Frequent auto-generated outbound 800# calls through GVoice?

[docdirt]

I've been using an ObiTalk 110 for a year or two with Google Voice (a single GVoice number used only for the Obi device).

Recently I looked at my GVoice History and found numerous outbound calls to an 800 number (18006481026), all 1 min long and several calls every day. It looks like there are literally thousands of these calls in my history.

Calling the number sounds like it is connecting to a computer/modem. Is this a number associated with Obihai? Is this normal? I haven't found anyone else describing such behavior; so, I'm a bit concerned. Can anyone shed any light on this?

[Stewart]

That's probably your alarm system, set to report all openings and closings.  See whether the times in the History match when you come and go.

[I hope that it has cellular backup.  I wouldn't trust my security system to any VoIP provider, especially not GV.]

[docdirt]

Stewart,

Thanks for the response. The house we purchased 4 years ago has an alarm system but it was never set up with a service. I certainly do not pay for one. And, the times do not match with anything I could think of that could trigger the alarm system. Since no one else has posted or replied on this issue, it appears that this I have a unique case.Does anyone know how to find out whom the number belongs to? A number search has come up empty.

Thanks

[ianobi]

What does your OBi110 Call History show? If the calls are going out on sp1, then they must be incoming from somewhere - could be incoming on line port if Stewart is correct and you have some sort of "auto-dialler" device hiding somewhere in your house!

[pc44]

What does your OBi110 Call History show? If the calls are going out on sp1, then they must be incoming from somewhere - could be incoming on line port if Stewart is correct and you have some sort of "auto-dialler" device hiding somewhere in your house!

I think ianobi is right.  Just pick a day (or a couple days when you are going to be away) and unplug the telephone line from your OBi's Line Port.  Then, re-check the Google call log when you return.  You said several 800 calls occur every day.  So if no 800 calls occur during that time, you know the culprit is the line port.  If the calls still occur, you are still making progress in eliminating possible sources.

pc44

[Rick]

Stewart,

Thanks for the response. The house we purchased 4 years ago has an alarm system but it was never set up with a service. I certainly do not pay for one. And, the times do not match with anything I could think of that could trigger the alarm system. Since no one else has posted or replied on this issue, it appears that this I have a unique case.Does anyone know how to find out whom the number belongs to? A number search has come up empty.

Thanks

Simple solution.  In your alarm system box, there is a phone line coming in.  Most alarm systems have the house line coming into a box, and the alarm system plugged into that box.  That allows the alarm system to seize the line when it calls.  Simply unplug the alarm system's internal wire that goes into that box and it cannot seize the line any longer.  

If you pulled the cover off of that box, you'd see that there are 4 phone wires connected.  If you open the outside phone box, you'd see two wires feeding the house, often Red and Green.  Those two wires bring the phone line into the alarm, and then the other two wires go back out and feed the house phone lines.  The alarm system can cut the power to the two wires feeding the house line, and make the call directly on the other two wires.

You should consider a service.  AlarmRelay charges $125 a year, and you'll probably save twice that on your homeowner's insurance.  Adding things like smoke detectors, CO detectors, freeze detectors, and water detectors may also save more money.  Check with your homeowner's insurance company.

[docdirt]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

I'm now approaching this from two fronts. I've disconnected all the wires in the alarm box and disconnected all power (battery and AC). I'll report back on whether this stops the calls.

The outgoing calls are reported by both the OBI device and GVoice. I'm trying to block the outgoing calls through the OBI device using a user defined digit map and rerouting calls through the number to nowhere. I call my digit map: abc and I have been trying to add the following to the front of the default OutboundCallRoute value: {(Mabc):},

All values remain after hitting Submit and returning to the page and then appear to have changed after rebooting the OBI device. However, after about 20–30 sec the device reboots again and returns to the default value. Interestingly, only the OutboundCallRoute and DigitMap values return to default values (grayed out) with the checkbox next to them checked; CallReturnDigitMaps values (and others) can be changed without problem. Also, unchecking the default checkbox but not changing the values and then rebooting leaves the checkboxes unchecked on reboot. If I even delete one of the mappings (like {(<**9:>(Mpp)):pp} ), the value resets and grays out and the default checkbox is checked again after the second reboot. I'm baffled. Is there some other switch that needs to be flipped in order to have the new value accepted?

[docdirt]

UPDATE: The value of OutboundCallRoute resets to the default value and becomes grayed out even when the value itself is not changed. This seems so simple, but I'm clueless about how to fix this. Any ideas?

[pc44]

docdirt,

Take a look at this thread.  It *may* have bearing on your situation:
OBiTALK or OBi Web Page but NOT Both

Hope you figure it out,
pc44

[Lavarock7]

I'm betting it was the alarm company that was configured years ago but not being used now.

800 numbers are old compared to 888, 877, 866, and now 855. Companies signing up for a toll free number generally do not want a 800 prefix (even though it has some status. The reason being that 800 numbers have been out there so long that they may be configured in many plases and in many rolodexes, etc. They may also have been owned by different companies over the years. The last thing people want is to have to pay for *tons* (a tecnical term) of wrong numbers per day.

[docdirt]

Well, looks like the alarm system was the culprit. I disconnected the lines into the system and removed power to the unit and it's now been a week without an outbound call to that number. Thanks for the troubleshooting advice. You guys rock!

I'll try to understand the expert setting better and determine if auto-provisioning (on or off) may be affecting my settings. Thanks, pc44, for the heads up!