General

• Updated 08/31/2019.
• DIY BYOD PAYG residential VoIP telephone service using VoIP.ms, OBi202, HT701, and ZoiPer on mobile Android WiFi devices.
• Prerequisites: Computer savvy; stable broadband ISP/WAN service; stable LAN/WLAN on a UPS.
• Recommendation: VoIP.ms and an OBi202 ata are an excellent first choice for switching to and learning about DIY BYOD PAYG VoIP telephone service. Skip using Google Voice and OBiTALK.com.

Service and Equipment

• ITSP1, primary provider = VoIP.ms since 2/22/14 (ported in $39/month Verizon PSTN/POTS landline number, 3/20-3/26/14 FOC date).

  IMPORTANT: A Firm Order Commitment (FOC) date declaration means that all parties to the port have agreed that the port can proceed and that it should succeed. Ideally, the source account name and billing address should match the destination account name and billing address to facilitate the port. Do not cancel/close the current telephone number's account until the port has been successfully completed. With most ITSPs, a ported number becomes an unpublished number. See How Local Number Portability (LNP) Works.

• ITSP2, secondary provider = .
• ITSPn, miscellaneous providers = iNum, SIP Broker, Alcazar Networks.
• ISP = Charter Communications Spectrum cable, $60/month Spectrum 60:5Mbps (was COX Communications cable, $66/month Preferred 50:5Mbps; upgraded from working $46/month Essential 5:1Mbps). One VoIP channel/session can require ~87Kbps or less in one direction depending on the codec used.

  COX nominal down:up speeds:

  Gigablast	1:1Gbps
  Ultimate	150:20Mbps
  Premier	100:10Mbps
  Preferred	50:5Mbps ;tests at ~65:7Mbps.
  Essential	5:1Mbps
  Starter	1Mbps:384Kbps

• Modem = Motorola Cable Modem SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 (black) on home office UPS1 (upgraded from working Motorola Cable Modem SB5120 DOCSIS 2.0). The Motorola brand has been sold; the original and current make to get is Arris SB6141 (black) or better.
• Router = ASUS Gigabit Router RT-AC68U on home office UPS1. WAN SIP Passthrough = Disabled (disable any WAN SIP Passthrough or SIP ALG function in the router to prevent one-way audio problem).

  IP address assignment:

  xxx.xxx.xxx.0-.9	static IP addresses assigned manually
  .1	router ASUS RT-AC66U
  .2	repeater ASUS RT-N66U bridged over 2.4GHz n-only
  .10-.19	static IP addresses assigned by router per device MAC address
  .10	admin-PC
  .11	OBi202-1 ata on site router
  .12	OBi202-2 ata on repeater
  .13	OBi202-3 ata spare
  .14	HT701-1 ata deployed offsite
  .15	HT701-2 ata deployed offsite
  .16	HT701-3 ata deployed offsite
  .20	printer
  .30-.49	dynamic IP addresses assigned by router to WAN/VPN clients
  .100-.199	dynamic IP addresses assigned by router to LAN/WLAN clients

• Switch = ASUS Gigabit Switch GX-D1081 on home office UPS1.
• ATA = Obihai Analog Telephone Adapter OBi202 on home office UPS1 ($55-65 from Amazon.com). Provisioned using the local OBi web interface.
• UPS1, UPS2 = APC Back-UPS ES Series 750VA BE750G (replacement battery Amstrom AP-1290F2 from atbatt.com).
• WAN/LAN cabling = isp coax---ground block/house cable/patch cable---cable modem---router---ata Internet/WAN port.
• TEL cabling = 4-conductor/2-pair/2-line house telephone wiring and wall jacks wired L1+L2 (6P4C RJ-14), same as the OBi202 PHONE1 jack; OBi202 PHONE2 jack is wired L2 (6P2C RJ-11).

