I have had ooma for just over a week and I must say that I am very impressed. I had a Vonage account in the past and the sound quality was ok but the ooma sound quality is very clear. I have read horror stories about trying to contact customer service which has me a little scared but set up and activation is so easy I have not had any need to contact their support personnel. The was I look at it, if I get 8 months service for free I will have made my money back in comparison to Vonage. Anything after that is a bonus!

Technology, in and of itself, is a living, breathing, devious, vindictive entity. I know this is true.

For months we have used ooma with no major problems. Then, a week ago, we decided to move the ooma hub from our bedroom into the kitchen. Maybe Technology felt this was a selfish thing on our part, but we just wanted to have our voice mail button more centrally located.

In any case, Technology clearly was unhappy, and It decided to make It’s point with us.

About the time of the ooma move, I noticed that the ooma hub’s blue light had switched to red at 10 p.m., and we no more could enjoy the rewarding “Doo doo duh DUHHHH” when we picked up a phone. I watched it for the past four days, and discovered this was occurring with regularity. The blue light did not come back until sometime between 7:00 – 8:00 on the subsequent morning. I turned on my computer each night and measured its DSL speed. The connection was good and the speed was as mediocre as ever.

Calls and e-mail with ooma and Qwest revealed nothing. Last night, a Qwest tech, who’s language on the online chat box revealed him to be an actual American, took some time to remotely investigate my DSL line and modem. Nothing. He said, “Everything looks normal.”

The modem? Hmmmmm…. I recalled previously discovering a setting on the modem where I could prohibit the DSL connection during specific hours. I remembered, I thought, trying to set it to block the Internet at night (to make us all go to bed on time), but it didn’t work.

So, last night I logged into the modem’s setup screen, and with guidance from Above, quickly found the setting – which was set to prohibit an internet connection between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Aha!

I deleted the setting, saved the modem’s setup changes, and waited a minute. I picked up the phone on my desk, and “Doo doo duh DUHHHH.” Music to my ears!

So, you see, the gods of the Ethernet are clever, vindictive beings who lurk in the firmware of every technical device you own. They wait. And then when you’ve forgotten that they are there, they unleash the software settings that you could never get to work, at time when you are tired and frustrated.

And then they laugh.

Hmmm, I always wondered about that. Thanks for clearing things up for me, Teha. I will be much more careful in the future when toying around with the settings on any of my devices for the fear of upsetting Technology!

I want to purchase an OOMA but I have a question. I want the Premier so I can use the second line as a FAX line. Do I need a second NUMBER of how does that work?

what is the lowest up bandwith that will give a good clean call

I’m only an ooma investagater at this point. It’s true about the “ethernet gods” and don’t forget about the evil little hardware imps! The fact is that every system, no matter how well oiled and smooth, eventually has its gastro nightmare’ish’ moments, and the timing is always so poor its actually a laughing matter when the imps do strike. I pay $130 a month for phone service + DSL from a phone company that doesn’t even offer a “stand-alone” broadband connection. And they are the only game in town.

I’m in agreement with a previous comment about ooma paying for itself in just a few months. I’m impressed with the presentation and the appearance of the Hub and Scout and the fact that I can contune to use my three sets of newly purchased cordless phones.

As soon as I can get a “stand alone” broadband connection I’ll take the leap, and I say ‘leap’ because I am a bit wary of the word “free” especially when in the context of an advertisement. Remember Magic Jack offered free service for it’s purchase price when it first came out.

I love it but…….. OK i’m skeptical

Can anyone tell me if this will work with Alarm Systems that require line capture/seizure where in case of an emergency, the line will be immediately dropped if in use and a ‘off-hook’ clean dial tone to make that emergency call? I’m trying to drop that expensive ‘land-line’ or the alarm system’s $16.95/mo charge for their cell equipment service!! I see other Line Seizure relay devices out there but not sure if they will work either. Does anyone know???

Chuck,

Any system that allows the alarm dispatch or automated system to dial into the alarm and send it a tone will function. It is my understanding that the ooma creates that dial tone. I know that Cable Company and Verizon fios lines function and they both use IP or switched IP (IP over switched phone lines). The ooma should as well, though you may require a scout to make it work optimally.

