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Question about OBiTalk and Google Voice

Started by olrowdy01, July 23, 2018, 11:09:30 AM

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olrowdy01

Hi,

I have several questions before I order a OBi202 ATA.

I created a OBiTalk account and on the "Approved Service Providers">For Home selection I see, "Free Calling from Your Home Phone with an OBi Device and Google Voice"

I get the impression that the "free calling" might only be to other users of the OBi devices because there is mention of using independent ISPs on the same page.

Or does it mean you can call -anyone- free in the USA using the OBi202 and Google Voice?

Can you directly dial your Google Voice phone number with the OBi202 via OBiTalk to make free Google Voice outbound calls to anyone and use the GV features?  Or does the OBi202 handle that?

Anveo for instance has a $39.99/yr "Free incoming calls" plan with 333 minutes/month (~11 minutes/day) free outbound calls and then charges by the minute. I've waited waaay over 11 minutes for AT&T sales to pick up a phone.  The time limit is not all that practical but if Google Voice is used to make calls then it's no problem.

Thanks for any info to clarify how OBiTalk works with the OBi202.

Oh for the return of the good old daze of Simon.

drgeoff

When it is working properly (which seems not the case for some people currently) you can call most US and Canada numbers at no charge by directly dialling the number on a phone plugged in to the OBi. As far as others are concerned calling you is no different from calling any other number.

olrowdy01

OK, thank you for the quick answer.

So in affect I don't need a separate ISP to receive calls to my Google Voice number?

Just set the OBi202 up on OBiTalk using the Google Voice link and it's free In and Out calls?

If so that's as simple as it can get and I was just overthinking the whole process.  That comes from all the weird stuff I was seeing from various external ISPs with offers that weren't so great once you really dug down into the details.





SteveInWA

"ISP" = Internet Service Provider; the company that supplies your building's internet service.

"ITSP" = Internet Telephone Service Provider; a company that supplies Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone service.

Google Voice is neither of those things.  It is a cloud-based telephone call forwarding and voicemail and text message management system.  It can make and receive calls using regular 10-digit US telephone numbers over the ordinary telephone network, and it can make and receive calls over VoIP, but that is not its sole function.  Many people think of it as a "free telephone company", but that's not its primary design.

olrowdy01

Hi Steve,

Basically I just want to find out will the OBi202 using OBiTalk allow free In/Out calling with no extra ITSP that I have to setup (not counting my normal Internet provider).

I apologize for dragging this out but ....... just so I'm perfectly clear on this. All I have to do is set up the OBi202 thru Google Voice as OBiTalk describes and I can make free inbound and outbound calls through Google Voice?  If so I'm a happy camper and I'm off to get a OBi202.

At first I assumed that with the OBi202 I would have to get an ITSP account with someone else to use Google Voice to -receive- calls.

Ok on the terminology.  I have the same situation when using EE terminology with non engineers.   ;)

It isn't always that easy to convince a non technical person that "calling" and "talking" to someone on the phone or radio is NOT the same thing.   ;D

SteveInWA

Since you are making a point of this, *I* am making this point:

Many people ignore explanations like mine, because they are foolishly lured by the come-on of FREE CALLING! FREE CALLING! FREE CALLING! FREE CALLING! FREE CALLING! FREE CALLING! FREE CALLING!to think that an OBi device + GV = free phone company.  It does not.  It cannot call E911.  It is not meant to be a standalone, bare-bones SIP ITSP.

Do you understand now?  Yes, Google Voice can make free calls to Canadian and other US phone numbers.  Yes, it can receive phone calls for free.  No, it is not a bare-bones ITSP.

olrowdy01

Steve wrote:
It cannot call E911.  It is not meant to be a standalone, bare-bones SIP ITSP.

Do you understand now?  Yes, Google Voice can make free calls to Canadian and other US phone numbers.  Yes, it can receive phone calls for free.
------------------------------

I can call 911 on one of several no plan cell phones if necessary.  I carry one with me all the time.

I've been using Google Voice for 9+ years.  My concern was how the OBi202 + OBiTalk interacts with GV.

Yep, that was the clear answer(s) I was looking for.
Thank you.



SteveInWA

Well, if you've been using Google Voice for 9+ years, then you already understand how it makes and receives "free calls".  OBiTALK devices are simply SIP clients that connect to your Google Voice account and behave as forwarding destinations, just like using Google Hangouts or a 10-digit PSTN telephone number.

