Ooma Telo hits the streets, handset add-on follows next month
By Paul Miller 
posted October 5th 2009 11:20AM
posted October 5th 2009 11:20AM
Read - Ooma Telo press release
Read - Ooma Telo in the wild
posted October 5th 2009 11:20AM
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This is a comment that has nothing to do with this post teehee I am just posting a comment because I am able to..
ps: can't wait till the BL 40 comes out in USA
Wack.
I'm confused, what is it?
It is an awesome awesome VOIP box. You buy the hardware, plug it into your data connection, and get 5,000 minutes of free calling inside the US. I have the older core system pictured, works wonderfully.
Yeah, just thought the same thing while reading the article...
A few words of introduction wouldn't hurt, Engadget!
Bought one (original) for my daughter and her family a while back for $199 on Amazon. They dropped their land line years ago but now my grandkids were sucking up the family cell phone minutes talking with their friends. Problem solved.
They have a local number and haven't had one problem.
I was also confused.
I would get Ooma, but until they offer free calling to Canada, I'm sticking with Vonage.
so figure after 4 post and 2 replies it is time for - what are the pros/cons vs Magic Jack?
If the only features you use are Call Waiting and Caller I.D. you don't need to premier plan nor the extra monthly cost. Just buy the device and the unlimited local and long distance is free. There is fine print of 3000 minutes a month, but they claim it just to weed out people who use the devices for telemarketing and such.
What I don't like about the new box is that I already have my own DECT 6.0 phones. The added functionality is useless for me, because it only supports their Telo cordless phones.
The old hub is a bit artistic and still provides all the required functionality needed! Hope it gets a price drop.
Jim @ Oct 5th 2009 11:56AM
If the only features you use are Call Waiting and Caller I.D. you don't need to premier plan nor the extra monthly cost.
Jim, those were the old terms. Now, they have changed that for all new customers. The Telo basic free plan no longer has voicemail or named caller id. You need to buy the $120/year premium plan to get those features.You also no longer get live phone in support without paying $40.
Basically the new Ooma terms have moved features out of the basic free plan into the premium paid plan. Ooma has decreased features and increased fees. New buyers will be subject to an annual $12 fee on top of anything else they buy. Don't forget the $40 charge to port your number. And when you go to sell or give away the device there is a $60 transfer of ownership fee.
No way will I pay them $250 just to give them the opportunity to dump more fees me. I need caller id names. Their caller id is just the numbers unless you buy the $120 premium pack to get the caller id names. This free service just keeps getting more expensive. Way too many fees for this "free" phone service.
Call forwarding when Internet is down is a basic feature for any goo VoIP. Ooma makes you sign up for $120/year premier to get that feature. The no longer offer live support unless you pay their $40 fee. Two great VoIP customer service moves that will kill the company.
Ooma was a great VOIP provider and a great deal. But it seems free was not a good business model and now you have to get Premier for the incremental functionality. They no longer include free VM and that is a showstopper and is a source of discussion on many of the deal sites. This is now much more akin to Vonage, abeit at a cheaper price. (If you don't think VM is necessary than it is still a good deal).
I just picked one up and plugged in my DECT 5 handset system w/ built in answering machine. No real need for voicemail. The OOMA comes with CallerID and Call Waiting as standard features; so for free (after the initial cost) its well worth it to me.
After the first year there is a $12/yr 'regulation recovery fee' similar to all other phone systems, but.. $12/yr is a drop in the bucket for otherwise free phone service.
Ooma is the bomb. I use it for 2 lines - saving me about $60/month over what Comcrap was charging. Paid $200 for it plus $100/year. Cost in year 1 = $300. Cost in years 2+ $100/year. The system had a positive ROI by month 6. Every month after that I pocked the savings. Seriously one of the best investments ever.
As for voicemail ... just use your voicemail on phones you have. It will work fine. The only downside is that you can't check them through the web. However, almost all support dial in VM for when you are away. Alternatively you can use this with GV and have GV be your voicemail system. My point is that Premier isn't required for most people. There are workarounds that get you 90% of the functionality.
Personally, the Premier service is worth it to me. The 2nd line of service, call forwarding, virtual vm, etc, etc ... all easily worth $10/month.
Voicemail isn't free anymore? The last time I was at my folks' house, they still got voicemail on their Ooma, and I know they're not paying anything...
First advantage is that ooma doen't need a computer to work. It plugs into your broadband before the router. You can also use the existing old landline wiring in the house for extensions.
Love my OOMA. All USA calls are free and international are dirt cheap.
I switched just because i hate Cablevision.
$250 for this vs $20 a year for a magicjack. I would probably go with the latter if I was in the market for either.
Why pick the magic jack that has to be on a computer that is always active. Dont feel I should be installing any extra software either like the magic jack. Plus ooma is able to offer "scouts" if you need more than one telephone jack, more phone features and just a better product in general. I have used my ooma for almost a year and would suggest to all.
My computer hasn't been turned off for more than an hour in the last year.
My phone has 4 handsets with 1 jack, so using other jacks isn't necessary.
More phone features? Didn't someone say voicemail wasn't included in the base package? That's a very necessary feature, and even $10 a month isn't worth it compared to the competition out there. I would rather pay a little more per month for the same service without a $250 up-front cost, you never know how long they're going to stay in business.
