Laptop with SoftPhone -> OBiXXX -> Vonage ATA

[ChrisJacob]

Hey Everyone,

Apologies if this is already covered, but the cursory search as dictated by forum etiquette did not return results that I could wrap my head around. Let me first ask my question, then provide some context...

Is it possible to use a OBi device to connect a SIP client into an existing Voange home phone setup? In other words, I have a Vonage ATA that my home analog phone wiring is connected to. Works like a charm, no complaints. I would like to be able to fire a SIP soft phone up on my laptop and make and receive calls just like all the other phones in the house.

Why? Well... because I'm an idiot.
I have been a Vonage customer for years and years. Along come a good friend of mine who asks me to help them out by subscribing to this VoIP service they are pimping. I know it's a pyramid scam, but if the service is decent and they don't try to get me to sell crap, I don't mind helping them out...

Well, the service was terrible... My wife hated it, and as a result my life became miserable. I paid off the early termination fee and went crawling back to Vonage. Now, my wife is happy... she has all the features she wants (specifically surprisingly good and sometimes humorous speech to text emails of voice messages) However, this morning I realized that I can no longer use a KEY feature for me. The Vonage companion. This was a soft phone that (unlike the available Vonage SIP client) extended my home phone network to my laptop. It seems this service is no longer offered on any account except for the $355.00 prepaid annual deal... ummmmm.... no thanks.

So back in the day, I was dabbled in the world of VoIP, specifically Asterix, even building a production system for a software development company I worked for. (I'm still very proud of it) Soooooo..... I got to thinking. How can I have this same functionality without changing anything about the current system (and pissing off the wife)

So basically, what I would like to do is buy one of these bad ass looking devices that I just discovered today,  (Obi of some sort) and have it act as a bridge between my existing home Vonage setup (the fact that it's Vonage really has no bearing... could just as easily be POTS from Verizon) and a SIP soft phone on my laptop.

Ok, wow... that was way longer than I intended... any guidance? ideas? get lost?

Thanks peeps!

-chris

[sdb-]

You're right, it being Vonage has no bearing.  (Vonage really doesn't want you to bring your own device, whether that be actual hardware or a softphone.  They want you to use what they provide so that means you use the POTS output of your Vonage box.)

You want a softphone on your laptop to access your home phone POTS line.  An OBi110 or an OBi20x with an OBiLINE can accept a POTS line (via an 'FXO' port).  (It can also accept a telephone, its primary use, but evidently that 'FXS' port is of no use to you.)

You can configure the OBi such that from within your home network, a SIP phone (or softphone) can connect to the OBi.  There are many threads on that, as well as a guide on the Obihai website (but I don't have any url's at hand).

Once your SIP phone is connected to the OBi, it can access the service(s) available to the OBi.  In your case, the only service would be the POTS line provided by your Vonage box.

From outside your home network is a bit more challenging. You'll likely need to forward a port on your router, and then you will need some care and luck to avoid port scanners being able to access your OBi.  Personally I don't believe the OBi is a sufficiently secure device to be publicly exposed this way, but many people apparently have no problems for a long time (for various definitions of 'long').

[giqcass]

Inside the home it's real easy to set up what you want.  From outside of the home you could either do the port forwarding thing like mentioned above or you could just register your Obi with any free service that offers a sip address. If you use the "Oleg method" to defeat the port scanners you will be fine even if you decide to open the ports.  As mentioned above you definitely need either the Obi110 to do this or a 200 series with the Obiline adapter. 

[giqcass]

I found a link for you.  In this example they are not using the line port but the set up is nearly identical.  The main thing to remember is you can not use Vonage with the Obi100 because it will not support the line port.
http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=6862.0

You can choose any sip client you like.

[ChrisJacob]

Thanks guys. I get the outside the network stuff. I run m0n0wall (which I highly recommend BTW) and have no problem setting up the rules necessary (or better, VPN) as needed.

All I really wanted to know is this device was what I was looking for, and it seems it is! (To be honest, I probably would have bought one anyway, because I can't pass up the opportunity to hack around with new toys)

The only question I have left is, which one of these devices is right for me?

Thanks again for the help. I look forward to becoming part of the community.

-cj

[Usetheforceobiwan]

If you are a tinkerer by nature, I would suggest you start out with both an Obi200 or 202 AND an Obi 110.   You could also do an Obi 200 or 202 with an Obiline but my experience with Obiline has not been all that great.  With both a 202 and a 110, lots of room for experimentation and growth with these two items and the 110 can serve as an FXO port for your mini PBX when it reaches that point.  With the GV (Google Voice) compliant products like the 200 series and the 110, you can also throw GV into your experimentation list although there are some questions surrounding Obi compatibility with XMPP (the underlying protocol for GV) once GV goes WEBRTC in May of next year.  

That is how I started out and it has provided for hours upon hours of learning (and frustration too).

[ChrisJacob]

Man... My wife is going to hate you. 

[Usetheforceobiwan]

Man... My wife is going to hate you. 

Well then that would make two wives hating me 

[sdb-]

I've had an OBi110 for a couple of months.  I chose it because it was the cheapest way to get the FXO.

I've since dropped my land line, and tonight just hooked up an OBi202 - two phone (FXS) lines, 4 service providers, and a much faster processor (the web UI is much snappier and the thing boots like a drop of water on a hot, greased griddle).

I couldn't wait to box up the 110 (but now I have to get it out again to get the last few days of call log off of it).

My wife tolerates me...  As long as the phone works.

[giqcass]

My wife has a cell phone. That is all she uses so my home phone setup is all mine to tinker with as much as I want.  I have set up 5 gateways, 2 Bluetooth dongles, incoming/outgoing Skype, a robocall trap, ITAD, ENUM, an extension in hundreds of countries, and god only knows what I forgot about.  The Obi devices are a tinkerers dream. They fall just short of a full blown PBX.  Add a raspberry pi and you can have that too.

[ChrisJacob]

I figured I'd start with the 202 and an OBiLINE. (ordered and already shipped from Amazon)

As luck would have it (yeah, more like a sick addiction, not luck) I have a Raspberry Pi sitting right here in my man cave.

I'm starting to get excited.

-cj