Obihai OBi200 1-Port VoIP Adapter with Google Voice and Fax Support for Home and SOHO Phone Service, Black

Obitalk adapter box is a GREAT invention that allows you to have incoming and outgoing phone calls for FREE in the US while keeping an old, established landline number. All you need is a Google Voice account (to create an IP address on the internet) and an Obitalk device (to convert internet signal to handset audio) with an Obitalk account. There is a one time $20 port charge from Google, then no further charges unless you want to buy the advance 911 service from Obtitalk. Be aware that after the port, your Verizon cell base line will be cancelled automatically.My story and how to convert from Verizon home base to Obitalk/Google voice for totally free "landline" phone calling using an established number.About 2 years ago, we cut the landline cord to avoid the over $40 per month in Frontier landline costs for a phone we used less and less but for which we'd had that landline number for years. You know, that number which is embedded in so many places you don't even think about who may have it anymore. Since we didn't want to miss the occasional useful phone call that would come to that established number, we had converted that landline to a Verizon mobile home station which in essence is a cellular phone base with antennae that connects to your house handsets to turn them into mobile phones. You simply pay Verizon for a separate cell line, which for us was $20 in our family plan.Spin forward several years, and honestly over 95% of the phone calls to the house are now simply spam. The remaining 5% are older relatives that haven't figured out how to call our cell phone numbers. However, after a major sewer repair costing $$$$, we decided to eliminate all unnecessary costs, and the $20 monthly charge for that home base cell line was the first thing to go. However. hubby was still afraid of completely cutting us off from that old established house number. Enter in some internet research by me and this obitalk unit with Google Voice to achieve keeping that number for free. Totally free.Since any "how to" is NOT really clear in either Google Voice, Verizon, or Obitalk, I'll detail below how to convert from a landline that was already ported to a Verizon "Home Solution PDI" cellular base to now port it yet again to Google Voice and Obitalk for free "landline" calling in the US while keeping an old house number.WARNING: You will need a Verizon PIN for that home base cell line before you can port. You can log into your Verizon account and set that PIN if you have not done so already. Expect a verification text to your cell phone. In minutes, once that is set, you can proceed to Google Voice. Also, that Verizon cell base line will automatically be cancelled once the port is complete. You will not be able to make any phone calls out or receive phone calls in until the Google Voice/Obitalk conversion is complete.STEPS1. Go to Settings/Account at voice.google.com to choose to add a new number. (If you don't have a google account/gmail, you'll have to do that first.) Type in your home phone number as the phone number you want Google Voice to use (that is the number to be ported from the Verizon cell base). Fill in the Google Voice menu form stating your Verizon provider, and I think it asked for account number (which is the number you are porting). You will need a verification by using your Verizon PIN for that home line number. It takes about 24 to 48 hours for that number to port to Google Voice. (Note I had NO need to set up any "new" Google Voice number to forward to nor new Google account...I simply signed in with my current gmail account. Then I chose to add my home phone number (currently the number on the Verizon cellular base) as the chosen Google Voice number. That is the only number Google Voice is aware of for me.)2. After you receive email notification from Google Voice that your home phone number has been ported (mine took about 24 hours), turn off your Verizon home phone cell base to avoid it usurping your efforts. You then need to go to Obitalk.com and register to create an account. (It is recommended you use a Google sign in to Obitalk. I used the same gmail account)3. Next, set up your obitalk device. Plug it into the power. Plug your hand set phone into the Obitalk device using phone cord. Connect the Obitalk unit to your computer ethernet. Your handset is now powered and connected to your internet. You will use this handset to follow the Obitalk instructions calling a code which goes to the Obitalk servers through your internet link. You will have to then follow the steps on the Obitalk menu system. When you come to the fill in portion, place your device serial number, type, and choose "admin" for the password. You will need to replace that with something else once the activation is completed through the Obitalk account