- A quick Google search for "Ooma"
and you might assume
that all this brand does is phone services,
but look a little closer and you'll find
that Ooma moonlights as a basic DIY security system.
We hadn't heard much about Ooma in the last few years.
A little digging and it looks like they've scaled back
their home security offerings,
but that hasn't scaled back my curiosity,
At first glance, Ooma looks like a great option
for anyone who wants to self-monitor a small space.
First time on your own in a new city?
Ooma might be a good solution for protecting your apartment.
So today, I'm going to look at this VoIP brand
dressed up as a home security system.
We've ordered a kit of our own,
and I'll be setting it up
and testing it over the next few weeks.
So join me as I unbox
this Ooma kit,
and talk a little bit about what Ooma does
and how much it costs.
Subscribe to catch our video next week
where I'll set it up and start testing.
Then, we'll have a full review at the beginning of May
after I've spent some time with this kit.
All right, let's get into it.
Ooma's "calling" is more related to VoIP phone services,
but they've also dabbled in the home security space
for the last few years.
While they no longer have the big full suite of products
with smoke detectors and cameras,
the company has gone back to basics
with their home security offerings.
But because Ooma is more into phones,
I'm excited to see how this changes with the services app
and ease of use.
Will arming and disarming my system be any easier?
Have they somehow cracked the code
for the best home security app?
A few things that stood out to me
about Ooma's home security service
were features like Negative Alerts and Remote 911.
Negative Alerts are an option within the app that ping you
when something doesn't happen.
For example, if you're expecting someone
to come in late at night and the door never opens,
Ooma will tell you.
And Remote 911 is a neat feature
that lets you call your local dispatch
whether you're in the area or not.
If you get a home security alert while you're on vacation,
you could still call your local emergency services
for your address
without the tangle of trying to reach them while away.
Along with the standard home security fare
like motion sensors, door and windows sensors, a keypad,
a siren, and a base station.
Ooma has a water leak sensor and a garage door sensor
which could really come in handy.
So how much does all of this cost?
Anywhere from free to $15 a month.
There's only one professional monitoring plan from Ooma
but it's about half the national average
for home security monitoring.
Or you can find that sweet spot right in the middle
for 5.99 a month with their secure plan.
For our test, we're going to be self-monitoring.
This gives me access to the sensors, apps,
and alerts, and announcements,
but I will miss out on some of the sexier features
like Remote 911 and Professional Monitoring.
You can build your own Ooma system on their website
or choose from different pre-packaged kits.
We have a starter pack.
The next tier up includes everything we have
plus your choice of a keypad or water sensor
or you can get the whole kit and caboodle.
With all our bases covered,
let's open the box.
(box rustling)
(singing) What's in the box, what's in the box, what's in the box?
So, in here, we have two doors and window sensors,
and one motion sensor,
and then one Telo Base Station.
So let's take a look.
Here is the motion sensor.
You receive phone call, text, email
when motion is detected in your home.
You can do inactivity alerts when someone hasn't arrived
or when something hasn't happened.
That's pretty cool.
Talks about Remote 911 right here.
Easy self-installation and works at the base station.
So let's open this up real quick and see what it looks like.
There's some eco-friendly packaging in here.
That's pretty cool.
All right. It's got a start guide.
It comes with wall-mounting hooks and screws, a battery.
Let's see, it looks like sticky,
little sticky backing things.
Or so it looks like you could also
just stick it up on a stand,
which seems pretty handy if you're a renter.
That's pretty cool.
I'm gonna open only one of these just to save a little time.
And this is the door and window sensor.
You can put these on doors and windows, obviously,
or you can get creative and put them on things
like medicine cabinets,
other anything that really opens and closes.
Wow. There's a lot of pieces in here, okay.
So this is pretty big.
Maybe...
This is a weird example,
but it's maybe the size of like a lady finger.
Those things in like tiramisus
and then we've got all these different ones.
I bet the guide will have more information on that.
So maybe these are for different size doors,
which is really smart of them to include.
Oh, here's the magnet that goes with this.
Screws, anchors,
so you can make something a little more permanent,
and then they include batteries.
That's very nice.
Re-boxing is the hardest part of this job, I will say.
So I have two of those
and here is the base station, I'm assuming,
which I'm excited to see.
Telo!
Ooma Telo, here's the instructions.
Got some 911 information.
That's pretty important.
Don't forget to read your instructions.
And here is the actual base station.
So these are...
Yeah, this is their Ooma...
It's kind of a universal base unit from what I understand.
If I wanted to use VoIP service with this too,
I would be able to use this as well
and with home security.
So you have two ports back here.
One is for internet and your home phone.
Oh, sorry, there's the phone.
Power, USB, got more cables,
so that must be the power cable.
And then this, I'm guessing will go to my router
connecting this to the internet.
Again, I will be setting up this system at home
and sharing that with everyone next week.
Then, in May, we'll have a full review of Ooma ready to go.
So, be sure to like and subscribe to see how this goes.
We've got a bunch of other resources in the description.
If you want to learn more about self-monitored systems
like Ooma or DIY security systems in general.
Thanks for watching.
Hey, if you're part of the 10% of people
who watched this far, or my parents, thanks for watching.
Don't stop there, though.
We have a ton of other resources
on SafeWise.com that you can check out.
And if you like and subscribe,
you'll get new videos from us every week.
Thanks for watching and stay safe.
(gentle music)