When your router is not next to your phone

[bootsy31]

I have Verizon FIOS service for internet, TV and phone, and am trying to switching to ooma for phone service.

The fiber optic cable comes into my house near my TV set, and the wireless router is housed next to the TV in my entertainment center set-up. My phone, meanwhile, is in the kitchen.

I don't want to (nor should I need to) have my router, phone and ooma devices all in the same place. Verizon solves this problem by running the phone service (VOIP) via phone lines plugged into wall jacks.

SHORT VERSION OF THE STORY:
After three hours on the phone with three difference ooma support reps rebooting my hub over and over again, I discovered the simple (if unsightly) solution all by myself: I need to buy a very long ethernet cable to connect the router next to my TV to my ooma hub and phone on my kitchen counter. This will allow the ooma and the phone to sit next to each other, as they are designed to do, and for the router to stay where it is. I ordered a 50-foot CAT6 cable on Amazon for $12 and should be up and running in a few days.

LONG VERSION OF THE STORY:
I called ooma customer support asking for help with this problem, thinking there should be a way, using a splitter, to connect ooma service via to the existing phone jack, as FIOS does using VOIP for phone service. Three hours and three support reps later, still no solution. One rep said he would called me back and didn't. The second rep dropped my call, and didn't call back. The third rep blamed the firewall in my router and said I should call FIOS about adjusting my firewall settings and IP addresses. At this point my patience was exhausted and I informed the rep that if I couldn't solve the problem myself within the hour, I would be returning the device.

The first rep, in trying to figure out how to enable my fax machine, actually went into my setting and disabled the ooma dial tone but didn't tell me. I discovered this in combing through my preferences. NOT HELPFUL when you are listening for the ooma dial tone to tell you that you have connected to the service. Even more NOT HELPFUL to not call me back although you had my cell phone number and I left you two voicemails, Steven.

With all the cable modems and fiber optic customers in the world (especially the early adopter crowd that is inclined to try ooma), I can't be the only one whose phone is not near the router.

ooma people, please make it clearer in your documentation that you will need longer cables if your phone is not close to your router. If I didn't hate the phone companies so much, I would have given up on ooma after an hour. Relying on consumer hatred of other business sectors is not a good basis for customer satisfaction. I look forward to being a happy ooma customer some day, but that day is not today.

[Leeway]

I don't have a phone anywhere near my router. I simply have my Ooma Telo plugged into my house phone jacks and they are all active. I have my main cordless phone plugged in far away in another room. I have no need to have any phone plugged into the Telo.

Donna

[daet]

I don't have a phone anywhere near my router. I simply have my Ooma Telo plugged into my house phone jacks and they are all active. I have my main cordless phone plugged in far away in another room. I have no need to have any phone plugged into the Telo.

Donna

Same here ......

DG

[Groundhound]

Verizon solves this problem by running the phone service (VOIP) via phone lines plugged into wall jacks.

Same way with Ooma, just make sure you are splitting the Ooma Phone port (not the Wall port) to extend dialtone to your other jacks.

[ajw522]

If you want to have your OOMA device in the same place as your phone, there is a simple solution. Purchase a HomePlug device. What the homeplug device does is it connects the internet through your powerlines. For example, when you purchase the device, you get 2 parts. Plug one part into the wall over where the router is, and plug a port of the router into the homeplug. Then, in your kitchen, plug the other part into the wall and connect the OOMA's MODEM port into the homeplug. Then, viola! PM me if you want more specifics.

[garys]

Bootsy 31,
Just curious if Oma was able to set up your fax to work. I have fios and cannot get my fax to receive. It sends but will not receive a fax and I need some help.Have changed all the settings as stated in these forums, still wont receive.

Thanks