Ooma Review

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How Does Ooma Work?

Installation is as simple as most other VoIP services, but there is a difference. While other companies provide their customers with phone-to-router adapters, the Ooma PureVoice™ HD Telo is a router.

Once you decide on the plan you want, Ooma will send you a Ooma PureVoice HD Telo router free of charge. Once it arrives, simply plug your home phone into the Ooma PureVoice HD router, plug your ethernet internet line into the Ooma router, and you have home phone service.

What Makes Ooma Telo Stand Out?

With respect to sound quality, Ooma is in a class all its own. Unaffected by internet congestion, Ooma claims that its service is 30 percent more clear than other VoIP service providers. Ooma PureVoice™ HD technology is a collection of advanced technologies that make it possible to have voice clarity even with poor internet service or cell phone reception.

Because the Ooma HD Voice Telo is a router, that allows for a wide variety of options that other VoIP service providers cannot offer. For one, you can — and should — use the Ooma HD Voice Telo adaptor box to send internet around your house to your PCs, mobile devices and handhelds.

And, because Ooma PureVoice™ HD technology is packaged as a router, you can take advantage of things like advanced voice compression — a feature that reduces bandwidth by 60 percent over standard VoIP technology. Calls through Ooma PureVoice™ HD technology are also encrypted, seriously encrypted. Ooma uses the same encryption technology governments use to protect classified data.

Other features that make Ooma stand out include wire-speed QoS and adaptive redundancy. Both features are unique to Ooma with respect to other VoIP service providers, save a couple of exceptions.

Common Reviews of Ooma Telo

The claims Ooma makes with respect to call quality and clarity are not disputed in most reviews. Ooma call quality is second to none according to the majority of review sites and independent reviewers.

The biggest complaint is the fact that many features offered for free by other VoIP service providers require an Ooma Premier account. In addition, the fact that Ooma Telo does not offer a softphone feature — which allows a person to use their home phone from anywhere in the world while paying local rates (free) — is a major shortcoming for those who travel regularly or live abroad.

Is Ooma Right for Me?

Unlike many VoIP service providers, the highest priority for Ooma is not offering the lowest price. If you are someone who puts call quality above monthly rates, Ooma is for you. While Ooma costs a little more than many of the other VoIP service providers, what they claim to be the case is true: Ooma’s PureVoice™ HD technology make phone calls clear even under the most extreme of conditions.

If you are someone who makes international phone calls regularly or you live in an area with a weak internet signal, both the price of Ooma’s World Plan and the fact that Ooma’s call clarity is unparalleled in the world of VoIP, makes Ooma right for you.

About the Author

Jeff Hindenach

Jeff Hindenach is the co-founder of Versus Reviews. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He has a long history of journalism, with a background writing for newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Examiner, as well as writing for The Huffington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, Newsday and The Street. He believes in giving readers the tools they need to get out of debt.