Ooma Telo VoIP Phone System $100

H

Happy00000

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 12, 2009
Messages
265
Ooma Telo VoIP Phone System is only $100 at amazon.

Linky.


I bought 2 of them and Amazon gave a $20 discount. I didn't apply or enter any promotion code.

Item(s) Subtotal: $199.98
Shipping & Handling: $0.00
Promotion Applied: -$20.00
-----
Total before tax: $179.98

Update: price goes to $119 now.
 
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I use Ooma. It's a great service. If you are paying for a phone and have internet, I can't think of any reasons not to switch.

I got in on the original release, so I don't pay anything each month. I think this model requires you to pay like $3 a month because of taxes and government fees.
 
I been on my Ooma for about 4 or 5 year. I also have the original one. I pay no taxes and love it. It has saved me lots of money on phone service at home. I think we have had 2 outages, 1 did last for about a day and they other one lasted 3 hours. You cant go wrong, and you can go to their website put in your zip code and it will let you know how much you have to pay for taxes.
 
I finally jumped on this as my current Vonage bill hit $30, and that is darn near what I was paying for a landline before from AT&T. Even with premier, I will break even/ahead after about 8 months.

Now, how long will Vonage try to screw me around holding on to my present number? That's the question.
 
punisher said:
Now, how long will Vonage try to screw me around holding on to my present number? That's the question.
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FCC rules state that they only have 1 business day to complete the port.....I would be surprised if it took more than a few hours
 
When I ported my number from Vonage it took a few weeks to do it. That was a while ago (years!), so I don't remember the specifics. I remember requesting it, then a couple weeks out I got a date that it would be ported and then it was moved on that date. So they may only have one day to complete the port, but I don't think it has to start on the day it was requested by you.

I just configured vonage to ring my Ooma number and then disconnected my vonage device after the port was done. Of course, vonage tried to get me to send the device pack (the one they made me pay for) and I had to go round and round with them on that. They left a bad taste in my mouth!

I love how the vonage commercials claim "the last phone bill you'll ever see!". Yeah, because you don't see the bill, they just take the money from your debit/credit card! You're still paying for them, they just don't bill you. My vonage bill actually crept up higher than my land line was before I went to vonage.


There is something to be said about Ooma as a company. When they released their initial product, it said on the box that there would be no fees. Eventually, they got forced to charged taxes and fees, so they had to bill that back to the customers. However, if you're using one of the original products that said there was no monthly fee, it's still 100% free. They eat the cost for the fees and taxes.

I wouldn't mind paying the $3 a month as it's very much worth it. If you want to find out your monthly cost, you can use their tax calculator to do it.
 
in for 1 , this is awesome . Time to drop vonage and get some free service up in this bitch. AT&T already ripping me off cause their is no other service around me providing any other cable/DSL . Thanks OP.
 
Recently I've been seeing the Ooma compared alot with Obihai + Google Voice. The Obihai box is $30 cheaper (actually moreso if you get the 101) and Google Voice is free (though for $3 a month, the Ooma service may as well be free too). Has anyone used both and can comment on the comparison?

Also, I have NO telephone line drops anywhere in my townhouse, just Ethernet. I know Ooma can still connect wirelessly to phones using DECT 6.0 (assuming I'm understanding how DECT 6.0 works, the Ooma basestation should be able to use that standard to connect to cordless handsets wirelessly). Does Obihai provide similar functionality?
 
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Does Obihai+Google Voice give you emergency 911 services? My guess is that it doesn't, which is why it's a free solution.
 
I thought you can plug any phone in and dial 911, even without any service?

I don't even use my home phone, I just pay for it because phone + internet is cheaper than just internet. Yep my provider really wants you to bundle phone!
 
My parents have been using an Obihai for about a year and a half. Prior to that they were on an Ooma. There's no real difference for them other than the fact that they are paying nothing for phone service now. Obi is cheaper than this for the device alone and there's no monthly fees. Other than setting up 911 service for you automatically, what does Ooma offer that makes it worth the monthly fee anymore?
 
