Ooma Core VoIP Phone System
by ooma
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List Price: Our Price: $170.00 You Save: $79.99 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Ooma Core VoIP Phone System
Customer Review: TRUST ME - THIS SYSTEM WORKS (I Was Skeptical Too)
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a skeptic, and believe me this system does sound too good to be true. I shopped around for months looking at alternatives to replace my AT&T service which was roughly $120 a month for unlimited domestic, DSL, caller id package and local calling. My first switch was to Road-Runner cable internet which was a dramatically faster service just based upon the side-by-side comparison using one of the online bandwidth speed services. The cost difference between the DSL and cable internet was minimal (basically a wash) but there was the speed to consider as well as the free promotional equipment. (I was due for an upgrade after having DSL for probably 7 or so years....)
Anyway, I continued my research on various types of VOIP offerings and kept coming back to Ooma.
Here's what I liked before actually experiencing the system...
(a) Ability to port my existing phone number which I've had for years
(b) Ability to use my existing phones (a.k.a. not changing things around in my home such as having a phone which only works when I'm at my computer, etc.)
(c) Knowing that if my family suffered some DRASTIC financial woes (job losses, etc.) we would never have to worry about losing our phone service as long as we could afford the $35 for high speed internet (which to me is the last luxury item I would ever ditch anyway since I use it for work, you can use it for entertainment, etc.... a real multipurpose tool for $35 a month)
(d) Caller ID, etc. for no additional cost
(e) e-911
(f) A monthly bill gone ... *poof*
My husband was pretty skeptical too, but he knows I am good with money and don't make decisions in haste. He now thinks I'm some kind of financial genius since this system has been working like a charm. The regular service which you get for the one time purchase of the equipment had EVERYTHING I was previously paying the phone company $85 per month for and MORE. I decided to try the premium service for a year ($99 which rounds out to $8.25 per month) since it included free number portability vs. paying a one time charge of $40 to port my existing number. This system will pay for itself in three months which includes my adding on the premium service for one year.
Here's what I'm getting from Ooma most of which I did not get from my phone provider for the money paid...
(a) Complete call logs online with all incoming and outgoing calls and the ability to `click' and block certain calls, etc.
(b) An optional, personalized `do not call' list based upon calls determined to be `pest' calls by other Ooma users. I have chosen to have these calls sent directly to voicemail (where they hang up, of course) so I have not had a single telemarketer get through to speak to me since signing up
(c) A second phone line that I can use while the other phone line is being used WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN QUALITY AT ALL. I am not kidding; it is like I never dropped the landline. There is no difference at all even when both lines are being used AND we are using the internet i.e. downloading a video, etc.
(d) A second phone number.... Not only do we have our original phone number, I opted for a second FREE phone number too just in case I want to receive business calls at home, etc.
(e) Voicemail which shows up as a `blinking' message on my Ooma hub and scouts (they look and act like an old school answering machine, Voicemail which shows up in my and my husbands email inboxes
(f) The ability to forward my calls to my cell-phone (or any other phone) with a simple click of the mouse (and can remove with a click too)
(g) SATELLITE TV CUSTOMERS... I have a splitter hooked up to the out on my Ooma scout to go to a multi-handset telephone as well as my Dish receiver, so my receiver can still download my program guides as usual AND I still get my caller id on the TV just like before (NOTE: since the satellite receivers can have some issues dialing up over a voip type service, I went into the system menu (6-1-4 on Dish receiver) and set up *99 as my dialing prefix... I read this in a blog after seeing my receiver was dialing multiple times in one day on my Call Log [see bullet a] and it works just fine)
I really could go on, and on and on... Read the review from Jason M. Page if you have questions about how to hook this up. I found his review extremely valuable in my research and can't improve upon it since I have maybe one or two technical bones in my body at the most.
Here what I have... Ooma hub and scout, Wireless Motorola surfboard cable modem, Wireless N D-Link router which I had before switching to cable and would recommend since one of its highlights is the ability to prioritize internet traffic for VOIP, etc.
Even if you are one of the folks which has dropped a landline for cell phone only, I would still recommend you purchase this system if you have high speed internet at home. You could always switch to a lower priced cell package, etc. or even drop it altogether if you hit tough times and you would still have a phone.