  IMPORTANT: Disconnect the house telephone wiring from the incoming telephone company landline at the demarcation point BEFORE connecting the ata FXS (station) PHONE jack(s) to the house telephone wiring to avoid damaging the ata. Do NOT disconnect the incoming telephone company landline wiring from its safety earth ground shunt protection.

  OBi202-1 PHONE1 jack L1+L2---4-conductor custom Cat5 cable to wall jack to energize house telephone wiring---line1 and line2 telephones.
  OBi202-1 PHONE2 jack L2---admin-PC faxmodem---line2 telephone.
  
  OBi202-2 PHONE1 jack L1+L2---line3 telephone.
  OBi202-2 PHONE2 jack L2---line4 telephone.

  Telephone cable wiring reference:

  2-conductor cable pair1/line1 ring, tip	Red, Green (~48vdc, 0vdc gnd)
  6-pole 2-conductor (6P2C) RJ-11 plug |1|2|3|4|5|6|	|1|2|R|G|5|6|---|1|2|G|R|5|6| Reverses end-to-end; contacts 1,2,5,6 are not used.
  4-conductor cable pair1/line1 ring, tip	Red, Green (~48vdc, 0vdc gnd)
  4-conductor cable pair2/line2 ring, tip	Yellow, Black
  6-pole 4-conductor (6P4C) RJ-14 plug |1|2|3|4|5|6|	|1|B|R|G|Y|6|---|1|Y|G|R|B|6| Reverses end-to-end; contacts 1,6 are not used.
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair1/line1 ring, tip	Blue (Red), Blue/White (Green)
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair2/line2 ring, tip	Orange (Yellow), Orange/White (Black)
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair3/line3 ring, tip	Green, Green/White (not active)
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair4/line4 ring, tip	Brown, Brown/White (cut short and not terminated)
  6-pole 4-conductor (6P4C) RJ-14 plug 6-pole 6-conductor (6P6C) RJ-25 plug |1|2|3|4|5|6|	|Grn/Wht|Org/Wht|Blu|Blu/Wht|Org|Grn|---|Grn|Org|Blu/Wht|Blu|Org/Wht|Grn/Wht| Reverses end-to-end; contacts 1,6 are not active.

  Note that RJ-11, RJ-14, and RJ-25 plugs differ only by the number of contacts installed.

  Ethernet cable wiring reference:

  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair1	Blue, Blue/White
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair2	Orange, Orange/White
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair3	Green, Green/White
  8-conductor Cat5 cable pair4	Brown, Brown/White
  8-pole 8-conductor (8P8C) RJ-45 plug |1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|	|Org/Wht|Org|Grn/Wht|Blu|Blu/Wht|Grn|Brn/Wht|Brn|---|Org/Wht|Org|Grn/Wht|Blu|Blu/Wht|Grn|Brn/Wht|Brn| Does NOT reverse end-to-end.

• Offsite ATAs = BasicTalk/Vonage Grandstream Handytone Analog Telephone Adapters HT701 (was $10 from Walmart; must be unlocked) connected to a single analog telephone to provide backup phone service in next generation, cell-phone-only households.
• Android devices run ZoiPer app for VoIP.ms access and Hangouts/Dialer app for Google Voice access.

Startup Cost

• VoIP.ms startup costs 2/22-6/30/14: [$22.76] (net savings)
  DID setup fee (trial DID canceled 4/22): $0.50
  DID monthly fee (trial DID canceled 4/22): $0.99/month
  DID1 port fee (FOC 3/26): $0.00
  DID1 monthly fee: $0.99/month
  DID1 LIBD/CNAM CallerID name lookup fee: $0.00 (not subscribed)
  DID1 e911 recovery setup fee: $1.50
  DID1 e911 recovery fee: $1.50/month
  iNum1 monthly fee: $0.00/month
  Free calls: $0.00, 419 calls, 3864 minutes
  PAYG calls: $32.34, 516 calls, 3213 minutes
  CallerID number filtering (blacklist blocks telemarketing calls; reduces PAYG minutes): 52 including Anonymous and own DID1
  Miscellaneous fees and taxes: $0.00 (none)
  VoIP.ms total billing 2/22-6/30/14: $46.28, 935 calls, 7077 minutes
  OBi202 ata cost: $67.31
  Savings from canceled landline Apr, May, Jun: [$117.00]
  Savings from ~215 AT&T GoPhone cellular minutes at $0.10/minute shifted to VoIP.ms over mobile Wi-Fi: [$19.35]
  
