craptacular wrote:

The only problem I have had with it since installing it was when my internet service got below 5 mbps <...> If you have nothing else using it I'm sure 5mbps will be fine, but if you have multiple users actively using your bandwidth it could be difficult to make calls and/or hear anyone while talking at lower bandwidths. (Like a cell phone cutting in and out.)

gallatin wrote:Many home routers have "QoS" (Quality of Service") setting where you can give priority to a traffic class (VOIP) or to a particular device (you'd plug in the Ooma's MAC address). This way, the Oooma's traffic is prioritized ahead of that of the other devices, and even if the other devices are making heavy use of the net, you can still talk on the phone without issues.

FWIW, I have one of these bought a about year ago from Woot. It has been working great, and call quality has gotten a lot better since I enabled the QoS stuff on my router (running dd-wrt).

Actually, another way to improve your call quality is to connect the ooma BETWEEN your Internet modem if you have one, and your router. The ooma box does its own Quality of Service/QoS.

Btw, our Internet measures 4-4.5 Mbit using speedtest.net, our ooma is connected AFTER the router, and ooma works fine in a variety of situations. Contempary VOIP (vonage/ooma/magic jack/skype/your cable company phone) is pretty tolerant of varying Internet conditions.

I don't usually give my opinion on products because I am generally too lazy to take the time. However I love my Ooma VOIP system. It's pretty much plug and play and pay around $13 a month.

scubalab wrote:Very simple. Actually our exact setup. We bought this quite some time ago for $139+$5 and have absolutely no regrets. We just put the Ooma in the closet with the modem and router, hooked it up to our MAIN phone line that services the whole house (our electric panel, and phone service are in the same closet), and EVERY jack in the house works fine. I guess the only thing you lose is that cool looking blue glowing answering machine! (We didn't mind, since we use the answering machine on our cordless base station...)

ok, thanks for good info.

That amount is for the taxes. Can't forget the tax man. I have the premium service and taxes are $14.25 per month, but that is for 2 phone lines and I have never had trouble with the service since I got it 16 months ago.

txo8 wrote:I am wondering why some members are paying about $4 a month.

Let me join the chorus and say "Buy It!" I got mine here over a year ago, and LOVE it! No problems at all. Once you get used to the different dial tone (that tells you it's working) you won't even know there's a difference. And now it's $40 less than the last time woot offered it!

Love it! I've reduced my phone bill from $40/mo to $4/mo. Quality is excellent, service is great

Power outage? No problem... I can reroute calls to my cell phone and get my voicemail online.

[quote postid="5065758" user="bluemaple"]craptacular wrote:

Btw, our Internet measures 4-4.5 Mbit using speedtest.net"

Now I love my FIOS even more! My wireless laptop measures 20.09 Mb Down, and 16.30 Mb Up on Speedtest.net and my desktop hit 50 Mb!!!

Love my Ooma. Have had it for about 1 1/2 years now with no trouble. Can take it anywhere and plug it into the internet and have your phone number work. Every call is crystal clear. I have premier service with 2 phone lines and the tax per month in CT is only $14.25. Where else are you gonna get a deal like that? Have tried magic jack and that was a joke and never worked right.

colbytitus wrote:Just get a MagicJack

I've recently set up both MJ and ooma. Two different worlds in terms of the support and quality of the hardware.

If you're the type who will drive a car until it dies, then MJ might be OK - it does work.

For everyone else, ooma.

For a simple quick view do yourself a favor, go to both companies' websites... That gives you an idea of the contrast.

I am now working from home. I currently have a MagicJack, which is fine, usually. However, I recently learned that when I try to call in for conference calls using conference call-specific phone numbers, I get a message from MJ stating that I need to buy prepaid minutes for such calls > Anyone know if there is any such issue with Ooma?

TCayer wrote:[quote postid="5065758" user="bluemaple"]craptacular wrote:

Btw, our Internet measures 4-4.5 Mbit using speedtest.net"

Now I love my FIOS even more! My wireless laptop measures 20.09 Mb Down, and 16.30 Mb Up on Speedtest.net and my desktop hit 50 Mb!!!

Not sure what the FIOS comment has to do with this discussion? (I'll bet you're paying just a bit more than the $25/mo I'm paying). My comment had nothing to do with loving my Internet connection - it was about ooma!

dennism220 wrote:Obi box for $50 @ Amazon + Google Voice = Free phone service. No taxes...nothing. Been using it for over a year with no problems. (Do not have to keep a PC connected, no Credit Card on file.)

I've got an Obi110 and it is great. Problem for me was that I couldn't port my existing number to GoogleVoice. If I could I wouldn't need the Ooma device, but checking their website it looks like I can port to Ooma.

jrsteen159 wrote:Can I add a new number now to ensure we like the device and port our old number later?

