SP1 and SP2 confusion with traditional corded phone

[Lafong]

My Panasonic corded phone has 2 jacks—"line" and "data". The "line" jack is currently connected to "Phone 1" and is configured as SP1 on my Obi 202, using Google Voice.

I'm a brand new user, but this seems to be working OK for both outgoing and incoming calls.

I want to configure E911 from Anveo or Callcentric on SP2.

Should I:

1: run a standard phone cable from the "data" jack on the phone to "Phone 2" on the Obi?

2: buy a splitter and connect it to the "line" jack on the phone and then run 2 cables from the splitter, with the first connecting to "Phone 1" and the second connecting to "Phone 2"?

3: Or am I wrong entirely and is this switching between "SP1" and "SP2" instead done inside the Obi device and I therefore do NOT need a splitter or a second cable physically connecting my phone to Obi SP2 at all?

4: Or??

I'm guessing 3 is the correct answer, but I haven't done any testing and would rather understand before I proceed blindly.

Does it even matter whether I use the "data" or "line" jacks on the phone?

[drgeoff]

3.

I do not know the Panasonic phone but I would use only the Line jack on it.

[Shale]

What model is the phone?

[dircom]

If you want to be able to make and receive two phone calls at once, you need two separate phones, each one plugged into a phone jack on the Obi.  You also have to have at least two service providers configured to do this.

If you don't care about two simultaneous calls, you can configure incoming calls from any of your providers to ring on the jack you choose.  You can also dial out on various providers by using star codes.

The data jack on your phone has nothing to do with the Obi
it is used if you you want to plug in a Computer, Modem, Fax or Answering machine

The line jack is the correct jack to use to connect your phone to the Obi (or a POTS dial tone provider)

[azrobert]

Number 3 is the correct answer.

You can access any of the SPx trunks from Phone Port 1.

Using the default configuration you would dial **28005551212 to route a call out SP2.

I have an OBi110 and the default trunk for 911 is the Line Port.

I don't know what's the OBi202's default trunk for 911. If it's not what you want it can be easily changed.

[Lafong]

Using the default configuration you would dial **28005551212 to route a call out SP2.

I have an OBi110 and the default trunk for 911 is the Line Port.

I don't know what's the OBi202's default trunk for 911. If it's not what you want it can be easily changed.

AzRobert: Do you mean that I can call out on SP2 right now, even though it is completely unconfigured, if I dial 002 before the 10 digit number I'm calling? I use SP1 for Google Voice. SP2 is unused as of now.

Or do you mean if I configure 911 on SP2, I could then also call ordinary numbers on SP2 IF and ONLY IF I use 002 before the 10 digit number? I'm guessing that's what you mean, but I shouldn't ever have to do that as far as I can see.

Is it important that I know or care what the OBi202's default trunk is for 911? All I want is to be able to pick up the phone and dial 911 as simply as I'd dial any other number. I'm aware of the checkbox setting for "use this service for 911" or whatever that exact wording is and intend to use that checkbox for 911 on SP2.

Shale: the phone is a Panasonic KX-TS620. I found the manual. It says the data port is for a "fax, modem, or PC". I've never used it and assume I can ignore it for my purposes. I have no idea what would happen if I swapped the OBi connection from the line port to the data port on the Panasonic.

Dircom: thanks for the tip. I don't foresee ever wanting to make two calls simultaneously. I'm a one phone, one line, one PC household.

Here are 4 remaining questions I have and I hope you guys can tackle them:

1: My Obi 202's IP address has changed at least once in the 3 or 4 days I have owned it. Is this normal behavior and of any concern? What causes it? Should it remain unchanged once I've gotten things ironed out and configured? I know I can check by ***1.