One thing to keep in mind is that when tone checks fail, the alarm usually goes into alert mode and starts beeping, maddeningly, that it has lost connection. This will happen far more often with IP based phones as they are reliant on at least a modem and often a computer (the ooma has the computer built into it). If the modem fails, you get the beep. Also, if power fails, you get the beep.

Do not underestimate the beep. Most alarm system users stick with the phone company because of the reliability.

The battery is another issue. If you alarm does not have a battery back up, then you hear the beep anytime you have a power outage. If the alarm does have a back up battery, well, it won’t do you much good with the Ooma as as soon as you lose power, the ooma and Modem go offline. This results in a loss of tone and a disconnection beep. Of course, you could buy a backup UPS to alleviate this problem.

In interest of disclosure, I used to work for a cable company and sold the IP phones, so I know of their limitations. That said, I am also buying an Ooma, because that is essentially what the cable company offers, but at $50 a month.

Chris,

WOW! Fantastic answer! It’s exactly what I wanted and needed! Thanks very much for your candor and details.

With all your info and what I’ve gathered up to this point, I’m very close to buying one along with that all-important UPS for BOTH modem and Ooma. The Alarm System has one already. Yes, I would definitely do the Scout for keeping that dedicated line.

Once again, THANKS!!!

I have verizon dsl and phone service. Is there a conflict if I eleminate my service with verizon. How does dsl service fit into ooma service.

Hi Ralph:

The first thing you need to do is phone Verizon and ask them to disassociate your phone # from your DSL. I also have a Verizon (area code 425), and it took 2 phone calls to get the right person to do this (& understand). They are able to do so, so if they tell you it cannot be done, hang up and try another person @ Verizon. The first person told me that its not possible. She said, proceeding with my request it will mean shutting off my landline (not true). When I phoned the 2nd time, their agent told me that they will need to “separate” my landline vs internet bills, so from now on I would be getting 2 different bills (fine with me). Check this article from Ooma that explains that:

http://cp. . .

You only do this “dry loop” if you wish to keep your current landline number. 2nd step is:

http://cp. . .

Do not cancel your Verizon landline account until you get confirmation from Ooma that your system is working with your current number. It takes about 3 to 4 weeks.

http://cp. . .

I’m getting my Ooma in June. You can get it from Newegg cheaper (@ Amazon, you have to pay additional for taxes)

I like Oooma but to make 3-way call it’s stupid to go to hub/scout. Now a days everyone is using cordless but this ooma makes us to go to hub/scout. If they fix this, it is the best one.

I’m dying to by the Ooma but need information concerning our gate buzzer. We currently have ATT landlines. One line (6651) is connected to our gate system. Someone comes to our gate and pushes a button. It rings our phone (6651) we answer and its like an intercom. We push number 5 and the gate buzzes and allows entry. Can this work with Ooma or do we need to keep one landline with ATT? Thanks for your help.

I tried to call ooma (at their non 800 number) 2 times but no one ever answereed. I left a message and my phone number on their tech service line no one ever called me back.

My question is: My high speed service is provided via a wireless set up. It is very fast and very reliable but still arrives at my house by radio (not wired)

Will ooma work?

Keith

I do not have OOMA but i am looking into getting it, I remember your question Keith while looking through reviews to see if i should get it for myself. On OOMA’s FAQ page they do mention the wireless to your house.

4. Can I use the ooma system with a wireless or satellite Internet service?

The ooma Hub device has been designed to work with a wired high-speed Internet connection (such as DSL, cable, or fiber-optic). While we have a number of customers who have used the ooma system with a wireless Internet connection, we cannot guarantee the performance will be quite as good. Please note that you can still use a Wi-Fi network in your home. For more home set-up information, please refer to the product documentation.

Good Luck and i hope it works out for you!

Justin V.