That's kind of how it works by default. When you register your device you will get a new number (which can be temporary). If/when you decide to port your old number you can "replace" the other number or use them both.

I've been using an Ooma for 2 1/2 years. In the beginning there was some voice quality issues (outgoing calls only) but a call to tech support solved that. Never ported my number. Connected to a standard DECT 6.0 wireless phone. Quick and simple. Just worked. Monthly cost just above $5.

Saw today's "woot!" and was inspired to post my first comment!

I bought this here about a year ago, maybe two. Unit was supposed to be refurbished, but I couldn't tell. Nary a scratch! Setup was a breeze, and porting was simple and much quicker than promised.

Call quality is perfect, although YMMV depending upon the quality of your Internet service. You don't need much bandwidth at all.

I pay extra for the premium features, with call blocking by itself totally worth it.

The most satisfying part of the experience is not paying the ~$70/month phone bill for basic service.

The next most satisfying part was getting a letter the president of said telephone company begging me to come back with a new super-low rate that I COULDN'T get back when I was his customer. LOL!

Should the power or Intertubes go down, you will have no phone service -- duh! -- but we have our cell phones as backup.

Just buy it!

DO. IT. DO. IT. DO. IT. DO. IT.

premitive1 wrote:i've been using http://www.nettalk.com/ for a while now. Service is mediocre.

I've been using NetTalk for almost a year with *no* issues, what-so-ever. Ported my landline number to them without any problem.

TCayer wrote:Let me join the chorus and say "Buy It!" I got mine here over a year ago, and LOVE it! No problems at all. Once you get used to the different dial tone (that tells you it's working) you won't even know there's a difference. And now it's $40 less than the last time woot offered it!

You can change the dial tone, with one of the choices being the traditional tone. But I like the Ooma default. It's the sound of savings!

phyte wrote:They were rated #1 phone company in Consumer Reports Magazine for the past two years running..beating ATT, Vonage, MagicJunk, ...Nettalk not even on the list ('nuff said)

I suspect NetTalk is "not even on the list" because they don't have enough market penetration. CR doesn't test Ferraris, either.

Out of curiosity, where did you come up with "$30 more at Costco"? Costco.com shows $199.99, which is what it costs in our local Costco store. Sounds like $99.99 more to me, although the Costco model has the bluetooth option. I dunno, maybe the B&M price varies by location...

mbrickell wrote:Have been waiting for one of these.

Hmm...$30 more at Costco gets me new unit with 2 yr warranty (Costco AMEX adds 1 yr) and Costco return policy. Here, saves me $30 but only 6 mo warranty, refurb, no Costco backup. A toss up, kind of. Decisions...

I bought mine on here about 9 months ago and am VERY happy with it. Easy to set up. Ooma has very good customer service. Still going strong.

trbovdub wrote:Out of curiosity, where did you come up with "$30 more at Costco"? Costco.com shows $199.99, which is what it costs in our local Costco store. Sounds like $99.99 more to me, although the Costco model has the bluetooth option. I dunno, maybe the B&M price varies by location...

Go to the Costco store - my local (Michigan) store sells ooma telo base (latest mdl and same as this woot, I believe) for $149.99. +$50 makes it a tough 'call' since this woot is apparently a factory refurb and pretty much like new except the 6 mos warranty vs 1 yr. Most electronic stuff will fail within a month or so if you have a lemon. If you want to save 50 bucks go woot.

BTW, since this is the same model as Costco sells, it does have the Bluetooth option, also at extra cost.

Recommendation: plug ALL electronic (including countertop microwaves) into surge protector strips - your stuff will live much happier, longer lives!

trbovdub wrote:Out of curiosity, where did you come up with "$30 more at Costco"? Costco.com shows $199.99, which is what it costs in our local Costco store. Sounds like $99.99 more to me, although the Costco model has the bluetooth option. I dunno, maybe the B&M price varies by location...

I believe Costco has a $20 instant rebate right now on the Ooma in store. Not reflected on website. Last time I was at my local Costco, they had them in stock. Costco AMEX doubles OEM 1yr warranty to 2, so my dilemma is whether $30 is worth 1.5yr + warr and Costco convenience.

ashah1111 wrote:This sounds great, but what if we have 6 cordless phones throughout the house? According to what I'm reading I can only connect one phone like to this.

With Ooma Telo you can connect all your existing phones and it will ring them no problem. I have a two-story house with many phones and all are working. If you have 6 cordless phones you likely only have 1 connection to the phone network at the base station. I have a Panasonic cordless system like this and it will work no problem. You may be confusion Ooma own cordless phones which have the ability to access a second line.

mbrickell wrote:I believe Costco has a $20 instant rebate right now on the Ooma in store. Not reflected on website. Last time I was at my local Costco, they had them in stock.