2: As part of my testing, I made some calls to my doctor's office during the middle of the night when they were closed and I knew I'd get their answering machine. The calls usually went through fine, but on 2 or 3 occasions I was disconnected within 5 seconds. After being disconnected, if I then poked "redial" on my Panasonic phone, I was successfully reconnected and stayed connected. Explanation? Possibly related to Obi? Possibly related to doctor's office answering device?


3: Is it considered best practice to turn off automatic firmware updates? I'm computer literate and have always refused to auto-update firmware or habitually flash a motherboard BIOS because a failure can often brick the device. And in the case of the Obi, it seems there is little documentation about new firmwares or what they supposedly fix. I generally believe "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

4: As part of my fumbling to get Google Voice configured, I downloaded and installed a Google "plug-in" called "Googlevoiceandvideosetup.exe." Did I need to do that? I certainly don't need to use any video capability.

Thanks. I'll probably have more questions in the next week or two as I get comfortable with this thing.

[Shale]

1) I prefer to have my router always pass out the same IP number to my OBi202. This is handy when I want to access the local web page. I selected 192.168.xx.202.

2) I don't know why that happened. Not typical.

3) I don't. Others do.

4) No. I don't know what that is, but most people don't do it.

[dircom]

As I mentioned before, The line jack is the correct jack to use to connect your phone to the Obi .
you can configure SP1 - 4 for different providers
If you only have one SP configured for dialing out
Then you only have one provider configured to call out

kind of like a driveway that can hold 4 cars,
if you only have one car in the driveway, you can only drive that one car

[Lafong]

1) I prefer to have my router always pass out the same IP number to my OBi202. This is handy when I want to access the local web page. I selected 192.168.xx.202.

Shale:

I know absolutely nothing about routers and have never owned one, instead connecting direct from cable modem to PC. This router in the Obi 202 is my first exposure.

I knew that the default on a new Obi 202 is for the router functionality to be "on". I accepted that and I have left all router settings at default, mostly out of fear of fouling something up considering my lack of knowledge.

I assume you are referring to a separate router you own?

When I found out my original IP, I made a bookmark to it for ease of access. Later that day, the bookmark did not connect to anything and I dialed ***1 again to discover my IP had changed. Normal? Or should it not change if the router is untouched?

Can you explain to a rookie the advantage of your method? Only so you can quickly see the local web page, rather than having to enter it in a browser?

All things being equal, I'd prefer to just pretend I don't have a router---at least until I have more understanding. I assume I have some higher degree of security than I did before I bought the Obi, but who knows.

[Shale]

Unfortunately, I cannot use your method. My modem has its own router built in.

I would have thought the OBi would always be at the same IP, such as 192.168.15.1, but I guess that is not how it works.

Your method is working. I would stick with it.

[Lafong]

Unfortunately, I cannot use your method. My modem has its own router built in.

I would have thought the OBi would always be at the same IP, such as 192.168.15.1, but I guess that is not how it works.

Your method is working. I would stick with it.

Aye aye. I appreciate the advice.

I will ignore my router as best I can, unless I have significant problems.

Re 911: From trawling these forums for the last several days, I can't see any clear cut preference among members for either of the 2 best known 911 providers--Anveo and Callcentric.

Anveo appears to be slightly less expensive.

I'm mostly concerned about reliability of the service, support, and the financial viability of the two companies--who is most likely to be around in a few years, the phone tech industry being what it is. Needless to say, I'd never heard of either of them a week ago.

I may eventually need non-911 service from someone other than Google Voice if Google eventually starts charging for calls. I don't use the phone much and know that Callcentric has a "pay per call" type service that may be suitable--net cost to me 2 or 3 bucks a month, plus 911. Not sure yet if Anveo has "pay per call".

Any comments on relative merits of Anveo or Callcentric generally and for 911 specifically, other than cost?

[Shale]

I use Anveo. The 911 has a 933 number that you can call to check setup and operation.

