DISCOVERY
I had been using telphone services via Comcast which uses VOIP technology.
Being frugal, my goal was to reduce my monthly bills for my home office. There were a few different
services available so I settled on OOMA as it was available in my area-code. (Not all VOIP services are
available in all areas.) Additionaly, I could port my existing business phone number from Comcast to
OOMA. This looked like my best option.
INSTALLATION
I received the equipment within a few days and the hookup was simple.
Just connect it to your Internet service via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. After that go to the OOMA website with
your user account and go from there.
You can use your existing telephone(s) or purchase an OOMA
phone. It took about a week to get my number ported over.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Ooma works like any other telephone, but it offers some additional
features.
Call quality is great!
Voice mail can be accessed 3 different ways:
1) Via email
2) Via the button on the OOMA device
3) Via webpage. (My favorite!)
Using the web page will give you the option to block telemarketers and other unwanted calls. The blocked
calls will go directly to voicemail and never bother you again.
NOTE: If you lose power, the OOMA
system will not work unless you have some sort of battery backup in place for your network devices
(Modem, Router, Ooma device etc..)
BILLING
Once you have paid for the equipment, Ooma has a couple of service levels.
The lower tier is supposed to be free. This is what I picked, yet I will from time to time receive a
bill for $18. There is a second, higher teir that offers additional features that I did not need. Please
consult the Ooma website for current pricing information.