Picture of the Obihai OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter, showing the top and front while operating.

OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter Review

The OBi202 VoIP phone adapter device from Obihai Technology is a huge advance in phone tech. Yet it costs little. Much cheaper than monthly phone bills over a year.

We’ve run on the dirt-cheap route often with other devices. But we never found the high quality, that you get in the OBi202 VoIP phone adapter.  While there may be cheaper internet to telephone boxes out there, the OBi202 VoIP phone adapter with its low price offers top-end calling and support.

Picture of the Obihai OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter, showing the top and front while operating.
Obihai OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter, showing the top and front while operating.

 

We found that this OBi202 VoIP phone adapter equals or perhaps even surpasses the performance of older equipment built for the public switched telephone network (PSTN).  All we could say, was “wow,” once we heard its near-pristine sound on our phone calls.

The OBi202 VoIP phone adapter does just about all that’s important, quite well, from clear speech transmission, to silent operation.  It does not distort phone audio, even when your buddy at the other end of the line is thousands of miles away.

Picture of the OBi202, held in hand, showing back, while connected to phones and internet.
The OBi202 held in hand, showing back, while connected to phones and internet.

It’s easy to install and set up.  Once done, you can put the OBi202 VoIP phone adapter under a desk or in a dry basement. Why?  Because you almost never need to touch it again.  No need to fiddle with or tweak it.  This adapter provides top-notch performance right out of the box.   It has high quality digital to analog converters for crystal clear sounding calls.

Picture of the OBi202 held in hand, showing front, while operating.
The OBi202 held in hand, showing front, while operating.

Advantages, Pros, Features of the OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter

Saves You LOTS of Money

At roughly $100 per copy, the OBi202 cost less than two months of the usual phone fees.  Somewhat put out by this initial expense.  But then we realized that in just three months, coupled with a virtually free VoIP plan, the OBi202 would pay for itself in much lower phone line costs.  Indeed it did.

Google Voice Compatible

The unit supports Google Voice.





Multiple VoIP Accounts

You may link up to two Google Voice accounts to the OBi202 VoIP phone adapter. Each one can host its own phone number on the two analog phone ports. Or, set up one port with a Google Voice number, and the other with a number from another VoIP provider.  Mix and match.

The OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter Supports Up to Four VoIP Providers

Supports up to four VoIP services. Two of these you can use at the same time via the two RJ11 analog phone ports, discussed next. 

Two Analog Phone Ports  

You may set each RJ11 port with a separate phone number, for two lines.  One could be your business phone, while the other could serve your office FAX machine.   That’s how we set it up here.

Phone Collaboration Features

The two phone ports can work by themselves, or together, to form a “mini” telephone system. This provides popular collaboration features for businesses.  The phone on one port can call the phone on the other port (hit the # key at the dial tone).

Full Caller Id Support

The incoming caller’s phone number, if not hidden, shows up on any caller Id device plugged into the phone ports.

Set Up at OBiTALK.com

Register your OBi202 there.  Instructions provided in the box. 

The OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter Features Security Conscious Design

Features a built-in one port router and firewall, to reduce hacking risks.

Free Obi to Obi Calls

You can call other Obihai adapter users directly, without first joining a VOiP service provider plan.

FAX Support  

Connect a T.38 FAX machine to one of the OBi202 analog ports.  Works the same as it would on a traditional analog phone line.

SIP Truncking Support

SIP (Session Initiated Protocol) allows for simultaneous file downloading, collaborative white board, and other multimedia content to be exchanged between callers on the same “line”.





USB Port  

The OBi202 provides one USB for Obihai Accessories, OBiWiFi, and OBiBT.

The OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter is WiFi Ready

You can connect the OBi202 wirelessly to your internet service with the OBiWiFi accessory, sold separately.

Supports Many Popular VOiP Providers

In addition to Google Voice, the OBi202 works with other services such as Anveo, Callcentric, VoicePulse, VoIP.ms et al, so long as they support the Open SIP standard.

Cons, Disadvantages, Limitations, Problems of the OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter

No Internet, No Phone

If your internet goes down, so too does this phone service.

No Power, No Phone

The OBi202 needs 12 volts DC power. But offers no battery backup.  So you need a separate uninterruptible power supply to run this adapter during power failures.

May or May Not Provide E911 Access

The level of support for emergency calls is determined by the VoIP provider(s) you’ve selected for the OBi202.  Nothing in this device precludes E911 support; that all depends on the VoIP provider picked.  So, choose your provider(s) wisely.

Possible Hidden Charges from VoIP Providers

Note that the Obihai charges no fees other than the purchase price of the OBi202 adapter.  But some VoIP service providers just might. Some have.  So, be sure to understand the end user license agreements (EULA) for any VOiP vendor to which you connect your OBi202, to avoid those hidden gotchas.





OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter Setup can be Tricky

If you plan on linking the OBi202 to a VoIP provider other than ObiTALK (Obi-to-Obi calls only), then not only must you set up the OBi202 on the Obhai web portal, but you also must set it up at your selected VOiP provider’s web site; Google Voice for example.

Our Rating for the OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter

We found the Obihai OBi202 telephone adapter to be well built, lightweight, easy to understand, and have placed hundreds of calls with it.  No problems setting it up and using each phone port.  You can buy this VoIP adapter for under a hundred dollars; though we suggest looking around for deals.  We got ours for $70.

So with nary a qualm, we say that the OBi202 is a decent sounding internet phone product.  It works about as well as any currently-available, similar product.  We would, without worry, swap our current phone service for Google Voice, on the OBi202.  Thumbs up!  Thus we rate the OBi202 at 95 out of 100.

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References 

  1. OBi202 on Amazon
  2. OBi202 Product Information
  3. What is VoIP Telephony?   on Wikipedia

Revision History

  • 2019-05-02: Removed ad code.  Added key word targeting for ‘OBi202 VoIP Phone Adapter’, more subheadings, and more tags.
  • 2016-12-06: Originally published.