I thought you can plug any phone in and dial 911, even without any service?
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No, that is not the case. You have to actually configure 911 so they can locate you. Otherwise, you could be calling from one location, and people will get dispatched to another. All voip services need to be setup that way.

Other than setting up 911 service for you automatically, what does Ooma offer that makes it worth the monthly fee anymore?
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What does it offer that makes it worth the $3 a month?
* 911 Calling
* Plug and play
* Port your phone number
* Make all your phone jacks live


I know that it doesn't cost to use google as your VOIP provider. I'm not sure what makes them different than other VOIP providers so they don't have to pay taxes and aren't required to have 911 support. The time will probably come when they do charge for this, and they will most likely pass it back on to you. So it may be free now, but it could be the same price as Ooma down the road... or even worse, it's google -- google voice *COULD* get scrapped without notice, or made incompatible with the Obi device.
 
CEpeep said:
My parents have been using an Obihai for about a year and a half. Prior to that they were on an Ooma. There's no real difference for them other than the fact that they are paying nothing for phone service now. Obi is cheaper than this for the device alone and there's no monthly fees. Other than setting up 911 service for you automatically, what does Ooma offer that makes it worth the monthly fee anymore?
Click to expand...

When I got my Ooma, I compared it to Obi (not sure if that's the same as Obihai). Went with the Ooma for 911, fax capabilities, and good customer service.
 
Demon10000 said:
What does it offer that makes it worth the $3 a month?
* 911 Calling
* Plug and play
* Port your phone number
* Make all your phone jacks live
Click to expand...

Obi does all that too (but you have to set up 911 manually the first time). I was trying to figure out what Ooma brought to the table that the Obi is incapable of. Sounds like it's still nothing, just like it was when my parents switched.
 
Cecil said:
When I got my Ooma, I compared it to Obi (not sure if that's the same as Obihai). Went with the Ooma for 911, fax capabilities, and good customer service.
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Ah, forgot about fax. Good call. Have you had customer service issues with Google or Obi? I've never had to contact either.
 
Demon10000 said:
No, that is not the case. You have to actually configure 911 so they can locate you. Otherwise, you could be calling from one location, and people will get dispatched to another. All voip services need to be setup that way.
Click to expand...

I think the poster was referring to the notion that any landline, even out of service, will allow you to dial 911. My understanding is that this varies state by state, so you'd have to check with your State PSC. Of course then you have the potential disconnect between the rule and the execution by the LEC.

Regarding E911 that you'd be using if you dialed 911 after setting up the feature with your VoIP provider, this also varies with locale.

Rule of thumb is that if you want guaranteed 911 service that isn't dependent on a bunch of workarounds, and battery backup for your VoIP gear, as well as that of your ISP, then you want a good-old landline. I realize that a lot of people don't care, but for those that have young children and/or elderly then it's a good choice.
 
CEpeep said:
Obi does all that too (but you have to set up 911 manually the first time). I was trying to figure out what Ooma brought to the table that the Obi is incapable of. Sounds like it's still nothing, just like it was when my parents switched.
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Just from my comparisons so far (I should mention that I currently use neither):

- Ooma has far better out-of-the-box functionality (seriously, setting up freaking 911 manually? LOL)
- Ooma supports DECT 6.0 connectivity for cordless handsets. Which is great for me since I don't have any telephone jacks in my house.
- Ooma supports bluetooth; so I can answer cellphone calls from any phone in the house, and 802.11 wireless; so I can still use it if there are no Ethernet ports nearby.
- Ooma doesn't rely on 3rd party providers like Google Voice to be able to do anything (which is free and exists for now, but with Google who knows how long that will last)

The Ooma base station is more expensive, but it and the service appears to give you more features compared to the Obi unit.
 
CEpeep said:
Ah, forgot about fax. Good call. Have you had customer service issues with Google or Obi? I've never had to contact either.
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No I haven't, but when I bought it what I researched pointed to Ooma having better CS then Obi.


I have to fax time sheets once a week, and my mother is disabled, so a solid 911 and fax were important to me.
 
