Computers & Electronics

freephoneline.ca - Free Local Soft Phone Line for lifetime VOIP

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 20th, 2024 10:58 pm
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
Shadow Rider wrote: Thanks! Reading up on what we do with our Obi devices once support ends for FPL and Google Voice support, do you think that we'll all need to switch over to a third party firmware like https://www.obifirmware.com/?
FPL won’t stop working on Obihai devices, regardless. FPL is a normal SIP service.

So, the announcement only matters for Google Voice and Obitalk.com users.

It’s difficult to guess whether

- Google will make changes that stops Obihai devices from working with Google Voice

- naf (modded firmware author) can do anything about potential changes (I wouldn't bank on naf being able to do anything)

What is known is that if a change is made that prevents GV from working with stock Obihai firmware, the fix won’t be forthcoming from Obihai.

This is naf’s statement on the matter: https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r33573757-.
Last edited by ArrowFlynn on Jan 17th, 2023 4:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Deal Addict
May 11, 2005
2182 posts
218 upvotes
Ajax, ON, Canada
Is it possible to have the calls being called on an FPL line, routed (and work in tandem) to another number?

I have the Pixel 6 Pro smartphone and what I like about that phone is that you can screen calls with the help of the Google Assistant. Think of that - as an all-day stop like sequence. Whenever I get an unknown call from a number I'm not familiar with, I summon the call screening feature.

One option is having my smartphone and the FPL line dial at the same time - this process is known as "paralleling".

Another option is having my FPL number dial to another number whenever I don't want to answer while I'm not in the house, I wanted it to dial to another number. That process is known as "Diking".

Both "Paralleling" and "Diking" are the words that I comically came up with, but if that sounds confusing, that's okay.

The call screening feature is a Pixel-exclusive feature. Not sure if it's available to other phones running on Android, though.

Also to this day, a similar feature for Apple iPhone doesn't exist. I really wished it should be made available.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Mar 10, 2018
6318 posts
2511 upvotes
does it matter?
FutureHeartsJunkie wrote: Is it possible to have the calls being called on an FPL line, routed (and work in tandem) to another number?

I have the Pixel 6 Pro smartphone and what I like about that phone is that you can screen calls with the help of the Google Assistant. Think of that - as an all-day stop like sequence. Whenever I get an unknown call from a number I'm not familiar with, I summon the call screening feature.

One option is having my smartphone and the FPL line dial at the same time - this process is known as "paralleling".

Another option is having my FPL number dial to another number whenever I don't want to answer while I'm not in the house, I wanted it to dial to another number. That process is known as "Diking".

Both "Paralleling" and "Diking" are the words that I comically came up with, but if that sounds confusing, that's okay.

The call screening feature is a Pixel-exclusive feature. Not sure if it's available to other phones running on Android, though.

Also to this day, a similar feature for Apple iPhone doesn't exist. I really wished it should be made available.
check here if you find anything useful.

https://support.freephoneline.ca/hc/en- ... Follow-Me-
Follow Me is a free call forwarding service from Fongo. Follow Me will call up to 3 separate phone numbers either sequentially or simultaneously, giving you the chance to answer the call on the most convenient device. To enable Follow Me, log in to your online account on your computer, click on 'Settings' then 'Call Follow Me Settings' to configure. You can choose sequential or simultaneous ring modes:

The Simultaneous ring mode causes all Follow Me Numbers numbers to ring simultaneously (at the same time) allowing you to pick up the call wherever it is convenient.

The Sequential ring mode causes the call to be forwarded to the first listed Follow Me number. If the call isn't answered at the first Follow Me number, it will continue on to the next Follow Me number and so on. If none of your Follow Me numbers have voicemail, the call will be directed back to your voicemail system.
"Laws for thee but not for me!" I will keep on jet-setting around the world. Spend as much as I can and enjoy vacations Free at Friends estate. Do as I do not as I say. I used to pay for my vacation until I met my hero.
Newbie
Jan 4, 2023
2 posts
Hi all, moved and looking for a new phone setup, FreePhoneLine looks interesting. Wondering if anyone can answer some questions:

-The 'free calling cities' list has some larger cities - but I'm in a rural (southwest Ontario) area, and the 3 largest nearby towns aren't listed - does that mean I'm going to eat up world credits just by calling numbers that are local-ish to my area?
-Any idea if (with a VOIP unlock key) you can request a specific number? Or even the last 4 digits? My number for 10 years got discontinued when I moved to a rental, and now I can't port it out anymore
-It seems the Obi302 device linked to by ArrowFlynn is the more powerful and recommended device. What would come in second/third place?

