Ooma Phone Service

...and here begins the reviews of new gadgets/electronics that we have bought for the move to our new home.

First up: Ooma Phone Service





We had purchased the Ooma last month, off recommendation of our friend, Andy. We bought it from amazon.com for $127.70.

The idea is that you buy this unit, connect it to your high speed internet, and you only pay applicable taxes and fees. The calls within the US are free, and apparently, there are low International rates as well, which I probably would hardly ever use. I don't love using my cell phone as my only telephone option, and much prefer using a traditional handheld (with a headset, if you must know) while I'm at home on any long-length calls.

So basically, you buy the unit up front, but after that, your phone rates are at a minimum.

One of other main reasons why we bought this is because they also offer a option (for a one-time fee) to port your existing phone number. Meaning, I'm hoping I can retain the home phone number that I've used for the last 18 years in San Francisco. We're going through that process right now (it can take 3-5 weeks to complete that transition) so I'm hoping it'll work. In the meantime, I have a new number.

We only had the chance to set it up two nights ago. The set up was very fast (under 15 minutes, as advertised) and seems to work perfectly so far. The set up was very simple: First you go online to choose a new phone number (and it can be any area code in the US). Next connect your unit to your high speed internet via ethernet, connect unit to your phone, and plug it in. That was pretty much it. I used it for a number of phone calls yesterday, and I'm pleased so far with the voice quality.

Here's hoping we are able to get our old number switched over, and that product continues to work well!