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Acrobits Groundwire SIP client $6.99 iOS / $5.49 Android

  • Last Updated:
  • Nov 16th, 2017 3:34 pm
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Feb 28, 2005
3167 posts
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Acrobit's response to G.729 's cost:
Despite the fact that G.729 patents expired, G.729 continues to be a premium codec in Acrobits Softphone and Groundwire. There was a substantial upfront cost to acquire access to G.729 licence and the patent expiration in Jan 2017 didn't make the codec free for us. If we decide to change the price in the future, we'll make a public announcement.
Client at: Tangerine, VoIP.ms, Virgin Mobile
Member
Apr 30, 2015
207 posts
48 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
Any know how much better push is over TCP, in terms of battery life and reliability? Also, while zoiper on android was the best app I've used so far, it's still not as good as the stock dialler or hangouts (or zoiper on windows). Do these other two apps bring the level there esp. over data?
My VoIP.ms settings with Zoiper:
Disabled Echo cancellation
Sip
Transport= TCP, registry=300
Dialler integration, always on
Newbie
Nov 21, 2016
34 posts
5 upvotes
sexyj wrote: what function does this have over csipsimple ?
Biggest would be
Push notification so that the app will not need to maintain a constant connection to the server and thus save battery.
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Jun 12, 2007
20805 posts
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London
bipolargraph wrote: Any know how much better push is over TCP, in terms of battery life and reliability? Also, while zoiper on android was the best app I've used so far, it's still not as good as the stock dialler or hangouts (or zoiper on windows). Do these other two apps bring the level there esp. over data?
Push is better because it uses the standard apple or google push notification servers. Your phone contacts these servers anyway in normal use, so there's no impact on battery life plus apple/google have already optimized the phones for their own push servers (all the stock google/apple apps use the same servers for push).

Acrobits pushes -> google/apple servers pushes -> you

TCP will always impact battery life more because it's an extra live connection the phone's radio must maintain, although you can optimize it to reduce usage. Push works with all SIP providers, where TCP doesn't (requires provider to support )

The big disadvantage for push is there's an extra 2-3 ring delay from the time your caller hears ringing to the phone actually ringing . Some impatient callers may hang up
Member
Mar 15, 2008
358 posts
231 upvotes
Thanks OP. I'll be travelling extensively next year and planned on porting my number to voip.MS
Member
Apr 30, 2015
207 posts
48 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
l69norm wrote: Push is better because it uses the standard apple or google push notification servers. Your phone contacts these servers anyway in normal use, so there's no impact on battery life plus apple/google have already optimized the phones for their own push servers (all the stock google/apple apps use the same servers for push).

Acrobits pushes -> google/apple servers pushes -> you

TCP will always impact battery life more because it's an extra live connection the phone's radio must maintain, although you can optimize it to reduce usage. Push works with all SIP providers, where TCP doesn't (requires provider to support )

The big disadvantage for push is there's an extra 2-3 ring delay from the time your caller hears ringing to the phone actually ringing . Some impatient callers may hang up
That sounds good. How about voice quality? Anyone tried both this and zoiper and noticed a difference?
My VoIP.ms settings with Zoiper:
Disabled Echo cancellation
Sip
Transport= TCP, registry=300
Dialler integration, always on
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Nov 18, 2008
9291 posts
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Mont-Royal
can this be used for cisco ip phone or its only smartphones related?
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Mar 3, 2002
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bipolargraph wrote: That sounds good. How about voice quality? Anyone tried both this and zoiper and noticed a difference?
Unless a SIP app is exceedingly buggy, it has no bearing on sound quality if the same audio codec and service are being used.
Please do not PM me for tech support. I help out on the forums when I can. Thank you.
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Mar 3, 2002
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L4cky wrote: can this be used for cisco
No.
Please do not PM me for tech support. I help out on the forums when I can. Thank you.
OBi200/202 Freephonline PDF guide (version 1.60) can be found here. OBi200 info can be found here. For OBi202 info, click here.
Member
Apr 30, 2015
207 posts
48 upvotes
Mississauga, ON
Webslinger wrote: Unless a SIP app is exceedingly buggy, it has no bearing on sound quality if the same audio codec and service are being used.
Zoiper on windows 10 has been flawless for me, compared to android at least. It might be because the connection is worse on phones, or I'm not using a headset, but I do notice a difference at least.
My VoIP.ms settings with Zoiper:
Disabled Echo cancellation
Sip
Transport= TCP, registry=300
Dialler integration, always on
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Mar 3, 2002
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bipolargraph wrote: Zoiper on windows 10 has been flawless for me, compared to android at least.
Different hardware (and OS) is being used. It's not a valid comparison (some people also think, incorrectly, that slightly higher volumes means the sound quality is better).