page.The Obitalk server will let you know when this has been completed. It took me 3 tries before I could get through the system before timing out as I was not expecting a password for the admin. (I tried several ideas from my Verizon account but then simply tried the old standby "admin" which worked...and later documentation in the Obitalk website stated that is the default.)4. At this point, test your phone system. Ours worked perfectly. Calls in. Calls out. We had nothing else to do at Google Voice or at Obitalk. I carefully wrote down all the sign in email addresses and passwords, changed my admin code, and all other pertinent website information. I printed off the Obitalk page with all activation and device configuration. At this point I didn't attempt to do any fancy features. I was thrilled to have my old landline number pass from a Verizon home phone cell base, kill that $20 cell line, and now have totally FREE "landline" usage for calls in the US.I think this Obitalk unit is a GRAND idea. If Google Voice ever starts charging money for the service, we likely at that point will simply put a stake through the heart of that old number as by then, everybody should be calling our cells, including doctor offices.Good luck with your unit.UPDATE 5/28/2019 ADDING THE HANDSET ANSWER MACHINE. We've had the unit working for several days. One last work around I had to figure was how to get the calls to go to my answer machine rather than be picked up by Google Voice. For my Panasonic basic hand sets with one base/answering machine and one extension, I found I had to click off "let Google screen phone calls" and let the calls go directly to pick up. (You may need to go to "Legacy View" in Google Voice to be able to see that setting in "general settings." I then set my answering machine to pick up on 3 rings while Google Voice default is 5 rings. That allowed my calls to be either picked up by me with a handset or go directly to my answering machine. Google Voice will now only pick up if I am on the phone and neither me nor my answering machine picks up. I then set Google Voice to send me text messages of any voicemail or call missed and set desk top alert on my PC. Whew...I think that is it!Please be aware that you CANNOT make a 911 phone call on Google Voice. If you want that, you have to sign up at Obitalk for that feature for monthly fee (which is fairly nominal).

**** Update 12/23/21 ****I just noticed that the end of life has been announced for this product, from their ObiTalk.com website: "December 18th, 2021*** Important notice to OBiTALK customers***Summary: OBi200, OBi202 and OBi212 have entered the End of Life phase with the following key milestones: End of Sale date is December 18, 2021 (as supplies last) End of Engineering Support is December 18, 2023. End of Service date is December 18, 2023.OBi200, OBi202 and OBi212 products have entered the End of Sale phase with the last day of sale of these products to be December 18, 2021 (as supplies last). The End of Engineering support date and the End of Service date for all OBi200, OBi202 and OBi212 products will be December 18, 2023. OBiTALK calling service will continue to be supported for the OBi200, OBi202 and OBi212 until December 18, 2023. OBi200, OBi202 and OBi212 devices may continue to work after the end of service date, but they will not be able to get added to the Google Voice service after December 18, 2023. OBi200, OBi202 and OBi212 devices registered prior to the End of Engineering Support date won’t be able to be provisioned via OBiTALK after the December 18, 2023 and can only be managed and provisioned locally (manually). "So at this point I would seriously recommend you review if/how you plan to use this device due to this end of life notice. Very disappointing announcement considering I just purchased the device and expended $'s to move to use this device with Google Voice.***** End of 12/23/21 Update *********** Original review ******In brief this unit is great and I would recommend. If you want more details then see below. I have used a previous model of this Obihai unit for 6+ years via the telco provider Basictalk so hopefully this unit will last as long. I will update this review if I encounter any hardware issues with the device. On first activation the device automatically upgraded to the latest firmware version, ensure that you are on the latest version or you may have problems configuring it with Google Voice.I was happy with the Basictalk service but wanted to reduce my telco expenses even further and have more control over my landline. With this unit combined with Google Voice I found a solution I am very happy with.The Obihai unit is small but powerful in that if you want to go all geeky then there is a web interface you can access on the unit to customize it as much as you want, however the basic out of the box setup is relative simple and