Rob Ayres wrote:I have a Magic Jack and cannot get faxes to work on an HP 8500 All-In-One. Has anyone been successful using fax on Ooma?

Yes, I have an HP ALL-In-One also and do regularly fax through my Ooma Hub, you will have to be able to add *99 dial prefix to outgoing faxes.

jds13 wrote:You need broadband service. If you don't have cable, you can get DSL without voice phone (check pricing in your area) or Clearwire WiMax (if available in your area) or maybe other alternatives.

Dry Loop DSL (i.e., DSL w/o voice service) in may areas costs nearly as much as DSL + voice service. The economics of VOIP didn't work me, until I went to cable broadband (no, I don't use my cable provider's VOIP).

TheLetterK wrote:Yes, it is pretty easy. The Ooma forums have instructions and will lead you to external instructions.

If you have a network junction box on the outside of your house you will have a phone company access side, which you can't open and a home side you can open.

1) Open the home side of the junction box. Disconnect the one or two (if you have two lines of service) plug from your side. They look like phone plugs. Leave a note in the box that you have VOIP service hooked up so someone from the phone company doesn't plug them back it. Maybe wrap them in electrcal tape so they don't accidentally go back in.

2) Check you phone to make sure they are dead.

3) Plug Ooma into any open phone jack in your house and you have phone service from Ooma. All phone jacks are hooked together in you house, so it doesn't matter where you introduce you phone signal from.

Another note: Skip the Scout if you are thinking about them. If you need a remote answering machine, it works good and has the voicemail lights, but otherwise it has it problems. I have static on the outgoing side of Scout calls, so as the caller, I'm unaware of the problems, but those who I call hear hisses. YOu are better hooking Ooma to your house wiring and using the Scout for voicemail access.


I've had Ooma for over a year and haven't paid 13 phone bills at $35 a month. Total Savings of $455.

Also, if you need two lines of service and not all the extras, you are better to buy two hubs than sign up for the Premiere service.

Would this work if you are also currently using DSL?

Could you please explain the "scout" and/or the "wireless phone base"--? I believe you just mean the hardware on which the cordless handset rests for the latter, but is the scout something I would purchase--from where?
Thanks!

Stuntman wrote:You need to have a 'scout' unit for it to work around the house. You would plug a phone line from the Ooma Hub into your house phone jack, then the scout into a phone jack in any room you want to connect to the VOIP service. The newer Ooma Telo lets you plug into the house phone system and connect phones to the other jacks without a 'scout', but the older Ooma Hub requires the scout if you want to use multiple jacks. I just use a wireless phone base station into the Ooma Hub and have multiple wireless handsets around the house.. works great!

I have been a Vonage devotee for 5 years and have loved it. I would be glad to give up the now $34+ per month bill, especially since it is getting closer and closer to the amt. I would pay for landline or bundled with cable!
I'd love to hear from vonage to ooma customers. (I did look for those and read a few on here.)
Thanks!

Also, the newer version is the telo--is is so much better that I should get it?

How bit a deal is jitter? Some have posted that you need to have <1ms, but the test shows that we have an average of 1.7ms. Would this still give acceptable performance?

In for 1. I've been an 8x8 VOIP customer for several years at $239/yr. If these guys stay in business longer than six months, I'll be past break-even.

danield528 wrote:Very tempting, BUT...

I just called Vonage and they cut my rate in half - now $12.50/month - after I mentioned this deal. I'll stick with Vonage - 5 years now and no problems.

Ooh I am calling them right now, thanks for the tip!

I set up the Ooma hub a few weeks ago.. I see quite a few annoyances, but if they stay in business it should work out.

- up to 6 weeks + $39 to keep your old phone number. This meant that I'd have to keep my old service active (2*$25) for a total of $89 .. too much for me.

- Signing up was not a breeze. Their website buttafuocoed to authorize my box (it was brand new).. so I had to manually fill in the forms over the phone with their support. +1 hour

- Directions seem to say you can only hook in one phone to the hub, and give too many options.. seems like it's designed to work with your existing phone service instead of replace it. THIS IS A BAD SIGN.

- I HATE THE OOMA DIAL TONE JINGLE. and have found no way to replace it. Why is it so hard to offer a normal dial tone?

- Many of the best features are considered premium, and I hope they aren't going to turn off regular features in the future.

- Call quality is not perfect.

ConnieIL wrote:Not true. I purchased my refurb unit at Fry's on Friday (oh Woot...if I only knew!) It is a hub, and, yes, there are taxes on units that have been used. $3.50/mo

Some refurb hubs have taxes and some don't. Mine doesn't. I think the difference is that some of them were part of the Core and some weren't. I think it's a crapshot which one you will get.

