Ooma has a new home phone device utilizing 4G LTE cell connectivity with some internet features. $50 for the device at Walmart and $12+T&F for unlimited calling in the USA. It uses the Sprint network and I guess this device has been around for a while, which I hadn't been aware of.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ooma-811008022471-Phone-Genie/273985689
A most curious device. I'll have to read more, but it seems to provide 500mb of data as well.
Cute idea - thanks for pointing this out Isamorph !!
(Too bad it doesn't use Verizon or AT&T...)
The Straighttalk home phone uses the Verizon network and is similar to the new Ooma cell to analog device, but is $15+t&f a month for unlimited. My Obi device is $0 a month, so it's a keeper.
Our dear old Obi110 has faithfully served for many years & after the EOL for GV usage got placed onto Circlenet as a forward from GV...and now that has gone dead as well - must be that Sam is a bit ahead of schedule on the killing the service off date, I'm guessing...so:
We basically have to choose between;
1 - putting the 110 onto Voip-MS with its monthly cost;
2 - buying a polycom 2xx box;
3. Getting a cheap (used) Ooma box with its smallish monthly costs.
Here's how that shakes out as I see it=>
1 - Great company & services - a valid choice;
2 - Pure distrust due to complete lack of support & folks reporting poor results via forum for a while already;
3 - Another valid choice which is likely the simplest of the 3.
Any affordable & good alternative suggestions will be warmly appreciated !!
Hmmm...its awfuwwy kwiet awound heah...?
Nobuddy got nuffin to add fer dis ??
I find ooma to be worth the small cost. Direct your effort in saving money elsewhere. It has been very reliable and easy to use for me. I bought an obihai with the intention of saving a few bucks but it has been sitting in a drawer ever since. I guess I should sell it before it gets discontinued.
All three options are positive. Since Simonics gvgw beta ended, I have been using an Obi 2xx and I must say it has worked perfectly since then. I haven't received any mention of yearly update fees or EOL stuff, so I'm quite happy with this home phone service for now. I used Ooma many years ago but had lots of problems because of slow internet speeds, I suspect. I've recently heard a few times that Ooma had added some questionable fees to the basic service in addition to what was already charged and some people are paying $ 6 or $ 7 a month now. But I guess where one lives has a lot to with how much basic service costs.
Using your Obi 1xxwould avoid the costs for an Ooma or Obi2xx, money which would pay for quite a bit of service on Voip- MS. Because I've had such good success with my Obi 2xx/GV set up, I'm biased toward that solution. Yet who knows when Polycom will bring up the EOL discussion. But even if it becomes EOL, you'll still have the Obi2xx to switch over to another Voip provider. If my Obi should become defunct, I think I can now just get by with a simless wifi GV app phone for home use.
I have no experience, although I have an Obi sitting across the room still in the box-- bought it on the last sale at New Egg, and it'll be a wintertime project.
I know we have a few folks here that have used (still using?) Magic Jack, and seemed happy with it.
I'm way over my head here. I've been curious about the raspberry pi for a while now . Seems to me these creative folks might have figured out a free /cheap voip system. I used my non google browser to search rasberry pi voip.
Search results here: rasberry pi voip at DuckDuckGo
One interesting result: rasberry pi voip at DuckDuckGo
Interesting? yes. Relevant?????
There are quite a few people setting up their Rps to use for GV VoIP calling as well as for other VoIP calling. The R pi uses so little power they can run 24/7 cheaply. But it takes some knowhow to set them up correctly, although there is much support on the forums for doing so. I may go that route if my simple Obi device goes Kaput, but keeping the Pi VoIP system up to date and avoiding problems seems a bit too time-consuming for my likes. Here's just one link to a DSL Report forum thread about Rasp. Pi VoIP.
Thanks for the terrific replies here Folks !!!
@Mmfacemm:
Your recommendation has great merit & in reality it is the way I'm leaning for this...more below - but if you have a notion to sell a current & genuine pre-polycom Obi 2xx, I'd love to know about that as well ??
@Isamorph:
This is to replace my partner's Obi110 - and given that she is very much NOT technically oriented, part of my thoughts must be to consider the 'what if' maybe I drop dead tomorrow & she moves to new digs, and/or must make changes to VOIP things going forward later on...not happening wth any but the Ooma choice - which is seemingly the very simplest of the lot to just plug in & use.