straightforward for a standard setup with Google Voice and the Obitalk services.There are a couple of youtube videos which demo how to do the Obi device settup and Google Voice setup etc. just search youtube for "Google Voice and Obi200)" and several should show up, the one by "Budget Nerd" is good but there are several others. There are also quite a few more detailed reviews here on Amazon that go into setup steps in more details so I would recommend looking for those. There isalso a community blog on the Obitalk website that is very useful and contains lots of information and pointers if needed.Note I had no need to contact the Obitalk tech support so cannot talk to how good that is.I was unable to directly port my landline directly to Google Voice so I temporarily ported it to Tracfone then ported it into Google Voice. You can check on Google Voice to see if your number will directly port or not. The port to Googlevoice is a one time $20 and I recall paying Tracfone approx $16 for their lowest 30 day service plan to temporarily port the landline number into it. The extra number porting hop added a few days to my overall transition to the Googe Voice / Obitalk sett up.I still wanted a 911 service and there were a couple of options directly available on the Obitalk website, that worked out $25 for a years service. There maybe cheaper options and if you don't want/need the ability for 911 operators to determine your location/address automatically then you could skip this all together.So for an initial cost of the Obihai unit and another one time $36 getting the landline number ported over to Google Voice I have a settup that will cost me $25 per year. Note I only need to make calls to North America numbers from this phone if you do need to call internationally then you would need to add some additional costs/service to your setup. The Google voice service also provides me more flexibility to re-route my calls to my mobile phone if needed or simply get notifications that calls have come in on the "land line". So all in all very happy with this.The only down side to this type of settup is that unlike a regular old true land line this settup is dependent on your internet connection and electricity so if those go out so does your "land line". If your cell/mobile was still working you could route your number to your cell as a backup.When using the phone and the Obihai unit the sound for me and caller is great, again this may vary based on the quality of your internet service.My "landline" phone voicemail will also pickup and record if not answered. You may need to tweak some Google Voice settings if the calls end up in the Google Voice "voicemail". So in general I would recommend this solution, just be aware of the caveats and take a look at the youtube videos, more detailed reviews for steps and the Obitalk website for more info. If you have setup your home internet modem/router then you should be ok with this process.

I like this thing. I use it for my home phone. Now I don't have to pay $25.00 a month for my landline phone. As mentioned by others there is a process to set it up. It is not too difficult. This is how I did it:1. I got one of my old unused cell phones, a Samsung S4.2. I went to TMobile, got a sim card and connected it to their service. It cost around $20.00.3. I called TMobile and asked to port my landline number. It took about 5 or 6 days.4. Install Google voice on phone.5. Change your Google voice number to your phone number which should now be your old number. Google charges $20.00 for port. To replace the Google voice number I did these steps:On a computer, I went to voice.google.com.At the top left, click Menu and then Legacy Google Voice.At the top right, click Settings and then Settings.Click the Phones tab.Next to your current number, click Change / Port.Select I want a new number. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up your new number and pay.After I completed the transaction, I got a few emails with updates and further instructions. After a few days the number ported, and my Google voice number is my old home number. These steps change may change any time Google makes a change to their app. So you may have to Google search the steps required to change a Google voice number. This is how I did it, some steps may be different for you.6. Setup Obihai OBi200 with you number.If you setup Obihai OBi200 with your Google voice number and don't do any porting it is much easier. As a side note this device works with my home alarm panel, and calls central station with no problems. It may not work with all panels but it works with mine. If you can't get it too work just go through all the amazon reviews of this Obihai OBi200. There are many reviews with setting up this device. I have used device for three months and have had no problems. The sound quality is just as good as when I used Comcast for home phone.

