All Ooma Telo Base Station and Phone Genie users have grown accustomed to the PureVoice technology that’s always set Ooma apart from the competition. Now, with the release of HD Voice technology, Ooma has taken voice clarity a huge step ahead of the competition. Your calls to other people with HD phones will be so realistic that you’ll find yourself forgetting that they’re not right there in the room with you!

  1. What is HD Voice? How does it work?
  2. What do I need to get started with HD Voice?
  3. What phones are HD-capable?
  4. Who can use HD voice?
  5. What’s the difference between PureVoice technology and HD Voice?
  6. Nothing sounds any different when I make a call. Why?
  7. Can I turn off HD Voice when I make a call?
  8. I have an Ooma HD2 Handset or an Ooma HD3 Handset, but no one to call. Is there another way I can experience HD voice?

What is HD Voice? How does it work?

HD Voice brings an unprecedented level of realism to your phone conversations. If you’ve ever seen the difference between a standard-definition TV and a high-definition TV, you’ll have an idea of the difference that HD Voice will make. By capturing twice the acoustic information as a traditional phone (even your landline), HD Voice removes the flat, muffled feeling from your phone conversations and replaces it with lifelike clarity.

What do I need to get started with HD Voice?

To get started with HD Voice, you will need the following:

  • An Ooma Telo Base Station or Phone Genie
  • An HD-capable phone
  • Friends and family with Ooma Telo Base Stations or Phone Genies and HD-capable phones

What phones are HD-capable?

The Ooma HD2 Handset and the Ooma HD3 Handset were built from the ground-up to deliver HD Voice quality. They not only deliver a stunning HD audio experience, but also help you unlock additional features of your Ooma Telo Base Station or Phone Genie that aren’t available with other telephones!

The Ooma Telo Base Station or Phone Genie can also support HD Voice on phones connected directly to the PHONE port. To enjoy the enhanced audio quality, the connected phone must be HD-capable. You can determine whether the phone you currently have is HD-capable by consulting the manufacturer’s website. Many corded phones will support the additional frequencies that are necessary for the enhanced signal.

Be aware that many cordless phones will not give you the full HD Voice experience. This is because cordless HD phones must compress the voice signal over the cordless link and filter out higher frequencies, which are an important part of the HD signal. Ooma can only guarantee that you will hear true HD Voice if you and the person on the other line are both using Ooma handsets.

Who can use HD voice?

All Ooma Telo Base Station or Phone Genie users are able to use HD Voice provided that both they and the person they’re calling have the proper equipment.

What’s the difference between PureVoice technology and HD Voice?

HD Voice is a new part of PureVoice technology – without PureVoice technology, HD Voice couldn’t exist! Ooma PureVoice technology is a whole-system approach to fantastic call clarity. In order to give you the best VoIP experience, PureVoice technology strategically prioritizes the Internet traffic in your home to make sure your phone calls receive all the network attention they need. By capturing up to twice the audio content of your calls, HD Voice simply adds another dimension of clarity to your calls.

Nothing sounds any different when I make a call. Why?

You’ll know whether your conversation is utilizing HD Voice by looking for the “((HD))” indicator on your phone.

If you don’t see the HD indicator, your call did not connect in HD. Check one of the following:

  • Make sure the other person has an Ooma Telo Base Station or Phone Genie (HD Voice is not supported on the Ooma Hub)
  • Check if either Telo Base Station or Phone Genie has “fax mode” enabled on the account. This disables the HD Voice feature.

If you do see the HD indicator on your HD2 or HD3 Handset, then the reason why your calls don’t sound any different is that the person on the other end of the line does not have a phone that is HD-capable. To enjoy the best audio experience with HD Voice, make sure both sides are using a compatible phone.

Can I turn off HD Voice when I make a call?

Once you’ve heard calls in HD Voice, you’re never going to want to go back! If you’d like to compare what a HD call sounds like compared to a non-HD call, or just want to reminisce about the good old days of phone technology, you can turn off HD by dialing *96 before you punch in the phone number you wish to call.

I have an Ooma HD2 Handset or an Ooma HD3 Handset, but no one to call. Is there another way I can experience HD voice?

Ooma has set up some phone numbers you can call to hear how HD voice sounds on your HD2 or HD3 Handset if your friends and family haven’t yet joined Ooma. To test out your phone’s HD voice, you can call any of the following numbers:

  • 1-900-265-1001 (Voicemail lady)
  • 1-900-265-1005 (The Talker))
  • 1-900-265-1007(Ooma radio commercial)
  • 1-900-265-1008 (Piano))
  • 1-900-265-1009 (Bird song))

Don’t worry – there’s no charge to dial these 900-numbers. Try it first with HD voice disabled (dial *96 before you make the call), and then again with HD voice enabled to really hear the difference!

Note: You can call the above numbers for free when dialing from an Ooma system.