No $20 rebate at my local Costco - I guess they mean it when they say pricing may vary by location!

bluemaple wrote:No $20 rebate at my local Costco - I guess they mean it when they say pricing may vary by location!

My mistake. It's not a Costco instant rebate. It's from Ooma when you buy a new Telo.

$20 credit from Ooma if receipt is from Costco.

http://www.ooma.com/rebate/ooma-july-rebate.pdf

Best part about Ooma - you can create a list of phone numbers to block.

scubalab wrote:For us, our old triple play 'bundle' kept creeping up in price. When we dropped the phone portion, our Comcast bill went down by $45!!

When I call Comcast about this they say that within the triple play the phone service is pretty much free. This is why I haven't made the switch to Ooma yet. Kind of getting sick of calling Comcast every six months trying to get the cost back down. Anyone else see this big of a drop in price going to Double Play? This may get me out of that loop!

mbrickell wrote:My mistake. It's not a Costco instant rebate. It's from Ooma when you buy a new Telo.

$20 credit from Ooma if receipt is from Costco.

http://www.ooma.com/rebate/ooma-july-rebate.pdf

Bummer for me - 'bought mine in June - time to contact Coscto & ooma!

This $99 woot looks better all the time - still cheaper and no rebate hassles.

So, unless you have cable internet you still have to deal with the phone company.

bluemaple wrote:Bummer for me - 'bought mine in June - time to contact Coscto & ooma!

This $99 woot looks better all the time - still cheaper and no rebate hassles.

Definitely cheaper. Costco route gets me new, 2yr warr vs. 6mos. Loses me $30. Tossup.

At first glance I thought this was another tablet (I blame it on the small screen of miPhone)
Boy, was I disappointed...

Jon J wrote:So, unless you have cable internet you still have to deal with the phone company.

Dealing with the 'phone company' is no worse than dealing with the 'cable company' - Internet is Internet and both choices have bad customer treatment.

If you meant "it doesn't work with phone company Internet", not correct - ooma works with just about any decently fast Internet connection, including the one at a hotel if you can plug into a network jack.

Works with AT&T DSL (me currently)... also works with AT&T Uverse Internet (me at the end of this week).

gogyroswin wrote:When I call Comcast about this they say that within the triple play the phone service is pretty much free. This is why I haven't made the switch to Ooma yet. Kind of getting sick of calling Comcast every six months trying to get the cost back down. Anyone else see this big of a drop in price going to Double Play? This may get me out of that loop!

THIS. When my Comcast bill increases, I call and they sell me another "deal" that is no better than what I have, just moving things around a bit. Of course the first year on Comcast was remarkable re: prices. Now, not so much. I think I'm all in for ooma. I was going to have a work associate check out Costco for me but too much hassle for him --

thanks for all of your comments. It helped me make the decision AND know how to make this work best (between router and modem!!)

Wooters are great!

Note that Canadian's the unit will not work for you. You have to purchase a unit with a Canadian serial number. I have one already and after calling OOMA support told to return it for a Canadian unit...

Have one on order from Amazon.ca.

My question is if I can take my American unit to Huatulco, Mexico and use it instead of Skype? Will the unit work outside of the states?

I've used the $45 (I got it on sale for about $10 off) Obi100 for over a year now. We use cell phones so this is just a backup for home and doesn't get much use, but we've never had a problem with it.

This guy's review gives detailed instructions on multiple setup methods. I have the "multiple Google Voice through SIP incoming" setup. (Using a free SIP account for incoming calls gets around an occasional no-ring issue that I don't know if it's fixed yet, and also is required if you want the phone to have multiple incoming numbers.)

I have had one for about 6 months and I love it.

Can I take this to Puerto Vallarta and use it like I do with my Vonage box? Would I have to monkey with ISP to make it think I'm still in the US like I have to do with Netflix via Roku? Thanks

Just ordered. Talked to TWC via chat and phone. Was told two different prices for internet and tv after dropping the phone. I was going to save a whopping 4 dollars. Went to the TWC building, and they dropped the price by $45. Sometimes, talking in person is much better! Thanks Woot for the inspiration!

I use this as a work phone because cell reception in the area is spotty. It's a simple install, voice quality is excellent, and the extra features are great. I can be watching a movie, playing EVE, and talking on the phone at the same time.

Two caveats: it does drop calls rarely. I have a lot of conference calls, sometimes lasting hours, and Ooma drops a call once every two days on average. An average phone user may never notice, but I can't recall the last time I had a standard land-line call dropped.

Second, if your power goes out, remember to reboot both Ooma and the router.