vB Easy Archive - MagicJack : Yay or Nay?

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MagicJack : Yay or Nay?
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Posted by: Extraordinary

Its been out for at least 2 years now, I am starting to see a lot of good reviews and comments about it on other forums and youtube. Now that they finally have more area codes available and will be allowing port-in's soon, what do you think?

Do you have it?

Do you use it?

How often do you use it?

Have you used it?

Would it work with an expandable cordless phone set?

Posted by: avenue

I don't have it and I've never used it. I've heard a lot of bad things about it and then a lot of good things. I'd recommend getting it and trying it. I've heard it includes something that sends information back to them, so I'm not sure... Have you heard of AdCalls? You call someone and they send the number to a company so they can call them with advertisements and all that.

So I'd recommend getting one and see for yourself, or wait for more replies here.

Your computer needs to be on all the time for it to work. You can plug in a cordless phone system but the system needs to be near the MagicJack or it won't have enough power to put through the phone line.

Posted by: lmcjipo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Extraordinary

1) Do you have it?

2) Do you use it?

3) How often do you use it?

4) Have you used it?

5) Would it work with an expandable cordless phone set?

1) I have it (purchased it in December 2008)

2) I will use it rarely since I have many ways of calling North America for "free" (i.e. that I'm already paying for).

3) I will maybe use it once every week. I use it more like a back-up phone.

4) Yes... otherwise my answer for #3 wouldn't be what it is.

5) Yes, it would work with an expandable cordless phone set. It will work with anything that uses a standard phone jack.

I would not recommend replacing a landline with MagicJack since there are a few bugs with it (especially in Canada). The company also does not have a good reputation in terms of support (but what do you expect for the price of the item/service). I would recommend MagicJack as a second line or as a back-up phone (where either a standard landline or a cellphone is the primary line).

Posted by: monkeyboy

It is a good backup service, perhaps for a teenager or for long LD calls. It is not so solid as to be suitable for your only service.

You must keep your computer on... which is why many put the MJ on a laptop or similar, to reduce power usage.

It has very limited "driving power" and has difficulty supporting multiple phones (e.g. driving a whole house's wiring with multiple extensions). It also has some problems driving some phones -- not every phone works with it.

Skype is a similar, overlapping solution that in some ways works better.

MJ has its uses. Particularly cool as a device to send to a friend overseas so that he can call the US for cheap.

Posted by: Snotick

I have had a Magicjack since July. We used it as a backup for awhile to see what the quality was going to be like. In February we turned off our landline and have moved to Magicjack as our only home phone. We use it a minimum of 5-6 times a day. My phone calls are usually no more than 10-15 minutes, but my wife will talk to her mother for an hour at a time. The only complaints in call quality have come from my father in law, but only when he is using his cell phone.
My only complaint is the call waiting tone is obtrusive, it beeps a couple of times and drowns out the person that you are talking to.
I have had the Magicjack connected to 4 different computers.
The first was my Dell sub laptop with a Centrino Mobile chip. This worked well and it is fanless so it took very little power to run (with monitor off). But since I used this for other things, I didnt want to leave the laptop at home.
The second was a Pentium 4 2.6ghz desktop. This also worked very well, we noticed no problems but it did consume a little more power.
Third was an old compact ipaq compact pc. This has only one fan, so it consumed less energy. It was a P3 900 ghz and worked ok, but my wife noticed a couple of quality issues with calls.
I currently have it running on a AMD HP laptop that is a few years old (I think its a 1.6 ghz. I have the monitor turned off, and the hard drive shuts down after 1 minute to save energy. There have been no issues with the Magicjack on this computer.
I have found that it is a good idea to turn off the computer, remove the Magicjack, restart the computer, and plug the Magicjack back in every few weeks. This helps install any updates for MJ.
The current laptop is plugged into my router and high speed cable internet. I have a two-jack phone plug plugged into the Magicjack. I have a two phone Panasonic cordless phone plugged into one jack. I also have a three phone Uniden cordless phone plugged into the other. So, we have five cordless phones that work flawlessly.
I also used my fax machine this week. (I only use it a couple of times a year)
I just unplugged on of the cordless phone lines and plugged in the fax machine.