This product does not work properly, when you call local numbers the people sound as if they are under water. Calling the service department is a total waste of time, they tell you time after time that someone will call back in 24 to 48 hours but no calls are returned, you keep calling and ask for a supervisor, but they are “always helping another customer” and will return your call, but again you never receive a call back. I have had the ooma for 3 months and I have been calling for the full 3 months and the problem has never been resolved. I am returning it and I would strongly suggest you never purchase this product.

I wonder do I need the scout if my cordless has extension on it as most do these days?

I am researching ways to cut communications cost? I currently have two phone lines and DSL from the phone company. My greatest concerne is the fax machine. I MUST have fax service. Will Ooma work with fax, without a lot of scanning to computer files? And would it be better to have the Ooma with cable instead of phone company?

I have a Sprint clearview broadband will that work with Ooma? Will a fax machine work with a Ooma and a Sprint clearview broadband? I have a base telephone unit with 4 remote units, will Ooma work with these? Thank you Leonn Boone

Purchased an OoMa Hub with a second base called Scout. You get OoMa so you can use the internet to make calls instead of the monthly bill from the Phone Company. The OoMa’s Owner Manual lists basic services – connection to the internet, a simple answering machine and a “second line” all for $220 bucks. OoMa also offers a Premeire Service which costs an additional $100 paid annually. These features upgrade your service to link your voice messages with your eMail, call forwarding to a cell phone etc. etc. When I called in to ask a question the day after purchase, I was informed that the answering machine and the second line “features” NOW were no longer available as a basic service! NOW I had to pay the additional $100! These basic features are listed on the outside of the box and in the Owners Manual. Bait & Switch pure and simple – and they know it! I called the Customer Service Line which connects you to Manila or the Philippines and the “Script Readers” overseas which are completely USELESS! Their answers do not correspond to your questions! So I called OoMa’s HeadQuarters in Palo Alto ( 650-566-6600) and they did indeed say I was correct (on the above points) but too bad! Literally! Oh well take it or leave it was the response. My suggestion to you is leave it – it’s a con, bait & switch operation!

Marcus,

Ooma’s Rich Buchanan CMO, CMO has elucidated this for customers as well as Ooma support folks. You can still get the Ooma core features you describe, for free with the Hub-Scout bundle. The $20 increased fee for annual subscription to Premier service is waived if you take it by Dec 31. And will stay the same for renewals. They actually lowered the cost if paying monthly!

However, activating the newer hardware called Telo, will get less freebies, and the higher cost premier, plus $11.75 annual tax (but no tax for Ooma Hub users).

>Leonn Boone
I have a Sprint clearview broadband will that work with Ooma? Will a fax machine work with a Ooma and a Sprint clearview broadband? I have a base telephone unit with 4 remote units, will Ooma work with these? Thank you Leonn Boone
================================================

Can I use a fax machine with my Ooma system?

From Ooma FAQ:
Ooma does support fax machines, but can only do so on a best effort basis. We recommend that you connect the fax machine to the back of your Ooma Hub device and dial the prefix *99 before you place an outgoing fax call. If you have a high-performance Internet connection, you should have no problems with short faxes (less than 5 pages). For additional information about using Ooma with a fax machine, check out this support article.

Yep, works with your phones.

I am thinking of buying a Ooma for my home. I currently have two lines on seperate plugs, which I want to keep. I also have a DSL/fax line on a seperate plug. I want to keep my Fax/Dsl line with Verizon but replace my two seperate lines/plugs with Ooma. What do I need from Ooma and any advice would be great?

I have Ooma for one month and when it works it’s fantastic! When it doesn’t, it’s awful. Every night around 6-10pm, if someone calls me, they tell me I’m breaking up all over the place. It’s a big problem. I’ve called my internet company and they said all was working perfectly fine, and Ooma says it’s my internet service. Somebody, please help! Nobody at Ooma can do anything, although they’re very sweet, but would really like to speak to someone in the US. Also, tonite, I could not retrieve my voicemail messages from the outside.

I am interested in purchasing the Ooma Telo. My question is… My modem is upstairs at my computer. As far as I can tell the connection is … modem to Telo… Telo to home phone. Can I connect the Telo to my in house telephone wireing and place my telephone down stairs at a centraly located area? Modem to Telo… Telo to upstairs wall jack… downstairs wall jack to telephone.

