Help with GV and OBITalk

[MickJ]

I have GV as my only SP and almost everything seems to be working correctly. I can make calls out from the phone attached to the OBI100 and they go through GV. I can use the iPhone app also to call. What I can't seem to do, and maybe this isn't possible with GV, is to receive incoming calls from GV on the phone attached to the OBi100. The GV configuration for adding a new phone won't accept the 9 digit OBI number. I'm guessing I actually have to sign up for a new real phone number with another VOIP service and forward GV to that number? Which kind of defeats the purpose.

[LTN1]

Have you placed a check mark under the Google chat box of the forwarding phone section of your GV setup?

If you don't see that box, check out the following link to help with getting the Google chat option:

http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=8581.msg56711#msg56711

[MickJ]

Ok, thanks, setting the Foward to Google Chat fixes the problem. Pardon me for saying that quite how Google Chat should be involved in the phone forwarding process to OBI seems completely obscure.

The big question now is whether to go ahead and dump my AT&T landline service. One issue is 911, which I guess I'd need another SP for, like RingTo. Any advice on that appreciated.

[Taoman]

The big question now is whether to go ahead and dump my AT&T landline service. One issue is 911, which I guess I'd need another SP for, like RingTo. Any advice on that appreciated.

Since you have a 1xx series device it would be RingTo or Google Voice, not RingTo and Google Voice. RingTo requires that you use Anveo for E911 which would take another SP slot which you wouldn't have available to you after adding RingTo.

One option would be to get yourself a free Callcentric DID number and add that in your second SP slot.  If in the U.S. or Canada, Callcentric requires that you pay $1.50/month for E911 (unless you cheat). This would accomplish a number of things for you.

• Gives you an additional DID number for your GV account that has free unlimited incoming minutes. This could become increasingly important as Google continues the migration of Google Voice into Hangouts. I certainly wouldn't want to count on Chat as my only route to my OBi ATA for incoming calls.


• Google Voice does not support CNAM (name display). Callcentric does support it......for free. Also, Callcentric's phone book supports CNAM override. So instead of your display reading "Doe Jane" it could say "Mom."


• Provides E911 support.

[MickJ]

Since you have a 1xx series device it would be RingTo or Google Voice, not RingTo and Google Voice. RingTo requires that you use Anveo for E911 which would take another SP slot which you wouldn't have available to you after adding RingTo.

One option would be to get yourself a free Callcentric DID number and add that in your second SP slot.  If in the U.S. or Canada, Callcentric requires that you pay $1.50/month for E911 (unless you cheat). This would accomplish a number of things for you.

• Gives you an additional DID number for your GV account that has free unlimited incoming minutes. This could become increasingly important as Google continues the migration of Google Voice into Hangouts. I certainly wouldn't want to count on Chat as my only route to my OBi ATA for incoming calls.


• Google Voice does not support CNAM (name display). Callcentric does support it......for free. Also, Callcentric's phone book supports CNAM override. So instead of your display reading "Doe Jane" it could say "Mom."


• Provides E911 support.

Ah, didn't appreciate that the 911 through Anevo would take a slot, but I guess it has to. I'll check out the Callcentric solution. I guess I could just go with Anevo rather than RingTo - it's not "free" but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than what I'm paying AT&T right now.

[MickJ]

It's fascinating how all these SPs have different options. I liked RingTo because (a) they are super cheap and (b) have an apparently straightforward process for transferring a landline number. Anveo have a process that requires mailing forms. Callcentric will only transfer a landline number to one of their more expensive plans.

Of course I could just buy an OBi 200. Or I could buy a cheap AT&T mobile, transfer my landline to that and then transfer that to Google Voice, then sign up with Callcentric for the 911. It's all a bit more complicated than I had hoped!

[MickJ]

So after due consideration, I decided to go with Callcentric for the 911 service. Very smooth and fast setup. Thanks for the tip on that. I also initiated the transfer of my AT&T landline to a spare mobile and will then transfer that to a new GV account under my wife's name. We'll give the OBi GV number to people we actually talk to regularly and just send the old home number to voicemail. It's mostly telemarketers anyway. When I looked at my recent AT&T bill for the account number,  I couldn't believe how much we were paying. Amongst other things, 10c a minute for calls to the UK, whereas GV is 1c.