Used OOMA before, now I use OBi110 with Google Voice. $50 for a new OBi110 and no fees ever! Plus all the great features of Google Voice!

I've had one for almost a year and it works great. It provides a dial tone for the whole house. It didn't work with my alarm, but I talked the alarm company down to only $1 month for a cell connection for it.

After cancelling the premium service ($10/month) They offered a deal to get it and a free accessory. So, I'm paying about $11.50 and getting the POTS service of about $26/month.

Only downside it the minor bandwidth it uses. I've had two people playing WoW and it not make calls sound funny, but if your internet is flaky or suffering, the phone will sound bad.

woottoady wrote:Check out this thread on the Ooma forum...
http://goo.gl/VNHBX

My ADT didn't work, but they only charged me a $1 month extra to add a cellular connection instead of wired phone. I'm more confident in it. With the battery backup, you could cut power (and phone/internet) to the house and the alarm will still phone in...

I love the Ooma! I was paying, wait for it... $85 a month for unlimited local and long distance. Now I could be paying essentially nothing.

I do pay Ooma Premier. I went with a promotion for a discounted Ooma handset. With Premier I get Google Voice integration and a free, virtual 2nd line using the Ooma handset. Still, I'm paying less than $10 a month.

We ported our landline number to a cell phone and then to Google Voice (Google won't let you port a landline directly). We now have Google Voice ringing our Ooma (or cell phones when we choose).

Really, really a sweet setup and a fantastic product!

Almost everyone I know with Vonage is unhappy with the reliability and call quality. We have had no problems with the Ooma except for a single outage that was the fault of our ISP (we lost internet for 3 days).

I can't recommend this product highly enough.

wjb3 wrote:Ooma's only cost is the up-front cost of the machine, which has a payback normally less than a year, after which you're saving money, even over magic jack.

Problem with magic jack is you have to have a powered on computer for it to work. People don't count the cost in electricity for that... Yes the Ooma must powered on, but it doesn't consumed anywhere near the power of even the smallest of desktops. Maybe a laptop or some media PC that is on already...

In for three. I'm going to start running a telemarketing firm.

In all honesty, sounds like a great deal and I've been wanting to dump Vonage for months now.

It's not a given that they can port any number. Check before you buy on their website if that's a requirement for you (it is for most I think).

<3 <3 <3 mine.

I say goodnight to my grandson in the UK every night ...for about $15 per month total.

kman13 wrote:If faxing is that important, buy a second one and set it for fax only ... that's what I'm doing =)

It's cheaper and less complicated to buy a single Ooma Hub. The hub automatically switches to fax mode for receiving.
http://www.amazon.com/ooma-Hub-Device-Monthly-Service/dp/B0033AIW7M/

I puchased one from Woot earlier this year. It works great for me on Chambers DOCSYS3 Cable of Sunriver, OR. Some of my friends with less reliable internet service have had problems with dropped calls.

Very pleased with it.

Chris Shaker

I've been using skype for a couple of years now and been paying 60/yr for phone# and unlimited calls nationwide. It comes with all the common features like vm and call forwarding. I've never had any issues with the sound or failed calls and everyone can hear me just fine. I've also used it on my iphone using wifi and 3g and was able to make calls without using my minutes (it sounded fine to some and crappy to others). I have an adapter for regular phone and a wireless headset if I don't want to use my regular phone. BUT it doesn't have 911 AND relies on pc like the old magic jack (I used them for about 1 month but hated it).

BUT now i just bought one of these and we'll see how well it will compare with skype in every aspect. Since I'm reading raving reviews on this... hopefully I will not get disappointed.....

used it for 2 years now - love it. My wife and I are happy with it!

I've been sitting on the pot for 2 years intending to transfer from AT&T. Here's what I decided & any feedback is more than welcome.

I'm gonna go w/ viopo.com It comes out to $8+ a month for 2 yrs with all the advance features of ooma included at no add'. cost. Don't know about faxing capability as very rarely fax, but can always do this in the office or through Staples.

The few reviews I read or seen on youtube have been extremely positive. Like ooma it's American-based support by a reliable company. Slightly concerned that ooma may go belly-up. Less concerned about $ loss, but concerned about portability of phone # have had for 42 yrs.

If during the free trial no likey than will do ooma. Will prob. pay retail (on sale, Costco, etc.) for security of add'l. 9 mo. warranty & can return if doesn't work out for me, as for a few it doesn't work out.

Only thing don't know is if my phone's answering machine will take message or will they will be resigned to computer. Not a huge factor as intend to set up to have my cell alternately ring so I'll know I do have a message.

Any thoughts on this service & my reasoning w/b greatly appreciated!

My prob. w/ a lot of the availble non-internet/router-direct services is that you can't port over you're #. And the new magic jack concerns me as to the downloaded software, a couple of billing problems people have had & support. As far as google+, no one know what the charges will be come next year. So I see only voipo or ooma as my the only reliable choices. And after the 30-day trial period, I'm pretty viopo issues pro-rated refunds. Think I talked myself into it. lol!

tomnagy wrote:I have 2 residences, one in PA and one in FL.