• VoIP.ms total deposits (startup costs plus Apr'14-Feb'15): $125.00 (it's looking like ~$10/month annually)
• Google Voice total deposits 9/11-present: $0.00 (free service except for International calls)

Do-It-Yourself

• Establish a secure, reliable method for storing/recalling account credentials (accountID, userID, password, PIN, security answers, e-mail address, login website, etc.).
• Check power supplies for rated output voltage... a poor or dying power supply can cause critical equipment to malfunction.
• Check ISP/WAN cabling to LAN modem/router. Confirm ISP speed.
• Check LAN cabling from router to local hosts. Disable any WAN SIP Passthrough or SIP ALG function in the router to prevent one-way audio problem.
• Check TEL wiring to wall jacks. Prepare to disconnect TEL wiring from the outside landline at the demarcation point.
• Install a UPS to protect LAN modem/router/switch and OBi analog telephone adapter. Plan and locate equipment efficiently (to be visible and accessible from the admin-PC as computing equipment, not as telco premise equipment at a remote demarcation point).
• Order an OBi202 (GV support) or OBi302 online (Amazon dot com, Newegg.com).
• Select ITSP1 and setup an online account with primary billing name and address to match that of the current landline number to be ported. For lower volume usage, start with PAYG per minute billing. Ping to select quickest route pop server. Setup a trial DID. Configure account/subaccounts/sipservices (1 account/subaccount/sipaccount/siptrunk VoIP voice service = 1 line/extension/device/user).
• Determine the Outbound Dialing requirements for the OBi, the ITSP, and the dialing location. Define the OBi dial plan (complete dial planning can be delayed until last and will evolve over time with learning and familiarity).
• Install the OBi on the LAN and connect a test phone directly to it. Configure the LAN router to assign a static IP address (192.168.1.11), if possible, to conveniently browse to the OBi web interface.
• Commission the OBi. Update the firmware, reset to factory default settings, configure settings, and make test calls. Maintain a list of the non-default settings including SIP account authentication credentials. Save the firmware .bin file and a device configuration backup file for disaster recovery.
• Setup ITSP1 voicemail (temporary) greeting and confirm visual and stutter tone message waiting indication on phones.
• Setup ITSP1 CallerID number filtering to blacklist/hangup (busy signal) telemarketing calls. Route 'anonymous' and own CallerID to voicemail. Maintain a copy of the blacklist offline (number,description).
• Test fax and SMS, if desired.
• Once new VoIP service is established and successfully handling calls for several weeks, port primary phone number to ITSP1. Setup e911 Emergency Service for this number. Call the ITSP test number to confirm e911 service registration. Do NOT cancel existing landline service until port to ITSP is complete.
• Disconnect house TEL wiring from the outside landline. Leave the earth ground protection connected to the outside landline.
• Connect the OBi PHONE1 jack L1/L1+L2 to a house TEL wiring wall jack (L1/L1+L2) using a 2-/4-conductor cord and make test calls. Total REN of the phones that ring on each OBi PHONE jack must not exceed REN 5 (about 5-6 modern phones).
• Setup ITSP1 subaccount and a softphone on mobile WiFi devices and make test calls.
• Cancel trial DID.
• Use ITSP CDR reporting to evaluate monthly cost and inbound/outbound minutes to choose the best inbound/outbound billing plan(s) for your usage, PAYG per minute and/or flat rate.
• Consider commissioning a spare ata for test, travel, and disaster recovery.
• Select ITSP2 for backup/additional/future service and integrate into existing configuration and dial plan.
• Study the OBi202 dial plan here to learn the OBi way and how to use a trunk group to aggregate various/all active trunks as one Primary Line for automatic outbound routing.

