Move my OBI with Google talk to Germany

[mshoward]

I currently have my obi set up with google voice and is working just great with a US phone number.
I will be moving soon over to Germany and want to continue to use my obi.
Will it work just the same as now? Or will it change when I move to Germany?
Can I continue to use it as it is currently setup to make calls in the US?

[SteveInWA]

Hi:

Google Voice is a US-only service.  The terms of service require that you maintain a working, US-based forwarding telephone number assigned to your account.  Google may reclaim (take back) your GV phone number after around nine months if you don't do that.

I suggest that you look into some other, SIP-based VoIP service provider for use in Germany.  The main setup page on the OBiTALK portal has a list of service providers from which you can choose.

[mshoward]

So if I use my parents US number as a forwarding number could I still maintain my service?
I don't plan to use the OBi/Google voice service to make calls in Germany. Just to make calls back to my parents in the US from Germany.

[azrobert]

These are older posts, but it looks like it will work.

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=269.msg1334#msg1334

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=2724.msg17928#msg17928

I think you will be breaking Terms of Service (Not sure) and Google can catch you if they want.

[mshoward]

Thanks. I will be moving in a month. Hopefully it works as others have tried. If I have any information when I get there I will try to let others know.

[SteveInWA]

The issue isn't whether it will work or not (it will, initially), but that the ToS require that you maintain a US-based forwarding number on the account.  If that number gets disconnected or abandoned, your GV number will be reclaimed by Google.  If you need to change your forwarding number, you won't be able to add a non-US number.

[SteveInWA]

Of course, aside from OBi and GV, you and your parents can audio and/or video conference for free using Google Hangouts on a computer or Android or iOS portable device.

https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/2944865?hl=en&ref_topic=2944848

[dircom]

you could take your Obi to your parents house and plug in to their router
Then get an Obi for Germany
For outgoing calls, call Obi to Obi, then dial out on your US Obi
incoming calls can be forked (I think) to your German Obi

[drgeoff]

I looked at:
https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/
http://www.google.com/googlevoice/program-policies.html
http://www.google.com/googlevoice/legal-notices.html

and didn't see anything that forbids using GV outside the US.

A requirement for a US forwarding number can be met by one from IPKall which is routed to the OBi via a SIP account.  (There are many no-cost ones such as pbxes, ekiga, etc.)  The IPKall number does need at least one incoming call per 30 days to keep it alive.  That can be satisfied by a call to it from your GV number.  The only hardship is remembering to make that call!

[SteveInWA]

I looked at:
https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/
http://www.google.com/googlevoice/program-policies.html
http://www.google.com/googlevoice/legal-notices.html

and didn't see anything that forbids using GV outside the US.

A requirement for a US forwarding number can be met by one from IPKall which is routed to the OBi via a SIP account.  (There are many no-cost ones such as pbxes, ekiga, etc.)  The IPKall number does need at least one incoming call per 30 days to keep it alive.  That can be satisfied by a call to it from your GV number.  The only hardship is remembering to make that call!

I didn't say that using it outside the US was forbidden.  I said that it was a US-only service, meaning that GV-issued phone numbers are only offered within the 48 contiguous US states, and that the ToS requires that you maintain a working, US-based forwarding phone number.  How you do that is up to you.

[giqcass]

You could get a free callcentric number to maintain a US forwarding number for use with Google Voice.

[carl]

Google voice with obi will work in Germany and other European countries without any problems once set up in the U.S. My mother used to use GV on Obi 100 for extended period of time overseas, however we moved away from GV recently. She can call me on my i-num even from her cell phone for free and for other us calls she can use Localphone for 0.5c/min. GV is not worth the hassle.

[giqcass]

Google voice with obi will work in Germany and other European countries without any problems once set up in the U.S. My mother used to use GV on Obi 100 for extended period of time overseas, however we moved away from GV recently. She can call me on my i-num even from her cell phone for free and for other us calls she can use Localphone for 0.5c/min. GV is not worth the hassle.

I wish Inum had more support.  It would be an excellent service if more phone companies supported it.

[carl]

I wish Inum had more support.  It would be an excellent service if more phone companies supported it.

Unfortunately, I-num is near death and not very reliable. However, for communication with friends/family where you are both customers of the same i-num provider- for example you are both Localphone customers-
the i-num call gets connected internally even if the system is down.

[giqcass]

Unfortunately, I-num is near death and not very reliable. However, for communication with friends/family where you are both customers of the same i-num provider- for example you are both Localphone customers-
the i-num call gets connected internally even if the system is down.

I haven't had issues personally aside from my above gripe.  Internet telephony is still working it's way in to mainstream.  Inum may die but so is the traditional telephone.  It's a nice middle ground to connect the two.  I have a sneaking suspicion whatever we end up with will eventually look more like an email address.  I'm also a fan of ITAD (freenum.org).

[carl]

I haven't had issues personally aside from my above gripe. 

the service was repeatedly down lately, especially in the weekends, you could not dial into any of the access numbers.There was a thread about it on DSL reports.
One problem with " free' is that either someone has to subsidize it- with i-num it's companies which provide them, like Localphone, Callcentric or voip.ms- or it's free but you are the product.

[giqcass]

One problem with " free' is that either someone has to subsidize it- with i-num it's companies which provide them, like Localphone, Callcentric or voip.ms- or it's free but you are the product.

Agreed.  The problem with INUM is there isn't enough money in it for many carriers although some carriers charge a small "long distance fee".