You can use a combination of the "free" account http://anveo.com/consumer/service.asp for outgoing + the per-minute phone number http://anveo.com/consumer/mainphonenumbers.asp for incoming. $1.80 per month plus minutes at about $0.01 per minute (but first 40 minutes inbound per day free)

Other providers have similar offerings.

[Rick]

If you read the forums, you'll see Callcentric had reliability problems last year from being attacked and then again during the October storm.  I dropped them and no longer use E911, just dial the dispatch number when I dial 911.  Posts describing exactly how to do that on the forum.

[ProfTech]

I tried Anveo and Voip.ms as well as 2 or three others. Which provider you decide on may well hinge on several factors. (1) Your knowledge level and interest in "tweaking" things (2) Price (3) Which & how many features you need or want. Anveo looks good for heavy business use but if you want or need even more than a few features it will cost more. Their "10 piece" limit on the call flow will severely limit the features you have access to. I didn't find Voip.ms customer service or the VOIP service itself to be spectacular. For simplicity and features for the average user Callcentric can't be beat. While their customer service is strictly email or their message board, I have communicated with them many times and found them to be responsive. 1000 minutes of outgoing calls and unlimited incoming calls will cost about $19 per month and includes 911. If your usage is light they also have a 500 minute plan that includes 911 as well. You can get "Pay as you go" (both incoming and outgoing) for around $3.50 and that includes 911 as well. If you choose the 500 minute plan and go over you are simply charged 2 cents or so per minute (in USA) for any overage.

[Shale]

Their "10 piece" limit on the call flow will severely limit the features you have access to.

There is a way around that, if it comes up again. 10 is more than enough for basic stuff, but when you get into call screening robots and more, you will go over. That is where you could use an extension call flow. The limit is per call flow.

But if you want to do things like G.729 codec, you would need one of their higher plans.

[Lafong]

Their "10 piece" limit on the call flow will severely limit the features you have access to.

There is a way around that, if it comes up again. 10 is more than enough for basic stuff, but when you get into call screening robots and more, you will go over. That is where you could use an extension call flow. The limit is per call flow.

But if you want to do things like G.729 codec, you would need one of their higher plans.

What is the significance of the "10 piece limit" at Anveo? I saw a reference to it on the Anveo web site, but have no idea in the world what it means or how it would matter for a very light phone user.

Rick: I talked to the local 911 people. They repeatedly say that there is no local 7 or 10 digit number equivalent to E911 that can read your address and callback number. There IS an ordinary non-emergency police and fire dispatcher 10 digit number, but you'd have to be able to give your address to them by speaking. I'm guessing that if you could give your location by speaking, the non-emergency number might be able to get emergency services to your location as quickly as 911, but I'm not sure.

I'm rarely on the phone more than an hour a month, so it looks like "pay per minute" is preferable in my case.
Offhand, it looks like total charges for a very light user like me would be slightly higher at Callcentric than at Anveo, but a dollar a month isn't going to sway me. I liked the Callcentric web site much better than Anveo's for ease of use and explanation purposes.

I'm leaning toward Callcentric for 911. I will likely remain with Google for all ordinary calls, with Callcentric a possible choice if Google decides to charge.

Re tweaking: I'm not a dummy and am computer literate, but have little telephony knowledge. Regardless, I prefer as little tweaking as possible.

A question about fees and taxes beyond the monthly fixed and per minute charges. Am I correct that Callcentric adds taxes and fees only for NY account addresses and Anveo only for Pennsylvania addresses?? Half of the annoyance of a traditional phone bill is the long list of miscellaneous fees and taxes, so that's one thing I'm trying to avoid.

[Shale]

What is the significance of the "10 piece limit" at Anveo? I saw a reference to it on the Anveo web site, but have no idea in the world what it means or how it would matter for a very light phone user.

Anveo call flow item limit of 10 for cheapest accounts is of significance to a classic phone user.