I was skeptical before trying Magicjack. I had read some bad reviews about MJ, but they could have been related to poor internet service. MJ doesnt work well over wifi or dsl. It also suffers from a slower computer.
As far as MJ using your info, and having telemarketers call you. I have had the MJ since July, and I have never had a telemarketer call me.

As long as the service stays the way it is, I will stick with MJ and save the $400 a year

Posted by: monkeyboy

BTW... the best site I know of for MJ "support", advice and experience (good and bad) is:

http://www.magicjacksupport.com/

also Radio Shack seems to be selling MJ retail, for what its worth... at least in some stores...

Posted by: woowee

My MagicJack (MJ) expires in June with $15 still remaining of the $20 selection I made for international calling (to Mexico). I consider the unspent minutes as lost since I haven't used MJ for 6 months in part because the unit has failed to work reliably (see below). After realizing I spent $50 or more in just a month calling MX using MJ, I went back to Skype. There I pay 5 to 10 usd.

When making calls internationally (MX, etc) using MJ is a definite rip-off esp. since what they charge you (through YMAX) is way more than what they say they will charge you.
Unlike most phone companies, they won't even provide a list or log of all calls made (or received) by their customers using their product.

If MJ says that they charge "9¢ a minute to anywhere in MX", they will begin charging you the LD rate:
1] when the phone rings before it is answered
2] for attempted calls
3] for unanswered calls
4] maybe if you're thinking of making a call
5] maybe if you dreamed it
6] maybe because they felt like it
7] for any fees they drum up since there's no way you can find out how they itemized the costs

MJ cost savings have recently been nipped away by Skype's improved cost saving products. Their costs for all North American calls have been competitively lowered.

I've decided to use Skype for international calling and keep MJ for US/Canada numbers. By now though, my MJ device has nearly completely failed to successfully open the on-screen softphone when plugged in. The cause might be the USB connection, but so what; it quit working. I can still receive messages on my MJ phone #, but that's only if I listen to them from another number or through email. No out-going calls can be made. I admit that I haven't done much repair research to sort out the problem because I still have Skype as a reliable backup while not costing me extra money for the most part.

Again, my biggest criticisms of MJ are:

1) the lack of call itemizing for accountability purposes with the likelihood of overcharging for calls to Mexico

AND

2) it's general poorer quality of calls

AND

3) the device's eventual failure

Posted by: Snotick

The one thing that people need to understand about any product is that they will always find more negative reviews than positive ones when searching on the internet.
Most people that are happy with their product/service never have a need to rant about it in an internet forum.
woowee actually went through the trouble of registering here on HoFo just to make this statement.

I think magicjack works well for some people. For others, there may have been an error, or a problem and they start searching the internet for answers to their problems.

As I stated, I have been using my MJ for 9 months now, and I have experienced a few bad calls. But I'm willing to deal with having to call someone back (which usually fixes the problem) instead of paying my local phone company $40 a month (without long distance)

By the way I never use my MJ for international calling.

Posted by: Data1025

I saw these being sold in walmart yesterday... $39.

Posted by: Extraordinary

Well I picked one up and tested it out. So far so good, completed about a dozen calls on it with no problems yet!

Posted by: woowee

The fun part of MagicJack is to pay the extra money for international calling.

Then you get to try to track those calls and find out what you are really spending.
Good luck to anyone to explain how to do that successfully.

MJ is certainly okay for the free calls if you don't mind leaving your computer on always.
My advice for those who make the more expensive type calls internationally (esp. for chatting) is to use another service.

