Anyone using a Telo with a Sentry call blocker?

Having trouble placing or receiving calls or using your voicemail system on Ooma Telo VoIP Phones? Post your questions here.
parrothead61
Posts:9
Joined:Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:21 am
Re: Anyone using a Telo with a Sentry call blocker?

Post by parrothead61 » Wed Aug 11, 2021 10:18 am

Yeah, I have it hooked up as in option 1. Out of curiosity, was your problem with the 3.1 the same as mine (it did not detect caller ID from Telo, therefore causing all incoming calls to be unrecognized and have to press 0)?

Pat

murphy
Posts:7554
Joined:Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:49 pm
Location:Pennsylvania

Re: Anyone using a Telo with a Sentry call blocker?

Post by murphy » Wed Aug 11, 2021 10:32 am

Caller ID is sent between the first and second ring. You must wait until after the second ring to answer if you want the caller ID to work.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

Nevada County
Posts:8
Joined:Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:43 pm

Re: Anyone using a Telo with a Sentry call blocker?

Post by Nevada County » Wed Aug 11, 2021 10:33 am

Yeah, that's exactly what mine did too. I'm also curious as to when whitelist calls go unanswered and go to voice mail, does Ooma answering machine work properly, i.e. take the messages and send you an email that you have a message? I want to make sure that feature still works.
And I did just try to call Sentry again about the problem and someone answered and I was able to describe the problem with the Ooma and 3.1 and he really didn't have an answer but offered to send me a 2.2 for a trial to see if it would work for me. Now that's customer service.

parrothead61
Posts:9
Joined:Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:21 am

Re: Anyone using a Telo with a Sentry call blocker?

Post by parrothead61 » Wed Aug 11, 2021 10:46 am

I've never used the Ooma answering machine myself so I can't really speak to that. I have my own answering machine still, from before we had Ooma, so I have Ooma configured to not answer until 25 rings or whatever, and my own machine would pick up before that. But in my configuration, when a whitelist number calls, the Sentry just leaves it alone so I either answer it myself by picking up on any phone, or if I'm not home the physical answering machine will get it after 4 rings.

Pat

bashley101
Posts:10
Joined:Sun May 20, 2018 11:40 am

Re: Anyone using a Telo with a Sentry call blocker?

Post by bashley101 » Wed Jul 12, 2023 9:19 pm

I've used 4 Sentry devices with Ooma. The first one (at least 5 years ago, the oldest model) worked perfectly for years until it didn't -- it started passing ALL calls through automatically. A second unit passed NO calls through. A third unit passed NO calls through. The one I received today ($90 model currently available) has several failure modes:

1. You can't set its own ringer off. I see no point in having this and it's a major annoyance.
2. In one mode it clicks ALL calls off.
3. In one mode it passes ALL calls through AND feeds in the 'If you're a telemarketer" message.
4. Switching the connection between in-line and splitter just changes the failure mode. I'm leaving it in splitter mode because at least calls come through (with the telemarketer message).
5. It doesn't save the numbers of the calls it receives, although it saved the two numbers I fed in by hand.
6. One particular telemarketer calls once per hour. I would like to block that number by hand, but the Sentry doesn't have that function -- you have to search the call list and reject it there. Since incoming numbers aren't saved...

The Sentry, as far as I know, is the only blocker that demands that telemarketers press 0 -- this is the only useful blocking function since the home-remodeling people call at least 10 times a day now. All different numbers, of course. When the original Sentry worked only a few telemarketers were brave enough to press 0.

I'm going to call Ooma tomorrow. Perhaps they know of a Sentry-equivalent that actually works.

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