I think you're all set now.

drgeoff

Quote from: olrowdy01 on July 23, 2018, 03:52:15 PMMy concern was how the OBi202 + OBiTalk interacts with GV.
I'm not convinced that you understand what "Obitalk" is and what it does.

olrowdy01

Quote from: drgeoff on July 23, 2018, 03:56:20 PM
Quote from: olrowdy01 on July 23, 2018, 03:52:15 PMMy concern was how the OBi202 + OBiTalk interacts with GV.
I'm not convinced that you understand what "Obitalk" is and what it does.
Probably not.  I assumed OBiTalk was necessary to set the OBi202 up etc and with good luck it would then be the ATA somewhere in the background and allow me to use Google Voice as I have for many years.  I'm used to Google Voice being the portal to my telephone activities when I happen to get a message with my PAP2T just being a dumb ATA.

After reading the OBiTalk Administrator and Provisioning Guides and seeing that OBiTalk was necessary to load the OBi202 with all the settings etc (which I normally do manually) it seemed that OBiTalk could/would also be my main contact with controlling my telephone system rather than Google Voice.

Especially so when I saw the features of OBiExtras.  My first thought was "WHOA .... I don't need all that stuff!"  I just need a phone to call out maybe once/twice a MONTH and get nothing but sales calls which my answering machine gets rid of. (Just load the "disconnect tones" as the opening part of your greeting message.)   ;D

If there is a link to a more detailed description of what OBiTalk can do I'd be happy to read it.




SteveInWA

"OBiTALK" has several meanings:

  • It is the name of the company's remote device provisioning and management platform, along with the website portal it provides.
  • It is now the name of the product line (as opposed to the legacy Polycom devices).
  • It is the name of the domain hosting this forum, along with hosting the portal
  • It is the name of the proprietary VoIP telephony network provided at no charge for use by OBiTALK device owners, to make calls from one device to another.

Where you might be confused, is that Google Voice requires that you use the OBiTALK portal to configure Google Voice service on a device.  It is not a plain-vanilla SIP ITSP.  It's best to use the portal, vs. the device's local webserver, for configuration, since the portal will overwrite any changes made to the local webpage UI.

olrowdy01

"Where you might be confused, is that Google Voice requires that you use the OBiTALK portal to configure Google Voice service on a device."

I read that and I will of course let it do that while praying that Florida Flicker & Flash (Fla Power & Light) doesn't hiccup while updating the firmware.

I saw the illustration of how OBiTalk controls the 202 etc.

My main confusion point was the last one you presented.  It just isn't presented on the site as straight out as you put it.  That's where the webmaster needed a new customer to try to make heads or tails out of what is presented.

In our previous posts and on the website, making "Calls" to me only means I can call someone else.  That someone might have to -also- be using a OBi device for the call to be free.  Making "Calls" to me doesn't say a thing about -receiving- calls.  This is of course no fault of the forum gurus.

The description points you just gave in your post should be prominently shown on the website.  In affect I found hints of the points in my reading all over the site for several days. 

The last point would have saved me a -lot- of time in trying to figure out that I don't need to have an external SIP ITSP for the OBi device because I was used to having to search around to find one that would provide enough minutes of usage etc at a reasonable price because (as a friend used to say) "It's always been thus."

Another confusing thing is that in my Google Voice/legacy settings my PAP2T was listed as a "OBi Device".

Just today after the last few posts I finally figured out that the price of 202 was the one time charge to use it.   :-[

The OBiTalk webmaster etc probably didn't realize that newcomers won't realize that if they come from other ATAs that have to be setup manually with other companies settings etc.  Pay by the minute etc. (Thumbs down.)

So thanks again for the information.

olrowdy01

Update:
The OBi202 arrived today. The hardest part of setting it up was moving things around for an hour so the 45" long wall wart cable could reach the place where the 202 was going to sit.

Getting it linked and working was easy compared to the 3" of power cable slack I ended up with.  And I can now make & receive calls again.

I do notice that there is a longer wait for the ringing tone to start when making a call.  I assume that OBiTalk gets involved in making & receiving calls.  With my PAP2T setup everything seemed to go directly through Google Voice even though the legacy settings showed that the Linksys was an "OBi device".

Is there someway to reduce the delay?

