Google Voice "forwarding number" thing confuses me

[Rhizomorph]

Hi OBi people,

Can someone help me figure out the Orwellian doublespeak of Google Voice?

I got my OBi100 set up and everything worked well for the tests and all. However, when I went to choose a Google Voice number to use with it, I got trapped in their linguistic loop.

I chose a phone number, but then at the end of the setup it asked me for a forwarding phone number that Google Voice will ring when people call that number. Huh? That makes no sense to me, because the same number I just chose IS the number I want to ring when people call the Google Voice number I chose! So I don't know what they mean, it's like a logic loop.

This number will be for a home office phone and I don't need any fancy cellphone forwarding or anything like that... I simply want the phone on my desk to ring if someone calls the GV number I choose, and if I don't grab it by 4 rings or whatever, for GV to do its email/voicemail thing.

Can anyone help interpret this labyrinth?

thanks
R

[Felix]

First, relax and take a deep breath. There is no doublespeak in what you see. Certainly, Google is providing you with a free voice service and doesn't want to be a big brother in return. Nothing Orwellian here!

Now, with these metaphors out of the way, let's get to the GV setup. GV wants to associate the free number they give you with some real US-based phone number. I assume you have a phone number, if not - there are ways around it. Once you specify the real number, Google will make a verification call and will ask you to put two digits that they will give you.

Once you have an account established, you need to uncheck forwarding to this real number, and check forwarding to google chat. see documentation for more details. It is believed that you need to make an outgoing call using Google chat, however, I was able to start dialing out of OBihai device without it. One you finish all the setup, the phone on your desk will ring if someone calls the GV number you chose, and if you don't grab it by 4 rings or whatever, for GV to do its email/voicemail thing

Good luck!

[Rhizomorph]

Thanks, Yeah I was just kidding about the Orwellian thing, but it was definitely unclear to me.

What you just easily explained is how they should say it. It is very easily understood the way you just phrased it. So I merely have to use a landline at first, then move it over to Google Chat. Thank you, I'll try that.

However, since the whole "forwarding number" thing confused me, I bailed out of the number registration at the last second, yet I still got the email from Google saying that I do have that number. So now I'm confused as to whether I do, or don't have that number... what should I do about that? Believe the email, or rely on the fact that I canceled the registration?

[QBZappy]

Rhizomorph,

Login to your GTalk account and call yourself from a phone you did not use to register with GV. If it rings then you have an active acct. Make sure you have setup your calls to go to Google Chat in the GV setup portal.

[Felix]

Thank you - I appreciate your nice words 

Remember, one of big OBi selling points is ability to set up calling through Google Voice - no other adapter can do it. On the other hand, Google doesn't know or care about OBi... they came with their service several years before OBi devices hit the market.

Google's selling point was that you give out your single phone number ("for life") - and you set it up to forward to your real telephone - home, cell, or office. Tomorrow you change jobs, move, or get married - but your single GV contact number remains the same.

[Rhizomorph]

Hey guys, one of the latest problems I'm having is you guys, as well as the Google Voice forums, are telling me to go into my GV account to check things and make settings etc., but every time I go to google.com/voice it jumps to the URL https://www.google.com/voice/b/0#history and has an almost empty page that has really no info at all.

I don't understand why I can't seem to get to the GV page I see on the youtube videos etc. I can get to the settings, but all it shows is billing and account, and I don't see anywhere that refers to the present number or even calling itself Google Talk (as opposed to Google Voice)...? Man I swear I'm not as lame as I sound here.

[jimates]

When you log into google voice, click on the gear icon on the upper right and choose 'settings".

Once at the "phones" page you will have to add a phone (landline or mobile) and google will prompt you through the verification process.

[Rhizomorph]

Thanks everyone, that worked. I just got confused by the fact that I got the email stating I had the first number which I had canceled at the last second. I think things are good now.
cheers  

[scottspa74]

This thread does explain better than the Google page. Thank you.
But how to get around Google voice setup WITHOUT existing forwarding #?

