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The Scout takes mere seconds to install, provided that you already have a phone and telephone line in place. Although the Scout is a valuable and easy to install device, I took away a star for its unreliability and Ooma's unenthusiastic customer service. Once you have the Hub installed to DSL or cable modem, you can then add as many Scouts as you want to connect the phones throughout your house using the internal telephone wiring.
The unit automatically detects and connects to the hub.My Scout did stop working after about three weeks of use, whether because of an undetected power surge or simply hardware failure. In Ooma's defense, I did get a replacement Scout with postage paid for the return of the defective unit.Potential buyers of the Ooma system should read my review of the ooma Core VoIP Phone System with No Monthly Phone Service Bills since their internet/home configurations may not be well suited to this option. It took another month or so for Ooma to send me a replacement.
The Scout is a 4" by 3" device designed as an extension to a main Ooma VoIP Hub. You can also replay your voice messages on this auxiliary until by pressing the arrow. I love that I didn't have to buy special phones and that I could use my existing phone number and landline back-up.
Although you won't need this if all you have is one cordless telephone set with a single base station (the hub automatically connects all those handsets), you will want to purchase one or more Scouts to connect the corded/wired phones in your house. The buttons allow you to call out on a second line if the first is in use; simply press "2," and you get the Ooma dial tone.
this does not work without the HUB which is like 200$ so this instrument is worth less without the 200$ hub.
But this is no biggie at all. Not having to pay a dime more for phone service each month is the clincher for me. The only complaint I would have is that the Caller ID doesn't show the caller's 1 before their number so you can't just hit "call back" with my phone set but must key in the access 1 and then the caller's number. I was skeptical. I hope Ooma stays in business and keeps their free phone service with all its bells and whistles (free as in free beer). (I had Vonage before.). But this VOIP device simplifies my life. Setting it up was easy and it works like a charm.
Still, the instructions ooma provides does make it easy to install as long as you have home phone wiring that is in good condition.The price for the scout is well worth it. And you can combine both methods to meet a variety of needs.With the new switching to a tiered pricing model, the uses for the scout seem to be expanding. And the ability to make calls from both your main hub and the scout at the SAME TIME make this very useful.The only challenge with the scout is that you have to use your home phone wiring to connect it. That's a cool feature for families or apartment sharers.
So there are a few ways to use the ooma system throughout your house. For only $60 you can extend your system to multiple floors or jacks as long as they share the same wiring. It's probably not a problem for most people, but those with older wiring or shared wiring may be limited by this. The first is to have a cordless phone with a good range connected to your ooma Hub.
Or, even a business that operates multiple storefronts could take advantage of seperate lines.Either way, using the scout will let you pick up and make ooma calls from the phone hooked up to your scout. That's a great feature.Alternatively, if you only want to hook up a cordless phone to your ooma hub, newer DECT systems like the GE 28821FE2 Dect 6.0 Digital Cordless Phone and Digital Answering System offer wider range that may be enough for a single family home.You may have to test your options, but for many people the scout will be an almost necessary add-on to their ooma system.Enjoy. The second way is to use an ooma Scout device in your bedrooms or another location. If you sign up for the premium service you can add additional phone numbers to your ooma account and have the scout be used for a seperate "virtual" line.
They don't know what I am talking about when we are troubleshooting their problems. every time I see a commercial for these voice over the internet services that charge you a monthly fee, I think why not get this Ooma box. I suggest you don't stack the DSL box under the Ooma server box because of the heat. I had the Ooma set up and working in less than an hour. it is the same thing but it your DSL line is the only charge you will have. I spent 250 dollars for the box and "scout" the only problems I have had have been with the Phone company and my internet service.
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