OBi110 - Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter

The new fun toy on the block is the OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter.

Using Google Voice as the VoIP Internet provider and Claro as the land line one can bridge calls in either direction.

For instance:

From the U.S. you can call the Google Voice number, bridge to the Caro land line and use the Claro land line to make calls in the D.R. as if you are there. (Standard charges by Claro for calling Cells and long distance would apply)

In reverse, from any phone in the D.R., you can call your Claro land line and bridge to the Google Voice line to make calls to the U.S / Canada.

If you put the OBi110 in another foreign country at a relatives house, you could then make calls using the bridge to phones in that country.

When bridging to the land line, it is the same as picking up the phone at it's location and using it.

VoIP ATA and Gateway supports Analog Line, GV and SIP Services; Callcentric, Sipgate, Vitelity, Voip.ms, etc.

Google Voice has FREE calls to the USA and Canada to 2012 (May need a different provider after that)

Setting up the OBi110 for Google Voice is as simple as just entering your Google Voice user name and password.
The Obi110 is about the same size as a Linksys ATA adapter, very small.
The cost of the OBi110 is under $50.

The OBi110 also has it's own access system, so even without using Google Voice, etc., you can connect to it using a computer, Iphone, Android etc. to make calls on the land line to which it is connected.

In the future when I am out of the country, I can call my wife even if she is at a friends house for free, or just call her cell phone (And pay the standard Claro calling rate to call a cell phone from the Claro line). In other words, I can use my Claro line as if I am in my home in the D.R. from anywhere in the World.

Note:
There are protocols to setup that restrict just anyone from just calling in and gaining access to the OBi110.
You can also setup a "soft phone" on your laptop to access the Obi110 from your laptop.
As well as apps for Iphone, Android, etc to use wi-fi to access the Obi110.

I am currently testing the Obi110 with it in Florida, simulating the Claro line with my NetTalk Duo phone, and using Google Voice as the VoIP provider.

I took my laptop over to McDonalds and tested the Obi110 using their free wi-fi connection.
I made calls from McDonalds wi-fi using both the Google Voice and the NetTalk Duo (Simulated Claro Line) lines.


Don

I forgot to mention:

You do not have to have a computer on to use the Obi110.

OBi110 - Review

First let me say that the Obi110 worked excellently in Florida.
Very close to "Plug and Play".

Now with that said, we come to "CLARO" in Santiago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The OBi110 is up and running in Santiago..... lol

My Claro Internet connection has been giving me a fit ever since I got back.
(So, what's news about that - lol)

It keeps stopping on me, then restarting, but keeping the same IP address.

This was even before trying to connect the OBi110.
I can hardly do any downloads as I keep losing them.

Anyway, in Florida the OBi110 connected on first try.
Here in Santiago I could not get Google Voice working on it and I kept trying and trying.

I think my problems are that I currently have too much stuff "TEST" running using the Internet.

(1) Satellite TV,
(2) Security Cameras,
(3) Skype Phones (With a phone number),
(4) Linksys ATA Box (2 Google phone numbers and Magic Jack phone number),
(5) NetTalk Duo
and now
(6) OBi110. lol

I'm guessing I'm getting "Port" duplication problems somewhere in all that mess.

Not to mention that the way my Claro modem/router is configured, they do not have DNS servers defined.
That was the first problem I found for why the OBi110 did not work here.

After adding the DNS servers to the OBi110, I was able to connect the OBi110 and communicate with the OBi network, and make test calls to their "Test" number (Using OBi network, special 9 digit codes to talk between OBi units).

But still could not get the Google number to work on it (Note: Adding to the problem was that I found out the Google number was not currently working on my ATA box either, after 2 days the ATA box was working again (Google problem I think)).

Anyway I may be having conflicts on Port 5060.

Finally after using the OBi Wizard to configure Google, it started working, how I don't know, it was simply a matter of entering the name and password, but somehow I kept screwing it up.

