Ooma Porting from Comcast

[bbgarnett]

Hello again so we still haven't done anything yet but he told me he does have Call forwarding currently with Comcast. Anyways he is going to get his own Modem and router and stop renting the Comcast equipment. He asked for suggestions but keeps telling me that the Modem needs to have a voice/Phone Jack on it. I have had ooma for about 9 years now and never have I ever had a phone Jack on my Modem so not sure why he is thinking this or who is telling him that as the cost of the same Modem with a Voice/Phone jack is more than double then it would be Without one (Netgear CM500 Modem and either an R6700 router or Asus AC66U B1 is what I'd recommend for him). That modem with a phone jack is 139.99 without is 59.99. Also maybe I am the clueless one and am totally missing something but all I know is my ooma has been working flawlessly for 9 years and I am still on my original Telo and no Voice/Phone jack on Any Modem I've owned. My setup has been Modem,Router and then Telo as the last device in the chain I have a MOCA adapter and what not in there but this is what I'd probably do for him. So Ethernet from Modem to the internet port on my router and then an Ethernet cord running from a LAN port to to the To internet port on my Telo and then an RJ45 from the Phone port on my Telo to the Phone itself. I have never had anything plugged in to the wall besides power as once my Main Phone Base station is on all the other handsets work and just need power. I am currently using some 6.0 DECT Panasonic Handsets but had some other brand ones before this but it always worked the same. Anyways just want to make sure I am not missing anything. I am not sure how Comcast does things but I know people who want to plug there Ooma into a wall Jack need to actually go outside and physically disconnect the old Telco phone line coming into the house to prevent certain bad things from happening. I might be dumb here but do you really need to power all your Wall jacks like is there a good reason for it? I've never done such a thing and just always had my main Phone plugged into the Ooma and all the other handsets just worked and never needed to be plugged into an RJ45 outlet just needed power and they all had a dial tone and functioned as normal.

Thanks again for the help and possibly enlightening me on things and sorry for Rambling on just wanting to make sure I am not missing anything obvious or being oblivious to some thing.

[murphy]

A phone jack on a modem is only needed if you use the ISP's phone service. In Comcast's case you have to rent the modem from Comcast to use Comcast phone service.

I am on Comcast and use an Arris (used to be Motorola) modem and a Linksys router. I own both of them. I have two Telos connected to the router.

Your connection method is fine. The wiring in the walls is only needed if you want to use hardwired phones in multiple rooms of the house.

[TonyW]

In your OP, you state your friend currently has Comcast phone (Triple Play), but wishes to 'port out' to Ooma. I'm guessing he is being told he needs a modem w/ phone jacks based on current requirements, which is what they would have 'on screen' when advising him. Once the port is complete, this requirement should be moot.

What murphy said...

[bbgarnett]

Hello, OK thanks also I have phone in multiple rooms of my house but they aren't hard wired just have power to them so assuming he should be able to do that as well? As I have my Phone with answering machine plugged into my Ooma into the Phone port and then I just plugged in the other phones in other rooms but Power only and they all have dial tones. Maybe I have been lucky with the phones I have chosen over the years and they have some feature that I don't know the name of that not all phones have, but I've never had to connect my phones to an RJ45 wall outlet and they've always worked as long as I was plugged into the phone port on my Telo.

Thanks again and I will advise him to get a Netgear CM500 modem and probably a Asus AC66U B1 router.

[TonyW]

A wired base with cordless handsets, of course, eliminates the need to activate the old house wiring. That would only be necessary if you wanted to use traditional (old school), corded phones in different rooms.

The prospect of keeping a single rotary-dial phone around just to confound Millennials amuses me, tho.

[bbgarnett]

LOL OK thanks,

I did just read though on an AT&T Subreddit that this guy found out that his Grandma was still renting yes renting two Black Rotary Phones from MA Bell. Of course Ma Bell is no longer a company so it was now just showing up as a 3rd party charge on an AT&T bill. She was also still paying it as that's what she's always done was pay her bills. I mean I can't believe that some company was still handling/doing paperwork for renting rotary phones.

[TonyW]

Heaven knows how billing systems evolved over the course of decades of M&A's. Wonder what will have survived when 'the aughts' come around again?

[bbgarnett]

Hello again,

So he has finally purchased some new equipment (Router and modem) and so hopefully will be getting him set up soon. Anyways just want to verify some thing first. So i know you were taking about how you setup call forwarding and tested out ooma first. So when I am first setting it up and it asks me to pick the temporary number I pick one and then go to Comcast and tell it to forward calls to the temporary number I chose? I can then test it out by making calls to that temp number and if all is working go and initiate the port? Then when the port is complete his old number just takes over the temporary number and works like normal? What was the deal with the 2 months of premier having two numbers and having to call and make the Ported number Primary etc. I mean wouldn't it just work once the port is complete and his ported number replaces the temporary number and not have to deal with 2 numbers and all that other stuff.

Thanks

[murphy]

You must notify them that the ported number is to be the primary number. If you don't do that and you let the Premier trial expire without agreeing to it the secondary number will be deleted even if it is the ported number. It's been almost 11 years since I ported into Ooma, and I kept Premier, but I think I remember a check box in the porting request document to indicate that the ported number was to be the primary number. However remembering something like that from 11 years ago may be wishful thinking.

[TonyW]

>> "I can then test it out by making calls to that temp number and if all is working go and initiate the port?"

Actually, you would verify that forwarding setup is correct by calling the old Comcast # & assuring that the Ooma-connected phone rings. THEN, you initiate the port.

As to the post-port phone call, I ported out of Verizon in 2014 & don't even have as specific a memory as murphy does. I DO remember calling Ooma (then-current conventional wisdom) to insure that, in the event I DID drop Premier, my ported # was preserved. I still have Premier, but I mention so that your friend does not get unintentionally burned by losing a long-held #. You have been warned of the possibility.

Perhaps chatting with support prior to porting to get THAT specific answer would be wise?