Anyone here use ooma?

[neighbor]

CoSecurity does not work with IP phone services (I assume Ooma is IP based?). No security system will work with IP because there isn't any voltage on the line.

Sure there is. When I plug a regular phone into my ooma box, there's voltage there or it wouldn't be able to work. It "simulates" a POTS line.

So the Ooma device will accept calls from CoSecurity without ringing? There's usually no issue calling out, it's calling in that breaks. They call in by double dialing... security boxes answer that second ring (that you don't hear) by detecting the voltage spikes when the line goes on/off/on hook. That would be cool if Ooma can do that.

CoSecurity does offer wireless, but it's $99 to install, and and additional $16 a month. I think it would be cheaper to keep a basic non metro analog line (less than $10 month from Grande last time I checked).

Maybe... but is it worth the money, time and trouble to keep your system hooked up to an active phone?

What time and trouble? It's already hooked up, and there isn't any maintenance.

Can't crooks easily cut the phone line anyway if they wanted to? The benefit seems pretty low given the odds.

The siren will go off even if the phone line is cut. If they wanted to get in that bad, they'd cut the power. Then nothing can stop them.

One cool thing about ooma is the ability to block calls. There is a "community blacklist" that you can block - with know marketers. Of course you can also block you own numbers and anonymous/private calls. You can block them completely or send them straight to voice mail. It recently blocked a "spam" call from Kay Bailey Hutchinson and went directly to ooma voice mail.

I've done that with Goggle Voice (I think a couple of people mentioned that service here). A known list of spam callers can be uploaded into your GV directory and placed in a group that you use to send directly to voice mail, or block altogether (the caller gets a "not accepting calls from you" message).

[Al]

So the Ooma device will accept calls from CoSecurity without ringing? There's usually no issue calling out, it's calling in that breaks. They call in by double dialing... security boxes answer that second ring (that you don't hear) by detecting the voltage spikes when the line goes on/off/on hook. That would be cool if Ooma can do that.

Don't know about that. Some people say they have gotten it to work with their security systems, others say no. I suspect it would work if wired and handled properly. I haven't tried and am not yet sure what to do yet. I'm still evaluating ooma for awhile and then plan to port my number if things continue to work well.

What time and trouble? It's already hooked up, and there isn't any maintenance.

The time and trouble to get it to work with VOIP or wireless so one doesn't need a landline at all.

The siren will go off even if the phone line is cut. If they wanted to get in that bad, they'd cut the power. Then nothing can stop them.

Isn't there a backup battery so at least the alarm would still sound? At least I'm pretty sure there was with the system I had at my last house. If no battery, then one could probably put their system on a UPS.

I've done that with Goggle Voice (I think a couple of people mentioned that service here). A known list of spam callers can be uploaded into your GV directory and placed in a group that you use to send directly to voice mail, or block altogether (the caller gets a "not accepting calls from you" message).

Yes, that's a nice feature. You can do that as well with ooma - a "not accepting calls message". I have it set to just send them straight to voicemail.

[Fred]

If the goal is to save money and maybe add a few bells and whistles, Google Voice is worth looking at. We've been experimenting with it. You could use Google Voice as your number, and have it ring any number of phones you choose (cell phones, etc.). You would completely eliminate land line costs. If, however, you need a land line for a security system, you could opt for a basic line for minimal costs. If you did that, you could also have Google Voice ring that land line as well.

In our case, doing this would cut our costs from around $60 a month to $10, and we would gain many features with Google Voice we don't have now, like...

A single forwarding number to all pones
Free calls and SMS in the US and Canada
Calling international phone numbers for as low as US$0.02 per minute
Call screening. Announcement of callers based on their number or by an automated identification request for blocked numbers
Listening in on someones recording of a voice message before taking a call
Blocking calls from specified numbers
Send, receive, and store SMS online
Answering incoming calls on any configured phone
Call routing. Selection of phones that should ring based on calling number
Voicemail transcripts. Reading of voicemail messages online
Voicemail transcripts emailed to you
Voicemail transcripts emailed sent as texts to your cell phone
Listening to voicemail online or from a phone
Notification of voicemail messages via email or SMS
Personalized greetings based on calling number
Forward or downloading of voicemails
Conference calling
Call recording and online archiving
Switching of phones during a call
Viewing the web inbox from a mobile device/phone
Customize preferences for contacts by group
Calling from your Google number from any phone

And the best part about Google Voice... it's free. The only thing they don't do yet is port an existing number. I'm waiting for that ....

[neighbor]

And the best part about Google Voice... it's free. The only thing they don't do yet is port an existing number. I'm waiting for that ....

They do port away from GV, but not into GV. At least not yet.

What I find interesting is that when you activate a GV account, you get to select any available phone number they have using a simple, but effective search that allows you to look for numbers based on area code, city, zip code, even para phrases for vanity numbers. And then, as soon as you click on 'save', the number is literally active. I tried this during a test. Clicked save, at the same time I hit dial on a phone, and the number answered. Last time I checked, it takes a telephone company a few days to activate a new number. But it only takes a search engine company a couple of seconds. Go figure.

[Al]

ooma blocked another telephone spam for KBH regarding Perry's HPV vaccine fiasco... Ooma emailed it to me in MP3 format... here it is for your listening enjoyment.

[JKTex]

ooma blocked another telephone spam for KBH regarding Perry's HPV vaccine fiasco... Ooma emailed it to me in MP3 format... here it is for your listening enjoyment.

Oh my god. Some of these groups will go to no end.

[Al]

Looks like I will be returning ooma. My wife doesn't like the "glitches" and wants something 100% reliable. I can see how ooma would be nice though if you could put up with some glitches from time to time like occasional calls that don't go through, voice delays, echoing, and some other VOIP anomalies... or if you call internationally and get can much better rates, but for a line you don't want any glitches on then it's not sufficient.

[Al]

I returned it today... VOIP still has too many glitches. It might work well for someone who doesn't care so much about the glitches or as a second line to make long distance or international calls but if you are highly annoyed at unreliable phone service then stick with your regular line.

Of course there was also the issue with the security system and hassle of porting the phone number.

I'll just stick to paying slightly over $40 a month for the regular "Super Texas Phone" service from Grande.

[falcon999]

i use voip as my second phone line and it works great for that, but i think as one's primary phone line it's not really there yet.

[JHA14894]

We have used T-Mobile's @home service for the last year. They ported over our old number, and we have had excellent reliability and service. There is no difference between the sound quality of a regular land line and the t-mobile. Big positive - $9.99 a month, the drawbacks, must be a T-Mobile customer, if internet is down, your phone is down (in the couple times that has happened, we just used our cells), and you can not utilize a fax machine or security system with the service. We'll never have a land line again.

[falcon999]

i have both a fax machine and a security system and use both of them daily, so I keep both of them on my primary phone line.

I also have a vonage line, and have had one for about 3 years, it's great. I know there are a lot of competitors out there but vonage is extremely stable. It has been up at least as much as my regular line and works very well.