vB Easy Archive - Magicjack

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Magicjack
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Posted by: BUCS2424

Magicjack.com check it out..... 19.99 a yr and unlimited long distance...Amazing

Posted by: ivnj

So have you tried it yet?

Posted by: bamx2

I tried one at friend's house and it was great . There was a cable/broadband connection . I have no idea how it would perform of typical 1.5 m/384k (like mine) or slower ADSL connections . I will try it at mine place soon .

Posted by: ivnj

Except you have to leave the pc on all the time to make and recieve calls. So that costs alot. Doing research and didn't realize that.

Posted by: BUCS2424

Just out of curiousity...How would leaving the comp on cost alot of money?

Posted by: ivnj

Electricity is not free mate.

Posted by: monkeyboy

There are also other problems with MagicJack... just read the reviews...

As far as electricity, around Upstate NY, it is about 15 cents/kwh. There are 720 hours in a 30-day month, so that's $108/kw-month. Laptops consume around 50-70watts, desktops vary, perhaps 150-300watts -- without the monitor being on... a CRT consumes a huge amount of power, so hopefully you have an LCD, or leave your monitor off for most of the time. Anyways, you're looking at somewhere between $5-40/month, probably typically around $15/mo, depending (obviously using a laptop would be better).

Posted by: WaltA

I just tried their website to check this out. I got the following on their FAQ page, which gives me a really good idea of their overall quality and attention to detail. I mean, their website is where they are suppose to be impressing me. BTW, I am running XP with IE6.

Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

Exception Details: System.ArgumentException: Invalid postback or callback argument. Event validation is enabled using <pages enableEventValidation="true"/> in configuration or <%@ Page EnableEventValidation="true" %> in a page. For security purposes, this feature verifies that arguments to postback or callback events originate from the server control that originally rendered them. If the data is valid and expected, use the ClientScriptManager.RegisterForEventValidation method in order to register the postback or callback data for validation.

Source Error:

An unhandled exception was generated during the execution of the current web request. Information regarding the origin and location of the exception can be identified using the exception stack trace below.

Posted by: BUCS2424

thanks.... that was very educational...I honestly didnt know that a computer could use that much electricity...not I know what I have to do....Thanks alot...Mel

Posted by: fearlessflyer

Another negative if one did go the laptop route would be the effect on its Li-ion battery since the battery would never be going through full discharge cycles. This would shorten its life as well.

Posted by: ivnj

For my windows XP no I don't have an LCD. But I never leave it on all the time either. So 15 a month even is too expensive. Tmobile H@H is better. For 10 a month I only need wifi. No need to have a computer on. Only my router which is always on anyway cuz there's no easy way to shut it off and and all the time.

Posted by: neil_aql

(wooo first post)

I'd be wary of MagicJack, after reading this review via BoingBoing

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/04/1...netphone-s.html

Sounds full of fail to me

Posted by: aaadock

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7290/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Ill chime in.. I've been using magicjack for a little over a month.. Works great. I use my 3g data from att as my data connection. As far as the com being on. Its on anyway

. And the monitors turns off anyway after a while.. Again I could not be more pleased with it..

Posted by: djinks

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaadock

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry7290/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

Ill chime in.. I've been using magicjack for a little over a month.. Works great. I use my 3g data from att as my data connection. As far as the com being on. Its on anyway

. And the monitors turns off anyway after a while.. Again I could not be more pleased with it..

Would you mind elaborating on how you use 3G data connection for VOIP with a router? Is that a data connection from your mobile phone you are referencing?

Posted by: Doctor Whom

I'm using one, and sound quality is all over the place. During the call, the sound quality can suddenly go from PSTN-level to unusable.

Posted by: aaadock

Quote:

Originally Posted by djinks

Would you mind elaborating on how you use 3G data connection for VOIP with a router? Is that a data connection from your mobile phone you are referencing?

i use a datacard for my data connection.. plug in magicjack and presto.. it works.. no router is needed for magic jack.. .

to the poster above me..

bandwith is not the issue.. processing power is..

Alt+ctrl+del
select taskmanager..
find magicjack.exe ..
right click...
select "high."

Most, if not all your troubles will be over..

to the people that are talking bad about it.. have you actually used it?

if not pls state that in your post..

i was VERY leery about tring it out. but im glad i did.

cust service DOES need a lot of improvement.. but for what i paid. i can understand..

ive hand ONE issue and it was fixed..

granted going thru the live chat tech support was not the best experiance.. actually ,.. it sucked.

but again ive only used it once and my phone service is pretty good.
for that price.. how can this be beat ?

Posted by: monkeyboy

One thing that is amazing about MagicJack is that a CID spoofer is available for it. It sits as a Windows program and allows you to call out using any Caller ID you wish. That thing is amazing and dangerous -- I'd say that it has brought CID spoofing to a whole new low price point (just the cost of the MJ) and makes it readily available to the masses.

I needn't provide any hints as to what one can do with it, except to point out that in many, many instances, the CID of a phone call is used to authenticate identity. One thing I've done is set the CID of my MJ to my cell phone. Then when I'm at home, I can use the MJ to phone people and talk on a more comfortable cordless handset, instead of my actual cell phone. People don't see the difference and think I'm calling from my cell. Even my carrier didn't see the difference -- imagine my surprise when I called my cell phone from my MJ for fun and found myself in my own voicemail box -- my carrier had thought I was calling myself from my cell phone, which triggers the VM system. It also is great paired up with Grandcentral. There are many, more mischievious things one could do...

Posted by: neil_aql

What can you really accomplish with spoofing ?

If you're really wanting to play about with this stuff, I recommend checking out this list of open source VoIP software

http://www.voipnow.org/2007/04/74_open_source_.html

There's another article on that site discussing setting up yourself as a VoIP provider.

Posted by: neil_aql

@ aaadock

No, I've never tried MagicJack as both my desk phone and mobile were using VoIP long before MagicJack came along.

I'd like to find out why you think it's worth the money when there is free software that does the same thing ?

Don't the terms and conditions worry you ?

As long as it works for you, that's the main thing

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil_aql

What can you really accomplish with spoofing ?

I don't mean to suggest that CID spoofing is anything new, but this is the easiest method I know of that *anybody* with a MJ can do for free and 2 minutes of time on a Windows PC, simply by running the free program and typing in whatever phone number you want to spoof. Again, I needn't suggest the various things one can do with it, except to repeat that I've found it very useful in spoof my own cellphone number, and in solving the major problem with the Grandcentral service (a web-based flexible call forwarding service).

(for those unaware, the major problem with Grandcentral (GC) is that though it works great in establish a single phone number that you can forward on the fly to any of several other numbers (one number to reach you no matter where you are), it can't easily fix the fact that if you call people, your GC number doesn't appear as the CID (unless you GC-web-initiate the call). Well, MJ spoofing fixes that as long as you are calling using MJ). That is, it helps "close the loop" in making GC really your one number to reach you...

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil_aql

I'd like to find out why you think it's worth the money when there is free software that does the same thing ?

I haven't done the research nor have the experience with roll-your-own VOIP, so please outline a better solution.

For the money ($20+$20/yr which I think is pretty cheap), MJ gives you an interface (dongle) that allows the use of standard RJ11 phones (indeed can drive house wiring), canned software (that usually works, along with flakey techsupport), a real phone number in the areacode of your choice (well, mostly, and with the promise of LPN porting of numbers), and a backend service that goes out to PSTN, and voicemail and call forwarding. And finally, the prospects of a service that might (but only might) still be around in 2-3years (most free VOIP services exemplify the moniker "fly-by-night"). All in a package that most average computer illiterates can deal with (mostly). (Its really pretty slick when it works: the USB dongle contains all the software needed to get started -- no CDs or website downloads to deal with...)