Cheers!
Deal Fanatic
Jul 26, 2007
7579 posts
5272 upvotes
Toronto
FutureHeartsJunkie wrote: Is it possible to have the calls being called on an FPL line, routed (and work in tandem) to another number?

I have the Pixel 6 Pro smartphone and what I like about that phone is that you can screen calls with the help of the Google Assistant. Think of that - as an all-day stop like sequence. Whenever I get an unknown call from a number I'm not familiar with, I summon the call screening feature.

One option is having my smartphone and the FPL line dial at the same time - this process is known as "paralleling".

Another option is having my FPL number dial to another number whenever I don't want to answer while I'm not in the house, I wanted it to dial to another number. That process is known as "Diking".

Both "Paralleling" and "Diking" are the words that I comically came up with, but if that sounds confusing, that's okay.

The call screening feature is a Pixel-exclusive feature. Not sure if it's available to other phones running on Android, though.

Also to this day, a similar feature for Apple iPhone doesn't exist. I really wished it should be made available.
I have 2 sip FPL with one call forwards after 20 rings and other calls both cell + FPL at same time. Had this setup for years and no hiccups so far. Only problem is you can't call forward 2 FPL to 1 cell number.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Mar 10, 2018
6318 posts
2511 upvotes
does it matter?
46jimbo wrote: It says that you cannot call forward to another freephoneline number. However, I presently forward to a Fongo mobile number on my phone and it works fine..
And your post says Fongo and other is free phone line. That may be different. Or is different right?
No FPL to FPL is correct.
"Laws for thee but not for me!" I will keep on jet-setting around the world. Spend as much as I can and enjoy vacations Free at Friends estate. Do as I do not as I say. I used to pay for my vacation until I met my hero.
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
fullstackdev wrote: -The 'free calling cities' list has some larger cities - but I'm in a rural (southwest Ontario) area, and the 3 largest nearby towns aren't listed - does that mean I'm going to eat up world credits just by calling numbers that are local-ish to my area?
Calls to destinations within Canadian provinces are free. The city list doesn't matter anymore, but you can only obtain an FPL number in these locations: https://www.freephoneline.ca/phoneNumber.
Numbers that can be ported into FPL must be from one of these areas: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/arti ... Home-Phone.

can request a specific number? Or even the last 4 digits?
No.
It seems the Obi302 device linked to by ArrowFlynn is the more powerful and recommended device. What would come in second/third place?
For FPL, any Obihai IP Phone or Obihai ATA you can get your hands on (but you can't use an IP Phone to fax) that works has the most features that are useful when using FPL (for an ATA or IP Phone), but I would avoid the OBi1xx series ATAs. Unfortunately, many Obihai products are discontinued.

If you don't really care about the extra features listed, and if price is a huge concern, most (if not all) unlocked ATAs and IP Phones should work with FPL.
Last edited by ArrowFlynn on Jan 6th, 2023 4:35 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
46jimbo wrote: It says that you cannot call forward to another freephoneline number. However, I presently forward to a Fongo mobile number on my phone and it works fine..
At one point all other Fongo/Freephoneline numbers weren't allowed to be added to Follow Me lists to protect against abuse. Then they reversed that decision but kept the stipulation listed.
They've left the door open to blocking everything again if they want.
Last edited by ArrowFlynn on Jan 6th, 2023 3:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Mar 10, 2018
6318 posts
2511 upvotes
does it matter?
⬆Arrow is authority for this thread so if he says the I say it is true.
"Laws for thee but not for me!" I will keep on jet-setting around the world. Spend as much as I can and enjoy vacations Free at Friends estate. Do as I do not as I say. I used to pay for my vacation until I met my hero.
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
peteryorkuca wrote: Only problem is you can't call forward 2 FPL to 1 cell number.
You can with an Obihai ATA or Obihai IP Phone, but original incoming Caller ID (CID) number and name won't be passed through to the cell phone, since enabling X_SpoofCallerID (https://www.obitalk.com/forum/index.php?msg=3269) in Obihai devices doesn't appear to work when using Freephoneline. Instead the name and number from the forwarding source will appear.

https://forums.redflagdeals.com/freepho ... #p27131121

You'd just change X_Inboundcallroute to dial your cell number from the SP that you want.