@KentE:
AFAIK, the MJ + GV combo requires a 3rd party addon & maybe also a running PC - so again, not simple and/or friendly enough for the Ms.
@Als:
Despite my being a career techie and a life-long tinkerer...the RPi stuff sadly falls outside my tinkerer's time budget, and:
If/when I get the time to do so I will tinker with a retired Android TV Box or 2 as those are really tiny full-fledged computers which may just be amenable to some useful tasks if poked at correctly.
@Isamorph...again:
Absolutely correct !!!
-IF- I could be 100% sure that this will have me around to keep it going - but given how this year would be my 45th HS reunion & too many folks 'my age' have been crossing over due to sudden things - it seems most prudent to go with the least fiddly option, which will be under $30 via fleabay for good/used & supposedly just ~$4/month in total fees thereafter.
But, as to the Obi option aside of all the above:
Yes, most emphatically - as long as it still can be used with GV it is absolutely the most economical of all to have & I've adored mine for years & years already.
Now that it is 100% certain that our Circlenet service is quite dead, it is time to move this along, AND;
I just got an email confirming that my offer of just under $25 total for an Ooma was accepted.
(What is funny is that in the meantime another seller made a discount offer to me of ~$28 for another of the same model !!)
Thanks Again for the great replies Folks !!
PS:
Using the page here=>
https://shop.ooma.com/tax_calculator
Brings this result:
Way more than zero - also more than what Voip.MS would cost - but utter simplicity at its best AFAIK.
After it comes & I set it as the forwarding # from GV I'll describe the whole experience here...right now just waiting to make payment as the seller wants to confirm its status before taking our $$.
$4.76 is nice. I was wondering, though, if you can integrate GV with the Ooma device with just the basic service, for in the past I was under the impression that one must be on the premium plan to integrate with GV? Maybe that's not the case anymore or never was the case.
Ooma + GV as a thing of its own is not known to me, BUT:
It has a number so I'd better be able to just forward to it, which will be enough to keep the GV connection for her.
(What I also do not know about is any SMS and/or SMS to email functions - which Voip.MS does include...)
The goal here is for her to have a voice phone at her table that works 100% in & out, which this should provide.
Now, since I just searched it=>
There it says:
It also seems rather complex, so we'll stay small & simple !!
That's good news. Didn't mean to be raise concerns but one never knows. Sounds like you got a good deal on the Ooma device, so simple reliability is on the way.
GoogleVoice + Obi with no monthly will be my first choice. Ooma has ever higher $5.xx monthly fees (I have that, thinking about cancelling) unless you have grandfathered Ooma Core that was sold 10 years ago. Also you can consider getting a set of Panasonic cordless phone system with bluetooth cell to phone feature and your cellphone will connect to home phone system automatically when you step into your house, and you can make and receive your calls with any one of the Panasonic cordless handsets.
I agree that GoogleVoice + Obi200 is a great option. I have been using this for years without any problem. Even though you may have to upgrade boxes every few years, this is a low cost.
I also have a another home phone line on a LG AF300 machine (bought on ebay) with a FreeUp SIM (on the previously offered1000 minute free plan) which has been working without any issues. This setup does not require internet as it is cellular. FreeUp now only offers the 250 minutes free SIM (which may not be enough for your needs) but you can use any ATT MVNO SIM card service with this device.
I have my elderly father on a Sprint Home Connect device (bought on ebay) for several years which is cellular and requires Sprint Service. I had been using Tello paygo as he hardly makes any calls, but now I will need to move him to a plan as they are changing the terms of service. I am weary to move him off Tello as he needs reliable service.
I neglected to mention earlier in this thread that one of the simplest ways to use VoIP to call on the Raspberry Pi, as an alternative to ways mentioned in your duck duck go search, is to get a Rpi4 which comes with the Chromium Browser installed as default on Raspbian OS. If you then sign in to your Google account on Chromium, you will have access to Google Voice from which you can make and receive VoIP calls(if you have a microphone and speaker connected to the Pi), for free using your free Google Voice number.
The AF-300 base is very much like the FWT devices & cerainly a good choice for folks living where cellular signal is dependable.
Yet another cellular-based option is a nifty looking device called Cell2Jack - but here again, in our area cellular can be very hit-or-miss on different days.
Simplicity above all was the highest priority in my own searching, hence the Ooma choice.
Of course it may be that it has some downsides to it which may make buying another Obi a better option at some (much !!) later date - but we'll not hurry into that.