Scout question

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diddlydoo
Posts:60
Joined:Sat May 01, 2010 7:17 pm
Scout question

Post by diddlydoo » Sat May 01, 2010 7:23 pm

I bought the hub and scout (core) unit. I connected the Hub today.

I'm using a cordless base phone in my office with a cradle charger in my bedroom with the 2nd cordless phone. Both phones are working with the hub.

I guess I don't need the scout then right?

Can I still use it in my bedroom with the second phone even though it's just a cradle/charger? It would be nice to have the scout with that phone also.

Sorry if a dumb question. lol :D

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

Re: Scout question

Post by murphy » Sun May 02, 2010 2:38 am

No, you need a separate phone connected to the scout directly to use it as a phone system. You can use the scout without a phone connected to it to retrieve your voicemail.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

diddlydoo
Posts:60
Joined:Sat May 01, 2010 7:17 pm

Re: Scout question

Post by diddlydoo » Sun May 02, 2010 4:50 am

murphy wrote:No, you need a separate phone connected to the scout directly to use it as a phone system. You can use the scout without a phone connected to it to retrieve your voicemail.
Thanks Murphy for the reply.

Actually that's what I was wondering. Even if not a separate phone but one with a cradle/charger, could I still use the Scout with that phone to check messages, send directly to Voicemail and that type of thing? Can I still use all the features of the Scout with the cradled phone? It would be nice to have that option too at that phone.

For instance instead of me having to go upstairs to my office I can just look at the Scout downstairs to see if blinking for messages and then use the other options on the Scout to listen to the message.

If so is the hookup easy for that?

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

Re: Scout question

Post by murphy » Sun May 02, 2010 6:28 am

That will work, The wall port of the hub has to be connected to the wall port of the scout. The best case is if there is nothing else on the wires used to make the connection. It will work if there is a dialtone on the connecting wires but not if there is a DSL signal on the wires. Most homes are wired for two lines. Use line 2 to make the connection.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

diddlydoo
Posts:60
Joined:Sat May 01, 2010 7:17 pm

Re: Scout question

Post by diddlydoo » Sun May 02, 2010 6:50 am

murphy wrote:That will work, The wall port of the hub has to be connected to the wall port of the scout. The best case is if there is nothing else on the wires used to make the connection. It will work if there is a dialtone on the connecting wires but not if there is a DSL signal on the wires. Most homes are wired for two lines. Use line 2 to make the connection.
Thanks again Murphy for your help. I'll have to admit all this is confusing for me as far as what gets connected to what. :o :?: :?:

When you say The wall port of the hub has to be connected to the wall port of the scout----I have no clue how I do that or what that means. I could do if I knew exactly what that means. lol I'm not phone techy as I wished I was.

Actually after reading your post I'm truly lost in what all that means. It's not your fault...I'm just not up on all this.

I was hoping it would be something easy like just plug it in. :D

Thanks again for your response. I appreciate it. Maybe I just need to sell it on Ebay. Sounds too complicated to try and hook it up.

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southsound
Posts:3519
Joined:Fri Feb 06, 2009 11:31 am
Location:Harstine Island, WA

Re: Scout question

Post by southsound » Sun May 02, 2010 6:58 am

diddlydoo wrote:When you say The wall port of the hub has to be connected to the wall port of the scout----I have no clue how I do that or what that means. I could do if I knew exactly what that means. lol I'm not phone techy as I wished I was.

Actually after reading your post I'm truly lost in what all that means. It's not your fault...I'm just not up on all this.

I was hoping it would be something easy like just plug it in. :D

Thanks again for your response. I appreciate it. Maybe I just need to sell it on Ebay. Sounds too complicated to try and hook it up.
Murphy is great at giving you the details you will need - but it sounds like you are ready to give up before he even gets there - so try a fun little experiement that will only take about 15 minutes. Go to where your hub is connected and clear an area to put the scout within about 2 or 3 feet from the hub. Now take an ordinary modular phone cord and connect it from the WALL port on the hub to the WALL port on the scout. Now plug in the power supply that came with the scout and connect the cable to the scout. TEST INSTALLATION complete. Now just play with it a bit. Call using your cell phone and leave a message - you will notice that the scout will indicate that you have a message. Press the play button and see how it works.