Over 12 months of service I will save over $700 after the costs of equipment with making no sacrifices at all - - AND I'm actually getting better service. Even if I had to buy another hub due to equipment malfunction, I would still be saving money. If for some reason the company went out of business, I will still have saved money up until that point. I had a lot of reasons to be skeptical before purchase, but I am sorry I waited as long as I did to sign up.
IF YOU TAKE NOTHING ELSE FROM THIS REVIEW..... You should know that the ONLY way my life has changed after purchasing the Ooma system is that I have more phone perks than EVER before and I do NOT have a phone bill.
Customer Review: I've read the good and the bad, my experience so far
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased my hub from a local retailer. I didn't feel that I needed the 'scout', and the local retailer had refurbished hubs (with no scout) for about $50 less than the new hub/scout combo. (I figured most of the 'refurbished' hubs were from people who didn't know how to set it up, or, had a slow internet connection) I had researched, and read both the good and the bad about this product, (the bad seems to be limited to customer service responsiveness) and here is my take so far, and what I'm comparing it to.
I was/am using ATT Callvantage (AT&T's VoIP solution) ATT is discontinuing this service, so I'm having to find a new solution. Enter Ooma.
I have not yet had to call the customer service, so I can't, yet, comment on that. The good news is, everything went so smoothly, that I didn't need to call them. I do plan to port my number over from ATT, but I have not yet begun that process. For now, I have a number assigned (that I got to pick from a list) from Ooma. Painless.
Compared to att Callvantage:
A) Both have voicemail, both can be checked online
B) Ooma makes it easy to check VM or make changes on the web, where the web login process with ATT was much more of a hassle.
C) To check your voice mail remotely via phone, with ooma you just call your number, hit *, and enter your pin (whatever you set 4 to 14 or some odd number of digits). With ATT, you had to call a special number, and remember a 6 digit pin.
D) To check voicemail from the house: with ATT if your phone had a voice mail indicator it would blink, otherwise you didn't know you had a VM until you picked up the phone and noticed a different dialtone. With Ooma, the light on the hub glows, just like an old school answering machine, you hit the button and listen to your messages (or pick up the phone to listen to them privately)
E) You can send calls direct to voicemail with a push of a button on the hub. You can turn on Do Not Disturb (all calls to VM) with a push of a button. You can setup VM, listen to messages, and very easily see your connection status. The VoIP call adapter from ATT had no such functionality.
F) Setup took maybe 10 minutes (only because I bothered to read through he instructions)and DID NOT EVEN REQUIRE A CCARD. It just turns on, and goes.
G) You can choose custom ring patterns online, change the ooma tone or turn it off (I like it and left it on), setup forwarding, length of time for VM to pickup, etc.
H) When a call comes in, and it goes to voice mail, you hear the message and the message the caller is leaving through the speaker on the hub. If you want to take the call, just pick up the phone. Just like an old-school answering machine. ATT no such capability.
I) ATT was $24 per month. Ooma is $0 per month
The packaging was very nice (even in the refurb box). All cables that would be needed were included. You are supposed to connect the hub directly to your internet device (cable modem, DSL, fiber, whatever). I don't like adding additional devices in front of my router, it complicates my life. So I placed the Ooma hub behind the router like any other computer, printer, or device in my home. Of note: I use a cable modem, with 8mbit down, 512kbbs up. Configured in this way, with this speed, I had zero configuration issues, and voice quality was perfect, not a single glitch or hiccup so far. I did later go into my router (Linksys running DDWRT) and setup the QoS (quality of service) to make sure the Ooma box got priority. I didn't do this because I noticed any problems, but just because it's good practice to do so. In my testing the Ooma box, when in use, seems to use about 64kpbs for an open voice call.
As far as the minutes limit thing, every 'unlimited' plan out there has a limit. Look at your cell phone contract 'unlimited' data plans, 'unlimited' cell phone plans, anything. At least these guys are upfront in saying "we're not going to screw with you if you're using this for personal use" to me, that's pretty candid, and straight forward vs. a bunch of legal BS. Additionally, even if they did decide to go 'shady', they don't have my ccard number, (it wasn't required for setup) so they couldn't bill me even if they wanted to. I'm in marketing, and it presents a huge problem when all your competition uses terms, or advertising that is pushing the lines of ethical. 90% of the population take the advertising at face value, so if you don't do it too, you go out of business. Simple as that. You can't operate a business only having the potential to capture 10% of the market your competition uses (because that 10% happen to understand and value the absolute honesty that makes your product look worse than your competition) People complaining about the 3000 minute limit for COMMERCIAL users, get over it. This is a FREE service for home users, and so far for me, it absolutely kicks butt.
