I have been looking for a simple solution that would allow us to setup and use Google Voice. Since asterisk 1.8 came out, I have been waiting for DD-WRT or tomatoes to integrate this in the router so I would not need a computer to run 24/7 to set up Google Voice.
Then comes Obi110 which solves this problem. The setup was very simple. If you don't want to store your GV credentials on the Obitalk.com you can set it up by logging on the adapter (just like logging onto the router). I did find it that if you do it this way, when you dial out you still have to dial "**1" (using profile1) then the number you want to reach. Maybe there is a way to get rid of this. But if you setup through Obitalk you can enable the prefix and dial just like in GV. You can also update the FW from Obitalk.
Everything is working as expected. Caller ID shows up correctly when you call someone. When someone calls the ID would show "+" then the number with no dash, something like this: +1234567890. My wife was on the phone for an hour and she said the quality was good. If you are looking into a simple setup (and almost plug and play) I would highly recommend the Obi110. OBi110 Voice Service Bridge and VoIP Telephone Adapter
I purchased this product a week ago and recently set it up and it works perfectly. It's been running for a total of two days since I last set it up. I will update this review in a few months after its run for a while.
My goal was to get an alternative/replacement to Skype which was my replacement for Vonage -- I no longer use landlines & totally committed to VOIP. I was tired of paying extra costs associated with telephony services thus this option. This has turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
The people at OBi110 have perfected KISS principles, it was so easy to setup Google voice, actually much easier than setting up Google voice settings options in Gmail.
Pros.
- Free VOIP at least when connected to Google Voice for now.
- The installation is very simple my setup is a little different from the manuals recommendation, since this is connected to my power Ethernet adapter due to proximity of my phone but it still worked on the first try.
- Simple admin UI that is easy to use and understand.
- Just works perfectly.
- It's super small.
Con
- Next version should possibly have an automated firmware update check. It is currently a manual process.
This is the perfect alternative for services like Vonage and better, at least for now calling to the US and Canada is free using Google voice. I highly recommend this product.
Thanks.
I bought this device when looking for hardware VoIP solutions. I browsed Magicjack, Oom,Nettalk and I ended up finding this device that got my attention for its ability to work with GoogleVoice. Both combined make the same as the other alternatives, with the advantage of GoogleVoice allowing free calls for US and Canada, at least for 2011. Besides, one can use this device with several other VoIP services. It allows to connect up to two accounts and one can use one or the other with the same phone. One chooses the second one by pressing **2 before the number. I actually was successful in linking to Goggle voice as my primary account and VoipAlot as a secondary account, because this last service provides much cheaper rates for the European mobile network than Google Voice.
It may require a little more tweaking then Magicjack or Nettalk but it has the advantage over the former (as Nettalk) of not requiring a computer always on (I could use a regular wireless phone that I owned) and one doesn't have to pay a monthly fee, at least for the moment, with Google Voice. Furthermore one can use competitive services for international rates in parallel! And one can change service providers without having to discard the hardware. I got it for $55.00 from Amazon (already with the S&H added). The list price is $69.00. But now is not currently available at Amazon and the costs from other seleers went up to $99.00 + S&H (don't know why)!
Again, it is not easy to setup as Nettalk and Magicgjack but there are lots of step by step guides available online that make it very easy to put it to work with GoogleVoice. For other services it may require a bit more research and more tweaking, especially if one wants to use 2 services in parallel.
It is also portable and can be used anywhere, with any regular phone, as long as there is an accessible high speed internet router or network port.
There are several other features and uses e.g. mobile smart phone applications, useful if one as a monthly payment plan.
In summary I recommend it for the price it cost me. For $99.00, competitiveness decreases. But it may be just temporarily out of stock!
In addition to all the things that other reviewers mentioned, you can set it up to make free international calls using the ObiAPP.
Background:
1) Your Obi110 will have a unique 9 digit number at the bottom of the device (say 111-222-333).
2) When you create an account with Obitalk.com, it assigns a unique 9 digit softphone number. You can "add device" and associate your physical Obi No to this account.
3) You can create as many accounts as you want (as I write now - using a different gmail address for each new account). And each account comes with its own 9 digit softphone number.
How to (setup ObiAPP to make free calls to your ObiDevice):
Here is how you can let someone else call you to your Obi110 for free. For example, I will create two new accounts - ObAPP-1 (with softphone no. 123-456-789) and ObiAPP-2 (with softohone no. 987-654-321) in addition to ObiAcc-0 (that has the Obi110 tied to).
And suppose that you have two laptops - L1 and L2 and assume that L1 is in India and L2 is in Brazil.
4) From Obitalk.com download the ObiAPP. Install it on both L1 and L2. Install X-lite version 4, (a softphone client) on both of them. Set-up the account preferences as suggested on Obitalk.com screenshots (The userid for X-Lite is your 9 digit softphone no).
5) Now create the Circle of Trust (CoT) such that each account is in the CoT of every other account.
6) For both ObiAPP-1 and ObiAPP-2, use ObiAcc-0 as the default voice gateway)
7) From L1, log on to ObiAPP middleware service, launch X-lite. From this X-Lite softphone, dial **9 111-222-333
8) You will hear the Auto-Attendant, and press 1, and it rings the phone connected to you (i.e phone connected to your Obi110). So anyone with an account with Obitalk and is in your CoT, can call your phone, free of charge.
There are more possibilities. For example, L1 can call L2 via Obi110, but you can explore them further on your own. It is totally fun.
A concern I have is, how scalable is the ObiTalk network as the userbase is likely to see tremendous growth. As of now, it brings new possibilities with the "social VoIP networking" concept and seems to be doing just fine.
Another minor issue is: the status message in the Google chat seems to be affected by this device, in particular the "invisible" mode. Google chat complains - "Oops! You are not invisible because you're logged into Google Talk from another client, device, or location that doesn't support invisibility". Of course, if you do not plan to use Google voice as one (or both) of the VoIP providers, this wont be an issue.'
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