Posted by: metallicpoet

I just bought a magicjack. I heard all the bad reviews (some call it "Magicshit" lol), but I didn't think it would hurt to try the 30-day free trial. So far so good. I ran some tests on it over a variety of connections. It works flawlessly over my fiber optic line (30MPS down / 15 MPS up); flawlessly over my university's WiFi (6MPS down / 3MPS up). However, where I ran into problems was using it over EVDO Rev. A tethered by my phone (3.1MPS down [max] / 1.8MPS up [max] // more realistic speeds would be 700KPS down / 100KPS up). I wasn't expecting it to work great over EVDO, but it worked beyond my expectations on even a somewhat slow broadband speed. It would cut in and out every so often, but I think I could stand having a conversation over EVDO.

Overall, I recommend getting a Magicjack for those who have cut the landline and gone exclusively wireless. Having Magicjack as a backup is cheap and could probably help save on anytime minutes.

Posted by: timvideo

Quote:

Originally Posted by monkeyboy

It is a good backup service, perhaps for a teenager or for long LD calls. It is not so solid as to be suitable for your only service.

You must keep your computer on... which is why many put the MJ on a laptop or similar, to reduce power usage.

It has very limited "driving power" and has difficulty supporting multiple phones (e.g. driving a whole house's wiring with multiple extensions). It also has some problems driving some phones -- not every phone works with it.

Skype is a similar, overlapping solution that in some ways works better.

MJ has its uses. Particularly cool as a device to send to a friend overseas so that he can call the US for cheap.

I have a magicjack and a Sprint Airave with unlimited calling plan.. My Airave is a far superior solution..

Posted by: zapjb

Do you have it? Y

Do you use it? Y

How often do you use it? 5-10x a week

Have you used it? Y

Would it work with an expandable cordless phone set? Y

It's a nice adjunct to my prepaid cell phone. Just wish it'd work natively in Linux.

Posted by: Snotick

Quote:

Originally Posted by timvideo

I have a magicjack and a Sprint Airave with unlimited calling plan.. My Airave is a far superior solution..

Airave only works for people that have an existing Sprint wireless phone, then you have to purchase the airave unit for $100 and sign up for the an Airave plan ranging form $15-$25 a month.

Of course the Airave doesn't compare to MagicJack. It costs more.

But I could make the same argument that the cost of MJ doesnt compare to Airave.

EDIT: Oh, and if you read the fine print, Airave charges taxes and fees on top of the monthly fee.

"**Monthly charges exclude taxes, Sprint Surcharges [incl. USF charge of up to 11.4% (varies quarterly), Administrative Charge (up to $1.99/line/mo.), Regulatory Charge ($0.20/line/mo.) & state/local fees by area]. Sprint Surcharges are not taxes or gov't-required charges and are subject to change. Details"

Posted by: Extraordinary

Has anyone been able to get caller ID on your phone when connected to MJ? I only get it on my PC, my Panasonic 6 phone system doesnt get the actual #.

Posted by: Snotick

I currently have 2 cordless phones connected to my magic jack. One is a panasonic (2 phones) The other is a Uniden (3 phones) The caller id shows the number of the person calling, but it does not show the name.

Posted by: monkeyboy

The Airave is a great solution for its primary intended use: to provide in-home coverage for Sprint cell phones. And the fact that it also can provide unlimited calling as an optional service is also a pretty good deal. Because of its primary purpose to provide a solid Sprint signal within your house, it can often be gotten for FREE -- since otherwise Sprint may lose that customer due to poor signal at home.

The biggest problems with the MJ are that 1) it is not complete solid, 2) it requires your PC to be on an functioning well, 3) MJ CS sucks bigtime.... just try to get an "in-warranty" replacement from them if it should break... its a real horror show...

But I will still prolly renew my MJ service, if only for the novelty. I would never consider it as a primary service (my family would kill me if I did that...)...

To be fair, the Airave has been known to go down as well...

Posted by: Snotick

I have never been concerned about in warranty service for my Magic Jack. If I have problems with it, I will just order a new one. $40 is less than what I paid for a month of landline service. If I have to buy a new one every year, so be it.

Posted by: jnmhorn

I use it for voicemail mostly as a number for $20 a year is great! Great for college students.