To the people worrying about "what happens after 3 years, what if they charge for the service" to that I say, "SO WHAT?" I was paying $24 per month plus tax, title, and first born, for phone service. I'll break even in just under 8 months. After that, if they go out of business or start charging for their service in 3 years, then I will have had 2 years 4 months of free, high quality, full featured phone service. I'll re-evaluate then what I want to do.
Lastly, I don't work for Ooma, and aside from purchasing this at a local store (store is named similar to a common, unhealthy food) have had no contact thus far with anyone at Ooma. My entire experience so far was handled flawlessly via the web setup, and the full featured and easy to use ooma lounge.
Customer Review: OOMA Great So Far ! PS3 WII Netflix No Lag At All
Summary: 5 Stars
First off , I want to say I have looked all over for any reviews I could find on the Ooma system before we made the purchase. I found numerous reviews in blog forms that almost looked as if they were started by Oomas competition, and not real life users. Many included false statements that you could verify simply by checking product manuals which are freely downloadable from Ooma without purchase. Most reviews from actual users are very good, with some exceptions of some that may jump in before getting all their questions and concerns answered first. Great reviews here and at some other major retail stores , take advantage of them we did. That is the main reason I am adding to reviews , hopefully to help others. I have tested our system with a few challenges to just see how far we can push the system with great results. These tests are below and may help some with similar questions.
We have cable high speed internet service with fast but not the greatest speeds, speed tested at 350-380 Kbps upload and 9850 Kbps download (checked at numerous speed test sites). My biggest concern was the ability to use our other connected products with the phone as well. I know the Ooma regulates the download and upload speeds to preserve the sound quality, but would it limit us too much? We have a PS3 , Wii , Netflix (watch instantly) , and cable phone service (soon to be removed) over and above the Ooma. Let me tell you we just hooked the Ooma up as suggested between our router and the cable modem and all is excellent. The hook up has been documented in other reviews so I wont go into great detail here, but it was very straight forward and quick. We were up and running in less than 20 minutes including activation online. I never adjusted the settings for the limits of the upload/download Qos , all was left at default settings.
The first call was to my sister out of state, while I was on one computer uploading photos to our web host and downloading other files from another. I received no drop in quality in sound and everything sounded perfect on my sisters end as well. I found out fast, that the volume on our phones needed to be lowered , the Ooma system is much louder and clear than our cable phone. This surprised us as we already lowered our volume on our phones when we switched to cable from traditional landlines. When I first turned it on and heard the Ooma dial tone it sounded a little distorted on my Uniden cordless. I was very concerned until I turned the volume down just a bit, and all was perfect. The sound in the room I was in was being picked up by my phone due to the greater sound of this system.
My second test was just a little more for testing limits, but actually occurs in our house fairly often. We began a movie from netflix online as watch instantly downloading to our laptop and viewing on our TV. Then I booted up our other laptop to work online for work, still no errors or glitches. I picked up a phone and called a friend will all three online two wireless to our router and the Ooma direct connected. No problems at all watching , uploading pictures or downloading while talking. This was a great result as I noticed some state they feel the were limited some by the Ooma hub.
The final test was our PS3 online gaming , with the laptop surfing on the web and the phone in use. Again the same great results, no problems at all. I felt the need to post our results and will update if we find things change or test further limits. We found no references to actual other products used in combination to help us with our purchase.
Some final thoughts I feel should be considered when thinking about this purchase.
Do you believe that Ooma will be around to recoup the investment of the purchase? At this price currently two hundred fifty or less it was easier for us to commit, less than 8 months to pay it off compared to our regular phone.
Does your internet service have at least 256 Kbps upload (minimum req). We have tested ours and it is normally 350 Kbps or a little better so we felt fine , and it has been perfect so far. Minimum requirements are not hidden , they are posted here as well as on the Ooma website and most other web retail locations.
