Please (!!!) Update Google Voice Setup Documentation...

[rloeb]

and delete all old instructions.

I know Google is changing how Voice works and how it supports OBi, but most of the documentation on this site is badly obsolete, as are many of the postings in the forums.  We need exactly one set of instructions for setting up and configuring the OBi devices with Google Voice, updated quickly when that is necessary, and very prominently featured.

I realize that just filtering the numerous documents is a non-trivial task, but almost every one of them is still referring to Google Chat in the configuration for Voice, and that simply doesn't exist anymore.  Even recent postings show screen shots that do not correspond to what actually appears, adding to the confusion.  The combination of an OBi device and Google Voice can be extremely powerful and liberating (goodbye landline, goodbye FAX line, goodbye many of those robocalls, and hello to a manageable co-existence with telephony).  Let's not make it so inaccessible to those of us who can't spend all of our waking hours becoming experts in this one niche. 

Thank you.

Rog

[RFC3261]

I believe you misunderstand the active membership of this "OBiTALK Community" forum.

While at one time in the past Obihai had a more formal official presence, that has not been the ongoing case for quite some time.  The "Community" forum has been (mostly) left to the community members (including some that are quite the experts (the "Hero"s)), but they are still mostly volunteers (excepting those trying to acquire new customers for their business, or working indirectly via other fungible compensation mechanisms, or the spammers).

If you want better documentation, create it, and contribute it.  And become a contributing member to the community (and you might end up being a "Hero" yourself if you continue to contribute).

btw, while I agree old/incorrect documentation is bad if left without comment, simply removing old posts may be considered censorship trying to hide the good/bad/ugly history.  It would be better to have your new (and improved!) documentation available and for you to go through and annotate those old topics with a comment indicating is no longer correct, and reference your new documentation.

I am sure everyone who is not yet an expert will look forward to your better documentation.

[rloeb]

Mea culpa; I was not referring to just these forums, which I understand are the work of devoted (and patient) contributors.  I was primarily referring to the documentation on the main OBiTalk web site, which is obsolete and, consequently, wrong and useless.  And, I concur that deleting (or revising) old posts might be considered censorship; the history (evolution) is valuable.

I am not an OBiTalk expert and do not have the time or skills to become one.  I've recommended OBiTalk devices to some of my colleagues, and they are struggling to make them work properly.  I only use mine for outgoing calls; incoming calls all go to Google voicemail.  Some of my colleagues, however, want to ditch their landlines and use only Google Voice for their residential phone service.  So far, none of them have succeeded in getting an inbound call, and I'm unable to help them.

Is RFC3261 the SIP protocol?  I tried reading that once and it took days to recover from the headache.  I can only marginally understand TCP over IP.  But I do own a pair of pole jacks :-)

Rog

[SteveInWA]

Mea culpa; I was not referring to just these forums, which I understand are the work of devoted (and patient) contributors.  I was primarily referring to the documentation on the main OBiTalk web site, which is obsolete and, consequently, wrong and useless.  And, I concur that deleting (or revising) old posts might be considered censorship; the history (evolution) is valuable.

I am not an OBiTalk expert and do not have the time or skills to become one.  I've recommended OBiTalk devices to some of my colleagues, and they are struggling to make them work properly.  I only use mine for outgoing calls; incoming calls all go to Google voicemail.  Some of my colleagues, however, want to ditch their landlines and use only Google Voice for their residential phone service.  So far, none of them have succeeded in getting an inbound call, and I'm unable to help them.

Is RFC3261 the SIP protocol?  I tried reading that once and it took days to recover from the headache.  I can only marginally understand TCP over IP.  But I do own a pair of pole jacks :-)

Rog

Here's the candid answer regarding the Obihai (now Polycom) web site.  Obihai was a small team of engineers, with virtually nobody whose paid job it was to maintain and improve their website or keep documentation updated.  People had to make time to do it on the side, and they weren't being encouraged or rewarded for doing so.  Hopefully, now that they've been acquired by Polycom, which does have those resources, the website will either get improved or replaced by something using Polycom's website style guide and documentation processes.

[rloeb]

Thank you for the explanation, which makes imminently good sense.  I've had some experience with other small tech companies.  Documentation doesn't bring in any direct revenue, and revenue is king when you're struggling for existence.  I actually bought an OBiTalk 202 five years ago and never got around to even trying it until a read a few articles explaining how well it worked with Google Voice.  So, I dusted it off, plugged it in, updated the firmware and... it worked!  But I really didn't try to do much but use it as an outbound link to my Voice account, which allowed me to dump a rarely used landline.

Interesting acquisition on Polycom's part, and I hope they can capitalize on it.  There's a substantial market if the devices can be idiot-proofed to the point where a total neophyte can plug it in, turn it on, run through a guided setup, and be operational.  Hardware price point has a lot of room on the upside, too.  Properly marketed, an OBiTalk device pays for itself in a few months.

And, thank you for the links in your signature; those forums are quite helpful.

Rog

[SteveInWA]

Great; thanks for your perspective.

RE:  mergers, it's like the cartoon of the little fish being eaten by the larger fish, and then that fish gets eaten by a larger fish:

Plantronics now plans to merge with (or acquire) Polycom.  The sum of these three companies will create a very comprehensive and compelling offering for businesses that use either cloud-based telephony (like Microsoft Skype for Business, Dialpad, etc.) or use IP phones, or have some legacy analog phone equipment they need to keep.  It combines expertise with hardware phones, softphones, headsets, conference equipment, remote provisioning management and so on.

[RFC3261]

Is RFC3261 the SIP protocol?

Yes, although like many might say about me, it has been essentially obsoleted by later improvements in the specifications on the model/protocol.

[RFC3261]

Hopefully, now that they've been acquired by Polycom, which does have those resources, the website will either get improved or replaced by something using Polycom's website style guide and documentation processes.

The conspiracy groupies wonder if the multi-day outage of the polycom support website this weekend is to prepare to integrate the Obi experience(s).

[SteveInWA]

Hopefully, now that they've been acquired by Polycom, which does have those resources, the website will either get improved or replaced by something using Polycom's website style guide and documentation processes.

The conspiracy groupies wonder if the multi-day outage of the polycom support website this weekend is to prepare to integrate the Obi experience(s).

I shouldn't be surprised that people spend their days in misanthrope mode, jumping to whatever "assume the worst" negative conclusion they dream up.