site  https://voice.google.com/calls

Click the three horizontal "hamburger" menu icon at the upper left corner, scroll down and click "Legacy Google Voice".  Click the gear icon in the upper right corner to get to Settings.

Remove the check mark from Chat, and add and verify your Callcentric phone number, and put a check mark to the left of it.

bigdaddy4

Thank you for writing back so quickly.  I just discovered that legacy google voice line but had no idea what that was. When I went to that page, it asked me if I want to try the New google voice.  Should I give it a shot? Thanks

SteveInWA

Currently, there are two different versions of the web UI:  the original one, now called the "Legacy" UI, and the new one.

Google is gradually adding features and settings from the old UI, to the new UI.  They're not close to being finished.  There is a small team of software developers working on it, and since tens of millions of users are involved, things tend to get done in a slow, cautious process, to limit consequences of potential mistakes. 

The old UI will not be removed until the new UI is at "feature parity", meaning, it has all of the currently-supported features and settings found in the legacy UI.  Billing features were recently added to the new UI, for example, and voicemail management settings will be added soon.

So:  use whichever UI meets your needs; settings made in one will be reflected in the other.  You may eventually find that you will be automatically redirected to the new UI, if the setting or feature is supported there.


WeaverGrace

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this topic and got me up and running with Google Voice and CallCentric. I'm especially thrilled to have free voice, and e911 with VOIP.

I'm stuck trying to get Caller ID to work. I followed the steps:
Went to GV Legacy
Went to Settings
un-checked Google chat
clicked on Add Another Phone
entered:
Name: CallCentric
Number: the CallCentric # from my CallCentric Dashboard
Phone Type: Home
Text Settings: unchecked box
When I clicked on Save, I got "The forwarding number is invalid."

My CallCentric Dashboard shows that 911 Service is Active on my account, and also shows the calls that I made and received that confirmed my active services.

I welcome any further questions. I hope that answers to this question might help others.

Thank you for any suggestions that you offer.

SteveInWA

Quote from: WeaverGrace on December 03, 2017, 10:21:55 AM
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this topic and got me up and running with Google Voice and CallCentric. I'm especially thrilled to have free voice, and e911 with VOIP.

I'm stuck trying to get Caller ID to work. I followed the steps:
Went to GV Legacy
Went to Settings
un-checked Google chat
clicked on Add Another Phone
entered:
Name: CallCentric
Number: the CallCentric # from my CallCentric Dashboard
Phone Type: Home
Text Settings: unchecked box
When I clicked on Save, I got "The forwarding number is invalid."

My CallCentric Dashboard shows that 911 Service is Active on my account, and also shows the calls that I made and received that confirmed my active services.

I welcome any further questions. I hope that answers to this question might help others.

Thank you for any suggestions that you offer.

Let me guess:  you entered your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number as a forwarding number.   No, you can't do that.  The 1777 number id not a real PSTN telephone number.   It's your Callcentric account number, and it can be used for calls between two Callcentric numbers via SIP VoIP.  You need to get an inbound telephone number from Callcentric (known in the telco industry as a DID number).  Callcentric has free NY State numbers, or you can get a local number for a small fee. Forward your Google Voice calls to that number.

WeaverGrace

Steve, you guessed precisely. Thank you! I'll have to figure out how to get another number...

[a few minutes later]

Done! Thank you so much!

[now waiting for a call from anyone whom I didn't program into my phone so I can test the caller ID...will let you know]

redbird

Say, thanks for the great tutorial.

I've been using google voice with my OBI for a couple of years now and surely missed caller id and since my Anveo 911 was due up thought I'd try this.

Worked out great, thanks again.

SteveInWA

Quote from: differentflies on January 16, 2018, 02:27:09 PM
Quote from: SteveInWA on December 03, 2017, 01:59:11 PM

Let me guess:  you entered your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number as a forwarding number.   No, you can't do that.  The 1777 number id not a real PSTN telephone number.   It's your Callcentric account number, and it can be used for calls between two Callcentric numbers via SIP VoIP.  You need to get an inbound telephone number from Callcentric (known in the telco industry as a DID number).  Callcentric has free NY State numbers, or you can get a local number for a small fee. Forward your Google Voice calls to that number.

Newbie here... I just signed up for a free NY number from Callcentric. Where/How the heck do I find the actual phone number to use in my GV call forwarding settings?! Been poking around the Callcentric site for an embarrassingly long time now...
[/quote]

Don't feel embarrassed.  It's not very clear to the novice user.

Callcentric is one of many Internet Telephone Service Providers (ITSPs) who provide VoIP telephone service, including pure VoIP<-->VoIP calling (in their case, using their private 1-777 numbers), and by issuing real 10-digit phone numbers.

You need to sign up with them for an actual phone number.  They offer free inbound telephone numbers (known as Direct Inward Dial or DID numbers in the telecom world) in NY state area codes.  Since they are a regulated telephone carrier, they own blocks of numbers, and offer some of them for free, to encourage use of their other (paid) services.  Like other ITSPs, they also offer DIDs throughout the US and other countries, at a monthly fee.

Once you sign up for a NY DID, you then assign a SIP password to that DID on their web dashboard.  The DID becomes an "extension" on your Callcentric account.  You then configure a SP (SP1--SP4) on your OBi device to register to your Callcentric 1777xxxxxxx number and the SIP password you assigned earlier.

You should also sign up for their 911 service, which has a $1.50/month fee.  If you use the OBiTALK portal to set up Callcentric, then you can also configure it to be the SP that is automatically used when you dial 911.

Mrkeja

Thanks for this tutorial.  I did all 8 steps and it works.  I did notice my incoming call ring is a double ring instead of ring profile type 1(single ring).  I went into the expert settings and made sure the ring type is 1 for both sp1(GV), and sp2(call centric).  Is there a way to get all my incoming calls on obi200 to ring single ring type 1 again?