OBI110 (for use with Google Voice calling) - Amazon Gold Box $42.99 10AM PST

Here is a guide on how to configure the device:

http://nerdvittles.com/?p=720


$42.99 Lighting Deal Price http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/...PDKIKX0DER

FAQ - If a question is asked often, please post it here
Q. Can I port my home phone to GoogleVoice, to keep my phone number?
A. It seems yes, by first porting to a mobile phone at a cost of $21 (prepaid AT&T phone and air card), then to GoogleVoice at a cost of 20 porting fee (cannot do land line directly). view steps here:
port land line using at&t go phone to google voiceNote - the Mods are NOT going to merge this thread into the Google Voice thread.

Q. Can I make calls from outside the United States?
A. For GoogleVoice, you will need two Obi110, one outside the country and one in the States. This will fool Google to make it look as though your calls are from the States. If you want to place free calls you need a voip provider that gives you that service, or TWO Obi units or TWO Obitalk apps. One device or one app in each location/country. You can place free calls between the two because Obitalk is providing the voip between the devices/apps free of charge. If you also have a landline connected to, or google chat set up on (in the US), the Obi device, you can access that landline or GV line remotely from another device or app as long as you are in the circle of trust for that device.


VIDEO (Note: Device does not have video capability.)
Obi110 have the same capabilities as Linksys PAP2, plus a lot more. Read the rest of Wiki to find out more.
Clip on what Obi110 can do in addition to Google Voice, Ooma and other Voip Services, Landlines, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht6fcoJM5io
Overview of all the features (may not include some of the new features introduced in the last few firmware update), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5BwQ0E6fmQ&NR=1

About Google Chat
You can make calls using your computer as a telephone using the Google Chat feature of G-mail.
Effective 25 August 2010, you should have the green telephone icon for the new G-mail "Make a Call" feature, as illustrated in the Official Google Voice Blog [blogspot.com]:

Note that this feature of G-mail is not Google Voice, although it uses some of the same resources as Google Voice. The new feature of G-mail is a true VoIP application which uses the Internet to place calls, while Google Voice is a call management service that requires that you have a working telephone with a US phone number.

With G-mail, you can enable the on-screen dial pad and dial a number directly, or type a name or phone number and let your Google contacts fill in the data. All you do is click and your call is placed, free of charge. Google originally said the service would be free through 2010. At the end of 2010 they announced that the service would remain free through 2011.

Google has announced calling through the end of 2012 will be FREE

No computer is needed for calling once the device is configured. You just plug it into your broadband internet modem or router, and plug a regular cordless or corded phone into the ATA to place/receive calls. You can also plug in another working voice line and you can place and receive all your calls on the same telephones. All lines connected or configured on the unit are also bridgeable for combined features. E911 service is not available from Google's calling services.

Because the Obi110 uses the Google Chat feature of G-mail, it is recommended that you not open your G-mail page in your browser while receiving calls to the Obi110. Incoming calls may not be routed to the ATA if the G-mail page is open.

The features of the Obi110 are many, and still expanding, but this thread is focusing on using it with the Google Chat feature of G-mail.
You can use the Obi110 with up to 2 G-mail accounts (one line at a time for outgoing calls, conference all for incoming calls).

It will also work with other voip providers, many of the settings for those providers are preset into the device for easy configuration.
Obihai also has a PC softphone app & Smartphone apps that can be used for placing/receiving free calls between any Obi ATA or Obi app. You do not place calls to regular numbers from these apps, but you can access the calling features of an Obi ATA (& the providers configured in it) by calling into the device from another Obi ATA, Obi app or regular phone.

NOTES ABOUT CALLING WITH THE Obi110
In order to make calls to regular phone numbers anywhere with the Obi ATA, you need a voip provider or Google Chat.

NOTE: Your voip provider's (or google's) calling restrictions are not modified by using the Obi. If the provider or GV charges for domestic or international calls, you will still be charged.

See This Image - The last configuration can be used to place free calls without a separate voip provider, as Obitalk is providing the voip between their devices. On the first two the voip is provided by a service provider other than Obitalk.

Reviews
http://michigantelephone.wordpres...ing-calls/
http://voxilla.com/2011/01/24/how...-free-2512
Link to the OBi110 Device Administration Guide (pdf file): http://obihai.com/docs/OBiDeviceAdminGuide.pdf
Basic Configuration of the Obi110 for use with Google Chat & Google Voice [voxilla.com]
How To: Use Google Voice and OBi for all your calls (free) [voxilla.com]
replacing your home phone [www.urlhasbeenblocked] with GV and ObiHai
From obihai website http://www.obihai.com/googlevoice.html
OBihai Knowledge Base [obihai.com]
OBiTalk Forum [obitalk.com]
Michigan Telephone Blog Review [wordpress.com] there are 3 parts to that review, you can got to #2 from the end of that one.


Obihai Obi110 which work with Google Voice without any other device.
- So don't need computer or server running Asterisk
- and don't need Linksys PAP2 since this device pretty much has all the features of Linksys PAP2
It replace both Asterisk and analog telephone adapter (REQUIRES A ROUTER OR MODEM WITH ACTIVE INTERNET CONNECTION)

You plug your normal cordless or corded phone directly to this Obi110 device.


