Comments on: Grand Central Goes Gizmo http://phoneboy.com/1346/grand-central-goes-gizmo Simplifying Network Security, Telecom, Gadgets, and More! Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:26:22 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Marc http://phoneboy.com/1346/grand-central-goes-gizmo/comment-page-1#comment-5785 Marc Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:49:53 +0000 http://www.phoneboy.com/node/1346#comment-5785 Also worth noting - you can forward your GrandCentral calls to your SkypeIN number, but there’s a catch - With a SkypeIN number, you get Voicemail for free. That’s swell and all, but we GrandCentral users have no use for Skype’s voicemail really. So, we turn it off - or at least we try to! Unless you have your Skype(IN) Account logged-in and running, Skype does not acknowledge your Voicemail (on/off) setting preference. What that means is that even if you have ‘deactivated’ your Skype Voicemail (if your Skype account IS NOT ‘online’) any GrandCentral calls forwarded to your SkypeIN # will be sent to Skype Voicemail - almost immediately. So much for trying to answer that call via your cell or having the call go to GrandCentral voicemail. Silly Skype! Hopefully, this ‘auto-on voicemail failover’ attribute is not present in Gizmo - is it? Another problem I’ve run-up against is the ’system status’ of the number you are forwarding your GC # to. For example, you have your GC # forwarded to your VOIP-based #, your cell #, and your landline #. If your VOIP # or cell provider’s system is down for some reason, that ‘down’ system will prematurely ‘take’ the GC-forwarded call and greet the caller with “the cellular caller is not available,” a fast busy signal, or “all circuits are busy” - they won’t be offered to leave a message on the GC-provided voicemail. This has happened to me in both cell and VOIP cases. I’m not sure how this can be dealt with really, other than to not have your GC calls forwarded to ‘possibly unreliable’ numbers, I guess. Also worth noting -

you can forward your GrandCentral calls to your
SkypeIN number, but there’s a catch -

With a SkypeIN number, you get Voicemail for free.
That’s swell and all, but we GrandCentral users
have no use for Skype’s voicemail really.
So, we turn it off – or at least we try to!

Unless you have your Skype(IN) Account logged-in
and running, Skype does not acknowledge your Voicemail
(on/off) setting preference. What that means is that
even if you have ‘deactivated’ your Skype Voicemail
(if your Skype account IS NOT ‘online’)
any GrandCentral calls forwarded to your SkypeIN #
will be sent to Skype Voicemail – almost immediately.
So much for trying to answer that call via your cell
or having the call go to GrandCentral voicemail.

Silly Skype!

Hopefully, this ‘auto-on voicemail failover’ attribute
is not present in Gizmo – is it?

Another problem I’ve run-up against is the ’system status’
of the number you are forwarding your GC # to.
For example, you have your GC # forwarded to your
VOIP-based #, your cell #, and your landline #.
If your VOIP # or cell provider’s system is down for
some reason, that ‘down’ system will prematurely ‘take’
the GC-forwarded call and greet the caller with
“the cellular caller is not available,”
a fast busy signal, or “all circuits are busy” -
they won’t be offered to leave a message on the
GC-provided voicemail. This has happened to me in both
cell and VOIP cases. I’m not sure how this can be
dealt with really, other than to not have your GC
calls forwarded to ‘possibly unreliable’ numbers, I guess.

]]> By: Marc http://phoneboy.com/1346/grand-central-goes-gizmo/comment-page-1#comment-5784 Marc Mon, 26 Feb 2007 17:49:15 +0000 http://www.phoneboy.com/node/1346#comment-5784 I’m sure if someone wanted to tinker with Asterisk/trixbox, they could chip away at GrandCentral’s appeal as well. (Thanks for the Fritzbox info, by the way). I suggested to GC (back in 12/06) to allow GC users to ’stamp’ all forwarded calls with a Caller ID # (of our own choice) to fully exploit certain cellular carrier’s ‘MOC number’ features to the Nth degree. GC met my request half-way and currently allows CallerID to either ‘pass through’ unaltered or to be ‘relabeled’ with ones GC number. At least ALL my INCOMING CALLS are now FREE with my cell plan. If I were able to enter MY OWN choice of # for the CallerID (to be labelled) I would use my SkypeIN number - that way, all incoming would still be free for me, but also my OUTBOUND CALLS would also be FREE, by using TumaraXS and my SkypeIN number to access my SkypeOUT unlimited US & Canada minutes (Granted, I have to have Skype running and logged in on my PC to make use of TumaraXS in this scenario) I’m sure if someone wanted to tinker with Asterisk/trixbox,
they could chip away at GrandCentral’s appeal as well.
(Thanks for the Fritzbox info, by the way).

I suggested to GC (back in 12/06) to allow GC users to ’stamp’
all forwarded calls with a Caller ID # (of our own choice)
to fully exploit certain cellular carrier’s ‘MOC number’
features to the Nth degree. GC met my request half-way
and currently allows CallerID to either ‘pass through’ unaltered
or to be ‘relabeled’ with ones GC number.

At least ALL my INCOMING CALLS are now FREE with my cell plan.

If I were able to enter MY OWN choice of # for the CallerID
(to be labelled) I would use my SkypeIN number -
that way, all incoming would still be free for me,
but also my OUTBOUND CALLS would also be FREE,
by using TumaraXS and my SkypeIN number to access my SkypeOUT unlimited US & Canada minutes

(Granted, I have to have Skype running and logged in on my PC to make use of TumaraXS in this scenario)

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