ooma?

[mx5miata]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: mx5miata
Originally Posted By: urrlord
Any one here use Ooma phone service.I'm thinking about ditching my land line to save money and port over my phone number (had it since the year of my birth -1964).Any other alternatives?Tell of your experiences good and bad.Thanks folks


I have used magic Jack which worked well


I believe the only major drawback to it is that you have to leave your computer on all the time so you end up spending a bit on electricity. With ooma, it's a separate device. I guess mine is about 7 years old at this point so I guess it's been pretty reliable.

Also in terms of voice quality, part of that depends on your internet connection. I used to have dsl which had slower speeds of 7 megs down and between 500k to 1 meg up. Now with a cable modem, I'm at 250 megs download and 12 megs upload. Voice quality was sometimes shaky with dsl, it's been fine with the cable modem.


That was the old magicJack New one has an Ethernet port and usb power adapter

 

[Toy4x4]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359

What is your internet speed? That happened to me initially, but I increased my internet speed and those problems went away. You can also go into the system and tweak some of the settings. I don't think it allocates enough bandwidth so if you bump the default numbers up a little, it might get better.


100/10 through Cox. I'll go into settings and check it out. Thanks!

 

[alarmguy]

For the benefit of others, it goes without saying, as in any forum, someone and some people will be having an issue with whatever the thread is about, we can also be talking about landlines and people who have issues with those too.

Ooma is a really good service, no different then your cable company or telephone company in most of the country.

If you have Ooma and an issue check your connections to your router and also the cables you are using. SHUT DOWN YOUR MODEM/ROUTER AND ALL EQUIPMENT, THEN RESTART THE MODEM, THEN ROUTER.

Check your internet connection USING THIS SPEED TEST, Click , your "Jitter" should be below 100, example, my Jitter is "3"

As far as Ooma not working during a power failure, storm or hurricane, that is NOT correct if you hook up your equipment CORRECTLY.

Ooma will work just like any phone as long as your internet isnt down, just like your traditional landline will work as long as your phoneline isnt down.
With the above said, its depends on how much you spend IF this is critical to you. If your saving $50 a month spend $150 and get a more expensive one.
I paid around $75, cant remember, also if critical during power outage, maybe you should buy a cell phone ) ..

How you may ask?
By doing it correctly. People hook up things half assed and CHEAP all the time. Dont want to spend the money, they are will to pay $50 a month for landline phone service but not will to lay out a few dollars to pay $5.00 a month for phone service, go figure.

The way you get your internet to work (and Ooma) is just like ANY cable phone service, BUY a UPS just google it ... I did it for you, Click here

It amazes me how many people do not know, the monthly phone service they have at home from their cable company or landline company such as ATT or Verizon is now mostly VOIP anyway, and amazes me they do not know, if no power, they will have no phone unless they buy a back up power supply.
Yes, tradition landlines still exist but anytime anyone upgrades their phone service it goes to VOIP.
Really no big deal for most people because most have cell phones but if you dont, then buy a robust UPS.

Bottom line, most issues are caused by the homeowner connections and issues or cable company, not the Ooma service itself, I am not saying Ooma is perfect but it is no less perfect then any phone service.

 

[Jim K]

My Ooma Telo works fine. I pay around 5 bucks a month. My landline was running around $45 a month so I save $40 a month x 12 = $480 a year.

 

[Jim K]

Did that speed test you posted Alarmguy and they replied "Excellent" . My Jitter reading was 1 .

 

[pkunk]

I just looked at the Ooma website and can't find all of your great deals. Buy Ooma for $99 and pay $10 a month and still don't get all the features that Phonepower offers . https://www.phonepower.com/voiphome.aspx

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: pkunk
I just looked at the Ooma website and can't find all of your great deals. Buy Ooma for $99 and pay $10 a month and still don't get all the features that Phonepower offers . https://www.phonepower.com/voiphome.aspx


Actually it's not $10 a month, it's more like just the taxes. Depending on where you are, that's $4-$6 a month. Phonepower seems to have regular fees every year. That Ooma device is a one time charge. I think I've had mine for about 6-7 years now.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: Jimkobb
Did that speed test you posted Alarmguy and they replied "Excellent" . My Jitter reading was 1 .