All other things being equal, it doesn't matter. It's not as though server locations from the VoIP service used changes, which can be a contributing factor in latency and jitter.
It's not as though anyone should reasonably expect that using vancouver.voip.ms with the G.711u codec and VoIP.ms premium rates is going to sound different depending on the app used, with the exact
same hardware (and when jitter and pings to the server are minimal). I usually roll my eyes at anyone online who claims otherwise without that person
also suggesting an app may be buggy with certain hardware or an OS/drivers. And I see those kind of nonsense claims all over the place.
G.711u is G.711u is G.711u is G.711u.
Please do not PM me for tech support. I help out on the forums when I can. Thank you.
OBi200/202 Freephonline PDF guide (version 1.60) can be found here. OBi200 info can be found here. For OBi202 info, click here.
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Jun 12, 2007
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bipolargraph wrote: That sounds good. How about voice quality? Anyone tried both this and zoiper and noticed a difference?
The "push" notification travels via Google or apple push servers, then restarts the Acrobits app.

Your phone call then connects directly to your sip provider, bypassing both Acrobits push server and Google /apple push servers
so there's no difference between push and traditional udp or tcp

I forgot another big advantage of Acrobits push. Waiting for a push, the Acrobits app can be closed so it's no longer in your phone's memory. When Google/apple sends a push, your phone restarts the Acrobits app so the incoming call starts ringing. Again, the disadvantage is the longer delay your incoming caller gets while you pick up.
(Acrobits pushes to Google/ apple pushes to your phone, restarts Acrobits app, connect to your sip provider, call starts ringing)

With tcp, the sip app must stay running in your phone's memory all the time consuming resources (CPU, memory, battery, data), but it rings without much delay on an incoming call
Deal Addict
Jan 31, 2007
4807 posts
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The reviews in the Google Play are pretty bad. Is this a accurate review for it?
Newbie
Nov 21, 2016
34 posts
5 upvotes
l69norm wrote: The "push" notification travels via Google or apple push servers, then restarts the Acrobits app.

Your phone call then connects directly to your sip provider, bypassing both Acrobits push server and Google /apple push servers
so there's no difference between push and traditional udp or tcp

I forgot another big advantage of Acrobits push. Waiting for a push, the Acrobits app can be closed so it's no longer in your phone's memory. When Google/apple sends a push, your phone restarts the Acrobits app so the incoming call starts ringing. Again, the disadvantage is the longer delay your incoming caller gets while you pick up.
(Acrobits pushes to Google/ apple pushes to your phone, restarts Acrobits app, connect to your sip provider, call starts ringing)

With tcp, the sip app must stay running in your phone's memory all the time consuming resources (CPU, memory, battery, data), but it rings without much delay on an incoming call
I thought the same. Until I saw acrobits document.

"When a device receives a push notification about a pending incoming call, it launches the softphone application. The softphone creates a special SIP user agent which communicates directly with SIPIS. Next, the softphone notifies SIPIS about its “readiness” and SIPIS then proceeds by initiating its own SIP call with the device. This new call is constructed using most of the information from the real incoming call, so from the iPhone’s point of view it just seems as if the call came directly from the calling party (while it is, in fact, just iPhone – SIPIS “tunnel”). Once this new call is established, SIPIS relays all relevant signaling information between these two separate calls."
https://doc.acrobits.net/sipis/overview ... light=push

In short, when you use push with acrobits, you answer your call by having acrobits's push server as a middle man.
there's two downsides:
1. there're security concerns. acrobits could potentially monitor your entire call. they would be able to know the whole call if they want to.
2. since you're connecting to acrobit's sip server instead of your provider's sip server, it would create extra latency most of the time.

I'm really thinking of making a sip softphone myself.......
Jr. Member
Dec 29, 2010
123 posts
136 upvotes
Vancouver
alvinma wrote: "When a device receives a push notification about a pending incoming call, it launches the softphone application. The softphone creates a special SIP user agent which communicates directly with SIPIS. Next, the softphone notifies SIPIS about its “readiness” and SIPIS then proceeds by initiating its own SIP call with the device. This new call is constructed using most of the information from the real incoming call, so from the iPhone’s point of view it just seems as if the call came directly from the calling party (while it is, in fact, just iPhone – SIPIS “tunnel”). Once this new call is established, SIPIS relays all relevant signaling information between these two separate calls."
https://doc.acrobits.net/sipis/overview ... light=push
Dude, you skipped the next sentence...
Once this new call is established, SIPIS relays all relevant signaling information between these two separate calls. Note that while SIP signaling goes always through the SIPIS, RTP media streams don’t.
Meaning it's only the SIP signalling that is proxied NOT the actual call audio.
This is not to say that they couldn't log all call audio if they wanted, but so can everyone else on the internet.
VOIP calls aren't encrypted (they can be but you'd have to use ZRTP or something similar and both parties would need to support it)
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nightwalker wrote: If I use this with a VOIP provider like FreePhoneLine
FPL, whose parent company is Fibernetics (also owns Fongo), does not support SMS. Fongo Mobile does.
with a data only plan can I receive text with it?
acrobits-groundwire-sip-client-6-99-ios ... #p28439426
Please do not PM me for tech support. I help out on the forums when I can. Thank you.
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alvinma wrote: In short, when you use push with acrobits, you answer your call by having acrobits's push server as a middle man.
there's two downsides:
1. there're security concerns. acrobits could potentially monitor your entire call. they would be able to know the whole call if they want to.
Mobad's response to you is correct. The RTP stream is not coming from Acrobits.