If on the fence check out the Ooma website as we did before you buy . The forums are open to view and read about the problems , tips and solutions with out buying first. I know another reviewer said the forums are only after you buy , but that is not correct. We used the forums well before we became owners of the Ooma product. I don't believe you can post questions or use the detailed search , you can just read and see the responses. Some are very helpful , or were for us at least.
As with all reviews , "Your mileage may vary" but we love our Ooma and our only regret is that we had not purchased earlier. I don't write a lot of reviews but felt this product is well worth it. Besides the more people that buy and enjoy this system the stronger the company becomes and the longer I will enjoy our service as well as thousands of others. Remember they have a 30 day return plan in the event it is not what you like or your experience is not as favorable. I know we wont need be needing that for us. Updates will follow.
PS. Thank you Amazon for the great product , best price on the internet and fast Prime shipping. A++++
Customer Review: Great Bang for the Buck!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have waited a two month to really test the Ooma service before writing a review.
Like many, I was a former Vonage user and my interest was piqued by "FREE" telephone service. I began reading reviews and noted that many of the negative reviews seemed be attributed to the fact that many did not read the terms of service or failed to understand the installation procedure for the device, and I can understand why. I am a techy, and thoroughly understand data and telephone networks, both via the communication standards and the physical wiring aspects.
Overall, Ooma does a really nice job of creating documentation to aid in the installation process. One of the real confusing issue is that, they really cannot document each unique issue that a user may face with their home wiring. This isn't the fault of Ooma, I as stated, they do a really great job of trying to document wiring issue and installation designs. They do it in a very articulate manner that is easy to understand (IMO) however, it can still be confusing.
I am not a person who is excited about packaging; however, if you are the packaging is of high quality and leads you to believe you are getting a very high quality product. The manuals are well written. I purchased the Ooma device plus the Scout; however, I have no real use of the Scout, I was not interested in using it and plan to sell the Scout on eBay, they seem to go for about $30.00.
On to the installation. The device itself appears to be built well, sturdy, and a bit heavy than what I anticipated. I decided to install the Ooma device behind my Internet facing router. This is NOT the recommended installation technique per the Ooma instruction. I initially had an issue getting the Ooma device to connect to the Ooma network. The lights on the Ooma device work in a diagnostic manner by lighting certain lights depending on the problem. After some time and rebooting the device (removing the power cord and plugging it back in) I got the device to sync with Ooma.
Over the next few weeks I paid close attention to the call quality and we did have time where calls would drop out. We could here the other party, but they could not hear us or vice versa.
I decided to move the Ooma device outside of my Internet facing router. Hence, the connection referenced the following: Cable Modem > Ooma > Router. These alleviate the need for that data (voice calls) to be processed via my Internet router. Overall call quality may have improved a little bit, but we still run into issues now and then. Overall, it had been acceptable IMO.
One of the issue I noted during installation was the white / flat network cable that was included with the Ooma device did not provide a very steady and high quality network connection. I believe this was one of the core reason I had issues connecting to the Ooma service initially and why it would lose connectivity sporadically. I did write Ooma about the problem but did not receive a response. I swapped out the cable with one of my own and the connection has been perfect since.
Speaking of, I should note that I ported my number from Vonage. During the port process, Ooma noted that it should take approximately 3-4 weeks and we would receive update via email.
Our porting process took about four weeks, during that time I did not receive any email update. I emailed Ooma for an update (at the same time I emailed their support folks about the network cable) and did not receive any update.
Overall, I have to make the assumption that if you need to contact support, you should set your expectations very low. Note that I did not try to call them, only attempted to email them, so take my comments with a grain of salt. Based on my experience, I would expect issues if I REALLY needed their help.
Oh, I almost forget, with the initial service, you also get to enjoy the Ooma premier service for the first month. I requested via email that our trial be extended since we really did not begin to use the service until our number was ported. I never received a response to my request. In all, we have not subscribed to the Ooma premier service, the only thing I liked about the enhanced service was when a voicemail was received, they would email you transcription of the voicemail (not always accurate) and also include an MP3 of the recording.
With the base service, they still email you; however, only include the number of the caller and notification that you have a voicemail and the length. You need to login to the Ooma website to listen to the voicemail. Overall, I am ok with this.
