Google Voice tones NOT recognized when pressing voice options for outgoing call

[magicwine]

Hello,

This has been going on for some time: Google Voice tones NOT recognized when pressing voice options for outgoing call.

Such as press #2 to speak with billing - The automated attendant comes back that no option was pressed.

This happens on about 35% of my calls - many cases this prevents me from ever speaking to anyone as there is no automatic transfer to an agent when no response is  received. Very frustrating!

I have tried 3 different cordless phones made by 3 different manufacturers and I replicate this problem on all 3. If I call on my cell the option is recognized but I don't want to use my cell.

Is there a solution? (I recall some sliding scale tone setting online for the obihai200 which I thought I set some time back but I don't think it did anything for this issue).

Thanks
Bob

[drgeoff]

Under Service Providers, ITSP Profile A (or B as appropriate), General - try setting DTMFMethod to Inband.

[magicwine]

In the section headed service providers, I don't see anything named ITSP Profile A or B.

I even clicked on my account which is SP1 Google Voice and the configuration window that opens also doesn't have these profiles.

So I must be looking in the wrong place - can you direct me?

Thanks.

Bob

[GPz1100]

Log into your obi's ip address in a browser.

Look below.  Depending which slot your gv is set up in, it'll be A, B, C, D.  I believe the obi1xx only have slots A & B.

[drgeoff]

Log into your obi's ip address in a browser.

Look below.  Depending which slot your gv is set up in, it'll be A, B, C, D.  I believe the obi1xx only have slots A & B.

If magicwine does not know where to look he must be using the portal to configure.  As indeed he should be as he is using GoogleVoice.  He should use Expert mode on the portal.  Any configuration changes he makes using the OBi's onboard web UI will not stick.

[magicwine]

My ip is 192.168.1.7

A small window pops up asking for user name and password.
Tried my router user and password, didn't work.

Is it my obi web user name and password? I can't find my ob password in my password  but if you tell me that's what I need I'll click the lost password link.

Just an FYI, using the web portal in expert mode, Inband is already selected.

Thanks.
Bob

[drgeoff]

the username and password are both admin.  However there is nothing you can achieve by making changes there.  It is safe to look, especially the Call History which is just about the only thing that is not visible using the portal.

What you see when logging in locally is the settings that are in the OBi and being used.  Unless you have disabled Remote Provisioning they will be exactly the same as you have entered on the portal and pressed Submit.

Try pressing the keys on the phone for a longer time.

[magicwine]

I have tried pressing the keys for anywhere from a couple of seconds to 10 seconds, still the same problem.

So are you saying to ignore your first post about changing the settings?

Attached is a screenshot of what I see. In band is checked.

Thanks

[SteveInWA]

I tried to help you in the past, but we just got wrapped around the axle, because a)you don't sufficiently understand what you are trying to do, and so b)you make more messes with each change, and c)you aren't comprehending what we've already told you.  You keep coming back with house wiring questions that are never going to be resolved unless you can follow instructions.

I am pretty sure I already explained that alarm panels use a special female telephone jack, known as a RJ-31X exclusion jack.  This special jack is designed to be at the head of the line (the telephone service is connected first to this jack).  It then routes the phone line circuit into the alarm panel, where a relay will disconnect the downstream house telephones from the circuit, to "seize" the line and prevent someone taking the phone off the hook from interrupting the alarm call to the central station.  The wiring then loops out of the panel, back to the jack, where it is then connected to the downstream house phone wiring.

For example, see:  https://help.livewatch.com/hc/en-us/articles/225669707-RJ31X-jack-wiring-diagram-for-line-seizure

It is pretty unlikely that you can look at your house wiring and figure this out yourself.

I told you previously that you cannot use Google Voice for regular telephone calls on an OBi, with the alarm system mode check-marked.  It's all or nothing:  either use that SPx for alarm communications, OR use it for regular telephone calling, but not both.  Check-marking the alarm system box on OBiTALK will kill the ability for touch tones on the phone's keypad being recognized.

Bottom line:  you need to decide.

• Use Google Voice on your OBi as a dedicated alarm center communicator, or
• Use Google Voice on your OBi to make and receive phone calls,
• but not both.

Because alarm panel communications over VoIP are not highly reliable, most alarm companies have now moved to using a 3G/4G mobile data radio for alarm panel<-->central station communications.  In some cases, e.g. ADT, a dedicated internet gateway appliance (ADT Pulse gateway) is used as the primary communicator, with the cellular radio being the backup.  Monitoring via telephone dial-up is outdated.

[magicwine]

Hi Steve,

I don't think you understood this new post.

I was very clear with the instructions I received about the alarm and I fixed that issue...all has been working fine.

Today's post was about the tones using google voice and the obi200.

Thank you for your past help.