Want 1 good reason to switch to Oooma? Magic Jack Terms of Service allow them to listen in on your calls and pick and listen for "trigger words" that they use to create a profile on you to serve advertisements directed at you. I'd rather not have my phone company listening in on every call I make. That in itself should be enough reason to switch to Ooma.
The quality between MJ and Ooma is huge. Talk to people who have used both. It is no comparison.
MJ is great if you are technically minded, have a computer that you keep on 24/7, and use your phone sparingly.
I have vm and do not pay for the extra features... most of the time people are talking about paying extra for "enhanced features" which includes being able to hear the msg while someone is leaving it. The basic vm box is still included (at least is on my account) and you can even access over the web.
I hate to say it, because I hate bringing Apple into non-Apple topics, but my first reaction to that photo was that someone cut a MacBook Pro/PowerBook apart and re-assembled it.
Beyond that, I'm intrigued by this device... I may suggest it to several people I know.
They have just changed the ToS - after the first year, and without the Premiere plan, they will start charging a $12/year recovery fee that they had been absorbing. Lots of people have complained, and maybe they'll change their mind, since this does change the "free phone service for life" to "uh, not free, just cheap".
If you get a Hub ($250 with a scout), and activate it before end of the month, you can get in under the old terms. Which means you get voicemail for free and no recovery fee, and you can get the first year of Premiere for $100 instead of $120. The Telo is only available with the new terms, unless you're upgrading from a Hub.
If you don't want all the Premiere features (which includes a second phone number anywhere in the country, and is promised to include Google Voice extensions within a few months), you can get enhanced voicemail for $50/yr.
Comparing Ooma to MagicJack: The selling point to me was call quality. Ooma has great call quality. They have a custom QoS (quality of service) protocol on the unit, and properly done, you're supposed to install the unit ahead of your computer/switch so it can handle QoS routing. I've had mine installed after the switch for eight months with no problems and great results, though I do have a 6Mbps connection, much higher than Ooma recommended minimums.
Other benefits: If you keep your landline, the Ooma device will fail over to the landline if either Internet or power goes out, and all 911 calls will be routed locally for better response. Try that with MagicJack - if either Internet or power goes out, or if you have to restart your computer, or if your computer is maxed processing other stuff, you're toast.
As a note, Ooma also supports (not guaranteed, but usually works) outgoing DATA calls. That means outbound faxing or DVR calls. It just uses a standard * code before the number to reduce the compression rate. I've used mine with a Dish Network DVR with no problems whatsoever.
"If you get a Hub ($250 with a scout), and activate it before end of the month, you can get in under the old terms. Which means you get voicemail for free and no recovery fee, and you can get the first year of Premiere for $100 instead of $120. The Telo is only available with the new terms, unless you're upgrading from a Hub."
do you have any text that states this?
http://www.ooma.com/blog:
Hannah at OOMA Tech Support: "They will honor the previous TOS if you sign-up or upgrade to the premier by Oct 31st."
"If you want to purchase an annual Ooma Premier subscription, you can do so until 12/31/09 at $99.99, after that the price will go up by $20 to $119.99."
Basically, Ooma is a plug-and-play VOIP solution, and without the $24.95 a month other providers generally run. The only recurring costs are $12/year for the recovery fee (unless you activate by 10/31), or $10/month for a boatload of other features.
The Premiere features include things like a second phone number, either for another area (so people can call you locally) or for someone else, like a teen in the family. It supports distinctive ring, and can ring a specific phone (via a Scout, one usually included in the package) when a specific number is called. A one-year subscription includes a free port of an existing number. And you can set up black-lists for numbers that get blocked or go straight to voicemail. (Blocking calls with blocked Caller ID is a standard feature.)
Did you notice that the unit looks like an answering machine? That's because it acts like one. All messages are saved in the Cloud, but the message-waiting light comes just like a regular answering machine, and you can just press Play to get your messages, just like a regular answering machine. With Premiere, you can even screen your calls and pick up in the middle of a message - try that with a regular VoIP service. And the unit has a very nice quality feel to it.
Here is a link were Ooma clarifies there new Terms of Service:
http://www.ooma.com/blog/2009/10/02/how-oomas-terms-conditions-affect-current-new-ooma-customers/
*Current Ooma users don't have to pay Telecom Tax of $12 and theres no changes to feature set.
*New or Unactivated Ooma Hub/Scout Combinations - The "old" Oomas no matter when there activated will still adhere to the old Terms of Service which means:
a. No changes to your promised feature set so voicemail is still include
b. No regulatory recovery fee will be charged
The new terms of service really only apply to Telo buyers.
I was going to get one. Then I backed out after reading the above. Then your post made me feel safe about getting the old box. Thanks.
thank you. i think i may just go with the Hub
No problem :) Ooma really screwed up when they announced there new ToS, everyone on every deal site is basically refusing to buy a Telo or a Hub because they don't want to have the new fees when in fact that isn't the case for Hub buyers. Ooma cleared up the confusion but the damage was done.
might head out to costco to get one. or end up ordering it online
Can you keep your existing phone number?
@ Synfuel, yes. $30 to port or free for Premiere($99).