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Help setting up a Toll Free Termination Provider through a voice gateway.

Started by Phillip, February 12, 2013, 08:03:05 AM

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Phillip

Thanks in advance for the help. Maybe I'm just dense. I read a couple of threads about the problems with GV and 800 #s and a couple more about voice gateways. I'v spent some quality time with the Administration Guide and some hours studying threads I've downloaded. I still can't quite figure out how this works.  ???

I have a new Obi100 with GV on SP1 and x-lite v5 on SP2. There are several 800 #s that are critical to my business. Some of which now just ring forever. I presume I need to set up a Toll Free Termination Provider for outgoing 800 calls, but I don't know how to go about this yet or even which one to pick.

I have the most current firmware upgrade. The configuration changes made to date are pretty minimal. One is for forking inbound calls and the other is for setting up 10 digit access for 911 and 411 using the techniques I found here in the forum.

Do I need a voice gateway for Alcazar, Hypercube or whatever since both SP1 and SP2 are taken? I presume so. How do I configure it? Where do I put the rule to process 800 #s? In the OutboundCallRoute or DigitMap or both? I have been staring at this stuff so long its all running together. I really need some help. I'll buy the pizza this time, I promise!
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch

ProfTech

I'm not sure what you are saying about sp2 & x-lite on your Obi 100, but if both of your sp are truly in use I don't believe you will be able to use a voice gateway. I experimented with this recently using CallWithUs for 800 service - it's free and it was pretty simple to set up. However, it requires that you "dedicate" one of your sp as a "dummy" in order to set it up. Don't have the link to the set up info but I think I could find it for you if you need it.

Phillip

Hi ProfTech,

That was up-all-night fatigue talking. SP2 is open but I have other plans for it. But still, I was under the impression that that it could be set up on a voice gateway and use SP1 that GV is setup on. Maybe I'm nuts, (probably) but I thought that when an outgoing 800 number was detected, the call would be redirected to use the settings specified in the voice gateway configuration, including the SIP provider. Is that a false assumption?

ianobi, in his(?) response to Felix in THIS POST said, "As you have noted, the SPx trunk used for a Voice Gateway does need to be configured for SIP and enabled before it can be used. However, it does not need to have a "real" account configured." Perhaps I misunderstood his meaning.

So I guess this makes my question, 'Can a voice gateway use a different SIP provider than the one specified in SPx?' If not, what is the point of a voice gateway?

Quote from: ProfTech on February 12, 2013, 08:52:13 AM
I'm not sure what you are saying about sp2 & x-lite on your Obi 100, but if both of your sp are truly in use I don't believe you will be able to use a voice gateway. I experimented with this recently using CallWithUs for 800 service - it's free and it was pretty simple to set up. However, it requires that you "dedicate" one of your sp as a "dummy" in order to set it up. Don't have the link to the set up info but I think I could find it for you if you need it.
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch

Phillip

I am having a difficult time understanding how to accomplish this or even knowing if it will work. There isn't much that I can contribute at this point. I could really use a little direction.

Thanks in advance,
Phillip
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch

Felix

Phillip,
As long as SP2 is used by SIP provider and not Google Voice, setting Gateway for Call With Us is easy enough. You specify the provider (CWU in my example) in the gateway definition - so gateway is using a different provider than SP2. However, OBi implementation of gateway is clumsy (compared with, say, Sipura) - you have to specify SPx for no good reason.

I was just testing when I wrote about dummy SP account... Obviously, if you have a spare SP slot, there is no benefit in using the gateway.

Phillip

Thanks for the response Felix. My despair meter has been climbing. I really appreciate the input.

So it can't be GV? So much for my brilliant plan.  ;) OK, I'll set up a Toll Free Termination Provider on SP2 and be done with it.

I do have an old SPA3201. Can that be added to the mix or should I just get rid of it?
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch

QBZappy

Phillip,    

Here is a short and long version on how to setup Voice Gateways. The key is to setup a real or fake sip account.

Voice Gateway setup
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=4977.0

What would be a typical usage scenario for a Voice Gateway?
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=371.0

Are you close to completing your setup? In the future, it is best to ask in one post what you would like to accomplish with the OBi, keeping it as simple as possible. Then all the appropriate advice can be given at one time. WAF has come up a few times before. We hear you man. [wiping a tear]
Owner of the 1st OBi110/100 units in service in Canada & South America. 1st OBi202 on my street. 1st OBi1032 in Montreal.

Phillip

Hi QBZappy,

You are a prince, coming to my rescue again. I cannot thank you enough.
Quote from: QBZappy on February 12, 2013, 08:50:39 PM
Phillip,    

Here is a short and long version on how to setup Voice Gateways. The key is to setup a real or fake sip account.
I did not fully understand what did and did not constitute an SIP account. Evidently, what I did not understand was that GV is not treated as an SIP. Or am I all wet again? As I now understand it, I cannot create a voice gateway for one of the many Toll Free Termination Providers on SP1 if it is configured for Google Voice. True?

I deal with a lot of insurance companies. They use a lot of 800 #s, both for voice and FAX. My problem is that I have 2 GV accounts and I need to be able to dial out from both numbers to 800 #s. But there are times when I need to be able to FAX and converse at the same time. So no matter how I slice it, I am going to need a two phone solution and that will require more hardware. So I'm OK with setting up a TFTP on SP2, now that I understand. (Lord help me, I'm talking in acronyms! Is this stuff contagious?)

Quote from: QBZappy on February 12, 2013, 08:50:39 PMVoice Gateway setup
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=4977.0

What would be a typical usage scenario for a Voice Gateway?
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=371.0
Oh yes, I not only have them bookmarked, I have them open most of the time along with a number of threads on routing 800 numbers (tip of the hat to RonR and Huib), the thread on the Dial Plan (thanks to you and kudos to OBiSupport) and the 'Book of Secrets' known as the administration guide. Most of the time spent in research is tracking down acronyms and contextual definitions.

