Vonage, Magic Jack, Ooma

[Snowman9000]

This is an offshoot of another thread.

I want to get an internet based land line. I get the concept but have no experience with it. Which one do you recommend and why? Let me add, I'm willing to pay a recurring fee if it gets me a better service, etc.

[APT]

I had Vonage for several years before porting to Ooma a few years ago. I use my own handsets, something like this 4-system set. $125 for the VOIP modem, $120/yr for the premium services and $4/mo for taxes/fees.

[Snowman9000]

That's good to know because it appeared to me that the Ooma was not going to allow non-Ooma phones and devices.

[Lynnmor]

jackquontee wrote:


Yes, I am using the phones sold by Ooma. Are you suggesting that I can hook up non-Ooma phones to the Ooma Telo base and avoid the disconnect problem I'm having? It would be nice.

I just disconnected the incoming telephone line at the box where it is attached to the house. Then I connected the Telo to a wall jack. Everything works as before I switched. Some phones may have issues, so test each one. I have 8 phones and 1 fax machine in 2 buildings working just fine. One phone has a message received lamp that goes on at times so I need to change that one.

[jackquontee]

Lynnmor wrote:

jackquontee wrote:
I have had Ooma since they came out to market and presently have the TELO model. For the past year or so I have been having problems with the handsets maintaining a connection and periodically have to disconnect the power to reset.

I use all the original phones that were in the house and they work. Don't know if you are using those sold by OOMA.

Yes, I am using the phones sold by Ooma. Are you suggesting that I can hook up non-Ooma phones to the Ooma Telo base and avoid the disconnect problem I'm having? It would be nice.

[dshinnick]

Used OOMA for several years before going on the road. Just fabulous. Free (at that time) nationwide service with great call quality. I still have the 6-year-old unit which I hope to put right back in service when we dry-dock. You can even configure your connection to the phone company so that whatever jack you plug a regular phone into, the call will go out via Ooma. In a few parks where we've been, the internet service has been good but our cell phones couldn't connect to anything. So I broke out the ooma, in our RV, and used it! Now, don't bank on doing this often; most parks' wifi don't provide consistent high-bandwidth service to make this work. And, cell phones work adequately most of the time as well. It was just fun to see Ooma right back in the game.

[1775]

I have Magic Jack in my home office. It works fine. One fee per year - $35. Unlike the original Magic Jack you do not need to have it connected through a computer - just a router or ethernet switch. Like any of the internet based phone services, you need a working internet connection coming through a router so you are still paying someone for internet service to your house. All voicemail will be forwarded to your email. It also includes a free app to access your magic jack number on your cell phone - but be aware that the app is very intrusive and is always running on the phone.

[bgum]

We use VTech phones. They pair with our cell phones and operate just like home phones. No cost per month just purchase price.

[ROYBUCK]

I have the cell based home phone through Verizon, have 5 phones hooked up to it very happy with the service, You can also if you travel take it with you plug it in and get calls just like if you where home. $24.30 a month includes all taxes and fees. Roy

[MNGeeks61]

We have an Ooma Telo and 10 MB DSL at our camper.

I did my research, although more than a few seasonal folks up there have MagicJacks, I found their customer service to be a little less than helpful. Ooma on the other hand has been great.

I plug in our cordless phone to the Ooma and then use two other bases so we have a phone outside most times.

We signed up for the premium ($10/month) so we can call forward to cell phones and do call blocking. We ported the number from our landline. But $4/month for a telephone beats the heck out of the landline that I paid $35+ taxes for. Oh, and it's lasted through one of the coldest winters we have had last year, in an insulated Minnesota room.

There are other companies who do voice over ip phones too.

[donn0128]

Web based phones still require you to have a wired internet connection. As an alternative for 20 dollars a month Veeizon and ATT sell a cell based home phone connect. Same unlimited nationwide talk that a cell phone has.

[Lynnmor]

jackquontee wrote:
I have had Ooma since they came out to market and presently have the TELO model. For the past year or so I have been having problems with the handsets maintaining a connection and periodically have to disconnect the power to reset.

I use all the original phones that were in the house and they work. Don't know if you are using those sold by OOMA.

[Gonzo42]

I purchased two MagicJacks and they both suffered from excess line noise like static and was subject to numerous disconnects. These were the original type. New types may be better.

The company was absolutely no help.

[trb46]

I've had MagicJack for three years. Works fine. I have received ZERO telemarketer calls. Any voice mail calls get sent to my computer as .wav files which I can listen to then delete. Computer does not have to be on for MagicJack to work.

[jackquontee]

I have had Ooma since they came out to market and presently have the TELO model. For the past year or so I have been having problems with the handsets maintaining a connection and periodically have to disconnect the power to reset.

I was just looking at going back to the magicjack but am reluctant as I am not sure if the issue really lies with Ooma or my ISP. Decisions, decisions.