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What's the cheapest way to port my home phone number to Obi?

Started by helpmeobi, April 07, 2017, 09:00:35 PM

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helpmeobi

I'm thinking I'll try GV since it seems to be the cheapest, even with an E911 service. What's the best/cheapest way to port my number over? Thank you soooo much! This is what I'm most nervous about.


Lavarock7

I am cheaper than many people I know, however...

When I first started with VOIP I was with a provider who charged a lot less a month than the local telco. I was a happy camper.

After a while I found a cheaper provider and switched to them.

Then I found GoogleVoice and used that with my PC. Later I got an Obi device and configured it for GV.

GoogleVoice is fine for those who absolutely want to have free calling. However, I found that companies such as Voip.Ms and CallCentric, although they charge a dollar or so a month and a bit per minute, gave me more options and a lot less issues.

The forums here are full of questions about GoogleVoice and how to do this and how to do that. Porting a landline is not an easy thing. There are issues with 911, etc. You can't call some toll free numbers and sometimes there are other issues when Google changes something, etc. Google does not want you doing business through their service. Google does not have any real support except user forums, etc.

While free is enticing, I found that having accounts with CallCentric and Voip.Ms have their pluses and few minuses. You pay a small fee and pay per call, but there are few hassles and problems.

I suggest people port their number to a paid provider and add a GV number if you want to play, but use the paid provider as your main service.
My websites: Kona Coffee: http://itskona.com and Web Hosting: http://planetaloha.info<br />A simplified Voip explanation: http://voip.planet-aloha.com

helpmeobi

Thank you very much for the info! That definitely is something to think about. I checked out those websites, even created accounts, but I literally cannot figure out how much the service even is nor what it provides. It seems really technical. I tried for a while to see what I'd actually be paying, but no dice.

MrTom

Quote from: helpmeobi on April 07, 2017, 09:00:35 PM
I'm thinking I'll try GV since it seems to be the cheapest, even with an E911 service. What's the best/cheapest way to port my number over? Thank you soooo much! This is what I'm most nervous about.
Before you even try anything, you'll want to make sure that your number/area/town can be ported to GV.
https://www.google.com/voice/porting

If you check a number that's still on a landline, you'll get an error stating so. I started going through the whole process myself. Got a T-Mobile account and phone and transferred my home landline to the T-Mobile SIM card. Worked fine with the free minutes I had on the SIM. But then I tried to transfer that new "mobile" number to GV and they wouldn't accept it. There do seem to be some areas where GV can't access. Just like when I chose a new GV phone number, I had to use the adjacent town instead of the town I live in. Oh well. I'm glad to get rid of my old spam-plagued landline phone number anyway.

ceg3

I vote for your taking a look at PhonePower.  It's an approved provider, and I think porting your number is free, but I don't remember at the moment if it is or if they waived the fee when I asked.  It's fixed for Obi users at 59.99 a year and unlike Google Voice, it's a full feature service, with good tech support.

SBL110

I recently ported my landline to GV, but had to take an additional step.  Because Google Voice wouldn't accept my landline number until it was a mobile number, I first ported my landline to my cell provider -- Ting Mobile.  This cost me $12 for a SIM to activate an idle iPhone4 for a few days.

After the landline was a mobile number, I was able to port it from Ting to Google, however, Google wanted $20.00 for the transfer.  Ok, in for a penny, in for a pound.  When the smoke cleared, I spent about $130.00 including an Obi202 and (first year) e911 service from Aveno.  The only reoccurring cost is the $25.00/year ($2.08/month) for e911.

My annual landline cost $240.00/year.  This was for a no frills, band "A" only calling plan.  The $130.00 spent to replace it will take about 6 months to pay for itself, after that, the e911 will cost about $2.08/month.  So I reduced my phone bill by roughly 89%.  I can live with that.

Is this a perfect solution?  Maybe not, there are several, this is just the one I tried.  I'll reserve judgement after the first year.

Good luck to you with your journey.

Scott