One mistake I made at the beginning was that I did a factory reset on the Obi110 because I did not realize (Dumb me) that the initial problem was simply to enter the DNS servers into the OBi110 (I should have known that from past experience, as I said, dumb me).

Anyway it is now working, but the Internet connection dropping from Claro gives me a fit.

When the Claro line rings, I can also answer from the phone attached to the OBi110 phone port. (This is not the Telco line connection which is where the Claro line is connected)

There are 2 ports on the back of the unit, one for a phone and the other for the TELCO LINE IN (DO NOT REVERSE THEM).

Last night I called Barry (WayToGO) using my NetTalk Florida number by calling my Google Florida number and had the Auto Attendant (AA) call his Claro number using my Claro land line.

It worked and we talked, but with the Internet Problem I am having I lost the call.
I had my Claro phone next to me and picked it up and he was still there.
But then we got noises that sounded like my land line was trying to connect a modem.
That is another problem I am having, my desktop thinks I have a land line connection and sometimes wants to connect via a modem.

Hmmm, maybe that is my Internet dropping problem!

Like I said, I have a few problems at this end... lol

Now I have not tried it yet, but I am thinking that I could also call on my Claro line and then use the Google number to call the U.S.

To have the Auto Attendant (AA) pick up, you must specify what Caller ID has access to it.
Thus, not just anybody will get the Auto Attendant (AA).
You can also specify that the incoming line goes directly to the Auto Attendant and specify a pin to allow it to dial out on the other line.

The Auto Attendant (AA) gives you the option of:
(1) Let the call ring through on the incoming line,
(2) Call out on the other line,
or
(3) Enter a call back number that would then call back that number and connect it to the Obi110 to make a call out.

I SHOULD DISCONNECT ALL THE OTHER VOIP SERVICES AND SATELLITE HERE AND PLAY WITH THE OBi110,

I know the satellite connection is a hog as when I was in Florida, viewing and controlling my security cameras was better when I had my wife turn off the satellite connection.

Another note, with a second OBi110 you can communicate OBi to OBi and thus not need a VOIP line from what I have read. This would eliminate needing to rely on a third party VOIP to connect. I could call from Santiago on my OBi in Santiago to my OBi in Florida and then use the house phone in Florida to make calls in the States (Free).

That may sound a bit strange, and it would be for calling the U.S., but think outside the box!
You could have an OBi110 in ANOTHER country (Not the U.S.) say at a relatives house in Germany and then you would have access to FREE calls using their phone line to phones in that country to talk to other relatives (Free).
Of course they would need Internet service to connect the OBi110.

Side Note: For my house phone in Florida I used my NetTalk Duo, so in effect the OBi110 would be acting as an extension of the NetTalk number, but the extension for outgoing calls would be located in the D.R. (Two OBi110's required)

A few possibilities of how one could inter-connect the devices.

I have a Soft phone that I can call the OBi number and get to the Auto Attendant(AA) but could not get the OBi to accept touch tone signals after it connected to the Auto Attendant.

I'm thinking it is the Soft phone problem (I did hear the touch tones, but the Obi did not respond to them).

And that is confusing as I am pretty sure that when I went to my local McDonalds in Florida with my laptop I called Barry (WayToGo) using the Soft phone on the laptop, once with the Google VOIP number through the OBi and once with the Land line number through the OBi.

I called the OBi I thought using the OBi number. Barry verified that each of the calls had a different Caller ID number, thus one from my VOIP and one from the landline. I called Barry's Magic Jack number for that test.
With having so many "numbers" I get confused myself at times. lol

Ahhhhh, another test I need to do, try again using my laptop over at Barry's house using the OBi number to contact my OBi. And see if it recognizes the AA control tones.

From McDonalds using the Softphone I had to also enter my pin number to connect to the OBi AA, where as from my own network, no pin was required. But I may have screwed that up when I did the factory reset. (Another laugh)

DARN! This is becoming a full time job, most probably because of CLARO dropping my connection.... lol

The OBi110 only cost me $49.95 and there are no annual fees to pay.

Don