Porting Number Question

[RonM]

I have an existing number on my google account.  This is configured and working using my OBI 200.  This is working great.  I'm now porting my home number to GV as well.  I would like to know how to best do this.

Option 1 - Port new number to my existing google account so there will be two numbers on the single GV account.  Can I purchase a 202 and configure both lines to ring separate phones?  It may be possible with 202 but I don't know and can't find any clarification after much searching.

Option 2 - Port my new number to a differen account.  I'm pretty sure that this could be configured to ring two separate phones on the same 202.

Any assistance would be helpful.

Thanks
Ron

[SteveInWA]

Hi Ron:

Google Voice accounts can have a maximum of two inbound GV numbers, as long as one or both of them are ported in, vs. being issued by Google.  So, yes, you could port in your number, but GV can't accept ports from land line carriers.  You'd need to first port the land line number to a prepaid mobile phone carrier, and wait a few days, then port it to GV.  The result would be that calls to either number would ring the same destinations you have selected on the Phones tab of GV Settings, https://www.google.com/voice#phones

Calls to either number are handled the same way (there is no way to have different greetings or different phones ringing).  If you want to treat this as a separate line, then instead of porting the number into your existing account, port it into a new/different Google account.  You would then set up that new account as a separate service provider slot on your OBi.

For further advice, you can come on over to the Google Voice help forum, linked in my signature below.

[RonM]

Steve,

Thanks for the assistance.  I am currently in the process of porting via a prepaid SIM card.  I was about to import the number in to my GV account when I started thinking about how to handle the two phone lines.  It would be easier to maintain the two lines under my GV account but I will have to use a second GV account.   I just wanted to check before I went to through the porting to GV.

Thanks for the help!

Ron