Add Obi Device without a phone handset?

[chmedly]

I just bought an Obi202 to add to my collection.  I want to set it up to use the usb hard drive function right away but I don't have a wired phone handset at this location yet.  I wasn't able to reach the device via web browser (using it's ip address) so I'm thinking that maybe it's locked out until you tell it to open up with some touchtones? 

[Rick]

I just bought an Obi202 to add to my collection.  I want to set it up to use the usb hard drive function right away but I don't have a wired phone handset at this location yet.  I wasn't able to reach the device via web browser (using it's ip address) so I'm thinking that maybe it's locked out until you tell it to open up with some touchtones? 

Nope. 

[MikeHObi]

Web browser is not listening on the Internet port.  You'll need to connect via the LAN port to do configuration.

[chmedly]

I did figure out, after a few minutes, that I needed to be on the LAN side of the device (it's a router after all) but didn't try configuring it that way since the above reply seemed to say that it wouldn't matter.  So, in case I got this wrong, I will need a phone to get this device setup, right?

Thanks,

[MikeHObi]

didn't try configuring it that way since the above reply seemed to say that it wouldn't matter.  So, in case I got this wrong, I will need a phone to get this device setup, right?

I dunno, I don't use USB, but I seem to be able to get to the USB config page through the local obi web page.

[hwittenb]

You can configure the OBi202 to access the OBi202 web page from the internet side.  That access is disabled by default.  You can enable that access.

Device Admin-->Web Server--> AccessFrom WAN--> check box

You can also enable this access from the IVR (* * * 0 option 30) according to the Device Admin Guide.

[chmedly]

It is my understanding that the Obi device would have to be added to my Obitalk account online in order for it to communicate with the Obi servers before any other functions will work.  I thought that was the brilliance of the usb hard drive support for the 202.  Namely that Obi is leveraging the fact that the device is logged into their service anyway (for voice communication) and can negotiate the IP address and potential firewall issues between devices. As I understand it, that's the hard part for other devices that don't have an account oriented service.  If the device is on it's own, so to speak, you have to use static IPs and deal with opening various ports on all the network equipment in the chain.  I intend to use an analog phone at this location in the future and should have a handset available sometime in the week.  But it would be great to know if there is a way to register it without a handset.  I logged into the 202 but didn't find anything that looked like what I was looking for except for the automatic provisioning.  Since I'm not competent yet with all the stuff under the hood I didn't mess with it.   

[chmedly]

Ok, my thread title probably needs to curve a little.  I took the 202 to my office where I already have a 110 setup and working. I just swapped boxes and tried to add the 202 but the power light kept blinking. I tried restarting everything and even doing a hard reset on the 202 but couldn't get an IP address.  btw, at this location the internet connection is coming through a usb modem to a mac running 10.6.8.  This computer is dishing the IPs and internet out to the other devices on the LAN.  [The 110 didn't have any trouble with this arrangement when I first set it up.]  I ended up assigning a static IP to the 202 and from then it was smooth sailing. I updated the firmware and got the box assigned to a google voice account.  It seems to be working. I will have to redo the WAN/LAN stuff when this box goes back to it's own home. 
Now, after playing with this a bit I realize that the USB sharing feature is not as sophisticated as I had hoped.  It doesn't seem to handle any of the IP stuff necessary to use it over the internet.  On the local network it could be somewhat useful but given the fact that it uses it's own web browser based file manager the whole feature is little more than a novelty.  I suppose that to do it right would require a pretty extensive build out of the obi client so that shares could be mounted on remote computers. 

[QBZappy]

The obvious thing is to introduce SAMBA into the OBi to make this feature really usefull for internal stuff, however I don't think it will ever become a NAS.
http://www.samba.org/

I think the browser based file manager targets an ad hoc group of users who may occasionally want to share files, photos, etc.

[giqcass]

The Obi202 supports DLNA.  I prefer SAMBA but it still works with my video devices.
If you want to mount it you could mount it as an ftp drive.  You do unfortunately have to mess with all that static assignment and port forwarding. If you put the 202 between your internet modem and your internal router (assuming it isn't an all in one) then the port forwarding stuff and static IP assignment isn't a problem on your home network.  Or you could put it in the DMZ.  The Obi202 has it's own firewall to protect it.  That still leaves you with your WAN IP for that I use DDNS.

[chmedly]

"If you want to mount it you could mount it as an ftp drive."
Wait, what am I missing?  How do you do this? 
What I want to do is automatically nightly backup a computer that runs 24/7 @ one location to a hard drive at another location.  I thought the Obi202 might let me use one of my existing usb drives to do it, thereby saving a few bucks instead of buying a new nas device.  dlna could be cool too although I might just end up with a plex server anyway....

[QBZappy]

chmedly,

You can mount an ftp share like so:
ftp:(2 forward slashes //)Username:PW@DDNS:port#

Sorry about the braces. Forum was incorrectly placing http:// in front.

You will have to port forward port 21 to the Obi202

Edit: just tried both ways. I could not get it to work. I could not use a browser to http address and could not use windows explorer to ftp to it. I can only browse the files using the local web page of the Obi202. This limits it's usefulness indeed.
ftp:(2 forward slashes //)Username:PW@DDNS:port#
http://Username:PW@DDNS:port#

Http and ftp file servers are different in nature. It looks like the OBi is a http file server only. It limits file browsing within the OBi202 web page. Seems like a strange limitation.