Quote from: QBZappy on February 12, 2013, 08:50:39 PMAre you close to completing your setup? In the future, it is best to ask in one post what you would like to accomplish with the OBi, keeping it as simple as possible. Then all the appropriate advice can be given at one time.
I'm closer now than I was last night. I now know what I need to do so I can settle on a strategy and implement it.

Believe me when I tell you, I would have loved to be able to know what questions to ask. One of the problems I have run into is this: While there is much attention given to that features of the OBi, there is little information given on the limitations of specific devices, at least in layman's terms. It seems I see almost as many posts with people asking IF something can be done as there are posts asking how.

I realize that many of the limitations are not not with the Obi but with GV. A lot of the problems I have read about here, have to do with GV limitations and shortcomings and implementing workarounds. These are not issues that are immediately apparent to the consumer and certainly no fault of OBi. But they do crop up in the course of configuration and operation.

I'm juggling three major projects right now. I just wasn't a good time to immerse myself in a completely new and foreign discipline. But I am much closer to understanding how this stuff fits together. It's not very intuitive.

Quote from: QBZappy on February 12, 2013, 08:50:39 PMWAF has come up a few times before. We hear you man. [wiping a tear]
Thanks for that. It's good to know that I'm not alone. You have been so very kind. Can I give my wife your number?  ;D :thumbsup:
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch

ProfTech

Hii Phillip,

I too wondered what the true value of the gateway function would be until I came to the realization that a single "dummy" sp setup could serve up to eight different gateways. [On an Obi 110]. The catch with gateways is that the service provider must not require registration.

Phillip

Thanks ProfTech, that's news I can use. I can see a 202 in my future.  ;D

Quote from: ProfTech on February 13, 2013, 07:51:53 AM
Hii Phillip,

I too wondered what the true value of the gateway function would be until I came to the realization that a single "dummy" sp setup could serve up to eight different gateways. [On an Obi 110]. The catch with gateways is that the service provider must not require registration.
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch

Felix

Phillip,
So, to summarize, you need three outgoing accounts - two GV, and the third to overcome GV's inability to call certain 800 numbers. True statement? You are positive that you need two GV accounts, right?

In such case you can use your SPA3201. It is not a problem to have several adapters, especially if one is used for outgoing calls only and doesn't need registration.

What do you mean by "setting up a TFTP on SP2"?

Last, if you need to fax, then neither OBi100 nor SPA3201 will work. Use fax service, or OBi202... I have a friend who faxes from a fax machine over OBi202 without any problems. My wife, on the other hand, sends hundreds of faxes a month, but hasn't touched a fax machine and three years...

Phillip

Hi Felix,

I appreciate your feedback. I'll answer as best I can.
Quote from: Felix on February 13, 2013, 06:48:01 PM
Phillip,
So, to summarize, you need three outgoing accounts - two GV, and the third to overcome GV's inability to call certain 800 numbers. True statement? You are positive that you need two GV accounts, right?
I don't have a landline. All of my communications are over the internet. Plus, I'm strapped for cash at the moment. All of our available funds go toward starting a new agency and taking care of family. I might be able to squeeze out another OBi100. That's the plan. One for family and FAX. The other for my business number.

I don't have a problem with the home number doubling as the FAX line. I can FAX during business hours and use it for family in the evening. But I do need a second line because sometimes I have to take or make business calls while using the FAX. Currently, I'm just using my browser interface with GV. It forwards to my cell if I'm out of my office. If I have to call an 800 # that GV doesn't like, I just use my cell. But it's a hassle when I'm working at my computer. The headset sound quality isn't near as good as my computer setup.

Quote from: Felix on February 13, 2013, 06:48:01 PMIn such case you can use your SPA3201. It is not a problem to have several adapters, especially if one is used for outgoing calls only and doesn't need registration.
Agreed. But I have no idea how to set it up. Can you help?

Quote from: Felix on February 13, 2013, 06:48:01 PMWhat do you mean by "setting up a TFTP on SP2"?
Toll Free Termination Provider, like Alcazar, used primarily for dialing out from the FAX/family line at present.

Quote from: Felix on February 13, 2013, 06:48:01 PMLast, if you need to fax, then neither OBi100 nor SPA3201 will work. Use fax service, or OBi202... I have a friend who faxes from a fax machine over OBi202 without any problems. My wife, on the other hand, sends hundreds of faxes a month, but hasn't touched a fax machine and three years...
In my case, it's just easier. I have to scan paper applications often around 13-15 pages. Some insurance carriers require you to dial in on an 800 FAX line.

I put a DSL filter between the FAX and the OBi and have had good success over GV. Couldn't tell you why, but it seems to work. The OBi100 data sheet says, "Fax Pass Through (G.711)" but I don't really know what that means. There have been times I have had to scan to a pdf and email it, but not often. Besides, when I do, they get their panties in a twist.

I plan to set up the OBi with GV on SP1 and a Toll Free Termination Provider on SP2 for dialing out to 800 numbers. Since the SPA3201 doesn't speak GV, I'll need a second OBi100 for my business line. But I could use it for another TFTP right now. Later, I'll upgrade to a 202 or 203 and keep both the 100s for cross border traveling companions.

Two questions.

  • Where do I go for help with the 3102?
  • Can an existing backup from one OBi100 be used to configure another?

How am I doing? Are my presumptions reasonable?

Your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Obi100, sp1 Anveo, sp2 Alcazar Networks Toll Free Terminal provider, Cisco Gigabit modem, TP-Link router/switch