Introducing Remote Device Manager for Ooma AirDial, Ooma’s Turnkey POTS Replacement Solution

Ooma, Inc., a smart communications platform for businesses and consumers, today announced that it has introduced the Ooma Remote Device Manager, a web portal for monitoring and managing its Ooma AirDial turnkey POTS replacement solution.

Legacy copper-wire phone lines, also known as plain old telephone service or POTS, are being rapidly phased out by telecommunications providers. This creates a significant challenge for safety devices and business-critical systems that require a POTS line – ranging from fire alarm panels to elevator phones, fax machines, public safety phones, building access systems and more – that often can’t be migrated to voice over internet, or VoIP, service.

Ooma AirDial (https://www.ooma.com/airdial) provides turnkey replacement for POTS lines by combining the AirDial base station with virtual analog phone service from Ooma and a data connection through a nationwide wireless network.

Affordable and simple to install, Ooma AirDial is now also easy to manage through the new Ooma Remote Device Manager, or RDM, web portal.

Anyone involved in an AirDial deployment – IT teams, property managers, telecom supervisors, etc. – can access the RDM portal anywhere at any time to view the status of AirDial devices. The RDM can be customized to display key data – either in list view or device detail view – such as in-service status, wireless signal strength and the health of the backup battery.

The RDM can also be set to send automatic notifications, by text or email, to multiple users whenever there are events such as an AirDial device going out of service or having a low battery. What’s more, IT consultants managing AirDial installations for multiple customers can monitor devices across all of their accounts and even control billing and selection of service plans.

Brickpoint Properties, a residential and commercial property management company in Stoneham, Mass., replaced costly and unreliable POTS lines with Ooma AirDial for applications including elevator phones, building lobby annunciator panels, boiler room water temperature alarms and swimming pool emergency phones.

“The Ooma Remote Device Manager really helps me stay on top of what’s happening with AirDial units at five Brickpoint locations without having to send anyone on my team to the site,” said Matthew Shellenberger, CEO of Networking Now in Cambridge, Mass., and the virtual chief technology officer of Brickpoint. “I get a broad overview of all of the products and I can then drill down to specifics of one device or go into details of what’s happening with just one phone number.”

To see AirDial in action to Brickpoint Properties, watch the short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuSSBHwbGW0.

Although there are still millions of POTS lines remaining in the United States, industry analysts expect they could disappear completely within five years. At the same time, service costs are going up dramatically as providers struggle to support their remaining POTS infrastructure from a smaller pool of customers.

Ooma commissioned a report from IDC, titled “Impending Copper Sunset Could Leave Critical Infrastructure in the Dark,” that explores the problem and gives guidance on finding solutions. The report is available to download for free at https://www.ooma.com/idc-report/.

Ooma AirDial is designed from the ground up as a complete POTS replacement solution, unlike some offerings that only provide hardware and require the customer to provide service or don’t have a remote device manager. AirDial’s many features, in addition to the new RDM, include:

• Up to four analog connections with standard dial tone and full backwards POTS compatibility
• Options for either an exclusively wireless connection or failover from a wired broadband connection to wireless
• Backup battery that will maintain service for eight hours or more during an outage
• LCD display that shows wireless signal strength, battery status and phone line status
• Heat sink and ventilation for fan-less cooling
• Number porting
• Mounting that can be either vertical (wall) or horizontal (shelf)

“Since announcing Ooma AirDial on November 1, 2021, we’ve been inundated with requests from businesses of all sizes, as well as channel partners, who’ve been waiting for a comprehensive POTS replacement solution,” said Chris Burgy, vice president of corporate development at Ooma. “Now we’re taking an important next step with Ooma Remote Device Manager, which gives our customers 24/7 access to their AirDial units without having to leave their desks.”