First, I set up my Google Voice (GV) and selected a phone number I liked. Piece o'cake. I used GV on my laptop first to confirm I could send and receive calls (forwarded to my cell ph). Then I went to the ObiTalk website and created my account. This is where things went downhill - for about 2 hrs. On that website went to "Add an OBi Device" and "If you have an OBi Universal Phone Adapter" links. Then below that section: "Add an OBi Device":Instructions: 1. Please pick up the telephone handset, and dial **5 1384 2. You may hang-up when either the visual confirmation is displayed or you hear the automated confirmation response 3. If your device does not connect within 45 seconds, please repeat, starting at step #1. Repeating the process faster than this is not recommended"This is where I got stuck for quite some time. After dialing the above number I got the error over my phone: "IP Address Not Available". After trying multiple things like, doing hard power resets on my wireless router, repeating the call, etc. - nothing worked. Same old IP error message. There is no help on the website for this error that I could find. Finally I got desperate and opened up my Linksys Router config page and looked up the DHCP table with all the IP Addresses assigned to the various wireless and wired (LAN) devices. Could not find the IP Address for my OBI200 (data on bottom of device). Hmmm....looks like a problem! So I entered in the IP Address for my OBI200 manually but the phone still got the ID Add. error when I called the number. ARGGH! But wait a minute! I re-cycled the power on the router and tried again. Called the **5 1384 number again and VOILA! - got some kind of confirmation message. It did a firmware update at this point. I don't recall every step after that, but it was relatively straightforward. Made some test calls and it worked fine, but calls were also ringing through to my cell ph. Went back to GV and removed my cell no. from there so that calls only rang at my new Google Voice number at the house (OBI200 ph. connection). Whew! Good luck with your Installation.Note: I did not "port" my old landline number from OOMA to GV. They can have it (its all spammed out anyhow). Cancelling my service there (ooma).

I desperately wanted out of my ridiculously expensive monthly Verizon Landline.I've had my number for over 30 years and didn't EVER want to give it up.I researched, read a few reviews, then purchased the OBi200.The setup was quick & easy to my free Google Voice (provided) number.I tested it out a few days, had no problems whatsoever, actually I was very impressed!So on with my plan!1 - I ported my Verizon landline to a $12.00 pay-as-you-go plan with PagePlus cell service.(I had an old Verizon cell phone doing nothing)It took about 2 days for Verizon to "give it up."Yea! My "home number" was now active and considered as a cell, no longer a landline.2 - Within minutes of the cell service becoming active, I registered at the PagePlus website to set up my account and create a PIN number.Now I had everything I needed:*My phone number was now considered cellular service.*An Account#*A PIN#3 - I then immediately started a port into Google Voice from PagePlus.Google charges a $20.00 port-in fee.During this wait, I did receive a call from PagePlus, I didn't answer, I totally ignored them.The port was successful, and it took about 3-4 hours to complete.4 - Success!My home number is now my Google Voice number!***Really now, how can one not love FREE home telephone service?***With the same number I was just paying monthly charges for, no less!Works perfectly!Great product.Easy setup.I was so happy after purchasing this, within a few days I went and purchased the:OBiWiFi5G 2.4/5GHz Wireless 802.11AC AdapterNow my phone base unit is placed right where it always was, no need to run a wire to our router!The whole setup has been bulletproof!Easily saving me $100's a year!All in all.OBi200 - $50.00PagePlus "pay-as-you-go" plan - $12.00 (considered as "throw-away" money)Google Voice "port-in" - $20.00OBiWiFi5G Wireless Adapter - $25.00Total "ONE TIME ONLY" charges:$107.00Yearly Savings:About 4X that!***THE ONLY DRAWBACK - NO 911 SERVICE***It can be had for a subscription fee, but I wanted out of all subscription services.If this was provided for free, I bet they would instantly triple their sales!My Panasonic system has a pre-programmed number to dial our local Police Dept. (Small town, USA)Another comment:I've read a lot of reviews here that stated my Panasonic answering machine would no longer answer calls, and that Google Voice will take over all missed calls.NOT TRUE!Comparing my answering machine messages to my Google Voice logs, identical!And lastly, for some strange reason.When my answering machine reads out a callers number, it's like WARP SPEED!We think it's funny, because when one of our recognized numbers calls us, the readout is normal - loud & clear.(Gotta be a Google thing)I highly recommend this setup for ANYONE who wants to keep the landline number they have had for years,BUT JUST DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR IT ANYMORE!