Posted by: RF9

I don't have MJ. Over at the Ooma support forums (at ooma.com ) there's a thread about people who had MJ, hated it, and went to Ooma and love it. I'm personally not saying either way since I've never used MJ. I'm just telling you what I have read just FYI.
The one sole reason I was not interested in MJ is that I wanted a land line replacement that did not require the use of a computer.

Just injecting Ooma in here as an option. Way bigger start up cost at $200 (+premiere service if you want it.) But free calls, low pre-paid international rates. And it's an always-on device that does not user your computer.
So far I really like it.

I did a post about it over here:
http://www.howardforums.com/showpos...000&postcount=4

Posted by: lottieduff

Thumbs up. I bought it about a year ago. Works perfectly. Plugged it in, followed simple prompts for initial set up. Bingo. EASY to use interface, keeps phone numbers in its own address book. I have taken it to work...used it on a cruise ship....Works fine. It is so good, that I imagine the landline lobby is already trying to get it legislated out. I have an old, slow fax machine that I plan to try faxing with...I suspect it will work, too.

Posted by: nefiwashere

can u do calls to mexico to with it or do u have to pay so many cents a min.

Posted by: al_capone_x3

Quote:

Originally Posted by lottieduff

Thumbs up. I bought it about a year ago. Works perfectly. Plugged it in, followed simple prompts for initial set up. Bingo. EASY to use interface, keeps phone numbers in its own address book. I have taken it to work...used it on a cruise ship....Works fine. It is so good, that I imagine the landline lobby is already trying to get it legislated out. I have an old, slow fax machine that I plan to try faxing with...I suspect it will work, too.

how did u do that? use it on a cruise ship? that would be the ideal service? some type of phone that would allow phone calls made from a cruise ship?

please explain how you did it and what you did and what you needed to use?

thank you

Posted by: lmcjipo

Quote:

Originally Posted by al_capone_x3

For MagicJack to work, all you need in internet access (with the necessary ports open) and a computer/laptop (and of course your phone to plug into it).

If the cruise ship had some sort of wireless internet or wired internet, it would work. The same would be true in a plane, bus, car, or train. If you had internet while you were moving (some train services have internet), you would be able to use your MagicJack with your laptop.

I've used MagicJack with my cellular provider's data service on my laptop and it works. If a cruise ship (or other mode of transportation) has a similar type of set-up where you have access to the internet, MagicJack will work. The quality will depend on the stability of the internet connection while the vehicle or mode of transportation that you're using is moving.

Posted by: Agent22

works for me, ive been using it to call my girl in vancouver

Posted by: Snotick

Quote:

Originally Posted by Extraordinary

Has anyone been able to get caller ID on your phone when connected to MJ? I only get it on my PC, my Panasonic 6 phone system doesnt get the actual #.

If anyone is having trouble with their magic jack and caller id this might help.

I had been using two cordless phones with my magic jack. I ran a 2 line splitter from the MJ usb plug and then plugged the two cordless phone bases into that splitter. Everything was running fine until I disconnected one of the cordless phones from the splitter to use for another project. I stopped getting caller id on the phone that was hooked up to the MJ. The caller id would show up on the computer splash screen when a call came in. Just not on the cordless phone.

I started doing some research and found some posts about people connecting 100k ohm resistors to correct the problem. I also found someone that got the caller id to work after connecting a second wired phone to the MJ usb via a splitter.

So I found an old wired phone and plugged that into the second jack of my splitter and I now have caller id back on my cordless phone.

Dont ask me to explain the physics in all of this, the proof is in the pudding. Besides, I dont really care how it works, just that it works.

Posted by: ipKo

has anyone ever try to send one of these things overseas and try to make a call??
that could cut overseas cost huge!!!

Posted by: Snotick

I have not personally done it, but others claim that it works just as well. It doesnt care where you are, just that you have a high speed internet connection and a computer.

Posted by: ipKo

Thats wicked....
Thanks for the info Snotick

Posted by: WaltA

Quote:

Originally Posted by al_capone_x3

how did u do that? use it on a cruise ship? that would be the ideal service? some type of phone that would allow phone calls made from a cruise ship?

