Ooma Review

Low-cost VOIP solution for home and small business

What is VOIP?

Voice Over IP is a service that allows you to use the internet for landline telephone service instead of traditional copper phone lines. Many people still have home offices and a few still have fax lines. This makes VOIP a good option. Businesses have been using VOIP for years to save money. Homeowners can do the same. VOIP services are available through many (but not all) internet providers and other 3rd party companies. By using the Internet, VOIP does not have long distance charges.

Discovery

I had been using telephone services via Comcast which offers VOIP technology for several years. 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.) My goal was to port my existing business phone lines from Comcast VOIP to Ooma VOIP because it has additional features not included with Comcast. Ooma was best option.

Installation

I received the equipment within a few days and the hookup was simple. Its a simple box that looks like any other answering machine. Just connect it to your Internet service via Wi-Fi or ethernet. I used ethernet for reliability.

Once connected, go to the Ooma website with your user account and you can configure the system.
You can use your existing telephone(s) or purchase an Ooma phone. You can even use it without a phone. I used the option to forward my business line to my cell. This allows my customers to reach me without giving them my personal number.

As part of the configuration you will need to port (move) your existing phone number(s) to Ooma. It took about a week to get my business number ported over.

First Impressions

Ooma works like any other telephone, and offers an array of additional features. You get call blocking, call forwarding, voicemail etc. If you can use a common answering machine or a cellphone - you can easily understand how Ooma works. I won't bother to explain it.
The call quality is great! I rarely have any noise on the line.

The voice mail can be accessed 3 different ways:

• Via email. The message will contain an audio file that will play on your computer.
  
• Via the button on the Ooma device. I rarely use this one as the device sits under my desk.
  
• Via webpage. (My favorite!) The page offers the most options!
  

Using the web page will show caller id and give you the option to block telemarketers and other unwanted calls. The blocked calls will either be dropped or configured to go directly to voicemail and never bother you again. You can also choose to save messages, setup a phone directory etc.
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 tier that offers additional features that I did not need. Please consult the Ooma website for current pricing information. Mine came up a bit differently than was shown on the site.

Update

Having used Ooma for several years now, I feel it was a great choice. However I did start having an issue. The speaker on the Ooma device has gone bad. Call quality and recorded calls are just fine. Its only an issue if you used the speaker on the machine itself. I haven't bothered to replace it as I rarely use the speaker.