Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
------------------------------------------------------------
Ooma Telo VoIP Home Phone System
$139.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: Refurbished

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

I was hoping to get one of these in the last woot-off, I just had to research one more thing before I bought it.

Can I keep my Land-line number?

Yes for a 40 dollar fee
-----------------------
Edit: More Links:

FAQ

Premier Features for 9.99 a Month

Nearly 1000 5 star reviews on amazon

Got it. Love it.

I own one bought it at full price but... it has already paid for itself. Word to the wise... >>>>>UNPLUG YOUR PHONE LINE FROM THE MAIN CONNECTION OR YOU RISK FRYING IT<<<<

It was a PITA to send the few faxes I send.

I own this Ooma Telo (and their previous model) and I can't say enough good things about it. Fantastic voice quality, great company, and NO MORE BILLS!!! The have a great package of advanced features if you need them too.

Also - Consumer Reports rates Ooma #1 Phone Service!

Previous woot comments - probably answers any question you might have (and then some)

http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=4530418

Are faxes reliable with this? Faxes are the only holding me back from dumping my current phone service.

Buying this from Woot a few months back was some of the best Woot money we've spent. Okay, maybe not as good as the Box of Cobwebs money we've spent.

But! For less than $5 month we get nationwide long distance. Super easy to set up, super easy to use. And upgrading to the premium version offers some really cool options. I think these normally sell out (I can't remember), so if you're on the fence, and it's 3:00 cst Saturday - buy it.

More recent woot, in August: (above previous woot is June, still helpful)

http://www.woot.com/Forums/ViewPost.aspx?PostID=4586686

How does this compare to NetTalk?
http://www.nettalk.com/

"Mr Watson, come here, I need you."

THIS is what I was waiting for during the Woot off!!!

Does anyone know how Ooma is doing financially? I was bitten by Sunrocket and I see Ooma has blown through all their venture capital. I'd love to get one if they are financially sound for at least a few years.

We bought one of these at Costco a few months ago for $175. I did some research and decided it looked good. It did take a while (and $40) to "port" our old phone number to the new service. Our service is very good. We opted to use an answering machine at home. My bill is about $3.50 a month. You can't get away without paying the local and 911 fees. Since I won't go without broadband internet, having this was a no brainer. And I got to tell Comcast GOODBYE regarding their phone service and save $$$$.

pkonold wrote:Are faxes reliable with this? Faxes are the only holding me back from dumping my current phone service.

It all depends on the brand of your fax. Google Ooma fax the first link will tell you the whole story.

I got one here on Woot several months ago and it's definitely paid for itself. My number got ported in about 8 days and there have been zero problems with the service. The sound quality is perfect, the only reminder it's not my regular phone service is the funky Ooma dialtone. I highly recommend for anyone looking to save on your phone bill. Mine went from $35/month to $3.47 for the taxes.

So this is worth owning? I have a Magic Jack and am not a fan of the phone quality. I have a 30Mbps connection and am disappointed so I never use it. My other fear is after buying it the company will go belly up the next month. That's always been my luck.

the new Magic Jack Plus does NOT need a computer anymore.


http://www.magic-jack.com/category/magic-jack-plus/

Bought one of these last time. Totally awesome.

Please don't let the bundle service pushers lie to you and tell you that "you can't port your phone". You CAN port it they are bound by rules to allow you to port your phone number.

Having used quite a few VoIP services over the years (Vonage, VoicePulse, T-Mobile's "Home Phone" VoIP, AT&T CallVantage, UVerse) and having Ooma since that last offering in August, I can honestly say it's the highest quality, lowest cost service I've ever used. We pay $3.50 per month strictly for taxes and that's it.

Best part is no one knows any different.

Looks like the Ooma symbol is red in the picture. Doesn't that mean it's not working?

Seriously, I bought this before when it was on Woot. It works well and has already paid for itself. Add headsets and premium service for expanded features...still a fraction of the cost of land line service.

I got one because of the rave reviews from fellow wooters.

They did fix the problems we had with calling a town. It was on the switch side. I figured it out but played along with support and got moved up from level 1 to level 2 and within 4 days this was resolved. (This problem was hard to track and the company did a good job with it's resources.)
Love my Voice mail going to my emails as a mp3.

BUT

I went to the web site and they said they could port https://go.ooma.com/phone_numbers my number when I tried to port it they could not from my area. I wrote an email requesting they take my number off the "able to port" list they have not. This almost makes me believe they purposely mislead me to buy the hardware.
I miss my number.

For this reason I can not recommend Ooma.

I live overseas. I was wondering, if the ooma has a U.S. number, can I connect it to the landline and forward calls to a cell phone.
ie.
- incomming voip call uses local landline to call cell phone.

if so, I would be in for two.

will this work in Canada????

yours truly,
International Wooter.

Found my own answer... Although I don't completely understand

"Can I use the Ooma system internationally?