When I go to FL for the winter can I take this OOMA and use it with my internet connection there??

If so, this would be great as I'd have my same number and phone service in both homes.

Yes, it should work fine. It may confuse some folks that you call because it will show your PA # on caller ID when you are in FL....it could be fun to keep them guessing where you are.

From what I remember of Magic Jack u r required to keep ur PC on, that is NOT the case with Ooma! I have had mine 4 2 yrs....Luv it!

SouthernMs wrote:From what I remember of Magic Jack u r required to keep ur PC on, that is NOT the case with Ooma! I have had mine 4 2 yrs....Luv it!

Not w/ the new MagicJack 2.

I couldn't get my AudioCodes fax gateway to send/receive over Ooma (fax mode on).

Generally speaking, fax over voip is always going to be buggy. v.34 fax protocol is prone to jitter. There is a T.38 protocol specifically designed for fax over IP, but you won't find it outside of the enterprise where they also have a VoIP PBX on a managed network.

It's too bad Ooma doesn't offer an e-fax service to it's customers. If they integrated something like that (intercept incoming fax to email, allow outgoing fax from web, no fax machine required) I'd happily pay for Premier.

A note about your internet connection and Ooma.

My old set-up (DSL thru ATT) worked only fair at 3mb.

My new set-up (Comcast with cable modem) Ooma
seems to like much better 30mb. Cost $70 per month
for this faster provider but worth it for both better
phone quality and streaming to my Google/Revue TV box.

In for 1.
My current VOIP system through my ISP is about $45 a month. At this price, I'll make up the up front cost of the Ooma in three months, then be up a carton of smokes every month. Woot!

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

I don't fax often but I've never had an issue. You do have to dial *99 before faxing out from what I remember.

I got this one the last time it was Wooted! and it have reduced my monthly bill from $30 to $3.74!! It really works fine and now we have caller ID and other options. I would get it and set it up as fast as you can. Some items to remember 1) OOMA Preimer will be free the first month and then $10 after that. YOU MUST CALL TO CANCEL IT if you don't want, otherwise it becomes $13.74/month!
2) If you currently have an alarm system in your home that is connected via a phone conenction (Not wireless) you will have to upgrade your system to a wireless connection. It's basically a cell phone for your alarm system. It cost us $275 for the parts, install and they upped our monthly monitoring by $5. So all-in-all It will take me about 20 months to recoup ALL hardware and upgrades to break even. STILL WORTH TELLING AT&T TO SHOVE IT!!

I work at an alarm company. (Not saying which!) Some thoughts:

If you have an alarm system in your home, call them first and ask if they're compatible with Ooma.

Some are. Some aren't. Some are, but will require a service call to set up.

VOIP and alarms are problematic in general. Sometimes you can set it up and it works, and six months later the VOIP company makes a change on the backend and your alarm can no longer communicate.

Magic Jack doesn't work with any alarm as far as I know. (And when customers call with alarm communication problems, I can tell they've switched to Magic Jack before I even ask. It sounds terrible, folks.)

Two questions:

1. Can I plug my cordless phone into it without buying any adapter.

2. Can I buy any wireless adapter for this?

Thanks.

Love it... Had mine for a month or two now, and no problems, although I had a few issues getting my card to go through, due to the configuration of the billing address fields ion the website. Got 60 days free trial of the Premiere, and they actually sent me a heads-up email informing me that the trial would be ending and I would automatically be billed if I didn't opt-out. Most companies just rely on you to remember that. All said and done, my total bill is about $3.50 a month, and that is just the taxes and regulatory fees. I get to keep this number forever, and will never change. No complaints.

kzjunk wrote:Used OOMA before, now I use OBi110 with Google Voice. $50 for a new OBi110 and no fees ever! Plus all the great features of Google Voice!

"No fees ever"? Then you must not have snazzy stuff like 911 service. Taxes and regulatory fees(Such as 911) are the only ones I pay for Ooma, and I don't really mind paying my share of the infrastructure, all things considered.

datsun2 wrote:Two questions:

1. Can I plug my cordless phone into it without buying any adapter.

2. Can I buy any wireless adapter for this?

Thanks.

1. Yep, there is a regular phone plug on the back, works just like the wall jack. Also, you can plug a phone line from the unit into the wall, and plug your cordless base in anywhere you want. There is some modification needed, but there are instructions online.

2. Wireless adapter for what? As in a wireless router? Yes, I have the system hooked from my modem, to the Ooma unit, to my normal wireless router. You can hook the Ooma unit up AFTER the router, but they suggest hooking it between the modem and your router, so calls get priority usage of your bandwidth for quality purposes.

Hope this helps.

hushpuppy wrote:I've been sitting on the pot for 2 years intending to transfer from AT&T. Here's what I decided & any feedback is more than welcome.

I'm gonna go w/ viopo.com It comes out to $8+ a month for 2 yrs with all the advance features of ooma included at no add'. cost. Don't know about faxing capability as very rarely fax, but can always do this in the office or through Staples.