It is useful for doing novel things, like requiring unknown callers to press a key to prove they are not robots. You would be amazed how that cuts down on nuisance calls. I do things differently depending on if the caller has been identified as friend or family or business or spammer in my contacts list. If not in the list, I do different things if the caller is simply unknown to me or is blocking caller ID. I like looking at the call history every few days to see calls from scammers who never rang my phone-- calls that would have rung my phone with a recorded sales pitch when I had that same number on classic wire phone line.

While this can be used for call trees, like businesses often use, it can be used for novel home uses. http://anveo.com/consumer/features.asp?code=ivrcallflow

Again, you don't have to change anything to work in the classic way of a phone line:  person calls then phone rings.

[Lafong]

What is the significance of the "10 piece limit" at Anveo? I saw a reference to it on the Anveo web site, but have no idea in the world what it means or how it would matter for a very light phone user.

Anveo call flow item limit of 10 for cheapest accounts is of significance to a classic phone user.

It is useful for doing novel things, like requiring unknown callers to press a key to prove they are not robots. You would be amazed how that cuts down on nuisance calls. I do things differently depending on if the caller has been identified as friend or family or business or spammer in my contacts list. If not in the list, I do different things if the caller is simply unknown to me or is blocking caller ID. I like looking at the call history every few days to see calls from scammers who never rang my phone-- calls that would have rung my phone with a recorded sales pitch when I had that same number on classic wire phone line.

While this can be used for call trees, like businesses often use, it can be used for novel home uses. http://anveo.com/consumer/features.asp?code=ivrcallflow

Again, you don't have to change anything to work in the classic way of a phone line:  person calls then phone rings.

Thanks Shale. I'll take a look at that link.

I assume the "10" means I am limited to 10 things I can do regarding incoming calls in some way.

I'm not sure I need even 1 or 2 things to do re call flow.

The fact is, my ringer is off and I never answer the phone. Everyone must leave a message for me to call back. I don't even listen to inbound messages when the caller is speaking to my answerer.

I've been able to configure Google Voice to do that. Messages are left on my phone, not at Google.

Given all of that, what is the likelihood of me needing to know anything about "call flow" or any limit of 10 on call flow?

I will have to consider the possibility that a 911 dispatcher might want to call me back if disconnected.

[Shale]

I assume the "10" means I am limited to 10 things I can do regarding incoming calls in some way.

I'm not sure I need even 1 or 2 things to do re call flow.

Default is start, send the call to the SIP phone, if call is not answered in a selectable amount of time or if link is down etc, send caller to voice mail

The fact is, my ringer is off and I never answer the phone. Everyone must leave a message for me to call back. I don't even listen to inbound messages when the caller is speaking to my answerer.

I've been able to configure Google Voice to do that. Messages are left on my phone, not at Google.

Given all of that, what is the likelihood of me needing to know anything about "call flow" or any limit of 10 on call flow?

I will have to consider the possibility that a 911 dispatcher might want to call me back if disconnected.

Probably no reason to adjust the default call flow in your case, unless you want to not even let some calls leave a message. I got a lot of recordings on the answer machine in the old days, particularly during election season.

[Lafong]

Probably no reason to adjust the default call flow in your case, unless you want to not even let some calls leave a message. I got a lot of recordings on the answer machine in the old days, particularly during election season.

I used to get an unwanted "nuisance" call once a month or so with my old land line number. They went to my answerer, I listened to the first 5 seconds to identify the nature of the call, and immediately deleted them.

I've got a new number now, from Google. Time will tell how "unlisted" that Google number is. If I start getting nuisance calls on the Google number, I'll either delete them as I always have or possibly consider some fancy stuff with "call flow".

My Google account doesn't have my true name, so I'd think anyone searching 411 for me by true name would come up empty.

In the meantime---do you have any comments on my question about fees and taxes on bills from either Callcentric or Anveo if I'm not in NY or Pennsylvania? That is---can I count on my bill being the sum of monthly fixed as stated on web site, plus per minute charges, with nothing added?