Thanks for any help.
Steven

Regarding using Ooma (or any IP based phone) over wireless internet (where the internet comes into your house wirelessly, unlike cable or DSL), in general this will not work well because the wireless connectivity adds additional latency to the voice which results in parties “talking over” the other party. I good rule of thumb is to keep the entire latency less than 150 milliseconds and cellular broadband systems cannot dependably meet this. Wireless internet (like CLearWire) may be marginal.

Regarding the Ooma phone “breaking up all over the place” around 6-10PM – this is due to congestion on the network. It could be that your internet service provider is getting clogged as demand rises in the evening for all it’s customers (this is more likely for wireless ISPs that cable or DSL), but it is by far more likely that there is some traffic being generated somewhere else in your own home which is competing for your bandwidth, and you do not have QoS services enabled on your router to give priority to your Ooma traffic. If this happens again, check to see if your kids are downloading peer2peer or bittorrent files or watching youtube/Netflix video streaming. If so then the problem is QoS. To fix this, either place your Ooma between your DSL/Cable Modem and your router. Alternatively you can place the router between the DSL/Cable Modem and your Ooma box, but only if you configure the router to give QoS (quality of Service) priority to the Ooma voice traffic.

DO NOT I repeat DO NOT waste your time buying this product. I purchased the Telo only to discover I CANNOT call anyone with anonymous call blocking enabled. I was told by support “can you wait 10-15 days for an update and it should be fixed”. WTF??

Are you going to buy a new car and drive it home park it in your garage, wake the next morning to find it will not start. You call the dealer ship and they tell you “wait for an update we know there is a problem, but were sorry you can’t drive your new car”. Ooma support has to be the worst I have ever experienced. This company like a lot of other companies outsources the support overseas. Big Mistake!

These people read from a script and have NO TECHNICAL SKILLS WHATSOEVER! You will find if purchasing the Telo its full of bugs, and you’ll get no support, or excuses and we’ll fix that soon. If you would like to see what I am referring to just visit there forum from the company website and you’ll see how many problems they have. BUYER BEWARE!!!

I have “Clearwire” as my “ISP” my question is, will ooma telo work in conjunction with the Clearwire modem and my wireless router and can the landline house wires through the walls of the house be connected to the ooma??

BUYERS BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I always heard you get what you pay for well believe it free service means free service. I have a small office and the sales person said no problem wrong two weeks later they decide not to do small businesses. It took them 3 months to port my two phone numbers and since that time I have had LOUSY service. Save yourself a headache pay your phone bill and be content because this will cost you more in the long run.

Here is what I would like to do. I’m planning to drop my DSL and add cable internet with AT&T. Then hook my main wireless phone upto Ooma with cable internet using my 4 wirless handsets through the house. Then drop my monthly landline. Is that a good idea?????

I have ahd ooma since May of 2009, my first phone call was to my mechanic, I know this because ooma gives you a log so you can see all the calls in.out.missed for the entire time you own your phone.
Since I purchased this phone for less than $300.00 I have saved $1185. over my Verizon bill. Not bad.
The phone works great, I have the basic plan and it is just fine for me, I can listen to my messages over the net. I can see my call log since the day I bought it and the q

Does anyone have the experience of using ooma overseas? How was the reception?

I bought my ooma system in May of 2009 also. I bought it after thinking…Hmmm..why would I want to spend $25/month when I can spend $200 now and get a return on my investment in 9 months. Most ROEs are in the years! As of today, I have saved $25/month since May 2010. Only one outage directly related to ooma for about 6 hours about a year ago. Since then, never down. So, the saying, “Pay me now or pay me later” is so true! Since I joined, only taxes ($3.50/mo according to Wikipedia) have been added, my old VOIP provider charged me that too (Thank you FCC) but since I bought in early, I’m grandfathered and don’t. I love keeping $25 in my pocket every month vs paying my old VOIP provider. And quality is the best of all the VOIP providers I have had. What about you?