When I set up the PAP2T system I used a slightly different dialing plan from the default one & calls were made with no delay.  I looked into the setup of the OBi202 and don't see a setting that specifically says "Dial plan" to change.  (Which might get changed back to the default setting if OBiTalk doesn't like changes made.

With OBiTalk I had to turn the GV "attendant" off in the Google Voice legacy settings because it was talking the same time my normal answering machine gave it's message.  It used to be that I heard GV ring 5 times before it give it's message, so I set my answering machine to answer in two rings.  My test caller person said today that he heard 5 rings before the phone answered.  I heard my phone rang 2 times and it started to gave it's message. About 1/2 second later GV started giving it's message at the same time my answering machine was still talking.  My caller said he only heard the GV message to leave a voice message.

Strangely enough the tail end of the GV message that the "attendant" gave my caller was left on my answering machine. I got his voice message via gmail by going through the ritual of signing into GV, clicking around for awhile and finally hearing his message.

Has anyone else commented on dueling answering machines vs ring times?

The main thing is I have phone service again and we can hear each other etc.  The voice quality is excellent; same as my PAP2T.  Also the OBi202 case temperature is -much- cooler than the PAP2T.

SteveInWA

Now I have to agree with DrGeoff, that you really do not understand Google Voice, and it's design, at all.

For the umpteenth time, it is not a bare bones ITSP.  It is not a basic SIP VoIP trunk provider.  It is a complete telephone call management, voicemail, and text messaging service.  It is intended that you use its voicemail, not your answering machine.  If this is more complex than you wish, and you wish it would work like your PAP2T did a decade ago, then get service from a bare-bones SIP ITSP.  Heck, Circlenet Sam would love to have your business at an extremely low cost.

And, comparing an OBi 20x to an ancient PAP2T in terms of sound quality or performance is ridiculous.  It would be like comparing a 1957 Chevy Impala to a 2018 Chevy Volt.  The PAP2T was a very basic device with a low-performance, simple microcontroller.  The OBi products are Linux computers, running on an ARM SOC.  All you were asking the PAP2T to do was the bare-bones registration and SIP VoIP stuff.  And of course the OBi is going to run cooler because again, the guts are about 15 years older in the PAP2T, compared to modern, low-power electronics.

I'll let someone else give you a tutorial on digit maps, which are roughly comparable in purpose, but not in syntax, to PAP dial plans

olrowdy01

Now I have to agree with DrGeoff, that you really do not understand Google Voice, and it's design, at all.

(My response to your comments will be in bold text.)

Thank you for that.
As long as it works the way I want it to I'm satisfied.  If I wanted to understand it's internal electrical design I would have bought two of them and reversed engineered one of them.


For the umpteenth time, it is not a bare bones ITSP.  It is not a basic SIP VoIP trunk provider.  It is a complete telephone call management, voicemail, and text messaging service.  It is intended that you use its voicemail, not your answering machine.
 
Steve, it is very difficult for the manufacture of various products to force people to use their product exactly the way the CEO, Engineering & Sales Departments thinks they should.

i.e. Again, I don't need all that stuff. I just need a phone that will receive and make calls. And I clearly stated that in the beginning of this thread.

Since I don't use a cell phone or tablet etc either; when I want to check if I had any calls I don't have to turn my computer on to see if sales people left me a "click" or a sales pitch. I just look at the number of messages on the answering machine (zero in most cases) and if necessary, push one button and I hear the message.  For the way I use a phone that simplifies things greatly.


If this is more complex than you wish, and you wish it would work like your PAP2T did a decade ago, then get service from a bare-bones SIP ITSP.  Heck, Circlenet Sam would love to have your business at an extremely low cost.

Yes it IS more complex than I wish.  And my phone system using OBiTalk, the OBi202 and my answering machine *IS* working like it did with the PAP2T.

Steve: don't take it so personally. It's not a failure of OBiTalk to allow me to use it the way I want to.


  And, comparing an OBi 20x to an ancient PAP2T in terms of sound quality or performance is ridiculous.
 
Does finding out that the sound quality of both units is the same really cause that much grief on this forum?  And it's not ridiculous if it -is- true in my case.
 
   It would be like comparing a 1957 Chevy Impala to a 2018 Chevy Volt.  The PAP2T was a very basic device with a low-performance, simple microcontroller.
   