X_Use302ToCallForward should be disabled for FPL. FPL doesn't support 302 for forwarding (calls will drop to FPL's voicemail system); calls need to be bridged by the Obihai ATA or IP Phone.
Jr. Member
Jan 16, 2016
142 posts
38 upvotes
Calgary, AB
Hey guys....I have two FPL numbers attached to my Obi202 box. Was working great until recently and I had to make some changes and changed servers. Inbound calls seem to be working great but outbound both seem to be using SP1. No matter what changes I make, they are both using SP1 as the outbound caller ID. Sorry for the stupid question, but can someone please help me sort this out?
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
totti07 wrote: they are both using SP1 as the outbound caller ID . . . but can someone please help me sort this out?


In this example, SP1 is provisioned with FPL phone number 1, and SP2 is provisioned with FPL phone number 2.



a. Dial ***1. Enter the IP address you hear into a web browser. Login to the ATA.

b. Navigate to Status-->Call History.

1. Are you sure all calls are going out over SP1?
If so, for every single call, you'll see "To SP1(phonenumber)" on the right hand side.

By the way, outbound CID (caller ID) name is defined by Voice Services-->SPx Service-->Calling Features-->CallerIDName.


2. "If you use the Obitalk web portal (http://www.obitalk.com) to configure your ATA, keep in mind
that you must continue using it to configure your ATA unless you disable Obitalk
Provisioning first. Otherwise whatever settings you change will eventually be overwritten
(they will be transferred from your Obitalk.com account to your ATA) by what you
previously entered at obitalk.com anyway. If you wish to disable this behaviour, dial ***1.
Enter the IP address you hear into a web browser. Login to ATA. Navigate to System
Management-->OBiTalk Provisioning-->select Disabled for the method. Save. Reboot ATA.
Afterwards, obitalk.com won't overwrite whatever changes you make via the device's
interface (via IP address).

Pick one method (obitalk.com) or the other (IP address of device) for changing device settings.
But do not use both methods.
"



Image

That grey cog wheel with the "E" is for the expert configuration menu.

It shows when logging in at http://www.obitalk.com, selecting "Edit Profile" on the left, then scrolling down
under "Advanced Options" and finally selecting "Enable OBi Expert Entry from Dashboard."


3. Navigate to Physical Interface-->Phone Port (1 and 2)-->PrimaryLine

Whatever SP is selected will be the default SP used on the respective phone port when placing outbound calls.

In this example, I'm going to suggest SP1 should be the default. So, when you pickup a phone attached to Phone Port 1 or Phone Port 2 and dial out, the call should automatically dial out on SP1.

If you want Phone Port 2 to use SP2 as the primary line, then select SP2 for the PrimaryLine on Phone Port 2.

submit settings

4. Navigate to Physical Interface-->Phone Port (1 and 2)-->OutboundCallRoute

You should see the following listed somewhere within OutboundCallRoute:

Code: Select all

{(<**1:>(Msp1)):sp1},{(<**2:>(Msp2)):sp2}
That means if you dial **1 (followed by the phone number you wish to dial), then send the call out using SP1 (using the DigitMap defined for SP1). M stands for DigitMap.
Similarly, if you dial **2, then send the call out using SP2.

You can change **1 and **2 to whatever you want, but for simplicity (and to reduce the potential for user error), I'm leaving this example at defaults.



So you need to set PrimaryLine to whatever SP you want for each Phone Port, and if you don't want to dial out over primary line (SP1), you must dial **2 before the phone number to use SP2.

If PrimaryLine is set to SP2, then you must dial **1 before the phone number to use SP1.
Sr. Member
Aug 10, 2013
522 posts
246 upvotes
Mississauga
I changed my internet provider from Bell to Rogers recently. My freephone line is working ~50%. When it is not working, There will be an error message: "The person that you reach is unavailable, please leave your message".
I powered off the ATA (OBI200), and powered it on again, it works OK again. I do not know what I should do. I have to keep powered it off & on if it is not working.
Please help!
Sr. Member
Aug 10, 2013
522 posts
246 upvotes
Mississauga
I changed my internet provider from Bell to Rogers recently. My freephone line is working ~50%. When it is not working, There will be an error message: "The person that you reach is unavailable, please leave your message".
I powered off the ATA (OBI200), and powered it on again, it works OK again. I do not know what I should do. I have to keep powered it off & on if it is not working.
Please help!
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
bonegraft wrote: I changed my internet provider from Bell to Rogers recently.


