Page 1 of 1

How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:19 am
by EricJRW
Reading up on Vonage, I see this:

"Up to 5 standard phones can be supported per line when using your home wiring. In some cases, more can be added depending on the phones’ Ringer Equivalence Number (REN)." (this from http://support.vonage.com/doc/en_us/1303.xml)

Is there an equivalent page for an ooma hub?

Thanks

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 7:46 am
by murphy
Ooma supports up to 5 REN. Two or three phones with real bells would probably max it out.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:13 am
by scoutconnor
murphy wrote:Ooma supports up to 5 REN. Two or three phones with real bells would probably max it out.
On the same note, you may be able to get 7+ of the new DECT 6.0 phones to work because they are powered externally.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:59 am
by EricJRW
murphy wrote:Ooma supports up to 5 REN. Two or three phones with real bells would probably max it out.
Thanks for the note about "real bells" - One of my phones, a payphone, actually does have a real bell. I'm thinking of installing a switch to cut power (internally) to the bell as it's very LOUD (even at the lowest setting).

Also (scoutconnor), thanks for the tip on the DECT 6.0 phones... We do need new wireless phones... I will keep DECT phones in mind.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:50 am
by dschmidt_2000
EricJRW wrote:Thanks for the note about "real bells" - One of my phones, a payphone, actually does have a real bell.
You mean the Hub does power this payphone's ringer and it works?
I've tried plugging in a bedside phone that isn't that old (maybe 16 years old), has a DTMF keypad but a real bell in it (but with 1 gong) and the Hub can't drive it.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:11 pm
by EricJRW
dschmidt_2000 wrote:
EricJRW wrote:Thanks for the note about "real bells" - One of my phones, a payphone, actually does have a real bell.
You mean the Hub does power this payphone's ringer and it works?
I've tried plugging in a bedside phone that isn't that old (maybe 16 years old), has a DTMF keypad but a real bell in it (but with 1 gong) and the Hub can't drive it.
No problem. In fact I have it, and 2 "modern" phones (i.e. electronic ringers) hooked up at the same time and all ring.

I should point out that this payphone is actually a Taiwanese consumer payphone (designed for small shops). I suspect it's about 12 or 13 years old and is DTMF.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:16 pm
by lbmofo
EricJRW wrote:I should point out that this payphone is actually a Taiwanese consumer payphone (designed for small shops). I suspect it's about 12 or 13 years old and is DTMF.
Nice phones to have :)
Image

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 3:44 pm
by EricJRW
lbmofo wrote:
EricJRW wrote:I should point out that this payphone is actually a Taiwanese consumer payphone (designed for small shops). I suspect it's about 12 or 13 years old and is DTMF.
Nice phones to have :)
Image
Are you a dective by any chance?

That pretty much is my phone... Except mine is red, and does not have a display.

When I bought it, in Taipei a long time ago, the clerk was basically refusing to sell it to me. He was concerned I would have all sorts of problems. I knew the phone would work, so was confused about the concern. Turns out he was trying to tell me it would not work with U.S. coins. I said no problem ("méi wèn tí "), I planned to use NT dollars anyways... And to this day I have a little cup of New Taiwanese dollars next to the phone.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:42 am
by lbmofo
Does it take one of these guys or the 10NT$ ones? Do you have to keep feeding it while a call is going on?

NTY.jpg
NTY.jpg (25.24KiB)Viewed 9604 times
[/size]

I've seen many of these phones (in pink, red, 50's frige green) in Korea and Taiwan. Some Korean restaurants in the US even have them to this date; works with quarters.

Re: How many phones, on the phone jack, can an ooma hub support?

Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:18 am
by EricJRW
Actually it takes these (about 27 to the US dollar when I was first there):
Image

It's a pretty funny phone.

1. You lift the receiver and make sure there is dial-tone (a red LED also lights up).
2. Insert coin (you can't dial until you do, and I think it blocks calls that start with 1 or 0)
3. Dial number. If your party answers, you press the button (green in my case - and the only button I have) and now you can talk (you can't be heard until you press the button, which also takes your coin). If your party does not answer, you just hang up and your coin is returned.

As I recall the LED flashes (maybe there is a tone too) when you are almost out of time... So you can feed another coin in (and press the button).

There is a key-switch on the back that turns off the need for coins.