In closing, I have had a positive experience with Ooma; however, if I place myself in the shoes of a novice user, my experience may not have been so positive. In the same sense, many of the issues users may run into may not be Ooma's fault; however, since he average person just spent a considerable amount of $$, they will likely be very unhappy with Ooma.
Overall call quality has been acceptable to me. We don't use the home line heavily so when we do, it is reliable.
For the price, I am happy with the service and hope it will be around for a considerable amount of time!
Customer Review: Great "free" phone service: 3 - 5 stars, depending on configuration
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Ooma Core offers the ability to use internet technology to talk over a real phone, at no charge within the entire US, to landlines and cell phones. You can move freely about the house with your ordinary cordless phone. All you need is a high-speed broadband connection and a phone.
I was terrified about making the plunge to switch from traditional phone to VOIP, so I spent much time researching the Ooma before I actually installed it. I was afraid that I'd be locked into a system that would make me change my phone number, would fail when the power or cable did, necessitate the purchase of a non-wireless phone, and would sound like a synthesized voice. Fortunately, Ooma offers a variety of configurations that allowed me to avoid all of the preceding.
Before you even begin to install the Ooma, you must make a choice about how you want to set it up: internet only versus through the land line; and using your home phone number versus selecting a new one. For a fee, you can choose to have your current number ported to your Ooma if you want to keep your current number and cancel your traditional service. (Ooma recommends waiting 6 weeks before canceling phone service because of the time it takes to transfer numbers.) Because you have to register your home address when you activate, Ooma supports enhanced 9-1-1.
Set-up, in the best possible circumstances, takes mere minutes, from internet activation (required) to hooking up the unit. The quick start menu is extremely clear and easy to follow. However, in the worst possible circumstances -- and this is what happened to me -- it may take days of head-scratching to find a way to make all the necessary connections possible. When I activated the hub, I chose to keep my home number and to use the Ooma through my land line so that I would still be able to make calls when the power and/or cable was out. What I didn't count on was the unique set-up in my house: few rooms have both phone jacks AND cable connections. Those rooms that do have both already have a television using the cable jack. Right now, I have a long telephone wire running across the floor of my bedroom, down the hall, and into the room that contains the cable modem. If I don't find a way to fix this or get extra phone jacks or cable outlets installed for a reasonable fee, the Ooma will be history. Ironically, a DSL hook-up is probably much easier than a cable one. If you have both a phone jack and open outlet near your cable modem, you'll be fine. Otherwise, you may want to choose your activation set-up to be internet-only.
If you have a cordless phone, you need only to plug in the base station, and all its extension phones will work, but what about your hardwired phones? The Ooma Core comes with one Scout, a hand-size extender that will connect an additional phone to the network and enable a second line. If someone is using the phone, all I have to do is push "2," and I get the signature Ooma dial tone, telling me that I can dial out. The Ooma comes with caller ID (you must have a compatible handset), call waiting, and voice mail. The Ooma Lounge, your internet management area, allows you to check voice mail from a computer. You can even set your preferences to have Ooma notify you via email or text when you receive a voice message. If I decide to keep the Ooma, I will remove all the extras from my regular phone service to cut costs. Those who are confident with internet-only service can cancel phone service altogether, although they will not be able to make calls when the internet or power is down.
With my set up, the best sound quality comes from the corded phone I have hooked up to the Scout. The cordless phones have noticeable background hiss. During prolonged conversations, sometimes the sound breaks up, as though someone were walking out of range of a base station or talking from a cell phone, even though it wasn't the case. I suspect this has more to do with the quality of my cable internet service (questionable -- which is why I chose to keep my land line) than with Ooma itself. My initial phone call to set up voice mail sounded crystal clear. Ooma recommends that faxes be connected directly to the Hub, not an option in my case because I cannot relocate mine to the room with the cable modem. I have kept it attached to the regular phone service.
The Ooma Core comes with a 60 day trial of Ooma Premier, a service that allows a second phone number and other enhanced features. Unless you sign up for Premier, however, you won't have to pay for anything beyond the hardware.
Although the hardware may seem pricey, it will pay for itself -- as long as Ooma stays in business. If you have a compatible jack/power/internet set up and excellent high speed internet access, you cannot go wrong with Ooma. If you have issues similar to mine, you might want to think twice about buying it.
-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann