Ooma Forums

I am thinking of adding a security system to our home - but am worried Ooma might not work with it's dialer.

Does anyone here know whether this will work or not? Any gotchas?

I have a home security system through Vector Security. My thinking was that I could ditch the landline altogether due to the fact that the system has a cellular backup. When I checked with Vector to make sure, they advised that the back up was just that...a backup and to keep the basics with Verizon. Now my Verizon bill is just the basics. Not too bad at all for the peace of mind for the family.

We have ADT security and OOMA does not work with it. ADT told us that they have "certified" several VOIP phone-services (e.g. Comcast Digital..), but they have not certified OOMA.

OOMA is an excellent product, however with such a deficiency, it will likely have limited market-acceptance. I hope OOMA engineers would address this deficiency.

I called OOMA technical support, however they were not able to help.

I don't see why ooma wouldn't work, if cable and Vonage work. The company probably doesn't know what an ooma is, so they can hardly recommend it.

At this point, it really isn't a bad deal. "Other" providers cost a monthly fee. ooma is FREE. Keep a basic landline at minimal cost and you'll probably still come out ahead.

Wayne

I thought the same, that all VoIP services are similiar technologically speaking, and if Comcast Digital Voice worked with the security-system dialer, then OOMA also should. However, I was disappointed when I actually tried it out. I also reasoned that if FAX works with OOMA, then the home-security dialer should also work, as I presume that both (ie. the FAX and security-system phone dialer) are essentially using digital-data-transmission (though most likely different protocols); and I have seen several posts in this forum indicating some people have been able to use FAX with OOMA. I wish there was someone on this forum or at OOMA technical-support who really knew about the underlying technology, and how to make it work with security-system dialers. It is a shame to not use OOMA because of this deficiency.

As for keeping the land-line, it's almost $30 a month, for basic service. We considered OOMA - to get rid of that ongoing charge in the first place.

WayneDsr wrote:I don't see why ooma wouldn't work, if cable and Vonage work. The company probably doesn't know what an ooma is, so they can hardly recommend it.

At this point, it really isn't a bad deal. "Other" providers cost a monthly fee. ooma is FREE. Keep a basic landline at minimal cost and you'll probably still come out ahead.

Wayne

Ooma works well with Smith and Wesson

Should work with an all IP-based home automation or security system ... perhaps something like http://micasaverde.com/

Wow, imagine if ooma bought vera (Linux based) and integrated z-wave thru USB port into the ooma hub or ooma telo ! How cool would that be?

@umauser: Did you try the *99 ?

I have Vector with a GE (ITI) Concord Express panel. It works fine with Ooma as long as you rewire the RJ31 jack to route the call back to the patch panel/ooma extension. Most alarms are wired to drop the inside extensions so that it can dial out. As such, you have to rewire the alarm box back into your punchdown to get the dialtone from ooma. I would also suggest you pick up a UPS to power the ooma hub, cable/dsl modem and router so that it can dial out when you lose power.

I did not need to do the *99 or change any settings on the alarm.

I was concerned about this, too when I switched to VOIP. So I did some homework and found a broadband monitoring company...
nextalarm.com
It will work with most older dialer systems, too. They sell you a proprietary VOIP adapter to connect to your system to provide dial tone for the security system. Apparently the VOIP adapter they sell has customized firmware to assure a reliable connection.
Plus they are one of the cheapest monitoring company I could find. $16.95/month with no prepay. Or it can be as cheap as $12.95 if you pay for several years.
Scott