The Ooma system can be used anywhere there is a high-speed Internet connection. Regardless of where you use it, calls to the US will be free and calls outside the US will be subject to low-cost international rates. If you plan to use the device overseas, be sure to use a phone that meets US standards, and be aware that the power supply that comes with the Ooma Hub is built for US power specifications. Also, if you choose to install and use the Ooma system outside the US, you'll be solely responsible for compliance with international laws and subject to all associated fees, taxes, tariffs, and legal penalties."

The first Ooma (Telo) I bought was new from Fry's. It lasted a couple of months longer than the 1 year warranty then it broke down. Unfortunately, these things aren't reparable. I probably should have gotten an additional SquareTrade warranty on it. So, after the Telo broke, I figured I'd just get a refurb Ooma Hub from Fry's for $129. I thought that maybe the Hub, being that it's a little less high tech and an older model that may have been built with better components that it might last longer. Time will tell. I've been using the Hub for about 4 months or so. I really hope it lasts for years to come, because if I have to keep replacing these things after the warranty expires, I won't be saving much money over a land line, if at all. I'm on the $11.75 a year plan (no longer available...), btw. Aside from the first one breaking down, Oomas are great. There have been some times when I'd hear echo or the sound would be choppy, but most of the time it's good.

Got one a few months back. It's decent. Voice quality depends on the level of speed and jitter with your high speed internet.

To be completely honest, it kinda sucks, BUT that is with the fact I acknowledge that my high speed internet has some issues as well.

Still, 3$ and some change for a "landline" phone isn't bad. Beats the hell outta the magicjack I used before.

Only issue I had was they didn't have any numbers available in my town/area, so I had to go with a number that's from a neighboring city that's a bit bigger.

Still, even with all that, I would say buy it if you need a cheap landline style phone.

pkonold wrote:Are faxes reliable with this? Faxes are the only holding me back from dumping my current phone service.

Absolutely not. I bought two of these unit the last two times they were featured on Woot and I was really hoping they would work as a fax line. Turns out, they're not.

When I send and receive only a few pages, it works okay with my Brother all in one but when it comes to over 4 pages, it always cuts out, sending or receiving. I tried it as a fax on another HP fax machine I have and it doesn't even work at all.

I called Ooma Tech Support and they also stated that Ooma fax is not reliable.

Even though the Ooma doesn't work as a fax line, $140 is a great price for unlimited calling with all the features. I pay about $3.50 a month for taxes which is $40 cheaper than what I was paying. I still have to pay $40 for the fax line, but I guess you can't have it all

I have a Ooma Hub refurb I bought from Woot and it is great. Not quite "free" because I have to pay the "applicable taxes and fees." In my case it is about 3 bucks a month. More on them here

Got one a year ago on sale at Costco for the same price (except I had to pay tax.) I love it. Went from AT&T $45 per month down to taxes only at $3.47 per month. No comparison in quality between this (superb) and Magic Jack (can hardly understand every 4th word when my friends with one call me--everyone else comes through loud and clear.)

Never buy a used or returned one; it is a PITA to undo the former user's account info and I believe there is an extra charge involved. Tried to fax once using a 12 year old Brother fax--didn't work. Everything else about it is super though. The optional extra features are great and a bargain at somewhere near $10 a month.

scoobydooxp wrote:Does anyone know how Ooma is doing financially? I was bitten by Sunrocket and I see Ooma has blown through all their venture capital. I'd love to get one if they are financially sound for at least a few years.

Sunrocket has been gone for four years...it's time to move on and start trusting again. If you had started with Ooma when Sunrocket left you you would be happy now

I've been "Oomaing" for the last few months, I think from two Woot offerings ago. Overall it works good enough, except for yesterday when the neighborhood lost power for two long stretches. I have Ooma Premier and all calls not received due to the power loss are automatically forwarded to my cell phone.

My only other complaint is in the relativity long delay in my voice reaching the ear of the person to whom I'm conversing. If you're used to having a quick, snappy repartee, you can forget about it with Ooma, or most any other VOIP system. You'll be talking over each other almost constantly as there's no clear clue that the other person is starting to talk before you plan to do the same. I'm very tempted to use the simplex radio communications technique of stating "Over" when I'm done talking and ready to listen to the other person. Small price to pay for the really low cost service.

Forgot to mention, clarity and reliability have been rock steady for 1 year using COMCAST for Internet access.

I will be getting this... 25 a month for "lifeline" service through Verizon is insane. So will help a lot.

For today's write up... saying it is so 1996... not at all.

I was a 911 dispatcher for 10 years... as well as a firefighter for the last 18... and EMT for the last 15.

In any case... a "landline" is definitely needed for everyone. VoIP is close enough, as you can still dial 911 from home, not say a word, and the responders will still know where you are... as long as you remember to keep your address updated with the phone company.

I still remember a report about a person calling 911 on a military base in Europe... it was answered by the 911 call center in Ohio where they used to live. Why? They did not change their location info with Vonage.

