So what is the OBi110 by Obihai technology? By now you’ve heard of Google Voice – if not, Google Voice is simply a phone number provided by Google to provide a centralized contact number for all of your devices (i.e. your Google Voice number can simultaneously ring your work, mobile, and home phone numbers and you answer wherever you happen to be). While a central number is really useful, Google decided to change the game by allowing free incoming and outgoing calls using your Google Voice number. Unfortunately, these calls must be made using your computer microphone and speakers; that is until Obihai Technology changed the game with the OBi110 ($49.99) & OBi100 ($43.99), enabling your google voice account to be used as a landline.
The OBi110 is a small device that has a standard phone jack input for your current home phone as well as an ethernet port for connecting to your high speed internet connection. This device makes your google voice account even more effective by allowing you to make and receive calls on your home phone by using your google voice number, or more simply stated, getting rid of your home service with free inbound and outbound calls! Upon receiving my OBi110, I expected a complicated setup, but my expectations were blown away. It took less than 5 minutes to plug in my cordless phone, connect the OBi110 to my router, input my google voice username and password, and make my first phone call.
In the past, I’ve provided several reviews and how to guides related to the MagicJack $39.99 VoIP device (MagicJack Review), so you might be wondering how does the OBi110 really differ? Well for starters, MagicJack requires a computer to be connected and online at all times, while the OBi110 connects directly to your high speed internet connection and can be used without a computer at all. Additionally, your Google Voice account provides a plethora of features that the MagicJack service just cannot provide; one of the biggest being Google’s amazing voicemail transcription service where you can receive emails with the content of your voicemails.
Check back for detailed setup instructions and my thoughts on the OBi110 after a few weeks of use, but after my first few days, I am comfortable cancelling my landline and feel that I am really utilizing my google voice account to it’s full potential.
