New OBiTALK Feature: Link your OBi devices for extension dialing

[MarkObihai]

With the OBiTALK Link Devices feature, you can now intelligently link your OBi200, OBi202 and OBi1000 Series IP phones to easily connect and transfer calls between users seamlessly.

Features

Each OBi device has the following:

• Its own number to make/receive calls, and its own corresponding voicemail.*
• Its own assigned two-digit extension. Just dial the two-digit extension followed by a #.
• The ability to be located at (or moved between) a main office, remote office or home without any configuration change.

Using the OBiTALK portal, you can now configure extension dialing between OBi devices, regardless of what voice services are configured on each individual device.   Ensure that all the devices you wish to link for extension dialing are in the same instance of the OBiTALK portal.

Click the link "Link Devices" on the left navigation bar within the OBiTALK portal:

Next, click the blue "Link" button displayed to the right of the device to include it as an extension:

When you have done this, save your changes:

How to transfer a call

Using an OBi IP Phone:

• Select the 'Transfer' key on your phone.
• Dial the extension and press # to indicate the call transfer. E.g. 21#
• The caller being transferred will be placed on-hold.
• Select 'Transfer Now' to complete the call transfer.

Using the OBi200/OBi202:

• Press the hook or FLASH button on the attached phone.
• You will then hear a dial tone.
• Dial the extension and press # to indicate the call transfer. E.g. 21#
• Once you hear ringing, hang-up the phone.
• The caller will be transferred when the transferee picks-up the phone.

[/list]

[credo]

How does one access the voicemail? Thanks!

[dircom]

What kind of Obi device do you have?

[credo]

I have an Obi 1032 and an Obi 200 linked together.

[rastoma]

I don't have another Obi device yet to try, but in the dashboard of my Obi100 I have the option for Linked Devices.  So can the Obi100 be linked or not?

[dircom]

the announcement says
"With the OBiTALK Link Devices feature, you can now intelligently link your OBi200, OBi202 and OBi1000 Series "

the 100 and 110 are not mentioned

[BigJim_McD]

Although we can not link our OBi100 and OBi110 devices in OBiTalk,
from testing, I verified that we can: 
"Flash" and "Conference" or "Transfer" calls to and from the OBi100 and OBi110 devices.

The "Flash" and "Conference" or "Transfer" worked the same in my testing between
any combination of the: OBi100, OBi110, OBi200 and OBi202.

When I linked the OBi202 and OBi200, I selected Speed Dial #81 and 82.
I added the OBi110 and OBi100 as Speed Dial #82 and 83. 
Later I deleted the original OBiTalk Speed Dial entries #2, 3, 4 and 5.
I retested and Call Transfer and Call Conference still worked. 

Also I can still call from one OBi to another using the new Speed Dial #'s 81, 82, 83 and 84.

Now, OBiTalk "Link Devices" displays the OBi202, OBi200, OBi110 and OBi100 as Extensions.

[cubemasterzach]

Is it possible to set up any of the Obi devices so that each phone has the same number but different extensions? Or is this a limitation of google voice? Or if they call one number, all of the phones will ring?

[SteveInWA]

Is it possible to set up any of the Obi devices so that each phone has the same number but different extensions? Or is this a limitation of google voice? Or if they call one number, all of the phones will ring?

If you configure one or more Google Voice accounts on one or more OBi devices, then an inbound call to a given Google Voice phone number will ring on every OBi device that is configured on that account.  There is no "extensions" concept with Google Voice.  Based on this and your other post, it sounds like you are trying to build an office/business-class solution.  Google Voice is designed for individual, personal use, and it neither has business-class features, nor any sort of customer support.

You'd be better off going with a SIP VoIP service provider.  The OBiTALK portal has a large selection of providers from which to choose.

[FreeWillie]

During some experimentation recently, I configured 3 of my OBi devices to use OBiTalk. While the system worked as designed, I noticed something odd. The OBiTalk portal had added my devices' OBi numbers to each device, however, it had also added a fourth unknown OBi number. That number being 290 011 149. I then removed that number from all 3 configurations without any ill effects.
Does anyone know what the purpose of the fourth OBi number is ?