So... move forward with technology... grab the latest iPhone... ditch the telco if you must, but at least retain home phone service with E911 access.

I hardly use my home phone, but I like to have it, because I don't want to give everyone my (work) cell phone number.

After looking at all the options I decided to go with Callcentric and a Cisco/Linksys interface.

The hardware cost me under $50. I didn't port my number, but that would have cost me $25.

My monthly bill is $3.45 ($1.95 for the number and $1.50 for e911). I've also got a free iNum, but I don't know when I'll use it.

All kinds of features, and voice mail, are included at no charge. I can have several numbers rung simultaneously or sequentially, I can route specific numbers or groups of numbers to voice mail or other numbers, etc. There are a ton of features.

I do pay by the minute for all calls, incoming and outgoing. Unlimited incoming would cost me an extra $5 a month. Unlimited outgoing is about $20. The rate I'm paying varies by call, but it's never more than 1.5 cents a minute.

If you aren't picky about what number you get, they've got bargain ones that have free incoming calls.

SIP calls using a service like SIPbroker are free.

If you make or receive several hundred minutes of calls a month, then Ooma will eventually be less expensive, after you've covered the initial hardware investment.

If you don't make and receive hundred of minutes' worth of calls a month, though, this, or some other BYOD voip service, will be less expensive.

And if I decide to change service providers I can keep using the same hardware.

My box also supports a second line, which I could add for another $1.95 a month. I can also add overlapping numbers for $1.95, which can give me "local" numbers in other cities.

I've had it for a few months and have been very happy with the quality. I've set up QoS on the box and my router, but I don't know if it's been needed.

I purchased a refurbished Ooma Telo the last time it was sold on Woot.com. It is a fantastic device! Porting our home number from Cincinatti Bell took about 2 weeks. Ooma contacted them within three business days after we filed for the port, and they gave us a notification to call Cincinatti Bell to authorize the transfer. We then had to contact Ooma back to let them know that we had contacted our phone service provider. Ooma attempted to port our number on the weekend, 5 days after we asked for the port. However, Cincinatti Bell wasn't ready yet. The next weekend, our phone service was out for about 6 hours, and then, voila! All calls to the home phone number now rang the phones hooked through Ooma. It cost $40 as advertised.

Also, in case anyone wondered, calls through the Ooma Telo hooked into our same telephone units sounded much clearer and louder than when we were using Cincinatti Bell. International calls to Japan have been crystal clear, even when they last over three hours.

We chose to use the wireless Uniden DECT 6.0 handsets in conjunction with the Ooma. These work great with the Ooma. For example, if we have voicemail on the Ooma, the light on the Uniden phones (even the ones that aren't hooked straight into the Ooma Telo) will blink to indicate that we have missed calls. The biggest downside to the Uniden sets are that the standalone handsets (the ones that sync to the main base unit) have an extremely quiet and high-pitched ringtone. Older people in your household may not be able to hear the rings.

I also purchased the Wireless USB Stick for the Ooma Telo, which was released just this month (October, 2011). It's fantastic! We no longer need to keep our Ooma Telo next to the modem & router. The Ooma Telo can now be moved anywhere in the house where our router's WiFi signal reaches. My Ooma sits about 20 meters away from our router (802.11N), and we still have the same crisp and clear call quality as if it were plugged straight into the modem. Even with a wall and a set of bookcases between the router and the Ooma, other computers nearby, cellphones in the other hand and the microwave running, nothing seems to disturb the call quality. The Wireless USB Stick is a fantastic addition to the Ooma.

Each monthly bill in my area comes out to $3.45. Great bargain compared to $29/month we were paying for just a POTS landline.

So here are the negatives. The great features like text notifications for voicemail and the automatic text transcribing & MP3 voicemail forwarding to e-mails cost a lot of extra money in comparison to the monthly fee. There was also an outage that lasted an entire day recently. The speaker in the Ooma Telo that plays back your voicemail is pretty weak (quiet). The blue light on the USB Stick is pretty bright (but you can turn down or even turn off the LED lighting on the actual Ooma Telo; just not on the optional Wireless USB stick). Three times out of the past few months, our Ooma dropped calls.

Since I purchased it refurbished, I expected a few things to go wrong. However, other than the three dropped calls out of about a hundred, the Ooma has never froze, crashed or overheated. It's functioned perfectly!

I'm OkinawanMatt, and I wholeheartedly endorse this product.

I bought one last time it was on Woot. So far so good and $3.50 a month. We had a call dropped once, and that's it. We don't use it much, probably just once every few days.

jannypop wrote:Forgot to mention, clarity and reliability have been rock steady for 1 year using COMCAST for Internet access.

Also, there was no problem porting my old number in central Calif. coast area. Nice also that whenever you move or travel, your number goes with you and you can still make free domestic USA calls provided you have Internet access. 911 works as long as you update your address in the system if you move.

I see on their site a $79 transfer of ownership fee applies. Does that apply to the refurbished models like the one woot is offering?