Ooma Review – Free Phone Calls, No Monthly Bills
Ooma a company launched in 2005. They want to offer free VoIP services fro the lifetime. You will buy the device once and make unlimited calls in the US. There are no monthly bills. Ooma will reshape the VoIP.
How Ooma Works
The device bundle that they give you has a hub and a scout. You have to plug it into your existing system and start using it. The hub gets plugged to your DSL and the scout gets plugged into your phone line. Ooma like others also works on P2P, like Skype but does not need any PC to work. You receive and make calls via other Ooma hubs. No need to relay on PSTN structure.you will need a high speed internet. you need to be in US in order to make free calls to US. You can make free calls internationally only to the Ooma users.
ooma’s Cost
Ooma eliminates the monthly bills. The only cost that you will have to pay is the price to buy the device bundle. Back in 2005 when it was launched the price was really high, $600. Then ooma thought price was the main concern for the customers so they reduced it to $250. An additional account will cost you $59. At this price it is very much comparable with the services like Vonage. Once you bring that device home after that everything is free. The forever part has been in doubt also, it was thought that it was for 3 years, then the co founder of Ooma Dennis Peng said that the three year was a misunderstanding and has been removed from the terms and conditions. We don’t have any plans to do that. So now you still are able to get hat device for lifetime. International calls are pre-paid but are very low priced.
Specifications And Features
Ooma devices have a great look. The design of the device is very nice. The design is not just attractive but also user-friendly easy to use.
The installation is very easy. It is real plug and play device. Ooma does not have any extraordinary features just basic ones like, call-waiting, caller-ID, and voicemail. E911 is also supported. Ooma had to be made easier to understand and more accessible to public says Dennis Peng. So most people who say it is not worth it, have nit yet tried it. If you really are looking for some extra features then you must get the paid ooma Premier service. It is offered for $99 a year.
Ooma is a stand alone service so it does not has to be attached to a landline, but you can. The price is the same. In the first case users are given a phone number. That can be even port from the earlier services. If you have standalone option then you have a new phone number. Users can also use the device outside the US as it is a standalone device. So if both the parties have Ooma box they can talk free.
Ooma Cons
There are not as many features as you might think. So if you use the services you will like to go for the premium, feature-packed services. Ooma is easy to set up but is closed, not good for the people who do not want to play with the device all the time. Free unlimited calls are possible only within the US.
Bottom Line
This means that if you are not in US Ooma is not for you. But if you are there you have the huge opportunity to quit out of your monthly bills. Ooma offers money back guarantee. $25 can be a good amount to spend. So once you pay then you will be able to make free calls forever. You can buy Ooma from many places in US and also online.