Is there really a cheaper way that you can point to, that is comparable ?

Posted by: dbusguy

How much is the MJ? On their site, all I see is the free offer but nothing to say how much it costs. I thought I read a while ago it was $39.95 and $19.95 per year. Am I missing something on their site? Can someone post a link to the page with the rate? Thanks

Posted by: monkeyboy

Well, the cost was just posted in the posting just above yours -- its $20+20/yr, or $40 to start including the first year ($39.95+s&h), and $20 for each subsequent year ($19.95). Its all on their website. You can click on their FAQ page, if you don't want to fill out the order form in the "free offer":

http://www.magicjack.com/5/faq/

then click on Billing, click on "How much does magicjack cost?".

Posted by: Data1025

Has anyone used this with a SPA-3102 (voip) product?

Posted by: djinks

Why would you use Magic Jack with an SPA3102. Seems like the SPA3102 does everything the MJ can do.

Posted by: sjjones

have MJ myself , just works, no complaints from me.

Posted by: Data1025

Quote:

Originally Posted by djinks

Why would you use Magic Jack with an SPA3102. Seems like the SPA3102 does everything the MJ can do.

I have a Trixbox (Asterisk) setup at home. I want to be able to use my N95 from a wifi point and make LD calls. My SPA3102 is connected to my home phone right now, which is local calls only for free.

Posted by: djinks

Quote:

Originally Posted by Data1025

I have a Trixbox (Asterisk) setup at home. I want to be able to use my N95 from a wifi point and make LD calls. My SPA3102 is connected to my home phone right now, which is local calls only for free.

I still don't understand how the Magic Jack would help you. You have an
SPA3102 at the house and want to use the the N95 when away from home?

Can't the N95 use softphone software? Where are you using the MJ?

Posted by: Data1025

Quote:

Originally Posted by djinks

Well, I was hoping to plug in the SPA3102's FXO (phone line) port into the MagicJack. When I connect to the SPA3102 from my N95 to make a call, I would dial out of the MagicJack.

If MagicJack can use a regular phone and act as a real phone line, don't see why it wouldn't work.

The reason I want this is for long distance. My SPA3102 is connected to my local phone line now, which doesnt have the extra $20/mo for unlimited long distance included.

Posted by: Chuck732

So how did you come to $10.00 a month for T-Mobile?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivnj

For my windows XP no I don't have an LCD. But I never leave it on all the time either. So 15 a month even is too expensive. Tmobile H@H is better. For 10 a month I only need wifi. No need to have a computer on. Only my router which is always on anyway cuz there's no easy way to shut it off and and all the time.

Posted by: Data1025

Thats $10 in addition to your monthly plan...

Posted by: emoci

Quote:

Originally Posted by Data1025

Ideally you would leave your landline as it is, and simply set up MJ as one of the gateways of the SPA that you can access when calling in....

It requires jumping through a few hoops to get the actual Sip Info for MJ, but it does seem to work from there...

(So MJ could even become one of your trunks on Trixbox given this)

Take a look at http://unofficialmagicjack.forum2u.org/

There is a lot of info there (feel free to send a PM if you need some help navigating through the info you need, especially MJ Sip Details)

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck732

So how did you come to $10.00 a month for T-Mobile?

The Tmobile H@H for $10/mo requires that you are already a Tmobile customer with some other postpaid plan. It also requires a special WiFi phone. Other than that, it is certainly a good option.

Sprint will be doing something similar with their Airrave femtocell. For $15/mo, you can use *any* Sprint phone (not just a Wifi-enabled phone), in fact up to 3 such phones simultaneously. Of course you also have to be a Sprint postpaid customer.

Both give you unlimited VOIP-like service on a wireless.

