TIP: Limits of Telo when using non-Ooma 2-line phones
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 4:59 pm
For anyone who wants to use their existing non-Ooma 2-line phone with a Telo to fully access both lines, while keeping 1 existing landline and porting the other number to Ooma: Don't bother. Apparently it can't be done. Despite assurances from support staff BEFORE I bought my Telo that it would be no problem using my Vtech 2-line phone with the device, I have encountered a series of problems trying to get both lines to work. I literally have spent the past 7 hours troubleshooting with Ooma support, and have placed no less than a dozen or so total calls to their support line since recently purchasing my Telo.
I have received exactly 4 different answers as to whether fully integrating 2 existing phone lines into the Telo is even possible at all at this point in time ("yes", "no" or "yes, but..."). In fact, the answer to almost any question you ask varies, depending on who you speak with. Clearly no training at all has been done on this issue, and judging from responses I've received on other problems as well, little coordination seems to be taking place. At times it has seemed as if they are making up answers as they go along.
PROBLEM #1: "Phantom" calls from one line ring to the other line continually...sometimes 1-2 minutes apart, other times 5-10 minutes or even 30 minutes apart. No clear pattern at all. The phone rings, you answer it, but no one is there....you only hear a dial tone. If you don't answer, you receive a voice mail from these phantom calls -- again, the message is simply the dial tone.
PROBLEM #2: When talking on the phone line (including calls to Ooma support) and one of these phantom calls comes in, it rings about 3 times then disconnects the 1st caller. AND the phone goes dead -- you can get no dial tone at all afterward, forcing you to disconnect the power from your cable modem, your router, and your Telo, then boot-up all 3 again in order to get a dial tone again. (Of course, in the meantime, you are left without any way for Ooma support to call you back -- forcing you to call again after you've restored service and reiterate the problem again to yet another support rep.)
PROBLEM #3: You must choose which of your 2 phone numbers you want to show up in the caller ID for ALL outgoing calls you place with the Telo -- regardless of which of your 2 lines you use to place the call. So calls from both Line 1 and Line 2 all show up as if they were made from Line 2 (or Line 1, depending on which line you prefer).
PROBLEM #4: No caller ID appears for incoming calls -- every call shows only as "unknown". Pre-Ooma, when I used only my landline service, caller ID was automatic. I "ported" one of my 2 landlines to Ooma (effective yesterday), and attempted to integrate the 2nd non-Ooma number. But no incoming caller ID shows for either line now -- even though I'm still paying my landline provider for it, and even though Ooma itself is supposed to show it.
PROBLEM #5: You cannot place 2 separate calls on the Telo at the same time, using your 2 phone lines. If you are on 1 line and a call comes into the 2nd line, you can place the 1st call on hold to answer the 2nd line, then either join the 2 lines together for a conference call OR return to the 1st call after you've completed the 2nd call. But if there are 2 people in your home who each need to use a different line at the same time, forget it. Not possible.
Although the phantom calls seem to have completely baffled the various support reps I've spoken with, I'm told that some (not all) of the other problems may be resolved when the new Telo handset begins shipping in mid-November. Which means I'm essentially without 1 of my 2 lines for the next 3 weeks -- and am uncertain if even then I will have acceptable service. Given the string of issues thus far, I'm not that hopeful.
(UPDATE: Corrected previous general references to Ooma to specify the Telo instead, as appropriate.)
I have received exactly 4 different answers as to whether fully integrating 2 existing phone lines into the Telo is even possible at all at this point in time ("yes", "no" or "yes, but..."). In fact, the answer to almost any question you ask varies, depending on who you speak with. Clearly no training at all has been done on this issue, and judging from responses I've received on other problems as well, little coordination seems to be taking place. At times it has seemed as if they are making up answers as they go along.
PROBLEM #1: "Phantom" calls from one line ring to the other line continually...sometimes 1-2 minutes apart, other times 5-10 minutes or even 30 minutes apart. No clear pattern at all. The phone rings, you answer it, but no one is there....you only hear a dial tone. If you don't answer, you receive a voice mail from these phantom calls -- again, the message is simply the dial tone.
PROBLEM #2: When talking on the phone line (including calls to Ooma support) and one of these phantom calls comes in, it rings about 3 times then disconnects the 1st caller. AND the phone goes dead -- you can get no dial tone at all afterward, forcing you to disconnect the power from your cable modem, your router, and your Telo, then boot-up all 3 again in order to get a dial tone again. (Of course, in the meantime, you are left without any way for Ooma support to call you back -- forcing you to call again after you've restored service and reiterate the problem again to yet another support rep.)
PROBLEM #3: You must choose which of your 2 phone numbers you want to show up in the caller ID for ALL outgoing calls you place with the Telo -- regardless of which of your 2 lines you use to place the call. So calls from both Line 1 and Line 2 all show up as if they were made from Line 2 (or Line 1, depending on which line you prefer).
PROBLEM #4: No caller ID appears for incoming calls -- every call shows only as "unknown". Pre-Ooma, when I used only my landline service, caller ID was automatic. I "ported" one of my 2 landlines to Ooma (effective yesterday), and attempted to integrate the 2nd non-Ooma number. But no incoming caller ID shows for either line now -- even though I'm still paying my landline provider for it, and even though Ooma itself is supposed to show it.
PROBLEM #5: You cannot place 2 separate calls on the Telo at the same time, using your 2 phone lines. If you are on 1 line and a call comes into the 2nd line, you can place the 1st call on hold to answer the 2nd line, then either join the 2 lines together for a conference call OR return to the 1st call after you've completed the 2nd call. But if there are 2 people in your home who each need to use a different line at the same time, forget it. Not possible.
Although the phantom calls seem to have completely baffled the various support reps I've spoken with, I'm told that some (not all) of the other problems may be resolved when the new Telo handset begins shipping in mid-November. Which means I'm essentially without 1 of my 2 lines for the next 3 weeks -- and am uncertain if even then I will have acceptable service. Given the string of issues thus far, I'm not that hopeful.
(UPDATE: Corrected previous general references to Ooma to specify the Telo instead, as appropriate.)