My first car was a Model T Ford.  The car and I were both young at the time.  ;-)

As basic as the '57 Cheby, T and the PAP2T seem now, they all served their intended purposes.  And still can.

On the other hand, many people drive cars all their lives and don't have any idea how they work. Not everyone has to fully understand how electronics or mechanical things work to get them to do what they need them to do.

   
   The OBi products are Linux computers, running on an ARM SOC.  All you were asking the PAP2T to do was the bare-bones registration and SIP VoIP stuff.  And of course the OBi is going to run cooler because again, the guts are about 15 years older in the PAP2T, compared to modern, low-power electronics.
   
Please, I started designing electrical circuits most likely before you were born. It was just a casual observation and not meant to cause umbrage concerning the wonderfully modern (cooler running but with a short power cable) OBi202.

I'll let someone else give you a tutorial on digit maps, which are roughly comparable in purpose, but not in syntax, to PAP dial plans

And I can return the favor if you need to know more about the internal workings of a Model T Ford.  Or my present 13 yr old Honda that can get almost twice the driving range of the Chevy Volt at 64 mph.  Even my 30 year old Honda CRX-HF got more mpg than the Volt.

And now, getting back to the OBi202:
I found a 3 year old forum post how the poster changed the ring delay of incoming calls, I'll try that.

Come on Steve, lighten up.

GPz1100

Is there a cliff note version of this thread?

olrowdy01

Steve wrote:
I'll let someone else give you a tutorial on digit maps, which are roughly comparable in purpose, but not in syntax, to PAP dial plans
------------------------

That would be most helpful.

Right now I'm making screen shots of all the default settings.  When I'm done I'll probably find where I could have downloaded them all with one click.   :-[




azrobert

#17
The DigitMap's control the delay of outbound calls. The default configuration will produce a 2 second delay for 10 and 11 digit N. American numbers and a 10 second delay for other numbers. There are DigitMap rules ending with "x." and "@." that will match any number of digits that cause the 10 second delay. If you eliminate these rules, you can get the delay down to zero.

There is nothing I know in the configuration that will cause a delay on inbound calls. I just made a test call to my GV number and my phone started ringing about 1 second after hearing the ringback on my handset. If you continue getting this delay, you can try deleting the OBi202 from OBiTalk and then repeat the setup process.

Your OBi202/GV will work perfectly with your answering machine when you fix this inbound delay problem.

QuoteI found a 3 year old forum post how the poster changed the ring delay of incoming calls, I'll try that.

If the poster fixed the delay problem, I'm curious what he did.

azrobert

This is how an OBi works:
With the exception of the Phone Port (PP), the DigitMaps do NOTHING on their own.
After a number is dialed the (PP) DigitMap gets control.
The PP DigitMap validates the dialed number.
You have the option of modifying the dialed number, like add/removing a prefix.
If you modify the dialed number, it is actually changed at this point.
The last rule (Mpli) points to the Primary Lines's (PL) DigitMap.
So if the PL is SP1, the ITSP A DigitMap's rules are included with the PP DigitMap.
If the number is validated by the PP DigitMap, it is passed the PP OutboundCallRoute.
If the number doesn't match a rule, you will get a Busy tone.

OutboundCallRoute Processing:
Rule {(Mpli):pli} routes un-prefixed (without **n) numbers to a trunk.
(Mpli) points to the PL DigitMap and pli points to the PL.
If the PL is SP1 and the dialed number matches a rule in the ITSP A DigitMap the call is routed to SP1.

The PP DigitMap also determines the delay before a call is routed to the outbound trunk.
The DigitMap analyses the number as it's being dialed.
If dialed number matches a DigitMap rule and it can't match any other rule there is no delay.
If dialed number matches a DigitMap rule, but it can potentially match another rule there is a 2 second delay.
If there are rules xxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxx
If you dial 7 digits it matches xxxxxxx and can potentially match xxxxxxxxxx
The OBi doesn't know if you will dial any more digits, so it waits 2 seconds.
If dialed number only matches a DigitMap rule like "xx.", there is a 10 second delay.
x matches a single digit and x. matches zero or more digits.
xx. will match 1 or more digits.
Since this rule is open ended, the OBi waits 10 seconds.
You can override the delay by coding the rule like this: xx.S3 to produce a 3 second delay.

