Do you still have a home phone? It seems like so many people are ditching their home phones and switching to cellular use only. It sounds appealing, but for us, we still feel the need to keep a home phone, mainly because hubby and I think that my son is a bit too young for a cell phone. The communication industry is changing more and more as time moves on. There are many choices available to those who still need a landline phone, like VoIP services. One popular option is the Ooma Telo VoIP service. But you might be wondering how this form of communication works.
A VoIP or Voice-over Internet Protocol service gives you the opportunity to place calls using the internet. You still get to keep your old number by paying a one-time fee of $39.99, and choose international calling plans just as you would expect with a normal landline. The only difference is that these services are available to you at a fraction of the price as compared to traditional landlines.
For basic phone service, you will basically only pay for the price of the hardware and then around $4-$7 per month depending on the taxes associated with owning a phone line in your area. You can figure out your fees here. Adding premier services and international calling do cost more though, but not as much as it would cost via traditional phone companies. Premier services include things like free calling to Canada, anonymous call blocking and the ability to convert your voicemail messages into text which can then be delivered to your cell phone or email account.
Ooma Telo offers many benefits, like how it easily integrates with smart products like the Amazon Echo, Nest, Phillip Hue and LIFX smart lightbulbs. The smart products in your home are already connected through the internet, making the integration a lot easier. You can also reroute your voicemails to an email of your choice or reroute calls to your cell phone if you want to.
When choosing a VoIP service, It is important to make sure that your address is on file for emergency services such as 911 should you ever need to call them. Landlines send your address to the 911 services automatically, but the VoIP platform requires that you take that extra step, so you have to make sure you register your physical address in case you ever need help in an emergency.
It is clear to see why switching to Ooma Telo VoIP service may be the right choice for you and everyone in your household. You will have more options and save some money.