I got the OOma telo and its actually pworking great so far. Just wondering- why do I have to dial 1-then the USA number to make state to state calls? can't I just dial the area code then the number? Is it really like this? I mean having to dial the country code, then area code then the number?

what do you suppose they mean by this?

http://twitter.com/woot

My MagicJack works great. Only wish I could've imported my old number to it. Maybe some day.

IDK if this has been asked this thread is soo big already so quote the answer for me if you can or if not then good LOL


Anyway whats the difference between the hub and the Telo? Why should I buy this instead of waiting for the Telo to come back on woot? (besides the price)

I can't find the difference except this one seams to be, an older device, costs less, looks worse, looks to be similar although IDK if the Blue Tooth Dongle (it's fun saying DONGLE) will work with the Hub and it does with the Telo?

Besides the price, I cant think of any pros to buy the Hub over the Telo? Help me out guys?
Why buy the Hub instead of waiting for the Telo?

Right now I am in no hurry to set up a VOIP phone system, so I think so far I'll wait for the telo to either come back or wait for the next woot off and I will hope for one to show up I think the odds are high IDK.

(If not I'll send a really mean letter really mean hear me mean I am mean and I write mean and you will feel the ANGER in your BONES! My letter will haunt you forever, that is if you even read carp people send you. I should just send a carp in a box and I'LL wait for a really Hot day) LOL. Is it legal to send rotting fish over state lines?

Will I be charged an activation fee for this being refurbished?

lebeatnik wrote: I should just send a carp in a box and I'LL wait for a really Hot day) LOL. Is it legal to send rotting fish over state lines?

Ask Rahm Emanuel

Hub = no tax
Telo = tax.

Is this correct?

I have had ours for about a year now and have never looked back. Ya the new Telo is prettier and shinier. But the one on Woot today just works.

A few things to mention though...

Somebody mentioned Costco has it for $180. The ones from Costco come with a "Scout" which allows you to have multiple lines, and even multiple numbers associated with your Ooma service.

Some of the cabling requirements can be awkward depending on the proximity to where you have your internet router in relation to where you keep your phone. If you have one of the all-in-one phones (1 base station and multiple wireless handsets) then your install can be pretty easy. If you have phones throughout the home that are hardwired into wall jacks, things become a bit more complicated.

Some services and features are only available with the premier service which is $150/yr. $12.50/mo to call anwhere in the US, and provide the premier features is still way cheaper than the $40-$60 you were paying the phone company for their rediculously overpriced services and features.

Overall I have been very pleased with the service and quality. The visual voicemail, calls screening, and ability to ring the home phone and a cell phone at the same time has been great.

I approve this Woot.

wankelrx8 wrote:With Vonage, I have 3-way calling, International calling, Simultaneous ringing, etc, etc..., for $25.99/mo.

Anyone?

You get all that with Ooma and there is NO monthly. You pay for the hardware up front. If you want the premier features, that is $150/yr which is still 1/2 what you are paying Vonage.

This is a really good deal.. Hub is no fee.

wankelrx8 wrote:With Vonage, I have 3-way calling, International calling, Simultaneous ringing, etc, etc..., for $25.99/mo.

Someone needs to convince me that it would be worth it to switch, and still retain the same features, with international calling. It seems like it would take at least a year for me to recoup the savings if I switched, even at this low Woot price.

Anyone?

Ooma has lifetime premiere membership for about $250. It includes 1 free telephone port too (worth $40)

$70 off a new Ooma Telo & handset making it $229.99 shipped free from Ooma.

http://www3.ooma.com/referral/?referral_code=QEVM9750

nateanderson wrote:Would this work if you are also currently using DSL?

That is a tough one for me to answer since I don't have DSL, but you would want to make sure that you don't have current from the phone company over the same wiring as Ooma.

Here is a link to a forum that talks about your problem.

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22639141-ooma-Wiring-for-the-Whole-House

The HPLA is the signal the Hub uses to talk with the scout. It could cause interference with you DSL signal.

Most phone wiring comes across pairs of wiring and most phone wiring seems to have at least two pairs. You could determine if DSL could is run through both pairs, but that is somewhat technical. Someone points out that you could use line swappers. Basically Ooma and most phone are set to use pair one, but you could use the line swapper to send Ooma over line 2 and swap it back at your phone with another line swapper.

Then again, look at your DSL setup and see if the DSL is only wired to just one jack. I think if you had line filters on you phone line it is a dead giveaway that your whole house is powered with DSL.

