Obi100 works great for me....... and your other internet VOIP phones

11 22 2013 | moi

[dennisw]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3064601/posts?page=69

Two months ago I posted a thread at chat about what freepers like for internet phones. I read all the posts and decided to try out obi100. You will find 1000+ reviews for it on Amazon

Obi100 works great. You have to coordinate it with google voice and it is 100% free this way to make calls within America and I think Canada. For outside USA you probably have to deposit money into your google voice account

1. a company like Vonage supplies the hardware and software. It is easy one stop shopping
2. when you buy obi100 for $40 all you get is the hardware
3. when you use Obi with google voice then google voice is the software for your phone call to hitch a ride on the internet
4. when you get Obi and open the box....you will find written instructions on how to use obi w google voice
5. IOW there is no big mystery on how to do it
6. there are other VOIP providers you can use with your Obi but they charge 
7. their advantage (as far as I can tell) is help you use an Obi in an office setting or fax machines
8. --
9. Obi plugs into your router via ethernet cable not your computer
10. so as long as your router is running so is your Obi telephone
11. you can make outgoing calls and receive calls
12. call quality has been excellent for me
13. you might buy an Obi that plugs into say a Uniden phone base that works with a set of 4 cordless phones
14. ---
15. here is the big Obi100 drawback
16. google voice will give you a brand new phone number for nothing! 100% free
17. but it might not be in your area code
18. this is my current situation
19. my assigned area code is ten states away but your situation might be a lot better
20. you have to go to your google voice account and start experimenting because>>>
21. you don't need a Obi to get a google voice phone number
22. some area codes have lots of numbers that google voice can assign (give) to you so don't be discouraged
23. there are ways of "porting" a local number area code into your obi/google voice setup but I have not been aggressively looking into it
24. most involve porting a current local cell phone number into the setup
25. ---
26. ---
27. If you have gmail then you have a google account.
28. Google voice is a service within google account

[CarmichaelPatriot]

Sorry, but as a true conservative, I cannot in good conscience do any business with Google because of their anti-liberty, anti-sovereign stance.

[nascarnation]

True, but what internet portal isn’t?

[Procyon]

I have it and it works great. One caveat: Google Talk support for obitalk ends on May 15, 2014 and you will have to find another VOIP provider by then. There are over a dozen to choose from. I’m waiting to read reviews to select my new provider.

[Marie Antoinette]

We use Magic Jack. Only real downside is when power or internet are down, I have no home phone. I do have a TracFone, though, so not completely without.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Give Google the boot. It’s high time some folks learn the price of convenience.

[dennisw]

Thanks. I was unaware of this. I thought that google would start charging at some point but it seems it is cutting our your ability to use obi with it

[dennisw]

http://blog.obihai.com/2013/10/important-message-about-google-voice.html?m=1

message on the end of google talk-obi coordination

[lysie]

I bought MJ plus a few weeks ago. This next week I plan to connect. Is there anything I need to know? It looks fairly easy. You had no surprises, right?

[PuzzledInTX]

Sounds too much like an Obamaphone by name. Not a good marketing ploy to conservatives.

[Marie Antoinette]

It was simple. I have the older kind that must be hooked up to my computer, and once in a while I have to reboot because it will not give me a dial tone. The newer ones don’t need the computer, so you’ll avoid that little problem. One thing, they do try to get you to sign up for more service. There are some numbers I can’t call (like my attorney!!), so I just use my cell for those calls. I don’t know if that applies to the newer MJs.

[JSteff]

Have had the Obi100 for 1.75 years an have paid -0- phone bills since then...-0- phone bill
Am using a Uniden waterproof cordless.
Yes it is paired with Google voice... which is free for now.
Contact your regional 911 center and let then know that your phone is associated with your address.
If you feel guilty about paying nothing every month, you can sign up with a service like Call Centric and then you will have a phone bill for the logging you in with your 911 center and some other things you get with Voice free.

It is just so nice to never pay ANY phone bill again. No long distance expense. and Google voice will grab any calls that you can't or choose not to answer. When anyone leaves a message Google voice transcribes it and sends it to your mail box of choice... and it does not need to be a Google mailbox. You can also use it as a voice memo you want to email to yourself. Just call your number and when you leave a message it will be transcribed and sent to your email.

Just be careful if you change your Google Voice password that you change it is ObiTalk too.
The problem that comes in there is it is easy to put your Google voice under a different account and then you will need to work that out with email support at Obi to get it all changed back to you.

I got my Obi100 on a special at NewEgg for only $36. NewEgg and Amazon occasionally compete and beat each others price so it will fluctuate up and down from as low as $36.

Enjoy!

[dennisw]

Check post 8. Google voice is cutting off obi access this coming May.

Did you get a local area code number from google voice?

[JSteff]

I had Magic Jack for about two years before I dropped it as it was dropping calls over like 20 minutes and I would have to call them again.
Obi and GV have been absolutely perfect call quality and very reliable connections.

[lysie]

OK. Thank you.

[lysie]

My thanks to you, too. We really have very few calls other than darn telemarketing call.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

I also have magic jack. Works great. In the end I used online chat to connect it after 3 days of trying to follow instructions. Wish I’d done the support chat on day one. No problems since and I got rid of a $72/mo bill from Verizon.

[JSteff]

Yes I got a local number that is easy to remember, eight eight _ 9 __ __ nine and GV has said they were dropping service on a date in March for like 2 years.
There is a free service you can get but the only numbers they had both times I tried was out in the San Fran area. Don't know how it is now, but GV dropping service has been a concern of mine the whole time.
Now I have heard that Call Centric and another firm offer the service like GV for very low cost every month or by each call. I still have a great number right now. Also use Tracfone so my calls on cellular have been cheap too.
Also I have no cable bill cause I use my Logitech Revue, a Toshiba LCD TV, and Netflix.
My monthly bills then are just my Internet and Netflix. No cable, no long distance, no local phone.
Fingers crossed.

[lysie]

Thank you. It looks like it’s thumbs up for next week, then.

[manic4organic]

I have Vonage for my business (multiple lines) and have had zero problems. I booted AT&T and save hundreds per month. They were very sad to see me go.