Posted by: chuckknight

I've been using MagicJack for about a month, now, and it seems to work exceptionally well. TMobile, and the other options, are all a MUCH higher cost, and have other strings attached.

Of course, it seems like almost ALL VOIP have strings attached. The strings for MJ seem to be relatively easy to live with.

The MagicJack seems to be a viable alternative for low use people, like me. Even cheaper than the phone cards I was using, and oh so much more convenient. Sound quality is generally excellent, too. Heck, even my fax works well, and I've had problems with my old fax and VOIP options.

-- Chuck Knight

Posted by: Chuck732

Heres one thing most might of forgot. Since the computer has to be on always. Thats means when you have the power go out you have no phone.

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck732

Heres one thing most might of forgot. Since the computer has to be on always. Thats means when you have the power go out you have no phone.

Well, *any* VOIP solution has that problem, pretty much, and moreover most people's house phones these days also require power to work, unlike the old Bell/WE phones. But the real point here is that leaving your computer on 24/7, as MJ requires, actually COSTS something significant, anywhere from $5/mo to $20/mo or more, depending on the type of PC, whether you are lazy and leave the monitor on as well, etc. So the total cost starts approaching a VOIP or cellphone plan again...

Posted by: aaadock

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil_aql

@ aaadock

No, I've never tried MagicJack as both my desk phone and mobile were using VoIP long before MagicJack came along.

I'd like to find out why you think it's worth the money when there is free software that does the same thing ?

Don't the terms and conditions worry you ?

As long as it works for you, that's the main thing

i have played and used many free solutions..

at one point its nice to plug it in and go.. ZERO setup required..

i mean it,, ZERO.. u literary plug it in .. wait a few secs and presto its on,.,

are there other solutions.. ? yes

for 40 bucks.. this is great..

it was simply something new to try and i needed up very happy with it...

also my cell is my only phone when my kids want to spend hours on the phone they now use magicjack... instead of my cell.. so for me its paid for itself already...

on a side note.. the fact that she is on it so often for so long says something about how well it works..

YMMV

Posted by: Kaylan

Does anyone know if magicjack works on an older PPC iBook (OS X 10.4)?

What countries does it include? Thinking of getting one as a gift for someone who makes a lot of calls to the US and to Trinidad.

Posted by: chuckknight

As I understand it, anything that's a US number is included, and also Canada and parts of Mexico. ALSO, any MagicJack to MagicJack call is free...

And, bear in mind that the US number is lacking in physicality...there's nothing saying that someone in Trinidad couldn't have a MagicJack number "located" in Kansas!

Posted by: YTRY2BEME2

does anyone know the number to call to order over the phone?

Posted by: YTRY2BEME2

Ok So I Ordered It & Love It ! No Issues!

Posted by: pattyrn

I loved my magicjack before dad adopted it when I went to his place and used it for a week. he went out and bought a fancy 3 cordless phone system to go with it so I am waiting for my new one anyday.

Posted by: aaadock

Quote:

Originally Posted by YTRY2BEME2

does anyone know the number to call to order over the phone?

i dont think there is... unless you count the informorcials

many people will be disapointed due to being used to " cust first" attidude from a biz.

be advised.

MagicJack will sell you a product .,. you use it and thats almost the extint of your relationship with them .. it a no frills deal..

and im happy with it,.

but in todays world.. were people complain even when they get something for free.. dishing out 39.99 to start will hold many people back..

you will NOT get cust support to go with it.. be advised of that going in .. and all will be well.

i dont mean that in a bad way.,. just a fact.

again im happy with mine.,

Posted by: pattyrn

another thing to consider is that they are still in beta and there are bugs to be worked out. I havent had a landline in years but for the cost I broke down and got it. I have my grandcentral number set to go to the magicjack and my cells so if I am home I pick up the calls on the magicjack which keeps the cell bill down. grandcentral is closed to new customers now and is in beta but when it comes out it will be a good optionl

Posted by: Apheus

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

But the real point here is that leaving your computer on 24/7, as MJ requires, actually COSTS something significant, anywhere from $5/mo to $20/mo or more, depending on the type of PC, whether you are lazy and leave the monitor on as well, etc. So the total cost starts approaching a VOIP or cellphone plan again...

