Voice gateway for outbound toll-free calling

[mhbrekke]

I have an Obi110 with SP1 configured for voip.ms. SP2 is unused. I am able to place calls through SP1, so there are no problems with SIP registration.

I had previously set up VG1 to forward calls through SP1 to tf.callwithus.com:

Access Number: SP1(tf.callwithus.com)

The setup used to work (confirmed by reviewing my call logs to make sure that the call was connected to SP1).

The gateway doesn't work today. If I try to place a toll free call, I get a (female) voice response indicating that the call could not be connected. The call history shows:

Terminal ID: SP1
Peer Number: 18662037023@tf.callwithus.com
End Call (400 Content-Length mis-match)

If I change tf.callwithus.com to tollfree.alcazarnetworks.com I get:

Terminal ID: SP1
Peer Number: 18662037023@tollfree.alcazarnetworks.com
End Call (400 Bad Request)

Any ideas? Nothing has changed in my network configuration, so I can't explain why this suddenly quit working.

[azrobert]

Just guessing, but there might be a parm on SP1 that the tollfree providers don't like. Try using SP2 for your Voice Gateway.

Setup a dummy SIP definition on SP2 like this:

Service Providers -> ITSP Profile B -> SIP -> ProxyServer: 127.0.0.1
Voice Services -> SP2 Service -> AuthUserName: anything
Voice Services -> SP2 Service -> X_RegisterEnable: unchecked
Voice Services -> SP2 Service -> X_ServProvProfile: B

Point the Voice Gateway ay SP2:
Access Number: SP2(tf.callwithus.com)

[mhbrekke]

OK, if I use the "dummy" SP2 then I can connect to SP2(tf.callwithus.com). alcazar still doesn't work (503 Service Unavailable - Route Advance). It's a different error than I was getting yesterday, but still can't complete the call.

I guess I can live with this for now, but it's strange because I had been using SP1(tf.callwithus.com) for a month or so until yesterday. I was hoping to leave SP2 open so that I can add a SIP phone or softphone and route it through the Obi's call processing. I don't know if I'm better off using a hosted PBX for this type of call routing?

I have to use one of the registration-less toll free providers because voip.ms puts a limit on the percentage of toll free calling that I can use and the majority of my VOIP calls are to a teleconference bridge.

[azrobert]

alcazar still doesn't work

I never got Alcazar to work.
These are the tollfree services I use:
tf.arctele.com
tf.callwithus.com
sip.denetron.com

There are others.

I was hoping to leave SP2 open so that I can add a SIP phone or softphone and route it through the Obi's call processing. I don't know if I'm better off using a hosted PBX for this type of call routing?

You can't register a SIP phone or softphone to an OBi1xx.
You would need an OBi2xx.
If your phones can call out without registration then you can use the SP2 dummy definition with a small modification like this:

This will process outbound calls and route them to SP1:
Voice Services -> SP2 Service -> X_InboundCallRoute:
{OBi110>(1xxxxxxxxxx):sp1},{ph}

This will send inbound calls on SP1 to the softphone:
Voice Services -> SP1 Service -> X_InboundCallRoute:
ph,sp2(anything@xx.xx.xx.xx:5060)      
(xx.xx.xx.xx is the IP address of the computer running the softphone)

Phonerlite Softphone on Windows:

Download and install:
http://www.phoner.de/PhonerLiteSetup.exe
When you start Phonerlite I think wizard will popup because no accounts are defined.
Proxy: 192.168.1.100:5061    (IP address and port of OBi110 SP2)
Click right arrow.
User Name: OBi110
Click right arrow.
Change Profile Name: OBi110
Click check mark
Click Server Tab
Uncheck Register
Save

A SIP phone would have a similar setup.

[ProfTech]

Pretty sure CallWithUs web page says you can make toll free calls using tf.callwithus.com without having an account, but I think I got a message something similar to what you are getting when I tried it. You can open an account for only a few dollars and just use it for toll free. They do not require your device to register to make a call so you should still be able to use a voice gateway. As far as the other post about possibly having some setting in SP1 that CWU doesn't like, I can relate to that also. I experienced a similar issue when I tried to use a voice gateway to make outbound calls through Asterisk.

[Sam_from_CircleNet]

I wanted to chime in and mention a free service that CircleNet offers for toll free calling without having to make an account.
You can send toll free calls to tf.circlenet.us using the username tf and password tf. It isn't something we widely advertise and it might go away suddenly if it's ever abused but for the time being it's an option.

Sam

[Godzilla]

I had the same issue... tf.callwithus.com was working fine and then stopped starting in early March. I was able to dial out other ways, but tonight I got fed up and swapped out to sip.tollfreeproxy.com...

Under Gateways and Trunk Groups:

Voice Gateway1
Name            Toll Free
AccessNumber    sp1(sip.tollfreeproxy.com;op=n)
DigitMap      <xx.>
AuthUserID   <my number here>


and then under Physical Interfaces....
Phone 1 --- OutboundCallRoute
I added        {(1800xxxxxxx|1888xxxxxxx|1877xxxxxxx|1866xxxxxxx|1855xxxxxxx|1844xxxxxxx):vg1},


Works for me... on my 202.
good luck

[202Owner]

I had the same issue... tf.callwithus.com was working fine and then stopped starting in early March. I was able to dial out other ways, but tonight I got fed up and swapped out to sip.tollfreeproxy.com...

Current problem?:  CWU is having hardware trouble.

March problem?:  CWU free TF requires a valid US CallerID number.  Using an OBi202, I am able to pass this using this vg1 configuration:

Gateways and Trunk Groups - Voice Gateway1::AccessNumber = sp1(tf.callwithus.com;ui=callerID number)

This passes your CallerID number as the gateway AuthUserID, but no CWU account or AuthPassword is required.

Should work again once CWU's host service fixes their hardware.  Test using ANI Verification by MCI: 1-800-437-7950 will report CallerID number.