Review on Obihai CS6719 2 2 Handset Expandable Cordless by Sarah Jackson

Почему мы не переключились раньше, несколько лет back. I'll be late to the party. Well, better late than never! We pay AT&T over $30/month ($360/year) for minimal basic home landline service (their other plans cost more) which we didn't use at all (just got a few telemarketing spam calls, although I did subscribed to the list DO NOT call). Well, it's still nice to have a backup "home number/call number" or when making appointments etc. and like many, since we've been tied to our house number for decades, we just didn't want to do without it so easily. . (especially to avoid the hassle of switching to companies with a new number) Initially I wasn't sure whether to go to this OBI or to Ooma. I did a little research and am very glad I chose this OBI. It is no problem for me. With Ooma, you still have to pay a few dollars a month in local and state taxes. At OBI it is zero. Not to mention that the Ooma device costs twice as much and takes up more space. Ooma also charges $9.99 per month for its "premium features" like blocking calls or using the app to make calls, which is stupid - it's free with Google/OBi. .I also checked Ooma's international calling rates and they are not as good as Google's. Also, Ooma charges $40 to port your old phone number. At OBi, Google charges $20 to port your old number. However, there's an annoying catch: Google doesn't allow porting of landline numbers, so there's a small hurdle to overcome if you want to keep your cherished old landline number; You'll first need to port your landline number to a cell phone provider like T-Mobile (they went very smoothly with the one I've used; this part is free but takes a day to process), AT&T, Verizon, etc - in to believe Google make the number now belong to a wireless service which Google will then accept AND THEN once that is complete request a transfer to Google ($20 fee). To do this, you need a "dummy" phone, buy a prepaid SIM card (from one of the cell phone providers) and use this temporary number for the transfer process. If you don't care about keeping your old home number, you don't have to go through the hassle; Just create a Google account and use the number Google gives you. This can be confusing at first, especially if you've never used Google Voice before. What this OBI device basically is, it allows you to assign various VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services to it, so you can then connect your old "brick" phones to it; Google Voice has just emerged as the preferred choice. Google Voice isn't actually a carrier/telephone service - Google Voice simply routes numbers to you like a secretary. It's pretty amazing and awesome what he can do. Now I can even send an SMS with my home number. It can email me missed calls/view voicemail transcripts/just listen to them. It's much more convenient than using the old built-in answering machine to check messages or dialing a number to check voicemail. Now I even get caller ID. AT&T landlines charge that much for these "premium features". but all this and more is now free with OBi/Google. To make international calls, the minimum deposit amount is $10. I like that unlike Skype, Google Voice doesn't charge connection fees for international calls. phone calls! Unlike Ooma, they charge you $10/month for this feature, which Google gives away for free! Google has "Screen Calls" enabled by default, which doesn't directly connect the caller (until they say their name), so you'll want to disable that. I found I got more spam calls when I signed up with Google. Not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but Google also has an option to block known spam calls. It is also very easy to block numbers. I wish Google would only allow audio files to be uploaded as voicemail, but you can set it up with just your own ringtone/voice. Ooma is probably suitable for beginners and people who don't want to deal with the setup/porting hassle. If you're looking to save more money, want more customization, or already love Google Voice, then OBi is the easy choice. Many ISPs have also started offering home phone service in a bundle, prices vary from $10 to $30 per month, but it's the same. VOIP, so it's better to buy one of those devices instead. This OBi device is useless without internet and a router - or if you don't even have a "brick" phone to connect to; or if you want to get rid of "brick phones" completely and upgrade your whole house by just using tablets/smartphones or pc only with WIFI to make calls then you don't even need this product and you can just subscribe to google and use for this Hangouts dialer app (provided you don't need 911 emergency services as google voice doesn't support 911 calling; if you need it you need this obi/brick phone connect/add/subscribe/pay monthly fee for emergency 911 call only ). However, if you're an elderly person or just love the old-fashioned way of using your brick phones at home, this OBi device can help cut costs. If you want to save money in the long run, it will require some of your time and money up front. In the end it's definitely worth it. It's nice to have one less account to worry about. Benefits: - Reduce bills! - No more landlines, but you can still use your old "brick" home phones. (assuming you have internet) - More features than landline services that cost more (giving you cheap international calling, call forwarding, caller ID, three-way calling, voicemail transcription, text messaging, etc.) - Small and easy to set up - Better than OomaCons: - It depends on the internet/router, so if one of them goes down you won't be able to make calls. (No big deal) - Emergency 911 is not included and you need to add this/pay a small fee/month for it. (Doesn't really matter) - Unless you're very tech savvy, it may take some time to think about it. - Porting your old landline number is a bit confusing/redundant as you have to port twice. - My OBi device does not have the 'Google Voice' logo on the front of the device as advertised. I find it a bit odd, but still (I think it looks cleaner without)