Obi202 Performance is a let Down

[jcantrell]

I have had my Obi202 for 2 weeks utilizing Google Voice.
Issues:
- It doesn't stay in an "online" state for more then 10-15 minutes
- I constantly have to unplug/plug in the power for it to connect
- When I unplug/plug in the power it doesn't always "connect". It requires 2-3 cycles of powering down/up.
- When the service is working, after 2-3 minutes of phone usage, the phone will go dead while in use

I have switched routers, checked firmware, did a factory reset. But the issues continue.

This isn't what I was expecting when I bought this device. 

Any help is appreciated.
Jason

[themessiah]

Funny ... mine is just the opposite ...

works great w/4 google lines ...

[jcantrell]

It would be great if I could achieve getting one GV line to work.

Are there any secrets to your success? It seems like a turn key device following the manual.

[Shale]

Tell us about your internet connection. Wired, wireless?

When things are connected, how is the audio during calls? Are there significant gaps in audio?

Is the OBi202 plugged directly into the router?

Do things get a lot better if you turn off the computers in the house as a test?

[CoalMinerRetired]

Working from the assumption it's your internet connection, first try the VoIP Quality tests here: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5803.msg37497#msg37497

As a very close second suggestion, pickup and move the entire Obi unit and run it on someone else's internet connection, friend, family, neighbor, etc. Does it stay online for more than the time you listed above?  This is a test to isolate your internet connection or your Obi unit itself. 

Do one or both of the above and report back.

[jcantrell]

Tell us about your internet connection. Wired, wireless?

When things are connected, how is the audio during calls? Are there significant gaps in audio?

Is the OBi202 plugged directly into the router?

Do things get a lot better if you turn off the computers in the house as a test?

The audio seems ok when I am in a call.

The Obi202 is connected directly to my AT&T Uverse router.

I have 3 computers in the house that connect wirelessly to a septate wireless router that is connected to the uverse router. Turning them all off to keep a long term connection on the obi doesn't seem to change anything.

[jcantrell]

Working from the assumption it's your internet connection, first try the VoIP Quality tests here: http://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=5803.msg37497#msg37497

As a very close second suggestion, pickup and move the entire Obi unit and run it on someone else's internet connection, friend, family, neighbor, etc. Does it stay online for more than the time you listed above?  This is a test to isolate your internet connection or your Obi unit itself. 

Do one or both of the above and report back.

I ran the set tests on each link you provided. The results were all green on both scenarios.

I will do the second suggestion you made a little later and let you know what the results are.

[jcantrell]

Just as an fyi...prior to the Obihai device I was using the AT&T UVerse VoIP without issue. Prior to UVerse I had Charter VoIP and prior to that Tmobiles voip service

[Jackson]

Sure sounds like a bad Obi, can you return it?

[jcantrell]

I took my Obi 202 over to a friends house who uses AT&T Uverse VOIP. We disconnected his VOIP cabling and connected the Obi onto his network. I configured the Obi for my Google Voice account.

- Connect took place
- Obi stayed connected for about :30 minutes then disconnected
- The lights on the Obi go from 4 (Power, Internet, Phone 1, Phone 2) down to 2 (no phone line lights)
- I unplug the power, do a slow 10 count and plug the power back in, still only 2 lights. I do the process a couple more times and finally get dial tone with phone lights.
- After 15 minutes the service drops and the unplugging/plugging back in cycle begins again.

If it is possible to exchange, I would like to do that. I purchased my Obi from Obihai via Amazon.

thanks again
Jason

[meerkat]

it does not sound like but it does not hurt to make sure:

your obi202 is setup using DHCP (or setup using a static IP and make sure not in the IP range the Uverse router DHCP server is allocating).

if still not working, then I would exchange it ASAP

[carl]

As a last thing, put the Obi in DMZ on your U verse gateway. The 2 Wire U verse gateways can be a b*itch for VOIP. If that does not do it, you should contact Obihai support and claim warranty exchange.

[jcantrell]

Ok...

I have given it a static IP on the UVerse router. Was connected for about 30min.

I the Obi in the DMZ on the UVerse router with a new IP. Was connected for about 30min

Sometimes the four lights are on, but no dial tone. Other times only the Power and Internet lights are on and no service.

I am going to exchange and try again.

[jcantrell]

  My exchange arrived today. I have had it up and running for 5.5 hours without loss of service.

Jason

[xzaphod]

Reviews on Amazon's web site said there is the occasional bad unit. Exchanging it is likely to solve the problem as getting two bad units back-to-back is rather unlikely.

I run my OBI202, and almost all my electronics, on UPSs (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) to protect the electronic devices during the all-too-frequent power glitches and to provide time for the computers to hibernate safely. I've been buying the APC BE550G. One should resist the urge to plug too many things into a single UPS to avoid too rapid power drain on the UPS battery.

I think the OBI202 could be sensitive to power spikes (especially) and sags. It's one more layer of protection.

[Ostracus]

Were applicable don't forget to protect the phone line as well.

[Lavarock7]

On our big mainframe computers we used to have odd problems and failures. As soon as we put them on a UPS, there was a dramatic reduction in problems.

It was also explained to me that small electrical spikes may not cause a system to fail but that over time, those chips and electronics will do best if you

a) Keep a nice cool, constant temperature
b) Keep the power constant and eliminate spikes

[Stallhorn]

I am also really getting frustrated with my OBi202 going offline. Mine is fine for a day or two and then goes offline.. I contacted Obi support and asked the following question:
I get "IP address is not available - reason 00" message every couple of days sometimes and every couple of
weeks at other times. I gave it a static IP from my internal network
(192.168.1.20) and I still get the phone go offline. When that happens I
fire up my browser, go the web interface and reboot the device and it starts
working again. So I know it has an IP address and it is accessible.

And I got the following answer:

We don't understand it either why the OBi is not having an IP address.   Try
to connect the OBi to a different Ethernet port on your router and make sure
the cable connection is securely connected.

I know I am one of the few people (judging by the number of posts on here) that is having this issue. So I called Amazon today and asked them if I can exchange it.. and they said that is OK.. I love Amazon!

I am hoping the new device would work better...