Security

• The less fragmented/pieced-together a VoIP solution is, the more serviceable/reliable it will be. Think POTS.
• Use a UPS to protect hardware and data from power disturbances.
• Use 12-character SIP passwords or better that look like this: 5o&[nTm%3$27. And vary them across mobile softphone SIP accounts.
• Set ITSP account settings to limit/block International calling, to cap International rates, and to limit max call time.
• Fund accounts modestly without auto-pay. If available, subscribe to an account balance e-mail alert and other e-mail alerts for key account setting changes.
• Use a restricted-cone NAT router, and do not use port forwarding or DMZ. Restricted-cone NAT will only permit inbound traffic from the registered service provider. A full cone NAT router will allow traffic from any source. If you have a Windows computer, test your router using the utility here http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,22292023. Run stun stun.ekiga.net from the command prompt.
• Connect the ata on the LAN side of the site router/firewall. Do not use an OBi as the site router/firewall.
• Consider not using the OBiTALK Cloud (OBiTALK Provisioning and OBiTALK Service) to prohibit unauthorized remote access by Obihai. Beware the Internet of Things (IoT); no device is secure if it is being updated unattended, unannounced, undocumented, and untested:
  System Management
  Auto Provisioning - Auto Firmware Update::Method = Disabled
  Auto Provisioning - ITSP Provisioning::Method = Disabled
  Auto Provisioning - OBiTalk Provisioning::Method = Disabled
  Voice Services
  OBiTALK Service - OBiTALK Service Settings::Enable = NOT checked
  
• Disable OBi services not being used:
  Voice Services
  SPn Service - SPn Service::Enabled = NOT checked
  
• Configure OBi services to prohibit anonymous SIP, if supported by the ITSP (not available in OBi110 firmware):
  Voice Services
  SPn Service - SIP Credentials::X_EnforceRequestUserID = checked
  
• Configure OBi services to prohibit anonymous SIP when above X_EnforceRequestUserID is not supported by the ITSP:
  Voice Services
  SP1 Service - SP1 Service::X_InboundCallRoute = {>('AuthUserName'):ph1} ;route inbound to PH1 except prohibit anonymous SIP (Oleg method used prior to X_EnforceRequestUserID); does not work for Builds 4303 and 4318; can omit (' ') if AuthUserName is all digits/numbers.
  
• If using an OBi2 Series v3.0.1 Build 4367 or earlier and Google Voice, use 2-Step Authentication with an app-specific password to configure the Google Voice service.
• Move OBi UserAgentPorts to obscure them from SIP scanners (should not be a problem behind a restricted-cone NAT router):
  Voice Services
  SPn Service - SPn Service::X_UserAgentPort = 6xxxn ;instead of 5060 (506n).
  
• Backup an OBi configuration to file; no options.
• Visit Steve Gibson's reputable site https://www.grc.com, find the Shields Up! page, and scan for exposed TCP service ports.
• Visit http://sipscanner.voicefraud.com and scan for exposed UDP service ports.

Fax

• Use codec G711u or an ITSP with T.38 real time fax-over-IP standard protocol support.
• To share an OBi202 PH2 PHONE2 Port with incoming voice calls, set the fax device to answer a double distinctive ring and set the incoming fax voice service (SP3) to use ring pattern 3, double distinctive ring:
  SP3 Service - SP3 Service::X_DefaultRing = 3
  If the fax device is sensitive to a call waiting signal, disable call waiting on the PH2 PHONE2 Port:
  PHONE2 Port - Calling Features::CallWaitingEnable = not checked