FEATURES
* The ability to make US/Canada calls and receive calls for free using Google Voice;
* Call bridging capabilities from any phone and across any two VoIP services (i.e.: a PSTN line and a VoIP account, or between two separate VoIP accounts);
* Free seamless calling between any two OBi devices;
* Android and iPhone dialing connectivity.

Great Things You Can Do with Google Voice on the OBi110:
- Direct dial calls to the USA and Canada for free! **
- Direct dial calls to other countries at incredibly low international rates!
- Use an Analog Telephone Adapter-type VoIP device (OBi110) with Google Voice integration in conjunction with the cool features available with Google Voice – e.g. voicemail transcription, on-line voicemail, contact management, international calling, etc.

More Cool Stuff You Can Do with OBi & Google Voice:
- Receive calls to your Google Voice number on the phone attached to the OBi device.
- Use the OBiON app for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices for true VoIP calls over Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G using the OBi device to bridge to Google Voice and call traditional numbers (without using your cell minutes).
- Receive calls to your Google Voice number then use the OBi device to bridge to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices using Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G (without using your cell minutes).
- Easily set-up Google Voice trunks on your IP PBX phone system – no need for system upgrades or complex configs. The OBi acts as a SIP to Google Voice gateway.

If both you and your friends/family have OBi110, you and your friends/family can setup "Circle of Trust" with the OBi110 devices. For anyone with the right credentials (in their "Circle of Trust") can access all of the OBi110′s calling features just by calling the number associated with the OBi110. Meaning from your Obi110, you can access all the features of your friends'/family Obi110 if you are in their "Circle of Trust". So you can access their landline and Voip if it is connected to their Obi110. And you friends/family can be in different countries.


OTHER

E911
1) Cheapest E911 provider is Anveo (at $0.8/month)
2) if you do not want to 'dedicate' a SIP slot for E911, you can use http://www.gv911.com/ - costs $12/year

Other Voip Services/Companies you can use for free or low fee in addition to Google Voice.
For very low fee, there are
http://pbxinaflash.com/vitelity/ (Looks like Vitelity quality is gone. Read this thread in DSLReports for discussion about Vitelity quality [broadbandreports.com]
http://www.callcentric.com/ <--- many SDers and people in other Voip forum recommend this. Callcentric currently offer FREE NY phone number with free unlimited incoming calls
http://www.voip.ms/ <--- many SDers and people in other Voip forum recommend this.
flowroute [flowroute.com]
For free incoming call, beside Whistle Phone mentioned earlier, you can also use IpKall. It works with Callcentric to provide free local number in Washington State and free incoming call.
http://www.ipkall.com/
Another service offer free incoming phone number
http://www.sipgate.com/


Here are some of the Voip that offer very low price International Calls
Onesuite and localphone offer a lot of local access number so can use it without Voip device. Those two also offer international local access number which you can use outside US. Check their website for more info.
http://www.onesuite.com (Onesuite has been around for 10+ years and consistently great quality)
http://www.localphone.com (cheapest pay-per-minute is by localphone.com at 0.5 cent/minute to US numbers)

http://www.callwithus.com/
http://www.future-nine.com/


The OBi is SIP standard compliant. The big plus of the OBi is that it is SIP compliant and also works with GV. Plus you can also plug in a landline. You can have up
to two SIP accounts or one SIP account plus GV and also a landline. Up to three numbers that will all go to the same phone. When dialing out you can set up the OBI to send calls out through whatever account you choose by the use of dialplans.

The OBi will not be obsolete if GV shuts down it will work with any SIP provider

To get around GV not supporting E911 some users buy a separate SIP account with E911 support and port outbound calls to 911 through that account to have fully functional E911 service. Quote from the Obi forums that explains the setup.

Quote : You sign up for CallCentric Pay Per Call plan. You are not required to get a phone number, CallCentric will assign you a sip number that is sent to the e911 call center along with your name/address info. You will be required to deposit $5.00 in your plan account for outbound calls but if you are only using it for e911 then you won't be making calls. You will be charged $1.50 set up and $1.50/mo for 911. Change your Phone Port OutboundCallRoute per RonR's instructions. Follow CallCentric's setup page for enabling your account only on SP2 (since you have GV on SP1) and away you go... http://www.callcentric.com/suppor...hai/obi100

You can also set the OBi to dial your local emergency number whenever anyone dials 911. This will not be E911 and they will not see your location but it's better than nothing.

VOIP providers can and do shut down. I got into VOIP a about five years back and had my VOIP provider go belly up after me paying for a two year plan. Managed to get by with my old Voip adapter and GV with some tweaking and then jumped to the Obi as soon as it became available. GV has been working the whole time for me. Every year there is talk of them starting ti charge and I imagine at some point they will. That is the gamble with this setup.

As to issues with call quality I'd imagine that many are related to your internet connection or router speed/settings. Very seldom do I have problems. Once in a while toll free 800 or 888 numbers do not go through for me but very seldom. I haven't tried faxing and can make no claims if it will work or not.

Obi have been working wonderfully for me for the last year. True set it and forget it device. Fairly easy set up and tons of tweaking options if you like. Dialplans and advanced options can be a little technical but there is plenty of help in the Obi Forums.