I just got a new phone, and now my old phone is gonna be a Wi-Fi only device. I'm trying to create an account for my 7yr old daughter so she can call me if she's at home and I'm across the street at the store or something.

I thought about using MY phone # for forwarding # but since mainly the calls will be to/from my real # on my device to/from my old Wi-Fi only device with a Gv acct set up for my daughter, I figured it would cause conflicts.

So, if a device does not have existing #, and my daughter does not have a real # how can I set up the GV # for my daughter to use on old device?
Hope that makes sense to people.

Much thanks

[QBZappy]

scottspa74,

Wouldn't setting up a speed dial be simpler for a 7 year old. You can also set it up exclusively as a hotline to your store, if that doesn't restrict its use.

[scottspa74]

Thank you for reply, but I'm not quite sure what you mean, I think.

I would like to set up a speed dial button so she can call straight to me. But that still requires a phine #/phone service, no?

I wanted to set up GV so that she could dial me, speed dial or otherwise. I appreciate any thoughts you have, and maybe I'm misunderstanding you. Is speed dial a service I'm not aware of, or are you just referring to putting a direct dial shortcut on phone screen? 

[QBZappy]

scottspa74,

By speed dial I mean that your child could dial 2# to reach Dad, 3# Mom, etc... You get the idea.

Each speed dial number can by anything you want. It could even be a GTalk/GChat running on your computer in the store, a sip softphone,  cell, another OBi. In your use scenario, you don't really need a Google voice number to accomplish what you are thinking abut.

I'm not certain you understood what a hotline is. I don' know if you are old enough to remember the "Bat phone" on the Batman television series. It is the same idea. It should reliably call the preconfigured number every time, however this approach limits the phone use to the same call destination every time. It may not be what you want. The idea makes more sense perhaps as a door phone.

[scottspa74]

OK gotcha. And we're on the same page about speed dial. But she can't dial out because there's no service on the phone. It's deactivated. Wi-Fi only. That's why I need something that will allow her to use Wi-Fi to place a call or speed dial anybody. I thought GV or grooveIP would do that, but setting up the forwarding # part has me baffled cuz I can't use my # cuz that's the # she will be calling to.

Thanks for your time. Much appreciated.

[Chrisinforum]

Here's an idea... first, do you have a computer at home?

If so, you may want to try something like 'Skype'. It basically makes a computer work like a phone.

Since it's a software program installed on your computer, it will work over any device providing you with Internet Access, if you are using your old phone as a Wi-Fi router (I assume you are as you said it is 'Wi-Fi' only) then there should be no problem. It also does not require you to set up a phone number for it.

Skype cannot be used for 911 calls, nor will it receive calls from regular phone unless you pay to have a number set-up. However, you CAN use it to call regular phones at any time.

I use Skype as a backup phone whenever I'm having issues with my Droid phone, as you're basically looking for a phone that isn't really a phone so your child can contact you when she comes home, this should work fine.

Hope this helps!

[Rick]

Here's an idea... first, do you have a computer at home?

If so, you may want to try something like 'Skype'. It basically makes a computer work like a phone.

Since it's a software program installed on your computer, it will work over any device providing you with Internet Access, if you are using your old phone as a Wi-Fi router (I assume you are as you said it is 'Wi-Fi' only) then there should be no problem. It also does not require you to set up a phone number for it.

Skype cannot be used for 911 calls, nor will it receive calls from regular phone unless you pay to have a number set-up. However, you CAN use it to call regular phones at any time.

I use Skype as a backup phone whenever I'm having issues with my Droid phone, as you're basically looking for a phone that isn't really a phone so your child can contact you when she comes home, this should work fine.

Hope this helps!

It's a one year old post, I think he's beyond needing help at this point... 

[Felix]

Here's an idea...

It's a one year old post, I think he's beyond needing help at this point... 

Rick, what can you do - sometimes ideas come when you least expect them!

[sic0048]

Since this thread is already dragged back up, it sounds like the Obi soft phone application (ObiOn) is what the person really needed in order to let his daughter make calls over a wi-fi only device.