Wow thats good, cant get any better.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: pkunk
I just looked at the Ooma website and can't find all of your great deals. Buy Ooma for $99 and pay $10 a month and still don't get all the features that Phonepower offers . https://www.phonepower.com/voiphome.aspx


Ummm ...

https://www.phonepower.com/usa_canada_calling_plans.aspx (make sure to click on "price break down

https://www.ooma.com/telo/home-phone-savings/ (and dont forget to scroll all the way down the page and look at the right side of the screen)

Now once you look at both plans, tell me which looks better and which service had the most reliable positive comments.


You can take a horse to water but cant make him drink ... )

 

[Andrew1972]

I think Ooma falls down when someone has a poorer connection on your end or the other end.

The worst is talking Ooma to another VOIP service(Vonage) then the degradation is pronounced. Thankfully I have moved over to flawless video tools(Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx) for work. I spend about 10hrs per work week on calls so very experienced with the service.

I think the casual user may not notice as much however the truth is the service is not as good as what Xfinity Voice or Verizon copper lines are. I will add not as good as Verizon Wireless on Wifi or LTE either.

Not sure if still true it may be my geographic location. I live in Northeast however it was stated the Ooma servers are located on West coast would explain the slight delay etc that is impossible to overcome.

 

[alarmguy]

Im sure there is no device that exists today/yet that works 100% correctly for everyone when it comes to using the internet.
To many variables to design into a device but we are getting closer.

For the vast amount of people still wanting a home land line, Ooma is worth a shot just as much as any other device that does the same. But again, like any device connected to the internet, some will not work, in that case, you just return the product. nothing lost and much to gain if it works as most have commented in here.

 

[sleddriver]

I need to ditch the landline and try Ooma. Just makes sense.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
I need to ditch the landline and try Ooma. Just makes sense.


Ditching things I do not need in life paid for my Road King when I bought it in 2014. I decided to dump the things in my life, that constantly draw from my bank account years ago.

Its amazing now that I see it, how people, even with lessor means, get used to money being taken out of their paychecks/banks on a monthly basis, its so bad now, that many people do not even know what is being taken out!

Even, lets say the home landline, people who pay as much as $50 a month for a home landline, do not realize that $50 is A LOT more then $50.
To pay that $50 you need to make _____ at your job depending on your tax bracket, federal taxes, state taxes, SS taxes ect ect. So for many people its actually cost your over $70 in wages to pay the $50. and I think that is being conservative. So the true cost for the $50 landline is $70 to $80 of your monthly wages as that is how much you have to make to come out with $50 after taxes.

Anyway, over the years, I ditched the following;

Pay TV (didnt need 200 channels of [censored])

Home landline

EVERY year I search for the best prices on car ins, Home ins, motorcycle ins, any insurance! EVERY YEAR. I am loyal to no ins company and I for the life of me cant understand why people are. This was big and = the two above in monthly cost savings.
(its no different then going to the store to buy your kids milk for breakfast, do you buy the one that is $1 a gallon more? I know some people do or else it wouldnt sell *L*)

I must have had 6 different home ins companies in the last 12 years, as soon as they bump up the price a little, I start getting online quotes and I switch in a heartbeat, same with cars ect,ect, I would easly being paying an extra $50 a month on my home ins if I have not been diligent.

And dont forget, to come out of your paycheck to pay that $50 a month, you need to make 30% + more money in actual income after taxes.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Y_K
Originally Posted By: alarmguy
Its amazing to me that people actually pay $20, 30, 40, $50 a month for phone service, then I think to myself, if they do, well then I guess they deserve it. ) As there is no reason to, but that goes for a lot of things in life now, people got used to just having money drafted out of their bank every month for stuff they dont need or pay too much for.


It is amazing, indeed. .. how this "best price" mentality is embedded in an Average American chip. And you get what you desrve in the end. POTS is most likely appreciated by folks in Iowa right now, where deadly tornadoes wreaked havoc and your other communication lines may simply not work. I keep paying for my Mom's regular phone line, I am fine with Ooma for my needs - it has been problem free for years, except for the rare moments of Internet or power line disruptions disruptions. POTS is quite a bit more dependable than any Internet service for now.

