beachhead wrote:Should be NO problem with that bandwidth. Back in the electronic stone age when digital was just starting, T1 lines (1.54 Mb) were set up to handle 24 channels of voice, or right at 64Kb per channel. You should not even notice a call while you are surfing with the bandwidth you have.

As to your other questions..I've had many hours on conference lines, no blockage for me. Also, in the TOS, I believe Ooma limits to 5K minutes a month, but I've never reached it, so can't say it's "limiting" my useage at all.

BTW, Have had an Ooma for over 2 years now...great device, can't recommend it enough!

Plus the 5k min limit is not strict and only applies to outgoing calls. Incoming in unlimited.

I've been considering buying one of these to use as an alternate line that is only used for employees at one of my offices. Is it possible to have it hooked up but not interfere with the current phone line? What does the setup process involve as far as working around your current phone service?

waystevens wrote:I've been considering buying one of these to use as an alternate line that is only used for employees at one of my offices. Is it possible to have it hooked up but not interfere with the current phone line? What does the setup process involve as far as working around your current phone service?

Even though the TOS states that this system is not ment for business but only residential, I have heard people having great success with it in there local stores for recieving orders.

As for setting it up, you either need to disconnect the incoming line on your outside phone box and then use the ooma phone line out and connect it to one of the jacks.
The other simplier way to the get a multi unit expandable with a base unit connected to the ooma. I found a six handset uniden at sam's club works great for me. I had it setup in 10 minutes that way. No problems so far.

As for the obihai and the magic jack. I believe this is the best of the budget voips. Obihai is only as useful as long as google voice remains free. I know every year, they have mentioned to start charging for their service and I don't consider it viable in those terms.
Magic jack is what you get for the price. The service is flacky and customer service is quick poor. They are not offering numbers in most areas and blocking calling others due to POTS fees in certain areas.
Sorry for the spelling errors but I am currently on the cell phone doing this.

VinLap wrote:Can anyone speak to possible limitations of the Ooma?
With MagicJack I've found (too late) that they block the conference lines I call daily (908.290.0715 for example) and make you buy up credits to call those numbers.

I just tried that number from my Ooma line, and got thru right away to city conferencing services. No problem, no charge.

dupedyetagain wrote:Anyone know if there is an advantage of buying this $100 system over the $40 Obi100 (http://www.amazon.com/OBi100-Telephone-Adapter-Service-Bridge/dp/B004LO098O/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1358945022&sr=8-9&keywords=ooma)?

From what little research I've done, the Obi100 is nearly identical but lets you use Google Voice for free, so there is not even the $5/month bill. Anyone care to weigh in?

911

And according to this (http://www.ooma.com/app/support/google-voice-extensions) you can google voice with ooma too.

mbnva wrote:[quote postid="5321056" user="starmanbackwards"]i got one a few months ago ... kept m old number for a nominal fee and i like my new phone...im "old school" so it took me a while to convince myself it was the way to go!!
Voice quality is very good.
im in California and my monthly bill is under 4 dollars a month...the web site has a program that would show you how much your monthly bill is for your area[/quote

WHY in the world is there a min fee?
Is there a 911 tax and is that special etc with more fees/taxes? I don't get\understand your comment about each state\area having different bills?


m

I have the same question...Ooma says it is free to all phones in the US, but everyone is saying their bill is $5 or so a month...what gives? Why are you paying a monthly fee? Isn't the point of Ooma to get rid of a monthly fee?

Four things I learned about Ooma:

1) ventilation on the hardware sucks, or doesn't suck depending on how you look at it. This is probably deliberate, since Ooma's business plans depends on hardware not living forever. I bought one of those $15 laptop chill mats with USB-powered fans, and it keeps the Ooma a little cooler.

2) My newer faxmodem always fails with Ooma, but my ancient faxmodem works great with Ooma. Go figure.

3) If you're using an older DOCSIS 1 or 2 cable modem, then a new DOCSIS 3 cable modem could (in theory) improve your Ooma voice quality.

4) Ooma wants to be connected between your cable modem and router. If you prefer to keep it behind the router, then you have port forward practically the entire TCP/UDP range. I found it works well keeping it on the LAN side configured as the DMZ host. True, the box can't manage QoS, but since it's public internet there's no real QoS going on anyway.

shumways wrote:911

And according to this (http://www.ooma.com/app/support/google-voice-extensions) you can google voice with ooma too.

Currently obihai is a good alternative for voip as it stands now. Its a little more complicated to setup than the ooma and most solutions can only be found online. I find the call quality more along the line of a cellphone in my personal experence.
Since I am more for buying one and sticking with it, its less appealing to me. Google voice was never consider free for the long term. Its has been brought up several times if charging $0.01-.04 per minute. More so when they bought Motorola and took a lost in profits. I was quite a surprise when they continued it being free. I believe it will be switch over to a pay service sooner than later. I just don't want to see a bill on my google voice when it does.
Sorry for the grammar and spelling as stated as before.