Many of the major cruise ships have internet access, even WiFi (and cell phone access too). However, they are free to charge whatever they went so expect very high charges for it (up to $1/min). Also, internet access is by satellite, and it is shared, so don't expect very high data rates, but do expect data drop outs.

Posted by: Snotick

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipKo

Thats wicked....
Thanks for the info Snotick

If you dont care about using your regular phone you could always sign up for a VOIP line like gizmo, or truphone, etc. Once you and your friends have signed up for a number you can make internet calls to each other for free. The only cost would be to purchase a microphone and speakers (if needed) Some Voip's even offer a way to do video calls if you have a webcam.

Just another option.

Posted by: woowee

Quote:

Originally Posted by nefiwashere

can u do calls to mexico to with it or do u have to pay so many cents a min.

MEXICO CALLERS:

You are the perfect candidate to get screwed by MJ (or should I say anyone wanting to make long distance calls to any country with higher per minute rates). You can see my earlier posts on this thread as to why since calls to Mexico was a common thing for me. Remember, I said WAS as in past tense.

Someday I hope there is a class action law suite or something to hold them accountable for the customer ripoff by their YMAX long distance charging methods. Gotta admit though, they are slick with how they've been able to pull this off.

Posted by: Bob859

Quote:

Originally Posted by Extraordinary

Its been out for at least 2 years now, I am starting to see a lot of good reviews and comments about it on other forums and youtube. Now that they finally have more area codes available and will be allowing port-in's soon, what do you think?

Do you have it?

Yes, I have been using it since December '08.

How often do you use it?

Everyday. I have not had a landline since '05. My wife and I had been using AT&T cell phones as our only phones at a cost of $81/month, including tax. We have replaced them with a combination of PagePlus cell phones and the MagicJack. That has reduced our average monthly phone service cost to $40, including the MagicJack.

The MagicJack is not perfect, but most of the time it works well. It seems to work better and with less problems now than it did when we first got it. I have also found that I can run a line from the MagicJack to a wall port from the old line line service, and then I can plug phones into ports in other rooms, and to my surprise, they work. My home is small, though. It is a 2 level 1400 square foot townhouse, so I don't really have a use for that procedure.

Would it work with an expandable cordless phone set?

I haven't tried that, so I don't know.

One of the things that I don't like: The MagicJack website seems kind of sleazy. It has the same deal everyday and says that it is the last day that it will be available. I would not recommend buying a MagicJack from that website. I bought mine on Ebay, and it was cheaper than the MagicJack website. It was $36, including shipping. The MagicJack website sells it for $40, plus shipping. It is also available at some BestBuy, Radio Shack and Walmart stores.

.

Posted by: monkeyboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by WaltA

I highly highly doubt that MJ will work well if at all with Internet via satellite, like on a cruise ship. Satellite Internet has LONG latencies and terrible "upload" bandwidth. Both of these issues wouldn't affect email or web browsing much, but would be intolerable or unworkable for anything like VOIP.

Basically out in the ocean you're stuck with satphones (e.g. Iridium) or cell/GSM if you're close to port...

Posted by: fs22

I have had one since December '08. Got it brand-new in the package for $29 from a friend who bought it from Radio Shack on Black Friday.

I use it occasionally to make long distance calls, especially to people who complain about the clarity of cell phones (my preferred way to call LD). It has excellent call quality on my system. I have had zero problems with it. Since I only use it for outgoing calls, I unplug it when I'm done with a call. I also uncheck "magicJack" in Windows Firewall. The MJ likes to put itself in the exceptions list whenever it is plugged in. I also have to go into msconfig and uncheck "cdloader2" in the startup list. Since I rarely use the MJ, I don't consider it an inconvenience to do these things. I'm picky about computer performance and I don't like crap in my startup.

Posted by: mel2000

Do you have it? Yes

Do you use it? Yes

How often do you use it? Everyday

Have you used it? See above

Would it work with an expandable cordless phone set? Definitely, but magicJack doesn't always have enough juice to ring some cordless phone base stations, though they'll still receive the call OK. But most will ring fine.