The following delays exclude any numbers defined in the Phone DigitMap.

Default ITSP DigitMap
(1xxxxxxxxxx|<1>[2-9]xxxxxxxxx|011xx.|xx.|(Mipd)|[^*#]@@.)

Will produce 2 second delay for 10-11 digit numbers and 10 seconds for all other numbers.

(1xxxxxxxxxx|<1>[2-9]xxxxxxxxx|011xx.S3)

Zero delay for 10-11 and 3 second delay for international. All other numbers will fail.

Add 7 digit dialing. Replace AAA with your local area code.
(1xxxxxxxxxx|<1>[2-9]xxxxxxxxx|<1AAA>xxxxxxx|011xx.S3)

Zero delay for 10-11, 2 second delay for 7 digits and 3 second delay for international. All other numbers will fail.

olrowdy01

Quote from: azrobert on July 28, 2018, 01:42:51 PM
The DigitMap's control the delay of outbound calls. The default configuration will produce a 2 second delay for 10 and 11 digit N. American numbers and a 10 second delay for other numbers.

Right now I haven't changed anything in my 202 settings but I'm not hearing a 2 or a 10 second delay for the ringing to start.  For some reason my default delay is 5 seconds to start dialing for a normal 10 digit phone number after I press the last digit.  It seemed longer in earlier posts but this time I timed it with a stop watch.

The delay is annoying while I wonder if I hit all 10 of the digits.  Two seconds would be great.


There are DigitMap rules ending with "x." and "@." that will match any number of digits that cause the 10 second delay. If you eliminate these rules, you can get the delay down to zero.

Could you post which settings and where to change them please?

Here is what the "Phone Port" values are set to now:  (Perhaps these aren't the settings you are referring to?)
([1-9]x?*(Mpli)|
[1-9]S9|1-9]0-9]S9|911|**0|***|#|##|**70(Mli)|**8(Mbt)|**81(Mbt)|**82(Mbt2)|**1(Msp1)|**2(Msp2)|**3(Msp3)|**4(Msp4)|**9(Mpp)|(Mpli))

OutboundCallRoute has this:
{([1-9]x?*(Mpli)):pp},{(<##:>):li},{(<#:>):ph2},{(<**70:>(Mli)):li},{(<**82:>(Mbt2)):bt2},{(<**81:>(Mbt)):bt},{(<**8:>(Mbt)):bt},{**0:aa},{***:aa2},{(<**1:>(Msp1)):sp1},{(<**2:>(Msp2)):sp2},{(<**3:>(Msp3)):sp3},{(<**4:>(Msp4)):sp4},{(<**9:>(Mpp)):pp},{(Mpli):pli}

and CallReturnDigitMaps has this:
{pli:(xx.)},{sp1:(<**1>xx.)},{sp2:(<**2>xx.)},{sp3:(<**3>xx.)},{sp4:(<**4>xx.)},{bt:(<**8>xx.)},{bt2:(<**82>xx.)},{pp:(<**9>xx.)}



There is nothing I know in the configuration that will cause a delay on inbound calls. I just made a test call to my GV number and my phone started ringing about 1 second after hearing the ringback on my handset.

I believe that was when my out of town tester and I did our first tests when the Google Voice attendant and my answering machine were talking over each other.  I did another test tonight after I disabled the Google Voice answering message and my answering machine did answer on the 2nd ring that I heard. My tester said he only heard 1 ring and my machine recorded his message ok.  At this point as long as it works this way I'll leave it alone.

If you continue getting this delay, you can try deleting the OBi202 from OBiTalk and then repeat the setup process.

Your OBi202/GV will work perfectly with your answering machine when you fix this inbound delay problem.

Yes, now it is.  :)

QuoteI found a 3 year old forum post how the poster changed the ring delay of incoming calls, I'll try that.

If the poster fixed the delay problem, I'm curious what he did.
This is from a 7/10/2015 post by a UK user about the delay he was having when setting up his OBi202 for his carrier.

"Try this: To prevent delays in inbound ringing Set Physical Interfaces ~ Line Port ~ Ring Delay to 400."

I looked in my OBi202 settings and the terminology must have been changed since I don't see a "Ring Delay" box to change.  His explanation was so long I didn't look to see what else was in the thread since my dog insisted he really-really needed to go outside.    :)

Thank you for the information you've given me (and "us" for later readers) so far.