Ooma recommends that you go from the Cable/DSL Modem to the Ooma and then to the Router. Doing it this way is supposed to give better call quality. But... if the Cable Modem blinks, having it set up this way seems to make the the router turn back on a lot slower.



I recommend that you go from the Cable/DSL Modem to the Router and then plug the Ooma into the Router. Doing it this way may reduce your call quality but seems to offer a better internet experience.



I've never had any issues with call quality having the Ooma plugged into the Router.

If you are using it for a home business you may want to plug the Ooma directly into the Modem for the better call quality and plug the Router into the Ooma.

markrosenzweig wrote:I just tried that number from my Ooma line, and got thru right away. No problem, no charge.

Thanks! I'm in for one.

limesc1 wrote:I have the same question...Ooma says it is free to all phones in the US, but everyone is saying their bill is $5 or so a month...what gives? Why are you paying a monthly fee? Isn't the point of Ooma to get rid of a monthly fee?

The fees are actually taxes the every line is required to pay. The service is free on the basic plan but you still are required to pay taxes such as 911, local, and federal taxes. Some states have higher taxes than other but generally its in the ball park of $4 dollars. You can go on their site to see what it would cost in your area and what taxes that apply.

VinLap wrote:Can anyone speak to possible limitations of the Ooma?
With MagicJack I've found (too late) that they block the conference lines I call daily (908.290.0715 for example) and make you buy up credits to call those numbers.
And NetTalk will limit your minutes to 2,500 per month. (not sure if that's incoming & outgoing combined - but I think it might be.
Does Ooma have any of the same restrictions?
One final question, I have 38.95 Mbps down / 10.64 Mbps through Comcast - that should be plenty to support this product, correct? Thanks in advance.

How does using this compare to magic jack?

etlwgk1 wrote:

No restrictions with numbers called on Ooma. I am a full time telecommuter and have the older Hub/Scout and use it daily for conference calls etc. It works great with my ATT DSL at the speed below: Speed(Down/Up): 8096 / 512 Kbps

bought this last time around, have been using since September and LOVE it. i'm from teh technology dark ages, so this was a huge leap for us. i previously had a conventional land line with the local phone company and DSL internet, was paying close to $100/mo. i've since signed up for mediacomm cable tv and internet, bought the Ooma, and ditched the landline entirely.

for about the same monthly expense i now have great cable tv (never had this before), awesome internet speeds, and no phone bill. Ooma bills me less than $4 per mo for the local taxes, and the call quality is excellent. the only problem is if you have a power outage or interruption to your internet, you have no phone. i am considering buying a cheapie pay as you go cell phone to use as a backup (we don't own cellphones otherwise).

i ported my old phone number to the ooma for i think $30 so i didnt have to change numbers. this took only a few days. you can sign up for Ooma Premier which gives you additional calling features and services, but it's nothing i personally need. this is their main revenue stream i think - other than the initial purchase price of the units. you can also purchase Ooma handsets, but mine works perfectly with the cordless handsets i already owned.

WELL worth the cost. online chat-style customer support has been speedy and spot on. unit very easy to install and operate. i can check my voice mail from anywhere i can access the web.

highly recommended.

Thanks!

ronzo646 wrote:The fees are actually taxes the every line is required to pay. The service is free on the basic plan but you still are required to pay taxes such as 911, local, and federal taxes. Some states have higher taxes than other but generally its in the ball park of $4 dollars. You can go on their site to see what it would cost in your area and what taxes that apply.

Great product! I have owned Ooma since November with no service issues--call quality is outstanding. I will point out that you may run into issues if you're using Ooma with telephone company DSL, as I did. First, DSL and Ooma phone service can't coexist on the same phone line. I solved this issue by plugging Ooma to a DECT 6.0 handsfree base, and using extension phones through the rest of the house. As an alternative, you can also rewire your phone jacks, or change the wires going into your house, so that your Ooma service and DSL will be on different phone lines. Also, Ooma doesn't work with most burglar alarms--I ended up changing my burglar alarm to cellular service to avoid issues. Finally, porting your number isn't easy when you keep your DSL service--you will have a service interruption at the time the number is ported. For that reason, I decided to just use one of Ooma's numbers. I hope this is helpful to someone!

would like to get one but $99 for a refurbished...hum

buehlab wrote:How does using this compare to magic jack?