In most of the country, POTS is actually using VOIP. It is only POTS from your house to the local/area/neighborhood junction box where it is converted to VOIP. The only reason that POTS appears to be more dependable is because the telephone companies use very robust hardware and power backup systems.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Y_K
Originally Posted By: alarmguy
Its amazing to me that people actually pay $20, 30, 40, $50 a month for phone service, then I think to myself, if they do, well then I guess they deserve it. ) As there is no reason to, but that goes for a lot of things in life now, people got used to just having money drafted out of their bank every month for stuff they dont need or pay too much for.


It is amazing, indeed. .. how this "best price" mentality is embedded in an Average American chip. And you get what you desrve in the end. POTS is most likely appreciated by folks in Iowa right now, where deadly tornadoes wreaked havoc and your other communication lines may simply not work. I keep paying for my Mom's regular phone line, I am fine with Ooma for my needs - it has been problem free for years, except for the rare moments of Internet or power line disruptions disruptions. POTS is quite a bit more dependable than any Internet service for now.

In most of the country, POTS is actually using VOIP. It is only POTS from your house to the local/area/neighborhood junction box where it is converted to VOIP. The only reason that POTS appears to be more dependable is because the telephone companies use very robust hardware and power backup systems.


I agree with the "appear to be dependable"
I guess for us, being where we live we never had an outage when Ooma did not work, even during a power outage. Since we use a UPS, if you have cable TV or Uverse or any of them supplying your "landline" you will not have phone service during a power outage unless you buy a UPS.

Again, not an issue for us, landline for us is to have a phone number to give out to important things/business Ins companies etc. without wanting to give out our cell numbers.

 

[Y_K]

Does your ISP provide their own redundant power for the line?
Your UPS means nothing when there is no live line.
Of course, this scenario is very rare for the majority.

But it is not as rare as 9/11 when cell towers were simply shut off for civilians.
I wonder if the real radio bands were jammed. I don't think we have that capacity yet.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: Y_K
Does your ISP provide their own redundant power for the line?

Yes. The last time we had a wide-spread power outage my Internet stayed-up the whole time.

 

[Y_K]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: Y_K
Does your ISP provide their own redundant power for the line?

Yes. The last time we had a wide-spread power outage my Internet stayed-up the whole time.


Then, by all means, it's a good option. In my Mom's case - it's not. Her Comcast cable link has been down a couple of times in the past 6 months.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted By: Y_K
Does your ISP provide their own redundant power for the line?
Your UPS means nothing when there is no live line.
Of course, this scenario is very rare for the majority.
...


I guess the question would be, does your ATT Fios phone have back up power? Does your ATT Uverse phone have back up power?
Does your copper landline still work when a tree takes down telephone poles?

Agree, the vast majority of people, and soon to be, this whole country, will not be using POTS anymore.

Its pointless talking about back up power on home phone lines, most people have no clue what will work and what will not and agree, I do not know anyone, (except me and a few others) that even bother putting UPS on modem, router, landline ect. Everyone in my state has cell phones and not concerned if a landline stops working.
Furthermore, I do not think copper is being installed anyplace anymore in our new communities.

My home land line with my UPS will work during a power outage as my internet keeps working too. Its REALLY rare that we EVER lose power, but once every couple years I get excited to see my UPS kick in. )

Anyway, do not even know the point of this discussion as no one knows what will work because any type of situation can knock out any type of "landline' phone service, including plain old POTS.

Off topic = I am eagerly awaiting my electric companies fiber optic to be installed in our community next year. Goodbye forever to Spectrum for internet!
My electric company will give me 100/100 service for $15.00 less a month then Spectrum 10/100, TEN times faster upload for $15 less

Spectrum as a company S**KS, I used to be happy with them until they raised our price $15 a month and did away with our discount for owning our own equipment. What a joke, so I will switch as soon and the fiber is available.
Here is the ironic part, we dont even pay for our internet! My wifes company pays, but I will still switch to fiber for two reasons, fiber 10 times fast on the upload AND principle. We need to get off our [censored] and stand up to fat *ss companies if on nothing more then principle.
So even though we get our internet free, I will dump Spectrum as soon as my electric company has the fiber available.

 

[Al]

Had it for several years. Son has it longer. Love it.