At $99 Ooma is a no-brainer. I've had one for a year or two, no complaints. Taxes are about $3.50 a month.
 
Had Ooma since early 2010. It works great. I would recommend to anyone with broadband. On an original free unit I got as a refurb. Use it hooked up to a standard DECT6.0 phone as the home phone line.

I think one of the other bonuses is ooma-to-ooma calling - voice quality is better than a standard phone line.

So much better than the junky magicjack we had before that.

Also, the Ooma units have built-in-QOS tech to keep voice quality good, if you use them as the last step before your router - good for folks without fancy network setups (like the parents and such). I keep mine behind the router but I have my own QoS setup to ensure call quality is good.
 
I currently have vonage, and it seems as if it just keeps going up. currently paying ~$38 a month.

I need international calling to israel, can this VoIP do it? and how much? I'm really bad when it comes to home phones and stuff.
 
Have the original Ooma for 3 years. Excellent. Want a piece of tech that provides lasting value? This is it.
 
DF-1 said:
I currently have vonage, and it seems as if it just keeps going up. currently paying ~$38 a month.

I need international calling to israel, can this VoIP do it? and how much? I'm really bad when it comes to home phones and stuff.
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They have a few different plans. Looks like their world plan is unlimited for $18, or 1,000 minutes for $15. Or you can go by the minute, too. Here is some more info:
http://www.ooma.com/products/international
 
Here is Google Voice rate for comparison. I have used Voice myself since they first came out. I used to have Vonage. Honestly I cant tell the quality difference. I use Google Voice for calling to Asia and local call in US.
https://www.google.com/voice/rates#I
 
Demon10000 said:
Does Obihai+Google Voice give you emergency 911 services? My guess is that it doesn't, which is why it's a free solution.
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http://blog.obihai.com/2011/11/calling-911-with-obi-devices.html

Edit: And I went with the Obi partly because it does not have out of the box 911.. I got the line for my daughters room. She can call me, my wife, my sister & her 2 grandmothers. Paid 40 bucks for the Obi100 on amazon & that was it.. I didnt want 911 calls available as its a potential for her getting into trouble as soon as she figures out what a prank call is & if there is an emergency that me & my wife arent home for my sister can walk from her house to mine & be here 20 minutes sooner then the cops.
 
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I finally jumped on this as my current Vonage bill hit $30, and that is darn near what I was paying for a landline before from AT&T.
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I am in this same boat. I mean I was a happy vonage customer when the bill was 1/2 of what it is now for the lowest tier service. However since the doubling of the price I am not so happy. The thing I worry about moving (on top of keeping my number) is quality. Before I had Vonage I had Brodvioce which for me had terrible quality although we dealt with that. The last straw was when they had a fight with their carrier over charges and we had totally lost service for over a week. That was all we could handle. We ported our # to vonage although that caused some problem with BroadVoice. Apparently they kept our # in their database and gave it out to new customers about a 1/2 dozen times over a 2 year period since we received calls and voicemails for these new customers.
 
I have had Ooma for 3 years or more and love it. (Still on the original) I used to pay 60 bucks a month for local phone service (with unlimited calling) and with Ooma I pay 0 a month.
 
martinje said:
I have had Ooma for 3 years or more and love it. (Still on the original) I used to pay 60 bucks a month for local phone service (with unlimited calling) and with Ooma I pay 0 a month.
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Not quite $0 per month as you have to pay taxes which come to around $3.50 per month, but close!
 
MrC4 said:
Not quite $0 per month as you have to pay taxes which come to around $3.50 per month, but close!
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I don't pay any taxes... or anything at all really. As far as I know Ooma doesn't even have my billing information, but I'm on the old model.

Is having to pay even a small amount a requirement on these new ones?
 
When Ooma first released, the box said that there were no charges. They were eventually required to charge taxes, so they released new models that didn't have the "no charge" comments on the box.

Ooma is paying your taxes for you, if you have the original model that says there are no charges. Everyone else has to pay a few dollars a month.
 
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