Ooma Revealed

General

Ooma

Issues

Security/privacy

Introduction

This web site was initially created to bring together in one place everything that I had been able to learn about how Ooma planned to offer "free" telephone service through their hub and the Internet. I hoped that anyone with additional information would write me, since I did not want to present inaccurate information. This site is in no way connected to ooma, Inc. or sanctioned by them.

I hoped that this would provide the information that prospective subscribers would need to evaluate this product to allow them to use it in a manner which fits their environment.

I also hoped that Ooma engineers would use the information contained on this web site to test their product and make corrections where they could. Obviously, they did not. However, I felt strongly that most of what I had presented could not be fixed by engineers, since they were fundamental errors in the plan, and must be changed by the marketers and management if Ooma was to ever have a useable product.

The various issues are covered under Technical, Operational, Legal, and Security/privacy, although many of them cross the boundary between these categories.

Recommendations are provided to users on how to use the current Ooma service to get the advantage of free long-distance while avoiding most of the problems. Recommendations are also provided for Ooma on how to provide a viable product.

After receiving phone calls last fall from both Sarah Ross, Ooma VP of Coummunications, and Tom Cronan, CFO and chief legal person, who hinted at legal action against me, I decided to "take down" the web site, since I knew that Ooma would fail with or without my active input. As reported on ValleyWag on 9 April 2008, Ooma is falling apart, and both Sarah Ross and Tom Cronan have left. Because of this, I decided to put this web site back "on the air" to help document for the world why it it failing.

I should also state that I have not tested the product. I refused the offer made by Sarah Ross of a free unit to test, since the security concerns I've written about prevent me from connecting it to my phone line. My comments are purely my opinions based on my long experience with the technology being used. (If a company advertised a product that it claimed, among other things, could "defy gravity", I would not need to actually "test" the product to know that the claim is false.) If I have made a factual error, I would appreciate anyone contacting me with the correct information.

Note that this web site does not, and never will, contain ads, pop-ups, product endorsements, or links to un-related stuff. I am not doing this to make money or impress anyone. Therefore, there are no pretty graphics, Flash, moving objects, or bells and whistles. Further, there is no "blog" for unknown people to post sometimes meaningless or unrelated comments. I will consider and possibly include comments sent to me privately.

Also, I am not employed or paid by any company that could be seen as a competitor to Ooma, nor do I have any financial interest in any competitor.

Ooma, ooma Hub, ooma Scout, Instant Second Line, Broadband Answering Machine, and Distributed Termination are registered trademarks of ooma, Inc.

Please email comments to mpierce1@aol.com.