Setting up OBI202 in House - No Cellphone Reception

[DanielJaxy]

I am very new to the telecoms game. I just moved into a new place without any Verizon cellphone reception. I bought the obi202 but I am not sure how to best set it up with my wife and my cell phones.

I would ideally like my wife and my cellphone calls to be routed to my Google Voice (connected to my obi right now) when I am at home. I read online that I can do that with a SIP service?

Our current situation
Me: iPhone on Verizon
Wife: iPhone on Verizon
OBI Device: OBI202
WiFi: Yes
Google Voice: Yes, connected to my OBI202

I would really appreciate any advice on how to best setup our lines so we don't miss our cell phone calls.

[azrobert]

When you are at home, setup call forwarding to your GV number.
See video:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/how-to-set-up-call-forwarding-video/

Normally, it is setup in reverse of what you want.
Get a 2nd GV number for the wife.
Have people call your GV number.
Setup GV to ring your cell and OBi202.
Same for the wife.

[DanielJaxy]

Thank you for the quick response.

If I do option 2, is there any way to call from my cell phone and the recipient sees my Google Voice number?

[azrobert]

Only if Verizon allows CallerID spoofing and I doubt they do.

You could use the Hangouts app to make GV calls from your cell.

Edit:
Hangouts will ring with incoming GV calls, so you wouldn't need the OBi202.

[SteveInWA]

When you are at home, setup call forwarding to your GV number.
See video:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/how-to-set-up-call-forwarding-video/

Normally, it is setup in reverse of what you want.
Get a 2nd GV number for the wife.
Have people call your GV number.
Setup GV to ring your cell and OBi202.
Same for the wife.

Don't forward the VZW mobile phone numbers unconditionally to Google Voice -- it's too much hassle to remember to change the settings when you want to use the mobile phone(s).

The right way to do this is similar to what Robert listed as the "Normally" setup:

• The issue is that people can't reach you on your VZW phone number (I am going to describe this as one phone number, but I realize you have two VZW numbers, for you and for your wife).  Decide:  do all your contacts know your VZW phone number, and you want to keep using that number as your primary contact number, or would you rather have a new number to give out to your contacts?
• If you want to keep using your VZW number as your primary inbound number, then port your VZW number into Google Voice, and get a new, random mobile number from VZW.  Your contacts will call that number, which will ring your OBi-attached telephone(s) and (if it is on-the-air) ring your VZW mobile number, which you will have added to your GV account as a forwarding number.  This is automatic, and there is nothing to remember to do when you get home or leave home.
• If you'd instead like a new "home number", then sign up for a new GV number issued to you by Google, and add your existing VZW number as a forwarding phone number, as Robert indicated.
• In both scenarios, log onto your VZW "My Verizon Wireless" web portal, and set up Conditional call forwarding, from your VZW number, to your GV number.  Calls made to your VZW number will forward to your GV number, and ring your OBi-attached phone, when your VZW number is busy, unanswered, or out of service.

Instructions and FAQs for porting into GV:  https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667

Note:  since you and your wife each have a VZW number, you'll need to do this twice - once for each number, and you'll set up two of the OBi 202's service provider slots, one for each of the two GV accounts.  Inbound calls to either  GV number will ring the OBi-attached telephone(s).  Outbound calls will show the caller ID of the GV account in use:  you can choose which one is the default, and enter a star code to select the other one.  For example:  Wife's GV number is SP1, and it is selected as the default, and your GV account is SP2. Outbound calls will display her GV number's caller ID.  If you want to use your caller ID instead, press **2 before dialing the number.

Using the Android Google Voice app on your Android smart phones, you can select whether to use your GV number as caller ID, or to use the phone's own native VZW number as caller ID.  These calls will go out over the VZW mobile network.

Using the Android Google Hangouts app on your phones, outbound calls will use your GV number's caller ID, and calls will go out over WiFi or mobile data networks.

[Rick]

Is the issue that you have no Verizon reception out where you live, or that you h ave no Verizon reception INSIDE YOUR HOUSE?  If the latter, then you could get a network extender from Verizon (although not inexpensive) that would boost the signal inside your home. 

Have you updated your preferred roaming list by dialing *228?  Sometimes there is a new tower that you  have to add this way.

Last, have you checked with Verizon to see if there are any plans to add a tower?  When I moved to my home 8 years ago we had lousy reception, but there was a tower about to be added (or more correctly, there were about to add their equipment to an existing tower).  We now have a great signal.

[DanielJaxy]

Thank you all so much for your advice! I really appreciate it.

I think we are going to do what SteveInWA mentioned. I will setup conditional call forwarding to the google voice line for both myself and my wife. We would like to keep our old verizon home number so I am going to port it to T-Mobile and then to Google Voice.