OBI 202 cannot be added to Portal

[dvguy]

Hello, I have been using Obi devices with Google voice since around 2014. They can be useful, but I find myself needing the replace them every few years. No big deal to me as buying the device is cheaper than paying a phone bill. I just had to replace my last Obi 202 and got a new one from Amazon. This one actually says Polycom on it so it is the latest. Sadly when I dial the number to add to the Obitalk portal I get a message saying the number was sent to the server, but the registration never happens. The count down on the page continues until it completely fails and I have to hit retry and get a new number. When it is doing the count down I try redialing the same number over and over and nothing. I even keep trying to redial figuring it has to go through eventually. This has been happening for a week.

As I mentioned I am familiar with the product and never had this issue before. I get an IP from my router that worked fine with my last OBI 202. I can call the test number and get the echo test. I tried putting it into DMZ, but still nothing. I can hit the web interface from my computer so the device is up but no registration happens. I see no number to contact Polycom and this device does me no good unless it is placed on the portal. I have tried different browsers also. I feel very frustrated as I have called to register a million times now and still nothing. Could someone please help?

Thanks,
Frank

[drgeoff]

There are lots of posts about this.  A quick look through thread titles is all you need to spot them.

[dvguy]

There are lots of posts about this.  A quick look through thread titles is all you need to spot them.

Yes, I looked through them already. Most suggest to keep trying and like I said, I have. I Googled and went through the posts and have not found a helpful answer. If you know a post that does not suggest trying a different browser or just to keep trying please link to it or set it to the top. I have been doing this for days and no luck. I am sorry, but I have better things to do than try to troubleshoot a problem that Polycom needs to address. I appreciate the response but I would like this fixed without wasting hours of my time. I am sorry I brought the new OBI and must say this experience is making me think of just dropping Google Voice and use my cell. I have spent many hours this week dialing the same number as per the many posts "just keep trying". That is not a solution and just wastes time. My finger hurts from dialing and I see no solutions so far. That's why I asked.

May I also suggest being this is a big problem according to all that I have seen it should have its own post on the first page of the forum. Not in different posts from the users as Polycom hides the fact that the product is currently not funtional.

[drgeoff]

There are lots of posts about this.  A quick look through thread titles is all you need to spot them.

Yes, I looked through them already. Most suggest to keep trying and like I said, I have. I Googled and went through the posts and have not found a helpful answer. If you know a post that does not suggest trying a different browser or just to keep trying please link to it or set it to the top. I have been doing this for days and no luck. I am sorry, but I have better things to do than try to troubleshoot a problem that Polycom needs to address. I appreciate the response but I would like this fixed without wasting hours of my time. I am sorry I brought the new OBI and must say this experience is making me think of just dropping Google Voice and use my cell. I have spent many hours this week dialing the same number as per the many posts "just keep trying". That is not a solution and just wastes time. My finger hurts from dialing and I see no solutions so far. That's why I asked.

You must be very unlucky.  Some posters have needed very many tries but no-one has posted that it took more than 1,000,000.

Polycom are aware of the problem and their advice is to keep trying.

[dvguy]

There are lots of posts about this.  A quick look through thread titles is all you need to spot them.

Yes, I looked through them already. Most suggest to keep trying and like I said, I have. I Googled and went through the posts and have not found a helpful answer. If you know a post that does not suggest trying a different browser or just to keep trying please link to it or set it to the top. I have been doing this for days and no luck. I am sorry, but I have better things to do than try to troubleshoot a problem that Polycom needs to address. I appreciate the response but I would like this fixed without wasting hours of my time. I am sorry I brought the new OBI and must say this experience is making me think of just dropping Google Voice and use my cell. I have spent many hours this week dialing the same number as per the many posts "just keep trying". That is not a solution and just wastes time. My finger hurts from dialing and I see no solutions so far. That's why I asked.

You must be very unlucky.  Some posters have needed very many tries but no-one has posted that it took more than 1,000,000.

Polycom are aware of the problem and their advice is to keep trying.

What does this mean? It is not a matter of luck, but the fact Polycom does not seem to be standing behind their product. I guess it is buyer beware and I just updated my Amazon review to reflect this. Hopefully, someone else does not get burned. I do not even see a number to contact Polycom and see no responses from anyone at Polycom. Who said I tried 1,000,000 times? I have been trying for days and did not keep count. One day trying for 4 hours straight and today waking up early to try as I read someone had luck with that. This is really not right of Polycom and as I have read this has been happening for months. That is really sad.

[drgeoff]

I feel very frustrated as I have called to register a million times now and still nothing.

.

[dvguy]

I feel very frustrated as I have called to register a million times now and still nothing.

.

So you are basically offering no help and seem to have no answers. Why are you posting a response? Do you not understand sarcasm. That is just an expression people use. So what is the solution? You seem to have none. So leave my post to someone who can help. You have not offered any advice and just want to criticize from your first response until this one. This forum has always been extremely useless. Polycom owes me a warranty if this device is defective. Do you even work for them?

[rjniles]

Don't give up hope. I have been trying to link an new OBi202 to my Google Voice account for the last several days, about 2:30 PM EST today it finally went through. I probably made 60-100 attempts over 3-4 days.  I went through the new add a device process but did not check the "Link Google Voice" box. After the system accepted my device I went back and updated to add my GV account, that went thru flawlessly.

Irritating but I guess the answer is perseverance.

[dvguy]

Don't give up hope. I have been trying to link an new OBi202 to my Google Voice account for the last several days, about 2:30 PM EST today it finally went through. I probably made 60-100 attempts over 3-4 days.  I went through the new add a device process but did not check the "Link Google Voice" box. After the system accepted my device I went back and updated to add my GV account, that went thru flawlessly.

Irritating but I guess the answer is perseverance.

Thanks. Finally, it registered for me today. I was hoping Polycom would make things better with the OBI, but I kind of feel things have not changed in so long. This is probably my 4th OBI over the years at this point and always the same. If the device does not work all forms of real support are hidden and you get sent to this forum that looks like 1996. The forum even blew up when I tried to post my issue. Then once you get on this forum you are attacked by some OBI worshipper who has no idea that you just want to make calls and not waste time. I am not sure what this gets Polycom as the OBI is a great device when it works, but when it fails you get no help. This makes people like myself not recommend it to others and they sell less of the product. This seems hard to understand as both Polycom and Obihai failed to realize this.

Sadly enough even if you pay for support after your device goes out of warranty they stop pushing updates and the unit becomes useless. My last unit had static sometimes when I answered Google Voice and searching this forum I found no solutions which worked. Then I started receiving ghost calls on it at 2 or 3 am sometimes. The phone would ring and ring and ring for an hour until I unplugged the OBI. That never happened with any of my others again searched this forum and Google and found a solution, but it did not work. At the end of the day, Polycom needs to give this product and its customers a little TLC and they will earn more money.

[SoNic67]

I just got a 202 and I can't register it either.
Actually yesterday I managed to register it with GV, after 20 tries, but this morning all I got from handset was busy signal - all the time.
So I de-register the device from my dashboard, from GV, and reset the 202.
Well... again it doesn't activate.

[SoNic67]

I went through the new add a device process but did not check the "Link Google Voice" box. After the system accepted my device I went back and updated to add my GV account, that went thru flawlessly.

Thank you! That was the winning ticket for registration!
Now I am waiting for the GV to finish the configuration.

LE: Finished!