Another "What model do I need" question..

[emdeec]

Hello all,

New here, and haven't purchased a device yet. Here's my story and what I'd like to do..

I'm pretty PC (build my own) and networking savvy. I'm a live-in caregiver for my 89 yo mother. Our income is quite limited.

I carry a Tracfone with me at all times when I'm away from home so my mother can reach me. Until today.. we had a land based line through our local phone carrier. I also have ADSL through them. We live in a semi-rural area in so OR. In an effort to save on our monthly upkeep costs we discussed a plan a while back. Our contract with our satellite provider finally expired so we dropped them and mounted a digital HD antenna on the roof. This gives us all the local channels for free. With our broadband and a Netflix subscription we are going to save much especially with the fact that I can access the few "3rd party" shows my mom likes over the internet.

The gentleman at the phone company was refreshingly honest when I told him my situation. We only receive a few incoming calls a week and rarely make outgoing ones. It made more sense to drop the landline completely for the mere $13 a mo "LifeLine" discount my mother gets towards her home line.. and sign her up for a free SafeLink cell phone with 240 min a mo free. The phone rep agreed. So that is what I did.. however my mother has had a technological aversion to cell phones. They are hard for her to understand and the buttons are hard for her to see. I've tried explaining that they work about the same as her cordless home phone (green/red - call/hangup.. etc) but it is still difficult for her and she has entered this with some trepidation. Sooo..

I explained to her that we COULD get a VOIP box and hook it up to broadband.. thereby letting her keep "big" phones in the house. She doesn't grasp the concept but as long as it "works" the same.

I recently purchased my first tablet which has no phone capabilities, but I purchased the GrooveIP app, signed up for a Google Voice acct, and tried calling home the other day while out and about and at a Wi-Fi hotspot.. it worked fine. Years back we even had two land lines in our house a separate # for each of us.. when we both had "lives".. LOL. IIRC last week I DO believe I used MY Tracfone cell to set up my GV acct, but Google gave me the option of a new # as well and it's tied to my tablet. When someone calls my local GV # I have it set up NOT to ring my Tracfone as minutes on it are metered. In other words if my mom needs to reach me unconditionally she can dial my Tracfone. For a casual call (provided I'm in a hotspot) she can try my tablet through GV.

So what I'd like to do.. if possible.. is to have TWO GV #s (I'd get one for mom at home) tied through one Obihai device. I'd have to use mother's new SafeLink cell # tied to a new GV one for her. When my friends called my exclusive GV # and I'm at home.. it would ring through a home phone. If I leave home with my tablet.. it would ring there as well. When someone called my mother's exclusive GV # it would ring through at home as well. So essentially it would be like the old days when we both had separate home phones.

My mother rarely leaves home and when she does it's usually with me. Other family members could reach her either through the Obihai "home" phone.. or via her cell whenever they chose to. Is such a thing possible and which model would let me attach two separate #s to it?

Once I get it all set up I'd worry about 911 service configuration afterwards. I'd also have to make my mother understand that if need be she can reach 911 through her cell.

Sorry for the lengthy read and I thank you all for your time and attention. On a side-note.. TF finally just released a REAL Android smartphone available exclusively (for now) through one of those "shopping" networks. I'm planning on getting one soon and since it's Android.. I can install the above mentioned VOIP app as well and use it without minutes ticking away.. over Wi-Fi.

After the initial equipment outlay..I'm shaving about $70 off our monthly utilities.. down to a shoelace!

[hwittenb]

You really shouldn't have to choose which phone to grab when you need to call 911.  I would setup a 911 capability on the OBi in addition to the two GV accounts.  In that case you could get either an OBi200 or and OBi202 depending on whether you want to attach one or two separate analog home phones.  The OBi200 lets you attach a single phone, the OBi202 lets you attach two separate phones.

[Crow550]

Setup 911 on the Obi device. You never know when an emergency happens and the cell phone may be out of reach or dead battery, etc, etc and Home phone may be closer.

You can also get a Home phone which has Bluetooth cell phone connect for 911 calls but I don't know how easy that is?

Obi offers it through Anveo for $12 or $15 a year depending on features you want.

Any deactivated cell phone has to legally be able to call 911. Not all cell phones have GPS tracking though.

I guess if you wanted a layered protection.... Maybe a Home phone with Bluetooth cell phone support with a cell phone always charging along with Anveo 911 support.

Something like that.... Stay safe!

[dircom]

My mom has a land line with only local calling to save money.  Years ago I created several GV numbers, so she could have a local # to call all the kids.
I put an obi there for when I visit.  She can not hear well.  We got her a CapTel with speech to text capability phone so she can read a captioning of the conversation.
Today her internet is out, so the CapTel is down.  If an Obi was her main phone, that would be down.

Long story short, I would not depend on an Obi type system for an older person, unless you live in the same town, and can easily troubleshoot.

She has a also has a phone system that plugs into a regular phone jack and that system comes with a desk phone, a cordless phone, and a pendant type phone.  She can understand the pendant type phone sometimes.

[Jackson]

TF finally just released a REAL Android smartphone available exclusively (for now) through one of those "shopping" networks. I'm planning on getting one soon and since it's Android..

They are showing one now for $129.  FWIW eBay has lots of TF stuff.

Here's the phone, new for $109.99 and no tax.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Galaxy-Centura-Android-Smartphone-Tracfone-Triple-Minutes-/131000022255?pt=Cell_Phones&hash=item1e8035b4ef

There also lots of top off cards (pins) available.  Here's one, and with no tax it's basically ~$25 cheaper. Note '250 bonus minutes' are included.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TRACFONE-AIRTIME-TOPUP-400-MINUTES-250-MINUTES-1-YEAR-OF-SERVICE-FASTEST-/161133415321?pt=SIM_Cards&hash=item25844ccb99

That basically works out to $0.055/min/  Not bad.