Suggestion: add pseudo-destinations for telemarketer blocking

[MichiganTelephone]

Just as you have destinations like ph for the phone port or aa for the auto attendant, I suggest some pseudo destinations (the actual codes are just suggestions):

cg: Congestion (fast busy tone)
by: Busy tone
rg: Ringing (play ringing tone until caller hangs up)
st: SIT (a.k.a. "zapateller") tones (supposedly causes telemarketer computers to think they've reached a disconnected number)

The idea this that these could be used in an InboundCallRoute, so for example you could have a rule such as {?:st} to block all anonymous calls by sending them to a SIT tone.  Just a thought.

[QBZappy]

MichiganTelephone,

Hi

I had just suggested the same thing tonight on another thread. Great minds...

[MichiganTelephone]

Hi, QBZappy, guess so! 

Another thought is if they didn't want individual codes, they could use something like sc (for "service code") followed by a number.  So sc or sc1 would be congestion, sc2 would be busy, etc.  Or maybe better yet, ta for tones from Tone Profile A and tb for tones from Tone Profile B, followed by a number corresponding to a particular tone (so tb2 would be a busy signal from Tone Profile B).

[QBZappy]

MichiganTelephone,

Some of these tones are already available on the OBi. I think it would be possible to deliberately send a call to one of these tones by using a call route. I don't know how, just my intuition.

[MichiganTelephone]

QBZappy, they are all available in the Tone Profiles - I just don't know of any way to directly send a call to one of them.

[QBZappy]

MichiganTelephone,

With the new Gateway firmware, I was thinking that it might be possible to send calls to music. I understand that when a call is bridged, the calling person hears music while the OBI tries to bridge. This could also be controlled by CID. Make the telemarketer waste his time listening to music.

[MichiganTelephone]

QBZappy, really?  I hadn't heard that.  I wonder where the music comes from — seems like it would eat a lot of memory if stored in the device itself.  Is there maybe some sort of streaming music server for the purpose?

[AndroidsOfTara]

The idea this that these could be used in an InboundCallRoute, so for example you could have a rule such as {?:st} to block all anonymous calls by sending them to a SIT tone.  Just a thought.

I'd like this ability as well as being able to disconnect a call after a set period of time. For example, a call would be routed to a busy tone for 10 seconds and then disconnected. Even better would be the ability to upload at least one "official" sounding intercept message followed by disconnection.

I had a service on my Cox POTS line for a few years called "selective call acceptance" which blocked all incoming calls except for those on a white list. I got tired of paying $40+ a month for a phone line I only used for my security system, 911 and the occasional call from a white listed number, so I dropped down to just a basic phone line with CID.

I have two GV accounts set up on my Obi. SP1 is my real GV number and SP2 is my "junk" number. With the exception of my real GV number, all incoming calls to LINE are bridged to to SP2 which dials my real GV number. That GV account is set up to block calls from the "junk" GV number and callers hear the GV disconnected number intercept message.

[QBZappy]

RonR,

Do you see any way to route a call to any of the Tone settings?

[QBZappy]

Apparently we can send callers to internal OBi tones. Using the method outlined in the thread below "Call blocking" sends callers to fast busy tone.

obi-support2 (http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=447.msg2880;topicseen#new)

"For blocked callers on the PSTN LINE, the call will just keep ringing.
For blocked callers on SP1/SP2/OBiTALK service, the caller will hear fast busy tone."

[elminakid]

AndroidsOfTara can you explain a little further what you did. seems like something I like to do

[AndroidsOfTara]

AndroidsOfTara can you explain a little further what you did. seems like something I like to do

I have two distinct Google Voice numbers: my real number (GV#1) that I use for everything and a second one (GV#2).

GV#1 is set up to block calls from GV#2's number. If I place a call from GV#2 to GV#1, I hear a standard telco not in service intercept message. This is a standard feature of GV that can be used on any number you no longer wish to receive calls from.

So far, this all works completely independently of the OBi and is configured solely through the GV web interface.

What the OBi allows me to do is take all incoming calls on LINE (my POTS line), bridge those calls to SP2 (which is GV#2) and call GV#1. The caller on the LINE port hears the not in service intercept message.

I do this because I'm only using my POTS line for 911 and my home security system, I only want people calling me via GV#1 and I like messing with people.

It's a bit of a hack, but it works. I'd like if the OBi allowed me to upload my own intercept message to which I could route all LINE calls.

[azrobert]

Thanks AndroidsOfTara.  This works perfectly!

To clarify what has to be done:
Sign on to your GV1 account
Add your GV2# as a contact.
In the contact definition, click on "Edit Google Voice Settings"
Click on the dot next to "Send to Voice Mail"
Click on the down arrow next to "Send to Voice Mail"
Select "Block Caller"
Click on "Save"

In the OBi, add something like this {(?|8005551212):sp2(GV1#)} to the Line InBoundCallRoute

When an inbound call is routed to GV1, the caller will hear a Sit tone and a message.  The Sit tone and message will repeat then they will get a busy tone.

I did it slightly differently.  I had calls routed to SP1/GV1 and then GV1 call GV2.  This way I only had to define one GV on the OBi, leaving SP2 for a SIP definition.

Update:

If you have the default InBoundCallRoute don't forget to change the "ph" to ",{ph}"