- We unboxed it, we set it up,
and now, it's time for the big review.
For a little over a month,
I've been using an Ooma home security system
and now, it's time to let you know how it's gone,
what I liked about it, and what could be better.
(gentle upbeat music)
These were my favorite features
of the Ooma home security system.
The simplest
and probably the most effective security feature Ooma has
is the Remote 911 call button
at the bottom of the app's dashboard.
I didn't test this
because I wasn't about to waste any dispatcher's time,
but it's a pretty cool thing to have at your disposal
as soon as you need help.
Under the professional monitoring plan,
this feature lets you call your local dispatch
from your cell phone
even when you're out of town.
Ooma's bread and butter as a company
is home phones and VoIP services,
and it really shows in this feature.
Ooma gives you a telephone number as your username
when you sign up,
and this phone number connects your Ooma system
to your mobile phone,
which explains them asking
about your mobile carrier at setup.
If you don't use Ooma's phone service,
you can still use this number
to send calls to your regular phone number.
This might shake out a little differently
if you use Ooma's phone service,
but it's a pretty cool bonus feature
to protect your normal phone number
and still get calls.
You're probably familiar with the classic home, away,
and disarm settings on a home security system.
Ooma takes this an extra step
and adds Night and Vacation modes into the mix.
Each of these modes are customizable on their own.
You can change how the system reacts to things,
like open doors, or motion,
or even lack of motion for a period of time.
Or you can adjust what kind of notifications
you get with each setting.
For example, if your system's set to Away,
you can get a phone call when the door opens
or have the Telo Station talk.
(Telo station chimes)
- [Telo Automated Voice] Door Sensor Two is open.
- All of this is up to you,
so it takes a little experimenting
to work with your schedule.
You can also link your phone's location to Ooma
so it changes the status automatically
when you leave the house.
The motion sensor and the contact sensors we got
with our Ooma Kit
were really simple to set up.
My favorite was the little stand
that comes with the motion sensor.
It sits perfectly on a bookshelf or counter
without needing to stick anything to the wall.
But, if you do wanna get sticky,
Ooma gives you a couple different options.
All the sensors we got came with an adhesive
for putting them on the wall, cabinets, doors, windows,
or anywhere you want them.
Or if you in a more permanent situation,
the kit comes with screws and mounting anchors.
The contact sensors also come with these little brackets
that help them fit different kinds of doors or cabinets.
I wish more security systems did this.
But, while those are all the things I enjoyed about Ooma,
I wouldn't say this system has what it takes
to make our Best Of list.
(gentle upbeat music)
I found more things I liked about Ooma than disliked,
but those dislikes were big deals.
Without a camera in this system,
there's no context for your alerts.
It also doesn't have cellular backup or a backup battery,
which is a big deal if your power goes out.
And finally, it was hard to overlook
some of the issues I faced while setting the system up.
Ooma used to have a camera available with the system,
but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
You can add a siren to your system
to make it a little scarier,
but without a camera,
you won't be able to tell what's an emergency
and what's a false alarm.
You can also add a camera
from a third party to watch your home,
but this means you'd have to switch between apps
when you get a security alert
or link everything to your Alexa app,
which, by the way, sorry, Google Home users,
Ooma only works with Amazon speakers.
So I won't give away the secret sauce or give anyone ideas,
but the Telo Base Station is really easy to disable.
After testing this for myself,
I found that the Ooma app
still lets you change system statuses,
but the sensors and base stations won't respond.
And without cellular or a battery backup,
the Ooma system is helpless once it's down.
If you watched our unboxing video,
you might remember me talking
about the free self-monitoring plan Ooma had.
This was a huge draw for us.
It's a unique feature
and makes home security a little more affordable
for everyone.
But, I quickly found out after activating my account
that this isn't the case,
despite what Ooma's website says.
It turns out that you can use Ooma
without professional monitoring or the Secure plan,
but you won't be able to add the sensors.
I'm not sure if this is a case of outdated information
on their website
or a genuine hidden charge,
but either way, it's not a good look for Ooma.
I won't mince words.
Ooma is basic.
I wouldn't recommend it to protect your home,
but it can come in handy
for monitoring spots within it,
like the cabinet my cat insists on hiding in.
But, would I trust this system
to hold up against a home invasion?
No.
For a company whose main concern isn't home security,
Ooma does an okay job.
All the ingredients are there,
but it's still half-baked and flavorless.
This system needs some more fine-tuning and adjustments
before we can safely recommend Ooma.
For one, it'd be nice not to run
into any payment surprises while setting up,
and adding a camera to the mix would help a lot.
We have more reviews
on our favorite home security systems here on YouTube
or you can check the description
to see links to our reviews on SafeWise.
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