The few reviews I read or seen on youtube have been extremely positive. Like ooma it's American-based support by a reliable company. Slightly concerned that ooma may go belly-up. Less concerned about $ loss, but concerned about portability of phone # have had for 42 yrs.

If during the free trial no likey than will do ooma. Will prob. pay retail (on sale, Costco, etc.) for security of add'l. 9 mo. warranty & can return if doesn't work out for me, as for a few it doesn't work out.

Only thing don't know is if my phone's answering machine will take message or will they will be resigned to computer. Not a huge factor as intend to set up to have my cell alternately ring so I'll know I do have a message.

Any thoughts on this service & my reasoning w/b greatly appreciated!

As far as I know, I could turn on the answering machine on my phone system is I wanted to, but there is really no need, since this lets you see a transcript of your message(Not always quite right, but it's a tech in progress), as well as listen to them on the phone(Just like Voice Mail), or play them from any computer. Also, for the base service, the total cost is roughly $3.50 a month, because you only pay the taxes and regulatory fees, like 911 service. VERY satisfied so far. Also, I get to set up a secondary # to have calls automatically transfer to in the event of an internet or power outage, so calls would just forward automatically to the Google Voice # on my cell phone, so no cost there, either...

I got one from a previous woot and switched from Vonage. I'm saving $, but call quality is a definite step down. Once I've recovered the cost I'll probably look into other services.

buffaloed wrote:It can be a pain. On this model in order to receive fax's you have to change the settings to fax mode which messes up my voice calls.
http://www.ooma.com/node/485. I use online services to handle all my faxing since I switched to Ooma.

Can you recommend an online fax service?

I bought one last spring from Woot. When I open it I thought it look new. When I talked with Ooma they said it was shown as a new unit. I think they say they are refurbished so they don't get in trouble with the retailers. So far it has worked great. My only concern is that they stay in business long enough to get my investment back. I save about $25 a month so with the $40 port fee I figure about 8 month. I would buy it again.

Will it work with Clearwire internet service?

I'm not sure if it is high speed.

for those of you that are looking for a fax solution i use faxage somewhere around $4 a month send a fax as email and receive as email love it and port your number.

Junk alert! Don't get one! The customer service is horrible, mine broke after a year and they wouldn't replace it! Also they signed me up for premier account without telling me and charge me extra and wouldn't reimburse me either. Biggest mistake I ever made.

j0hnlind wrote:You should not buy this. On the other side of the coin, I am completely happy with Ooma, so will not be buying magicjack. With something like this, there can be two right answers.

Magicjack connects to a computer.. This device is a stand alone device which can be integrated into your internal wiring. I tried a Skype setup which required a computer and a usb device. Worked well enough, but the wife did not want to dial 9 to get an outside line. Ooma is A+++++++++++++++++++++

nonzero wrote:Junk alert! Don't get one! The customer service is horrible, mine broke after a year and they wouldn't replace it! Also they signed me up for premier account without telling me and charge me extra and wouldn't reimburse me either. Biggest mistake I ever made.

Everyone gets the 30 day premier trial, its in the documentation sent with it. I only called customer service once to set it up. I also told them to remove me from their premier service. No issues on my end and have had it over a year.

toniob wrote:Will it work with Clearwire internet service?

I'm not sure if it is high speed.

It should. I would check your upload speeds first. Above 134kb/s you should be fine.

datsun2 wrote:Two questions:

1. Can I plug my cordless phone into it without buying any adapter.

2. Can I buy any wireless adapter for this?

Thanks.

I have the "Hub" which is an older model and a Uniden 6.0 cordless (with 3 additional extension cordless phones)and it works fine. I'm sure this newer model will work just fine as well. I also have a 1950's desk phone plugged into another phone jack, it does trip the ringer and I can talk on it however I can not dial out because of it being an old rotory type phone. I believe Ooma does sell wireless adapters of some kind on their site, but I do not have any experience using one.

Nice units... Only double the price of a magic jack plus or nettalk duo. Both those are stand alone like the ooma but they get you free calling to canada and the USA and only cost $69.

Or go extra cheap and get a regular magic jack for $40 - except then you have to keep your computer running all the time.

nonzero wrote:Junk alert! Don't get one! The customer service is horrible, mine broke after a year and they wouldn't replace it! Also they signed me up for premier account without telling me and charge me extra and wouldn't reimburse me either. Biggest mistake I ever made.

Mine works great. All the documentation tells you that you get Ooma premium free for 30 days and then then you need to call to cancel if you do not wish to continue. For me I did not wish to continue the premium services after the 30 days. Near the end of the 30 days Ooma sent me an email saying my trial period was ending but my premium service would continue for $10 a month unless I cancelled it. The email even provided me a link to click to go online to my myooma account where I could cancel the premium service without even having to call them, which I did. Ooma could not have made it easier to cancel. So if Nonzero was charged for the premium service without his knowledge I don't see how that was possible unless he just ignored everything from Ooma.