Posted by: showee

Yes, I also have it, but I have poor internet connection and I can only use it if my internet connection is good.

Posted by: kaykatz

I've been using MagicJack since Jan 08. I found that plugging it into an AC powered usb hub has solved many of the little problems I'd been experiencing. No more echo, fading in and out, one sided calling, etc. Maintenance consists of unplugging it from the computer then reinstall it every couple of onths. I'm not a heavy user but for $20/yr, it's been worth it for me. I am thinking about getting an internet phone adapter to plug into my router so I won't have to keep my laptop on all the time (either that or a thin client).

Posted by: Bob859

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaykatz

I've been using MagicJack since Jan 08. I found that plugging it into an AC powered usb hub has solved many of the little problems I'd been experiencing. No more echo, fading in and out, one sided calling, etc. Maintenance consists of unplugging it from the computer then reinstall it every couple of onths. I'm not a heavy user but for $20/yr, it's been worth it for me. I am thinking about getting an internet phone adapter to plug into my router so I won't have to keep my laptop on all the time (either that or a thin client).

Are you saying that it is possible to plug the MagicJack directly into a router and use it without having a computer turned on?

.

Posted by: mel2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob859

Are you saying that it is possible to plug the MagicJack directly into a router and use it without having a computer turned on?.

No, magicJack does not support connecting from a router.

Posted by: kaykatz

You can't plug the MJ directly into a router. You need a phone adapter, for instance the Linksys PAP2T-NA Internet Phone Adapter or HP Compaq t5710 Thin Client. I suggest reading about it further by googling the Unofficial magicJack forum.

Posted by: mel2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaykatz

You can't plug the MJ directly into a router. You need a phone adapter, for instance the Linksys PAP2T-NA Internet Phone Adapter or HP Compaq t5710 Thin Client. I suggest reading about it further by googling the Unofficial magicJack forum.

The ATA phone adapter hack no longer works after the latest 1.80.484 upgrade

A thin client will work but with that cost it might be cheaper to get OOMA for $200 and get inbound and outbound calls free, supposedly forever.

Posted by: Maru

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipKo

has anyone ever try to send one of these things overseas and try to make a call??
that could cut overseas cost huge!!!

I bought my Mom a MagicJack and she uses it in the Philippines. She has DSL in her house. It works great. She has an NY number so her friends in NY, etc. can call her without the overseas charges.

Posted by: dandor

got cable internet a month ago so I decided to give magicjack a try. I hate telephones cause someone always calls when I don't want to talk. I use it as a primary line 2 to 5 times a day 5 to 20 minutes each call. We have it connected to a cheap cordless phone. Works great unless we are power downloading something. Well worth the money if you have a internet connection better than dsl.

Posted by: woowee

MJ should be good (and even great) for using from anywhere in the world to make US & Canada calling only. Woohoo Baby ! Yippie Yai Yay

You will be rudely awakened when you use MJ for making international calls.

Try itemizing each of those type of calls with MJ's easy-to-find "call logs" and see if you are still thrilled with MJ.

Posted by: Tofs

Quote:

Originally Posted by mel2000

The ATA phone adapter hack no longer works after the latest 1.80.484 upgrade

A thin client will work but with that cost it might be cheaper to get OOMA for $200 and get inbound and outbound calls free, supposedly forever.

That's supposed to be illegal right? I mean the ATA phone adapter hack...it's against MJ TOS.

http://www.magicjack.com/tos/

8. License

Quote:

You agree not to access the magicJack services by any means other than through the Software and the magicJack device

Posted by: mel2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tofs

That's supposed to be illegal right? I mean the ATA phone adapter hack...it's against MJ TOS.

Yes, I believe that's why they took steps to prevent it.

Posted by: Data1025

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maru

I bought my Mom a MagicJack and she uses it in the Philippines. She has DSL in her house. It works great. She has an NY number so her friends in NY, etc. can call her without the overseas charges.

Ditto.........