VoIP, Ooma, Vonage, Skype, etc.

[BAwithkids]

I've seen a number of posts about Vonage, but not about Ooma. Does anyone use it? I will be working in BA for a year, and love the idea of "bringing" my home phone number with me (which Ooma can do), and not having to pay the Vonage monthly fee (which seems steep for VoIP, but maybe I'm misreading the cost).

I know I could get a Skype number in my home area code, but Ooma would let me use a regular phone as well as keeping my number, and the short term cost would probably be a wash (long-term, Ooma actually seems cheaper)... Plus, the Amazon reviews on Ooma seem much better than Vonage. On the other hand, Vonage/Skype seem more "known quantities," and I worry a little about the big initial cost of an Ooma Telo if it doesn't work.

Any thoughts/recommendations?

 

[TrevorCito]

Using a regular phone and keeping your number is what I have done through a voip Telco in Australia. It works perfectly and means that my family, friends and colleagues call a local number in Australia which rings in my office in bs.as. It rocks because my incoming calls are free and my outgoing to Australia are local call rates. I have a separate phone for bs.as through telecom which is a common phone, number and setup, not voip.

I can't comment specifically on ooma nor vonage (rates, quality) but provided you go with a voip as a technology, the intent of what your trying to achieve should work.

I'm anti Skype because they have reinvented the technology wheel, cost more and and provide an inferior service to voip base solutions.

 

[Roxana]

@BAwithkids, your made a very funny typo. At the end of your paragraph you wrote telo instead of tecno.

This is a good way to start to learn few words of lunfardo (slang)

 

[BAwithkids]

@BAwithkids, your made a very funny typo. At the end of your paragraph you wrote telo instead of tecno.

This is a good way to start to learn few words of lunfardo (slang)

I will need to start learning some lunfardo! However, Telo is actually the name of the Ooma model I'm looking at .

 

[BAwithkids]

I can't comment specifically on ooma nor vonage (rates, quality) but provided you go with a voip as a technology, the intent of what your trying to achieve should work.

I'm anti Skype because they have reinvented the technology wheel, cost more and and provide an inferior service to voip base solutions.

Thanks for the response! Interesting that you see Skype as costing more - it seems pretty comparable (and, of course, is free Skype to Skype)...

 

[chilady]

I use whistle. You download it on your computer like Skype and you can make free calls to landlines and cell phones to the US. Plus, you get to pick the area code of the phone number they assign you.

 

[TrevorCito]

Thanks for the response! Interesting that you see Skype as costing more - it seems pretty comparable (and, of course, is free Skype to Skype)...

I agree, depending on way you do, it could be cheaper.

I did use Skype a few years ago and it did work. I suppose I dislike Skype because I'm a technical moralists who for various reasons object to how they have broken a standard (voip) by introducing their own... and done it poorly.... but this is an issue few people need to be concerned with.

 

[BAwithkids]

I use whistle. You download it on your computer like Skype and you can make free calls to landlines and cell phones to the US. Plus, you get to pick the area code of the phone number they assign you.

Thanks - I haven't heard of whistle! Can you use a regular phone with it, or do you have to use a computer phone/headset?

 

[chilady]

Yes, Whistle is from your computer to housephones/cell phones. So I'm not sure if that will work for you or not. I use it all the time and I have doctors or whoever call me back on the number.

 

[Sleuth]

Ooma looks interesting, especially if you only plan to call US numbers. However, it looks like features you may want (sending voice mail to email, etc.) require a monthly plan. See http://michaelbluejay.com/consumer/phone.html

I am a true Vonage fan. I have it plugged in to my router, so never have to worry about having the computer on (a la Skype). I use a regular cordless phone. I forward calls to my Argentine cell phone at $0.07/min. I pay for the yearly plan so it only costs $269.99. I get most international calls for free.

If you want something that "just works" I'd go with Vonage.