Also, passwords are encrypted.

One advantage Acrobits has is that they can give you the software to admin your own SIPIS server, where you live, if you're willing to put in the work (I'm not) and keep a server running 24/7: https://doc.acrobits.net/sipis/installation.html.
Also, visit https://forum.acrobits.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=101#p391.
Last edited by Guest1284983 on Nov 12th, 2017 5:28 am, edited 2 times in total.
Please do not PM me for tech support. I help out on the forums when I can. Thank you.
OBi200/202 Freephonline PDF guide (version 1.60) can be found here. OBi200 info can be found here. For OBi202 info, click here.
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@Webslinger
Is it possible with FPL to have obi logged in to my account in one location, and use this client on the road with the same account on the smartphone?

Thanks
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lifeisfuneh wrote: @Webslinger
Is it possible with FPL to have obi logged in to my account in one location, and use this client on the road with the same account on the smartphone?

Thanks
You can't have your FPL account simultaneously registered in Groundwire and in your ATA. Only the most recent registration will be valid. The older registration will not.
You may only register your FPL account on one device at any given time. Only one registration per FPL account is allowed at any time. The most recently registered device will ring for incoming calls. The previously registered device will not. Registration is required for incoming calls. Registration is not required for outgoing calls.

If you don't care whether incoming calls reach your ATA while travelling, then you should be fine. But I would use the server failover method described in the 1.51x PDF guide that (automatic) Obitalk.com provisioning with Freephoneline will not provide: http://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 805#p73839.


If you attempt more than 5 registrations within 5 minutes, you may be temporarily IP banned from the FPL SIP you are attempting to register with:

https://community.freepbx.org/t/trunk-s ... ca/22479/8
"As May 2013, our servers will rate limit REGISTER requests to a maximum of 10 requests per 5 minutes. Each authentication round usually consumes 2 requests (digest auth), so it is a fair number given our guidelines. Also, it does not affect INVITES (which are also authenticated)...

This rate limit is applied per IP address as our service is tailored to residential Canadian users (ADSL/Cable). "

What I typically do is choose to not register my FPL account using Groundwire (I have the FPL account set to "Off -- Do Not Register" in Groundwire). I can then make then make an outbound call using Groundwire. But during that call period, inbound calls to the ATA will not work. When I end the call in Groundwire, inbound calls to the ATA work again.

For the most part though, I'm calling into the ATA using its Auto Attendant to place outbound calls (typically for long distance calling only) because jitter and pings usually increase over cellular data.

Again, I'm also using the server failover method described in the 1.51x guide that (automatic) Obitalk.com provisioning with Freephoneline will not provide: http://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 805#p73839. The Auto Attendant (AA) section starts on page 25 (step 10 B. i): "But what if you wanted to use your cellphone to make free calls using Freephoneline or any other
service that is configured on your ATA using regular cellular airtime (and not cellular data) by
simply dialing your Freephoneline phone number?"

The AA section continues on page 26.
The Auto Attendant section then jumps to pages 30 and 31 (for enabling AA and using a PIN).
And there's a follow up question covered on pages 51 and 52 for how to enter in a contact on an iPhone or Android smartphone using a pause (or comma).

For inbound calls using Call Forwarding with FPL, visit newegg-obihai-obi200-49-99-free-shippin ... #p28423556.

Alternatively, if you don't care about receiving calls from your FPL number, you could use Fongo Mobile, provided it works well for you (it does not always work well with certain Android firmwares/hardware combinations). That would be the exact same thing as making outbound calls using Freephoneline, except the outbound Caller ID won't be your FPL number. Servers for Fongo Mobile and Freephoneline are in southern Ontario. Server location can affect pings and jitter. Typically, the closer you are to the servers, the less potential there is for problems to arise along the path between you and the servers being used.

Lastly, if you've been using Google Voice, you're going to want to update firmware: google-voice-xmpp-support-may-ending-ob ... s-2139232/.
Last edited by Guest1284983 on Nov 12th, 2017 7:50 am, edited 2 times in total.
Please do not PM me for tech support. I help out on the forums when I can. Thank you.
OBi200/202 Freephonline PDF guide (version 1.60) can be found here. OBi200 info can be found here. For OBi202 info, click here.

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