Bob

[SteveInWA]

You proved my point.  I explained why the touch tones aren't being recognized.

[magicwine]

Hi Steve,

My mistake.  I saw your post re-iterating the alarm issue and I thought you were referring to that old issue, so I didn't read through to the end.

In my post I stated that the tone problem happens about 35% of the time; therefore it works ok 65% of the time.

But you state you can't have both - therefore please clarify why it's working 65% of the time if it is the alarm connection causing this issue.

Thank you.

Bob

[SteveInWA]

It might work occasionally.  Why that is the case is moot.

For the love of God, just follow the instructions given to you.

[magicwine]

Hi Steve,

You are correct, as I assumed.

After unchecking to use the alarm system, I made a call to the number where my tone was not recognized, and it was recognized.

The power & Verizon fios lines were ripped from my house so I had neither power or internet for 2 weeks. When I had both restored, is when I started to hear for the first time a redialing noise and the call I was on would decrease greatly in volume.

Today I tested a call again with the alarm dialer plugged in but NOT having use alarm checked in the settings panel and I heard the redialing and the lowering of the volume. Unplugging the alarm phone jack connection stopped this, so I understand now it was the alarm dialer trying to seize the line and dialing out as the source of this issue.

Why then for over a year with alarm system checked, I never heard this redialing and reduced volume issue - until my power and internet was restored?

I ask this because if the ripped out lines caused a brownout or surge or in some way caused this problem to start, then I am insured for the repair or replacement of the alarm equipment.

The insurance company will not reimburse me for the alarm co to diagnose unless they find the cause to be due to the ripped lines and so I don't want to waste my money unless it is at least fairly certain this caused it.

Are you knowledgeable enough to know the likely reason (perhaps you can be reasonably certain but not 100% certain without someone examining the equipment)
why this issue only started after the damaged lines were restored?

Thank you for your help.

Bob

[drgeoff]

Totally unconnected with the issue of DTMF tones not being recognised.

If you can hear the alarm system dialling and volume going down when on a voice call, I would question whether your alarm system is optimally installed.  As SteveInWA has explained above the preferred practice is that the alarm system disconnects the house phones when it wants the line.

[magicwine]

Hi Dr Geoff,

Steve said having the use alarm in the Obi settings causes the tones to sometimes not be recognized and he's correct, because once I unchecked it the tones were recognized when choosing an option with an automated attendant call that didn't work several times when the alarm setting was checked.

But you are stating the alarm setting is unrelated and as this seems contradictory to what Steve advised and unchecking it did make it work - can you clarify?

I never had any issue with my alarm calling the alarm co with the alarm setting checked, as this has been checked since I first installed the obi200 - but about 35% of outgoing calls would not recognize my tone options pressed for automated attendant calls picking up my call and providing me with option numbers.

But after my power and internet lines were ripped out and no service for 2 weeks now I hear dialing tones - it's possible my alarm never had to dial out when I was home but when my power was restored it was trying to dial maybe to tell the monitoring station my power was restored or some condition it was unable to report after the power went out.

But as I heard the redialing all week (sporadically not all the time) after the power and internet restore, I'm not sure why it couldn't complete the call when I was not on the phone because it's set to retry on some periodic basis and once it called then it would stop retrying. And once it completed the call the redialing should have stopped.

If I don't recheck use alarm in the obi settings, I'll be able to have the tones recognized and is it likely my 10-20 yr old dialer will still have no issue with dialing out calls using the obi through my house wiring?

What is the reason/what does checking the alarm setting actually change?

Thanks for your help.

Bob

[drgeoff]

But you are stating the alarm setting is unrelated and as this seems contradictory to what Steve advised and unchecking it did make it work - can you clarify?

I am not contradicting anything SteveInWA wrote.

I could clarify but you seem to have trouble understanding any of the replies here.

[magicwine]

I apologize if I don't understand all the alarm stuff.

Are you able to reply to just the last 2 paragraphs in my last message? I think if those two are replied it will allow me to bring this to resolution.

Thank you for your help.

Bob

[SteveInWA]

We've explained this over and over.  It is clear that you will probably never understand.  You don't need to understand.  You just need to do what you were told.

• I already explained that you cannot use the same Google Voice / SPx configuration on an alarm panel AND to make and receive regular telephone calls.
• You have to decide:  use the Google Voice account for only the alarm panel, or use it only for regular telephone calling.  You cannot use it for both purposes.  It will not work.  Period.  Stop posting more and more questions about it.
• I also told you that using any sort of VoIP telephone adapter and service with an alarm panel is unreliable and outdated.  The current industry solution is to use a dedicated internet gateway provided by the alarm monitoring company (e.g. ADT Pulse), and/or to use a cellular radio communicator.
• We cannot, and will not, attempt to diagnose or speculate on your home wiring.