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Will Ooma work with a 2 Line Panasonic 5.8?

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:53 pm
by Cyd
I've looked at several sites that sell the hardware, as well as this forum, and at this point I'm pretty confused about what this thing can or can't do. The part about the hub makes sense, but I'm confused about the purpose of the "scout". Is it what enables a separate 2nd line?

I currently have a 2-line Panasonic system (5.8) with 4 wireless handsets. Both lines hard wire to my base station and all of the extensions are wireless. It sounds as though my current "base station" equates to the Ooma hub - but only for one line. If the "scout" enables a 2nd line - I guess it would be a matter of connecting my base station to the hub (for one line) and the scout (for the other).

I'd appreciate it if someone could please tell me whether I'm on the right track with this, or if I have it completely wrong.

I have 2 separate phone lines (i.e., 2 separate phone numbers). I keep one line as my personal line (with an unlisted number) and I use the 2nd to make/take business calls on days when I need to work from home. I have the lines set up with different ring tones - mostly so I don't automatically pick up a business call after hours or on weekends.

Is there a way to keep my "unlisted" number invisible? Will my current phone system be able to recognize the difference between the 2 lines (assuming it will accomodate 2 Ooma lines)? For example, will I still be able to select which line I'm calling out on and assign separate ring tones to each line? Will I be able to see caller ID on each of the 2 lines?

Thanks!

Re: Will Ooma work with a 2 Line Panasonic 5.8?

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 10:03 pm
by southsound
Cyd wrote:I currently have a 2-line Panasonic system (5.8) with 4 wireless handsets. Both lines hard wire to my base station and all of the extensions are wireless. It sounds as though my current "base station" equates to the Ooma hub - but only for one line. If the "scout" enables a 2nd line - I guess it would be a matter of connecting my base station to the hub (for one line) and the scout (for the other).
Your logic is right on. The hub will give you wired access to line 1. The scout can be connected by a short cable to the hub and will give you line 2. Both lines can appear on your Panasonic system, just as you have now. You will need Premier for the second line and you are able to use the "block caller ID on outgoing calls" feature to keep your number private. Both lines will have complete incoming caller ID. I think you will be very happy with the hub/scout system. I have it and the new Telo. The Telo will NOT work for you in this situation but the hub/scout is ideal!

If you have more questions, feel free to post them. Also, you will find that the forum is a great resource for most technical issues. Welcome to the forums and (hopefully) ooma! :cool: