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Will ObiBT allow cell phone to act as handset?

Started by Brightershade, August 30, 2013, 05:49:47 PM

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Brightershade

Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I didn't find an answer to this question in the forum: will the ObiBT connected to an Obi202 allow me to use my cell phone like a normal POTS handset?  ???

My situation: I want to use it with an Obi202 at a vacation home that has broadband but no cellular service.

In other words, opposite of "Use Your Regular Telephones to Make and Receive Calls via Your Mobile Phone's Cellular Service" as described at http://obihai.com/obibtd.php

ianobi

#1
Brightershade – welcome to the forum.

I don't have an OBi202 and the AdminGuide is well out of date regarding Blue Tooth issues, so here's my semi-educated guess:

Incoming calls to each service on the OBi202 need "bt" added as a terminal. For instance, if Google Voice is on sp1 then your exisiting sp1 InboundCallRoute probably looks like this:

Voice Services > SP1 Service > X_InboundCallRoute:
{ph,ph2}

Change it to:
Voice Services > SP1 Service > X_InboundCallRoute:
{ph,ph2,bt}

Now incoming calls on sp1 should call phones 1&2 and the Blue Tooth paired cell phone.

As I understand it "bt" = Blue Tooth Service 1 and "bt2" = Blue Tooth Service 2.

Edit: Having looked at this again, I'm not sure that this will cause the cell phone to ring. More likely it will simply connect to the cell phone, which will expect to receive digits.

Make the changes via the OBi Expert Configuration pages. From your OBi Dashboard, click on your OBi number and follow the prompts to get there. To change a value uncheck both boxes to the right of the value and leave them unchecked. After changing the values on one page, press submit at the bottom of the page and wait a few minutes for the OBi to reboot.

For outgoing you could use the OBiON app on your cell phone, which will work anywhere you can connect via wifi. The default setup allows you to use "single-stage dialling" using the OBi202's Primary Line. This can be improved if you want to go with this option. You could also use the OBiON app for incoming calls – it needs some changes to all the other InboundCallRoutes to achieve this and does add extra "legs" into the call route which may affect call quality.

If your cell phone is android, then there is a way of using CSipSimple to make your cell phone into a wifi handset and connect to the OBi via a wifi router. This is a little complex to set up, so I won't try that here unless asked for.

Good luck – let us know how you get on with {ph,ph2,bt} as I don't recall it being posted here before.


drgeoff

I don't have an OBiBT either but my expectation is that it won't achieve what Brightershade wants.

1.  My interpretation of what he wants is to use his cellphone instead of a corded/cordless phone plugged into an OBi phone socket.  That means dialling on the cellphone keypad and the call going out from SPx on the OBi.  And calls coming in on SPx can be taken on the cellphone.

2.  My understanding of the OBiBT to cellphone pairing is that as far as the cellphone is concerned, the OBi appears to be a Bluetooth headset.  So the functionality is limited to what one could do with a headset or car hands free unit.  Namely, calls coming in to the cellphone can 'ring' the OBi which can direct them to its phone port, or the AA etc.  And the OBi can use the cellphone as an outgoing route.

Clearly 1 and 2 above are 'opposites' of each other.

I hope someone who has uses an OBiBT or has done the tests will confirm or refute my reasoning. 

ianobi

drgeoff,

I agree with your reasoning. I think the OP here will have to opt for using the OBiON app on his cell phone, or if it's android, go for the CSipSimple option. Both use wifi, which will give better range.

With the right digitmaps / routings, the full range of incoming and outgoing calls can be achieved with both options.

OBiON is more simple to set up. CSipSimple has the advantages of using local call routing - less latency etc, and can use the native cell phone keypad.


Brightershade

So far, I haven't been able to get this to work . . .  :(

One potential reason: either or both the ObiBT and my iPhone don't support the same Bluetooth device profile. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3647 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile

As FYI, in the Advanced Configuration for the 202, there are two places for modification: under the ObiBluetooth 1, there is InboundCallRoute; under the particular SP service, there is X_InboundCallRoute. Setting both to "ph,ph2,btw" didn't cause the paired iPhone to ring.


drgeoff

As per my reasoning above, I don't believe Brightershade will ever get the OBi to activate an ordinary(*) cellphone's ringer.  It only rings when calls come in via the mobile network.  I'm not aware of any Bluetooth profile which has the functionality Brightershade seeks.

*By ordinary I mean a stock cellphone with only factory software.  I don't rule out the possibility that someone could write an app which would do some or all of what Brightershade wants.

LeoKing

Quote from: Brightershade on August 30, 2013, 05:49:47 PM
Maybe I missed it somewhere, but I didn't find an answer to this question in the forum: will the ObiBT connected to an Obi202 allow me to use my cell phone like a normal POTS handset?  ???

My situation: I want to use it with an Obi202 at a vacation home that has broadband but no cellular service.

In other words, opposite of "Use Your Regular Telephones to Make and Receive Calls via Your Mobile Phone's Cellular Service" as described at http://obihai.com/obibtd.php

If your cell phone is an Android smart phone, just use the Mo+ PHONE for Google Voice & GTalk app and your Google Voice number to make calls and text over WiFi.

ianobi

Brightershade,

I think that we have established that the Bluetooth option is not going to work as you want. Also you do not have an android cell phone, so some other options are not available. This only leaves us with the OBiON app solution.

If you wish to go ahead with that, then download the OBiON app onto your cell phone and set up your OBi202's number as the softphone gateway on the OBi dashboard. Then tell me which sp is your Primary Line and which other services you have on your OBi202. I will give you the dial plans etc to make the OBiON app function the same as an OBi202 phone for incoming and outgoing calls.




dircom

"My situation: I want to use it with an Obi202 at a vacation home that has broadband but no cellular service"

Since you have no cell service
to keep it simple, why don't you get a hard wired phone, or a cordless system?