Anyone tried Ooma? (free VoIP)

[Alex Franke]

My $9/month phone service deal ended a couple months ago, so I'm looking for deals again. Ooma caught my attention after reading some stellar reviews. Anyone tried it yet?

http://www.ooma.com/

~$220 (in cart) for the hardware, but no other charges after that -- forever. (Or at least as long as they stay in business. :lol: ) The free version is for basic phone service with call waiting, voicemail, and E911. Other features (that I don't really use) are available with a premium subscription that costs about $10/month.

ooma Core VoIP Phone System with No Monthly Phone Service Bills
New: Too low to display (100% savings)
Used: Not available used
Rating: 4.5 of 5, 532 review(s)

[conwaygolfer]

Skype?

Have you considered Skype? My uncle called me last night from Orlando, using it with a wireless mike and it sounded as good as any landline. He said it was a free call anywhere in the USA and Canada.

He even turned it into a conference call by calling another relative. He said it would conference up to 25 people at once. I was impressed. Just need a computer and get the free download from Skype.

Thanks,
Glenn

[Alex Franke]

Have you considered Skype? My uncle called me last night from Orlando, using it with a wireless mike and it sounded as good as any landline. He said it was a free call anywhere in the USA and Canada.

Yeah, thanks for the tip. We use Skype for video calls mainly. The problem with Skype is that it requires the computer to be on, and there are fees for typical phone features such as voicemail and connecting to land lines. (Plus, can you get an actual phone number with Skype?)

The ooma solution appeals to me because it seems to include all the functionality of a traditional land line (except of course relies on power and network connection).

[footprintsinconc]

i just heard about it last night from a friend and we didnt go into details. i just bought magic jack about 2 months ago, so not going to change for a while now.

for those with magic jack, you can program an old voip box to be the magic jack and not have to have the computer running all the time. so you would only need the internet modem running.

[thrytis]

It looks interesting, though maybe it would be good to review their financial statement first. There are some threads at Slickdeals.net such as this one that give it pretty good reviews.

[cgallery]

It looks interesting, though maybe it would be good to review their financial statement first. There are some threads at Slickdeals.net such as this one that give it pretty good reviews.

Yep, the problem w/ free lifetime service is that it just isn't possible to offer that w/o simultaneously creating a sort of Ponzi scheme. They have continued costs for you placing calls, that doesn't come free. Eventually they are counting on new subscribers to pay for previous ones.

[jziegler]

Yep, the problem w/ free lifetime service is that it just isn't possible to offer that w/o simultaneously creating a sort of Ponzi scheme. They have continued costs for you placing calls, that doesn't come free. Eventually they are counting on new subscribers to pay for previous ones.

That is not necessarily true. Since there is an upfront cost, part of that cost is probably going to pay for the service, and if invested could pay for the cost of placing calls, which is pretty low. I doubt that the hardware they provide costs anywhere close to what they charge for it (probably under $100 to produce in quantity). Plus there is ongoing revenue for people paying for the premium service, placing international calls, etc. This might be a viable long term business plan (or it might not). But to dismiss it as a Ponzi scheme seems a bit too simplistic to me.

Jim

[thrytis]

Yep, the problem w/ free lifetime service is that it just isn't possible to offer that w/o simultaneously creating a sort of Ponzi scheme. They have continued costs for you placing calls, that doesn't come free. Eventually they are counting on new subscribers to pay for previous ones.

While sufficient income is a concern, i wouldn't call it a Ponzi scheme. I'm sure they're counting on people upgrading to their premier service ($100/year), and they charge for calls outside of the free calling area. The blacklist feature would make me seriously consider upgrading if i used their service as my main line.

I think i saw someplace that it is free for the life of the device (not the person), which means if they can get people to replace their device either because it stops working or they want to upgrade to a new version from time to time, they'll have another income stream.