The two components that take up the most power is the monitor and the hard drive. Shutting off the monitor, and putting the hard drive to sleep after X amount of minutes of inactivity would drastically reduce the amount of power used.

And yes you can still do that and MJ will work. I have a separate, P4 cpu computer sitting in the corner that I have my MJ hooked up to. The hard drive is asleep 80% percent of the time, until someone calls me, or I pick up the phone to call some one.

Furthermore, there's a way around that.

Remove the hard drive completely, insert a 2GB flash drive, and run Knoppix or Ubuntu off the disc, configure it, and you won't even need the hard drive at all.

With no hard drive and the monitor off the majority of the time, the amount of power usage would be minimal.

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apheus

With no hard drive and the monitor off the majority of the time, the amount of power usage would be minimal.

Its true you can take steps to drastically reduce the power needed to support an MJ 24/7 setup. I run mine off an old laptop, which consumes perhaps 1/10th the power of a full blown desktop. There are folks that are running their MJ off a diskless thin client, which consumes even less power than a laptop. But most of these solutions are beyond your average Joe American consumer...

As far as reliability and support, I absolutely echo the post above that says: Don't expect a "normal" customer support/service relationship with the MJ company. Pretend instead that you bought this phone off a street vendor on Canal Street in NYC. You got a good price, HOPEFULLY it will work, but your ability to have it fixed later or "talk" to a support agent is SEVERELY limited, almost non-existent. There are NO phone numbers to call for support. Support "chat" sessions are generally VERY frustrating unless your problem is extremely simple. You get what you pay for... but it's dirt cheap for a service that, when it works, is remarkable.

Similarly, I would never recommend that someone use the MJ to totally replace their phone service, house phone, landline. It just isn't that solid. But as a supplemental line, perhaps for that gabby teenager in the house, etc., its great.

Posted by: unisound1

I've been using MJ for about 3 months now and must say it works great. I've had a few issues here and there but nothing major. I paid in advance for the 5 year option and have taken it with me twice out of town to make calls with no issues. I do have kids at home and encourage them to use the MJ instead of their cell phones at all times which is a good thing. I think I paid $110 or something like that for 5 years.

Posted by: tattoohead

Hopefully they're still in business in 5 years...

I learned from when my Dad went with the 2 year option with his VOIP provider...had 'em like 6 months and they folded..

I have an MJ too...for quite some time now...and it's fun to screw around with..

Posted by: avibp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apheus

[snip]Remove the hard drive completely, insert a 2GB flash drive, and run Knoppix or Ubuntu off the disc, configure it, and you won't even need the hard drive at all.[/snip]

I need to be pointed to where magicjack will work with Linux distros please. I can turn an old XP box with no O/S hard drive into a Linux box booting from a memory stick that will run MJ?

I've got my old(er than dirt) desktop running winxp all the time for fun as an FTP server. It has no monitor keyboard or mouse and I access it via a web interface (www.logmein.com "free"). Connected to it is (3 things) a power cord, Ethernet cord and an external drive. That's it.

So, (I wipe the drool from my mouth and ask as politely as I know how,) where can I find these instructions to install Ubuntu on a flash drive and have that OS run my FTP and MJ with remote (web) access please?

ThAnK yOu ! ! (in advance)

8)

PS. the web search has already begun

Posted by: dugeboi

The only beef i have with MJ is the same as all canadians ... no area codes for canada

Posted by: PhotoJim

Quote:

Originally Posted by dugeboi

The only beef i have with MJ is the same as all canadians ... no area codes for canada

You could get a Canadian VoIP number from a provider like les.net and forward it to your MagicJack number at pretty low cost.

les.net will let you arrange your own outgoing calls too but that's a different conversation.