1) What brand and model modem were you given?

2) What brand and model router are you using? Are you also using your own separate router?

Read points 1 and 2 from https://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20199.
Also read https://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f ... 199#p78976 (Point D is often overlooked).

My freephone line is working ~50%. When it is not working, There will be an error message: "The person that you reach is unavailable, please leave your message".
That's not an error message. That's Freephoneline's voicemail system, which is failover for when your ATA is unregistered or when there's an issue with incoming calls not working.

I powered off the ATA (OBI200), and powered it on again, it works OK again. I do not know what I should do. I have to keep powered it off & on if it is not working.
Please help!
voip.freephonline.ca wasn't working for incoming calls earlier today. Now it's working again. When incoming calls don't work, voicemail is reached. Switch to voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 and don't use voip.freephoneline.ca. You'll have less problems.


"Please note that only one registration per FPL account is allowed at any time. When there are multiple devices/softphones using the same account, only the most recent registration is valid. The previous device will lose registration (despite what the ATA's registration status indicates, since 3600 seconds is a long time to update registration status), and incoming calls will not work on it. Registration is required for incoming calls but not for outgoing calls. This is especially important to consider if someone else is using your SIP credentials (username and password) that are found after logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings (or if you're trying to register your FPL account with a smartphone SIP app, with another device, or, in this case with an additional SP on your Obihai ATA). Registration is required for incoming calls. This is also important to consider if you're using Freephoneline's desktop application (don't have it running while using your ATA with the same FPL account). Additionally, keep in mind that if someone else is also attempting to register the same SIP credentials on another device where you live, too many registration attempts can result in a temporary IP ban. If you ever see a SIP user agent that you don't recognize after logging in at the above link, someone else is using your credentials (possibly, you've been hacked in that scenario)." -- Fongo forums


Lastly, you should use the PDF guide found at the bottom of the first post of this thread to properly configure your ATA: https://forum.fongo.com/viewtopic.php?f ... 805#p73839. Do it completely and right once. Especially refer to pages 40 to 42.
Member
User avatar
Feb 8, 2008
393 posts
116 upvotes
Incoming calls are still going straight to voice mail for me. Switching to voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 made no difference.

When using Groundwire on my mobile phone outgoing and incoming calls are working.

Tried rebooting my OBI100 ATA and router. No change.

This setup had been working for years until today. Very confusing.
Deal Addict
Feb 6, 2020
1333 posts
1530 upvotes
septimus wrote: Incoming calls are still going straight to voice mail for me. Switching to voip4.freephoneline.ca:6060 made no difference.

All proxy servers are working fine for me on 4 FPL accounts.

Login at at https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings

What does SIP Status indicate?

Please note that if "SIP User Agent" does not reflect a device you're using, someone else is using your Freephoneline VoIP unlock key. If you're testing your Obihai ATA for incoming calls, it should be listed there.

Only one registration is permitted at any time per Freephoneline VoIP unlock key. Registration is a requirement for incoming calls but not for outgoing calls.
When using Groundwire on my mobile phone outgoing and incoming calls are working.
You can't register the same FPL account on Groundwire and your ATA simultaneously. Only one will work for incoming calls at any time with a single FPL account.


"Please note that only one registration per FPL account is allowed at any time. When there are multiple devices/softphones using the same account, only the most recent registration is valid. The previous device will lose registration (despite what the ATA's registration status indicates, since 3600 seconds is a long time to update registration status), and incoming calls will not work on it. Registration is required for incoming calls but not for outgoing calls. This is especially important to consider if someone else is using your SIP credentials (username and password) that are found after logging in at https://www.freephoneline.ca/showSipSettings (or if you're trying to register your FPL account with a smartphone SIP app, with another device, or, in this case with an additional SP on your Obihai ATA). Registration is required for incoming calls. This is also important to consider if you're using Freephoneline's desktop application (don't have it running while using your ATA with the same FPL account). Additionally, keep in mind that if someone else is also attempting to register the same SIP credentials on another device where you live, too many registration attempts can result in a temporary IP ban. If you ever see a SIP user agent that you don't recognize after logging in at the above link, someone else is using your credentials (possibly, you've been hacked in that scenario)." -- Fongo forums

Was Groundwire connecting using cellular data or Wi-Fi from your router?

Top