Otherwise, your best bet is a multi-handset cordless phone that you can plug the base into the Ooma Hub

I almost forget and I will try to edit my last post. Hook the Phone port to the Wall jack...Not the Wall Port to distribute service to your entire house.

bradfields wrote:How would multiple phones throughout the house connect to this device?

The Ooma box is like any other VOIP box (including Time Warner Digital Phone or Vonage)
I would not recommend setting it up the way this guy has it, but he does show a way to hook it up for all of your phones in your house. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECXccikD0b0
I would also like to recommend just getting a phone that supports multiple headsets
http://tiny.cc/1ajs1

TheLetterK wrote:Yes, it is pretty easy. The Ooma forums have instructions and will lead you to external instructions.

If you have a network junction box on the outside of your house you will have a phone company access side, which you can't open and a home side you can open.

1) Open the home side of the junction box. Disconnect the one or two (if you have two lines of service) plug from your side. They look like phone plugs. Leave a note in the box that you have VOIP service hooked up so someone from the phone company doesn't plug them back it. Maybe wrap them in electrcal tape so they don't accidentally go back in.

2) Check you phone to make sure they are dead.

3) Plug Ooma into any open phone jack in your house and you have phone service from Ooma. All phone jacks are hooked together in you house, so it doesn't matter where you introduce you phone signal from.

4) (added) Hook the PHONE port, not Wall port to you home wiring. The wall phone is to integrate your existing home phone service if you want to keep it with Ooma (and why would you). The pone port is to hook to a handset, but can be connected to your home wiring too.

Another note: Skip the Scout if you are thinking about them. If you need a remote answering machine, it works good and has the voicemail lights, but otherwise it has it problems. I have static on the outgoing side of Scout calls, so as the caller, I'm unaware of the problems, but those who I call hear hisses. YOu are better hooking Ooma to your house wiring and using the Scout for voicemail access.


I've had Ooma for over a year and haven't paid 13 phone bills at $35 a month. Total Savings of $455.

Also, if you need two lines of service and not all the extras, you are better to buy two hubs than sign up for the Premiere service.

Agree with all of this. great post.

I bought a hub/scout system on amazon and immediately sold my scout on ebay. Not needed cause you can hook the device to your home jacks, as stated above.

Also, it's a moot point if you have a expandable handset phone system (which most people have nowadays). just plug the hub into that.

The one, and ONLY complaint i have about ooma is it cannot pass DTMF on inbound calls. So if you use a physical answering machine for messages, you cannot check it remotely.

But other than that I have LOVED my ooma. It's paid for itself and then some!

lebeatnik wrote:
Anyway whats the difference between the hub and the Telo? Why should I buy this instead of waiting for the Telo to come back on woot? (besides the price)

Maybe this will help. Don't make me blacklist your caller id number.
http://www.ooma.com/products/ooma-hub/compare

Ooma's support is terrible. I ordered the Ooma Telo from woot on 10/16/2010, which came without a working power adapter. I have contacted Ooma support on multiple occasions and they have yet to provide a solution or acknowledge that they will correct the issue.

Beware ordering refurbished merchandise from Ooma.

drnoo wrote:I got the OOma telo and its actually pworking great so far. Just wondering- why do I have to dial 1-then the USA number to make state to state calls? can't I just dial the area code then the number? Is it really like this? I mean having to dial the country code, then area code then the number?

There is an ooma setting for enabling 10-digit dialing. Go to your config page on ooma.com.

I kept the 11-digit dialing because of the delay in dialing local numbers (4 seconds or so). i don't call long distance that much.

ah, found it on ooma's site:

10-Digit Dialing

ooma has enabled 10-digit dialing for all ooma users. This feature allows you to dial any domestic phone number without having to enter a “1″ before the area code and number, just like on a cell phone.
To call (650) 555-1234, you can now dial 6505551234 instead of 16505551234. 10-digit dialing will allow you to easily return missed calls logged on your home phone.
With 10-digit dialing enabled, you’ll still be able to dial 7-digit phone numbers for local calls (if allowed in your area). However, you may notice an extra 4-5 second delay before the call is placed. You can avoid this delay by pressing # after you finish dialing or by disabling 10-digit dialing in the ooma Lounge.

wankelrx8 wrote:That's a deal breaker for me. I thought you could feed your house jacks with the Hub alone.

I don't understand, if it can feed a regular handset, why can't the hub feed the wall jacks? I need this for my alarm system to work.

I don't see how they could tell the difference between plugging a phone in vs. plugging into your houses' phone lines (assuming you've disconnected them from the phone system demarcation point). I've used this configuration with Vonage for years and years and before that I did it with an old IDSN router. To all the phones in the house, it looks like an old POTS line.

mhodges wrote:Since Ooma will allow you to connect up your in-house wiring this should work.