I don't own a Magic Jack, but I have owned the Ooma system for about 2 years and have been really happy with it. Not sure if this still holds true, but back then the Magic Jack required that your computer be on and running in order to use it. With Ooma your computer can be turned off. That was a big part of my decision. There's also a lot more capabilities with the Ooma (setting up call restrictions and a million other fancy features that you have to pay a little extra for).

My power supply got zapped during a lightning storm somehow. I got another power supply and now this one is either zapped too, or the ooma itself doesn't work any more. I had maybe 3 months before having these issues. Power supply was on a power strip with other things and the other things didn't get zapped. I have the rollover thing in place where calls go to my cell phone, and since I never used my home phone anyway, 3.95 or whatever per month is still worth it. May try to get another power supply at some point but they aren't cheap, relatively speaking.

Ditto I just dialed the number on OOMA and it went through instantly to the conferencing services..
I suggest calling OOMA and asking them to reset your machine..that should clear up the problem for you

buehlab wrote:How does using this compare to magic jack?

There are just too many cons to mention. Here a few.
Poor call quality
Dropped calls
Restricted calling
No local numbers(even certain states)
No existent tech support.

There are just a few. They are claims against it for fraud and I would only offer to people I strongly dislike

Have owned this bad boy for nearly three years. Have never been frustrated by it for home use. I get calls while streaming my Roku/Netflix and downloading movie torrents (Bring it MPAA!), Using On-live gaming, and watching naughty stuff on Navi-X through XBMC. So I wouldn't worry about the bandwith. (Using comcast Xfnity Plus 20mb down).

Of course, you might worry about how I can keep one eye on my Roku, one eye on my torrent andone eye on my Naughty movie. Let's just say that genetics has been mutantlicious to me.

paladin69 wrote:One question for you experienced Ooma/VOIP users: I have had DSL for a long time, and have actually "upgraded" my DSL service in the past to current speeds, which by modern standards are not that good. I have 3 MBPS down/200 kBPS up. Would this be enough bandwidth for VOIP? I notice bottlenecks in my wireless devices when there is a lot of activity, and the only device CAT 5'ed into the modem/router is an XBox which my kids claim shows terrible lag when there is a lot of wireless activity.

Yes. I have the exact same DSL service, and it provides plenty of bandwidth, at least assuming you connect with a CAT 5 to the modem/router. I have 11 wireless devices and 2 other wired devices connected to my 2WIRE modem/router and haven't noticed any slowdown, even when the phone is in use.

I've had mine for around 6 months, a refurb. Cost's about $6 per month for taxes, etc. here in Chicago. Still, even though I upgraded my internet connection it paid for itself in 3.5 months which included a $40 transfer fee to move my old phone number. We have young kids at home so going without a landline was not a great option - they need to be able to pick up a phone and call 911 in an emergency. They also have a blue tooth device ($30-have to buy theirs) that links to your cell phone so if you're in range after a couple rings on your cell it will transfer and ring on your house phone. Very cool. I online chatted with customer service shortly after setup (for a simple issue, probably my fault) and we resolved it promptly. Also cool is the ability to monitor all calls from any internet connection and listen to voicemail as well. I see absolutely no downside to this.

Ordered one of these the last time they were on Woot. Same price. Received it and had trouble getting it working properly. Seemed it was a return(refurbished) as advertised. When it came time for for the device to boot itself, it hung up. Called customer support, did the normal - restart - is it plugged it - are you an Loco in the Coco - type questions. All to no avail.

I was sent a new unit in about two days. BAM! Up and running flawless ever since. Glad I bought one.

ronzo646 wrote:There are just too many cons to mention. Here a few.
Poor call quality
Dropped calls
Restricted calling
No local numbers(even certain states)
No existent tech support.

There are just a few. They are claims against it for fraud and I would only offer to people I strongly dislike

This is about magic jack. Ooma doesn't have these issues.

Sold! I got one.

We bought the referb. about 3 months ago. Works Great. We have U-verse 18 meg service. The basic cost is about 4 dollars a month for us near Houston Texas. I paid extra for the upgrade package that allows for the second line, voice mail to phone, etc. Kept my old AT&T phone number and once the move was complete I didn't have to have any interaction with AT&T. There are many how-to docs. on using the customer side of your telephone box on the side of your house to make all the jacks work in your house. Call quality is great, I have noticed some echo when XBOX, 2 iPads and Netflix are all streaming at the same time. I also bought a small UPS to power the Ooma, U-verse router, and phone for about an hour so in the case of a power failure we still have phone service. In the event of an extended outage it gives me time to get the generator up and running.

rbaird2001 wrote:Have owned this bad boy for nearly three years. Have never been frustrated by it for home use. I get calls while streaming my Roku/Netflix and downloading movie torrents (Bring it MPAA!), Using On-live gaming, and watching naughty stuff on Navi-X through XBMC. So I wouldn't worry about the bandwith. (Using comcast Xfnity Plus 20mb down).

Of course, you might worry about how I can keep one eye on my Roku, one eye on my torrent andone eye on my Naughty movie. Let's just say that genetics has been mutantlicious to me.

Finally, some helpful information. Mutantlicious indeed! This post should be marked "QUALITY."

Sweet device & service. We love this thing.

We have 6Mbit UVerse Internet, and the Ooma box is connected as follows:

UVerse router to 24 port unmanaged switch to patch panel to 30 foot cat5e LAN cable run to wall jack to Ooma box. Works flawlessly.

But you can plug the Ooma box directly into the back of your router if you like.

Then you plug your existing cordless home phone base into the Ooma box and you're in business.

Caution for any change to VoIP phone service: if you currently have DSL+a phone company landline (POTS) phone on it, tell Ooma before initiating the port of your phone number to Ooma. They are good at managing the change. If not done correctly the port of your old telephone number to Ooma will kill your DSL line! This isn't an issue of you pick a new number from Ooma.

BTW, I've set up Magic Jack for others - if it works for you, great... but it is not even close in terms of quality & reliability of service to Ooma. And regarding Google/OBi, if you don't have any technical skills, don't mess with it.

After reading that description, I am buying one the day I get engaged

I've had a refurb from woot for at least a year. Only pay a few dollars a month for the taxes, but the service is "free". Works great, and always has. Keeps a phone in the house the kids can use. So they don't have to touch my smartphone

Ooma has a Community blacklist, Personal blacklist and anonymous call block. Since install I have block only 5 numbers manually. My Spam calls have dropped dramatically.
Not sure which of those are free or on premium level.

zufhaus wrote:bought this last time around, have been using since September and LOVE it. i'm from teh technology dark ages, so this was a huge leap for us. i previously had a conventional land line with the local phone company and DSL internet, was paying close to $100/mo. i've since signed up for mediacomm cable tv and internet, bought the Ooma, and ditched the landline entirely.

for about the same monthly expense i now have great cable tv (never had this before), awesome internet speeds, and no phone bill. Ooma bills me less than $4 per mo for the local taxes, and the call quality is excellent. the only problem is if you have a power outage or interruption to your internet, you have no phone. i am considering buying a cheapie pay as you go cell phone to use as a backup (we don't own cellphones otherwise).

i ported my old phone number to the ooma for i think $30 so i didnt have to change numbers. this took only a few days. you can sign up for Ooma Premier which gives you additional calling features and services, but it's nothing i personally need. this is their main revenue stream i think - other than the initial purchase price of the units. you can also purchase Ooma handsets, but mine works perfectly with the cordless handsets i already owned.

WELL worth the cost. online chat-style customer support has been speedy and spot on. unit very easy to install and operate. i can check my voice mail from anywhere i can access the web.

highly recommended.

Regarding power interruptions.... Just buy a UPS (uninterruptible power supply. like a power strip with built in backup battery) from your local electronics store. It should power your cable modem, router (if you have one), and Ooma box for hours without power.

ninosgirl wrote:I ordered mine from Ooma itself. It comes today from ups. B/c of the reviews form kiplinger and here I ordered it. I figured my taxes will be 4.77 a month. My question is. How do they stay in business?

im sure people who subscribe to the Premier level are the reason they can stay in business ...

limesc1 wrote:I have the same question...Ooma says it is free to all phones in the US, but everyone is saying their bill is $5 or so a month...what gives? Why are you paying a monthly fee? Isn't the point of Ooma to get rid of a monthly fee?

There is a Federal tax that cannot be waived ...

missbuckus wrote:I have "Triple Play" (phone, internet, cable) with Comcast. When I tried to cancel my phone service with them and use Ooma instead, Comcast ADDED charges to my monthly bill. For me to use Ooma, I would have to pay Comcast an extra $30 a month. If you're bundling your services like I am, check with your provider to make sure you won't wind up paying more than you are now. I can't stand Comcast, but they're the only game in town and they know it.

You may have gotten a cranky customer rep. I just busted up my triple play with Comcast and got the Ooma. I bought my own modem (was renting from Comcast for $7/month). Now I save $50 on my Comcast bill. Not sure how they could possibly charge you MORE rather than less.

Well I think y'all have convinced me, though I wish I'd seen someone here talking about what I'll be doing- switching from Vonage, whose $25 a month fee seems less and less reasonable by the day.

I'd been intending to call them up and threaten to cancel to see if they'd throw me a bone but the blacklists in this sound like they'd be worth it regardless.