FW

[SteveInWA]

During some experimentation recently, I configured 3 of my OBi devices to use OBiTalk. While the system worked as designed, I noticed something odd. The OBiTalk portal had added my devices' OBi numbers to each device, however, it had also added a fourth unknown OBi number. That number being 290 011 149. I then removed that number from all 3 configurations without any ill effects.
Does anyone know what the purpose of the fourth OBi number is ?

FW

A 290 number is assigned to each OBiTALK account.  It's used only for the OBi software phone function.  You can simply ignore it if you're not going to use it.

[lalique]

I have an Obi 110, with Phone power. Need to set up extensions in two different remote locations. If I buy 2 -Obi 200's can they be linked to my 110? And, will all three share the current Phone power account? And, can each have in/out calling via the existing account?  Or, do I need three Phone power accounts?

[drgeoff]

I have an Obi 110, with Phone power. Need to set up extensions in two different remote locations. If I buy 2 -Obi 200's can they be linked to my 110? And, will all three share the current Phone power account? And, can each have in/out calling via the existing account?  Or, do I need three Phone power accounts?

1.  Your question i sonly weakly related to the Obihai linking feature that this thread addresses.  And be aware that the OBi1x0 devices cannot utilise that linking.

2. Some ITSPs do permit several devices to be registered to the same account.  All will ring when the account number is rung and any device can answer.  Any device can initiate a call.  However it is not possible to call from one to another, transfer calls etc.  I do not know if PhonePower supports such multiple devices.

3.  Some ITSPs such as Callcentric have an extensions facility which lets a single account do what you want.  

4.  It is possible to use the long-standing Obitalk network to make "internal" calls between OBi devices and distribute/transfer "external" calls between OBi devices.  Only one OBi needs to be "connected" to the ITSP.

[Taoman]

And, will all three share the current Phone power account? And, can each have in/out calling via the existing account?  Or, do I need three Phone power accounts?

PhonePower is one of the few ITSPs that allows simultaneous registrations to the same account using the same SIP credentials. If memory serves, you can have a total of 4 simultaneous registrations to the same account. So you would only need one PP acount.

[SteveInWA]

And, will all three share the current Phone power account? And, can each have in/out calling via the existing account?  Or, do I need three Phone power accounts?

PhonePower is one of the few ITSPs that allows simultaneous registrations to the same account using the same SIP credentials. If memory serves, you can have a total of 4 simultaneous registrations to the same account. So you would only need one PP acount.

In that scenario, I guess there would be no way to call one extension from another extension?  Or do they have a trick to do that?  At least, with Callcentric, you can assign extension numbers and call from one extension to another extension.

[Taoman]

In that scenario, I guess there would be no way to call one extension from another extension?  Or do they have a trick to do that?  At least, with Callcentric, you can assign extension numbers and call from one extension to another extension.

Correct. No trick that I was ever aware of that could do that.

I used PhonePower when I was young and naive. Lots of things I didn't care for but no support for SIP URI is a deal breaker for me.

[SteveInWA]

So, IMO, Phonepower is useless for the OP's desired application, since the customer cannot call one extension from another via a short extension number, and since there's only one DID being called, no way to make a regular 10-digit phone call from one Phonepower extension to another, either.

However, Callcentric would work, as would some other ITSPs.

[drgeoff]

So, IMO, Phonepower is useless for the OP's desired application, since the customer cannot call one extension from another via a short extension number, and since there's only one DID being called, no way to make a regular 10-digit phone call from one Phonepower extension to another, either.

However, Callcentric would work, as would some other ITSPs.

Can't all of that ObiLINK stuff equally well be done using the OBiTALK network and programming the 9 digit OBi numbers as speed dials?  Admittedly not as easy for noobs to configure as the (semi-?)automated OBiLINK process.

[TravelGuy]

FYI, OBi2000 Series phones don't show up under the "Link Supported Devices" menu. Must not be supported (which I find odd).

[TravelGuy]

I have a OBi2182, an OBi1062, an OBi1032, and an OBi202. The link function sees the 1000 series phones and the 202, but not the OBi2182. I can extension dial the 1000 series phones and the OBi202 but they can't call the OBi2182, and I can't figure out how to set it up. Any suggestions would be very welcome.