The other option, depending on your Dish receiver, is to connect the receiver up to your Internet connection. If you do that you don't need a phone line. Mine shares a hard-wired hub with my ROKU box. I have friends who have used "IP over power lines" adapters or a wireless adapter to solve the problem.

I have Directv and it does not work with Directv. So probably will not work with Dish.

bradfields wrote:How would multiple phones throughout the house connect to this device?

I would consider connecting the Ooma where your phone line comes into the house, and then connecting the Ooma phone jack to the line that feeds the rest of the house. I can't see why that wouldn't work.

nachokingp wrote:I would consider connecting the Ooma where your phone line comes into the house, and then connecting the Ooma phone jack to the line that feeds the rest of the house. I can't see why that wouldn't work.

everyone needs to read LetterK's post about this. it is spot-on. unplug the line coming into the house in your outside junction box, plug the ooma into any one of your inside wall jacks.

kschlege wrote:Ooma has lifetime premiere membership for about $250. It includes 1 free telephone port too (worth $40)

That would have been worth it, but just called ooma, premium is only available on a annual basis

I've had an Ooma phone for more than a year now. I love not getting a phone bill anymore. All my cordless phones work great. Caller ID with names still works fine. But when I fax I have to dial *99 first.
My only 2 complaints are one of my DirecTv boxes cannot call anymore. So I just don't order pay per view with my remote. My main DirecTv box has internet connection anyhow.
My home alarm system cannot work with Ooma, so I called my alarm company and told them to either install a radio caller device or cancel my service. They came out and installed the radio device. Which is better anyhow since it works even if my phone line is cut. Which I don't have now anyhow. I hope a thief isn't smart enough to cut the cable line to my house.

MW

whiba wrote:everyone needs to read LetterK's post about this. it is spot-on. unplug the line coming into the house in your outside junction box, plug the ooma into any one of your inside wall jacks.

Except that it makes so much more sense to unplug your service line after it enters the house. Then it is still separate from the house wiring and the ooma, but you can still connect a landline in case of emergency, etc.

doc362 wrote:The only way this deal would be better than the Telo from a week or two ago is if you didn't have to pay the monthly fee.. I'm still concerned about how long this company will be around. If they go out of business all you'll have to show for it is a $120 paperweight.

this is a PONZI scheme. it is about to go Bankrupt

people have been saying the "how long is ooma going to be around?" thing for a few years now. and they're still here. i paid over $200 for my hub and it has paid for itself in comparison to my former vonage bill ($25 a month).

people have also been saying the same thing about TiVo. you can be scared of a company going under, but ooma hasn't shown signs of it yet.

secretagentbill wrote:Except that it makes so much more sense to unplug your service line after it enters the house. Then it is still separate from the house wiring and the ooma, but you can still connect a landline in case of emergency, etc.

that works, too. just was much easier to find the line in the junction box outside in my house. my in-house connection is actually in my crawl space, so easier to deal with the junction box outside in an emergency.

but the main point is - disconnect the phone line coming in so your house jacks are on their own internal "network".

secretagentbill wrote:I'm having trouble figuring just how I'd save money on my phone bill with this...

I have DSL. With DSL, unlimited full-featured phone service is $10 a month... Phone without Internet is $50. Internet without phone is $50, but combine them and the price is $60. There doesn't seem to be a way to drop phone service, keep Internet, and somehow save money. Grrr.

First off, are you really only paying $10 now, or are you paying $10 + about $3.50 in taxes? These include the 911 surcharge, usage charge, etc. Assuming that you're paying tax right now -- at the same rate that Ooma collects -- having Ooma will save you $10 per month. All you'll be paying is $50 for DSL (Internet without phone). Saving $10 per month means that the $125 initial purchase will break even in a year. Then it's all savings from that day forward.

If your DSL carrier is somehow exempt from collecting those taxes, then your savings per month is about $6.50. Then it'll take about 20 months to recoup the original $125 cost, and as before, you'll be saving $6.50 from that say forward.

Keep in mind that Ooma likely offers features that DSL phone service. For example, is voicemail included? It's extra with TIme Warner's phone service so it may the same with your DSL service. Can you download the voicemail? This is an important feature for me legally, plus I love to keep messages from loved ones. But of course, your DSL service may have features that cost extra on Ooma, i.e. call forwarding.

Several users have also remarked that Ooma is clearer than their previous landline or Vonage.

technically this is the old version of their hardware. i hear it works pretty good. the new one is much slicker/matrixy looking.