After this little confidence building test, you are set to proceed with connecting up the scout in your bedroom. I'm headed off to church so I'll let Murphy give you the rest of the story on connecting the scout to your home wiring. Have fun and follow his advice. Then stick around on the forum so you can help others with similar concerns!

And lest we forget, welcome to ooma and to the forum! :cool:
ooma customer since February 2009
VoIP hardware: 2 Telo w/3 handsets & Linx / ooma core
Total Lines: 8 / Numbers: 11 / Handsets: 20
Lifetime Premier Member
Friends don't remember what Landline Integration was or why we did it.

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

Re: Scout question

Post by murphy » Sun May 02, 2010 7:01 am

Get a phone cable.
Connect one end to the wall port of the hub.
Connect the other end to the wall port of the scout.


To put the scout in another room, go to Home Depot and get two [L1, L2, L1+L2] adapters.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1 ... ogId=10053

Plug an adapter into the wall where the hub is located and the second adapter into the wall where the scout is located.
Connect a phone cable from the hub's wall jack to the L2 jack of the adapter.
Connect a phone cable from the Scout's wall jack to the L2 jack of the adapter.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

diddlydoo
Posts:60
Joined:Sat May 01, 2010 7:17 pm

Re: Scout question

Post by diddlydoo » Sun May 02, 2010 7:52 am

Believe me you guys, I feel lucky that I even got the OOMA hooked up and working. I was so excited to hear that OOMA dial tone. I get excited when things work. I've got so many wires hooked in and around my computer. I've got adapters for this and that, USBs, phone cables, router cables, printer cables, etc. It's a mess. I almost hate to unplug something temporarily thinking the whole configuration will be messed up and I'd never be able to figure it all out again. I'll never move just because of that. :)

Y'all are patient and so far no laughing at me and my lack of tech knowledge.

I guess what I wasn't understanding is hooking up the hub to the scout. Why are they being connected if I want my scout downstairs? The hub and scout won't be sitting close if one is in another room. Am I just initially hooking them up to make sure the Scout works? ...and then when I see it is, I get the adapters from Home Depot and put one adapter in the phone jack where the hub is and then put the other adapter that I purchased in the phone jack downstairs where the scout is? ...and then it should work? Both the scout and hub will be connected to a phone jack in the wall? ...is there a installing scout for dummies forum?

Thanks southsound with the help. I hope you said a little extra prayer for me in figuring this out. ;)

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

Re: Scout question

Post by murphy » Sun May 02, 2010 8:13 am

The scout has a proprietary interface (wall jack) that can only talk to a hub. By itself a scout can't do anything.
Yes the side by side connection is to verify that everything is working. Once this is done you know if it doesn't work when they are in different rooms the problem is with the house wiring and not the hub or the scout.
Customer since January 2009
Telo with 2 Handsets, a Linx, and a Safety Phone
Telo2 with 2 Handsets and a Linx

diddlydoo
Posts:60
Joined:Sat May 01, 2010 7:17 pm

Re: Scout question

Post by diddlydoo » Sun May 02, 2010 9:24 am

Ok, I think I'm making some progress here.

What I am going to do is put the hub and scout side by side to test it. I'll connect both with a telephone cord in each Wall port of both. Then I'll plug in the scout and I should be good to go for testing it out.

Then if the scout is working, go to Home Depot and buy the adapters. Hook one in the wall where scout is and one where the hub is.

After hooking both up, they should work together. If not, it's the house wiring.

Once I buy the adapters, what gets hooked into the adapter where the hub is? I have a telephone cord now that goes between the Hub and the phone and then the phone is just plugged into the power plug.

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