Posted by: fearlessflyer

Does anyone know if it is possible to select from various available numbers in your area code and servcie area (assuming that it is offered) or are you only given the one assigned to you when you go to activate the Magic Jack? The reason I ask is because with Vonage for example, before you activate a number you select your area code and service area and have a choice of four numbers, if you then select another service area and then return back to the original you are given a selection of another four numbers. You can keep doing this until you find one to your liking. Thanks.

Posted by: emoci

Quote:

Originally Posted by fearlessflyer

Does anyone know if it is possible to select from various available numbers in your area code and servcie area (assuming that it is offered) or are you only given the one assigned to you when you go to activate the Magic Jack? The reason I ask is because with Vonage for example, before you activate a number you select your area code and service area and have a choice of four numbers, if you then select another service area and then return back to the original you are given a selection of another four numbers. You can keep doing this until you find one to your liking. Thanks.

After the original activation, you can do one other number switch at no cost...

Anything switched beyond that carries an extra $10 fee ...

But I am not quite sure that you get to pick numbers (as in see the whole number)... it is more along the lines of switching your Area Code ...

Posted by: AznGunner

Hey all, I have MJ and have been very happy with the price and service so far. The only problem I seem to be having is that my dishnetwork receiver cannot get a dial tone when hooked up using MJ. Previously, I had vonage and then joi phone..both allowed the receiver to work properly. Now that I have MJ as my phone service, my receiver gives me the $5 charge warning each time I turn on my TV. Has anybody had success with dishnetwork and MJ??

Posted by: Amw3000

Cant see why It would be an issue. Ill test it with my parents setup next time im there.

Posted by: lmcjipo

I've read that MagicJack gives users "free" North American calls for a flat fee and does not give users "unlimited" North American calling. Apparently some people had their service cut off for surpassing a limit that none of the CSRs seem to know what the limit is: http://www.magicjacksupport.com/rea...ning-t3468.html

Posted by: Molly Mcbutter

I have actually crunched the numbers on the power usage because for my sm business I started switching the computers (two) off at night over the summer. I can see that it saves $30-$50 for both computers just by turning them off at the end of the day. Our electricity rates here are variable and go up in the summer.

For me this could work because I would only use magic jack during the work day when those computers are already on. Obviously I would only need one computer running for magic jack but if I were to run a single computer 24 hours that didn't already need to be on, you're looking at paying more for electricity than a PTSN line or Vonage line (or a myriad of others) costs. There are still plenty of ptsn line-powered phones you can get if you want to use no grid power at all. There is no savings if you're running a computer just for telephone service.

Posted by: knickfan5745

Quote:

Originally Posted by avibp

I think he meant run the OS off of a live CD and have the USB drive for storage. It is possible though to run an OS off a USB drive though if that's what you really want to do. A quick google search should have you on your way. If the motherboard is old it might not work though....

Posted by: avibp

Quote:

Originally Posted by knickfan5745

Indeed, it is possible to run an OS off of a USB stick. However, the trick is to get Magic Jack to run on a Linux distro. The concept here is a different flavor of a thin client for Magic Jack.

I was just hoping hoping hoping hoping he or someone else had the answer. Some say they have it working with Wine which maybe possible on a stick but, I haven't had the time to go there either...yet.

Posted by: avibp

Quote:

Originally Posted by Molly Mcbutter

[SNIP]... can see that it saves $30-$50 for both computers just by turning them off at the end of the day. ...[/SNIP]

$30-$50? Wow. Thanks for the number crunching. My utility bills reflect the same range of cost but, I didn't want to admit that it was the computers I have been adding to my house...Now, I know.

I seriously want to test a stripped out system (NO: Hard drive, monitor,) running Magic Jack on Linux from a USB stick. (drool)

Wish I was smart enough to do it without help.