Ooma on borrowed wireless?

December 20, 2010 8:39 PM

Is Ooma a good phone solution for my parents? They spend 5 months a year in Florida, and in that time are welcome to use their neighbour's wireless.

The only drawback seems to be that you need to plug the telo into your wireless router - since the router is at their friends' place, my Dad is looking for a wireless hub, where one can plug in up to 4 devices and the hub connects wirelessly to the router.

Is this a good idea? Do you have any suggestions as to what would work better? They find that paying for a land line for the short time they are there is expensive, and I find that the delay/sound quality on my Mom's cel phone is really impeding our chats!

I've read the responses to this question, which sound really positive, but some people seemed concerned about how long the company was going to be in business. Since that's from last year, I guess they're doing alright? Thoughts? Thanks!

posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

I'd be more worried about the voice quality over a wireless connection than anything else. Wifi doesn't handle small packets well and the quality of the signal from the neighbors place could have a big impact on performance. A good friend has had Ooma for a year and likes the service but I'm unsure of the long term viability of the company.
posted by white_devil at 8:02 AM on December 21, 2010

I've been on Ooma for more than a year now. Love it. If it turns into a brick tomorrow, it was still a purchase that has paid for itself multiple times over already.

The wireless hop between Telo and the physical broadband connection is probably asking for trouble though.

Just a suggestion, if they have a PC there in Florida, why not do skype or google voice instead?
posted by mcstayinskool at 9:34 AM on December 21, 2010