# Magic Jack Phone Plug In



## Visionary2

http://www.magicjack.com/4/index.asp

They say you can plug this in your computer then plug your phone in it and get free phone service. The downside would be only having one phone and no phone if a power outage or if your computer is down. Of course then I suppose one could use their cell phone. After initial purchase it would save us about $50 a month in phone bills.

It almost sounds too good to be true....what you guys think?


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## JohnWill

Well, it's cheap to try it, and if you don't like it, you're not out a lot of money. Note that you have to have a computer that's on anytime you're using the phone, so keep that in mind.


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## Elvandil

Magic Jack is one of the fasting growing of the telecom companies, with millions of sales in the last few months. They must be doing something right. Do a web search. It seems most people like it.

But as a consumer advocate (and *JohnWill*) have pointed out, the risk is minimal so you don't lose much even if it doesn't work at all.


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## JohnWill

They also have a 30 day free trial, how much risk is there? I have ViaTalk, it was $10/mo for 24 months for two lines, so I'm set for the next 18 months or so.


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## Miss Priss

We have had the Majic Jack for several months now and love it. We still have our regular house phone but use Majic Jack to make our long didtance calls. So far so good. Once in awhile we have a bad connection, but I just hang up and redial. We also have it hooked up to our walk around phone and can dial directly from the phone or from the control on the computer. Voice clarity is almost always very good.


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## Squashman

I got one, just to try it out. It certainly isn't a full replacement for your home phone but since most people have a Cell phone it could be. I wish it would run as a service. I don't like having to login to the computer to have it running.


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## jp1203

...so it's a voip type of thing? 

I couldn't do that because I have DSL and thus need a phone line for internet. It really doesn't matter much to me anyway because our phone bill is only around 20/month (no caller id, call waiting, etc. of course) and we almost never make a long distance call.


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## jvic

Have had magic jack for about a month now.I hooked it up to a cheap computer I have which can stay on all the time.No problems at all with it..


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## kr0nicle

have magicjack running on g/f's pc, its great! we got one of those cordless phone sets, so there are 3 phones instead of one.


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## EnfoToad

It looks pretty good. I also have a set of 3 phones and plan on buying one to connect to the main phone.


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## dannyn

Is this a jack that in some way uses voip?


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## DotHQ

How do you get your phone number with MagicJack? 
I have Voip with Vonage and it works well, but it costs 24.95 a month plus tax. Free calling all over the US & Canada though.


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## JohnWill

Yes, it's a VoIP device that uses your computer to do a lot of the work.


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## dannyn

what is the catch? why would it be so much cheaper? beacuse it uses your computer and is not standalone?


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## DoubleHelix

The "catch" is that your computer has to always be on and running for the service to work. If the computer isn't on, functioning, with the device/software properly installed and running, you can't make or receive calls. There may also be quality issues with VOIP. You can read more about the technology here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voip


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## dannyn

I know what voip is. I just was wondering if the computer running all the time and o standalone option was the only "catch"


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## DoubleHelix

Yes, the computer would have to always be on. That's what powers and controls the device. There's really not much information at Magic Jack's website. I'd be cautious of a device that's hawked for hours a night on Infomercials. For example, there's no mention of assigning a local phone number. That may or may not be an issue for you.


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## hairybusdriver

A lot of you guys sound like your advertising the darn thing. It does sound good though. I have one question though, if you have the magicjack and all of the proper software to run it, and it uses voip than why do you have to pay a yearly fee. Are you paying for access to their servers or something.


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## dannyn

there is a monthly fee.


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## DoubleHelix

It's a for-profit business. They need to not only pay for the hardware but for the software development, customer service, general overhead, etc. All the things that go into making a product.


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## Wino

dannyn said:


> there is a monthly fee.


There is no monthly fee. $39.95 + shipping for apparatus and 1-year service, then $19.95 a year for service access. I expect that will rise same as Vonage did after AT&T whined they were not having to charge all the little fees Ma Bell does.

It is a viable alternate to land lines for those that wish to be frugal and are not slaves to a telephone. There is no need to have a computer on all the time, just when you wish to use. If your computer is off caller will get voice mail and you will be notified when you boot there are messages.

The service can at times be sucky and callers may not always get voice mail on first try. If they don't, and don't try back, the call wasn't worth anything anyway.

Before ordering check their available area codes. They may not service your area. If they do, they will assign a local telephone number. If your area code is not available initially, they will assign another area code and phone number which may be changed ONCE at no charge when your AC becomes available and the base 7-digit phone number will also change.

Not sure about MJ, but Vonage VoIP works quite well on DSL, so I expect MJ would, too. Albeit, you will suffer quality at times, dropped calls, signal loss - not much different than cell phone service, but much less expensive. My experience with VoIP is that any hi-speed under 3.0 MBS sucks.


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## Rivera42

and this is better than Skype...*how*???


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## Wino

Rivera42 said:


> and this is better than Skype...*how*???


It works like a regular landline to a land based phone. People calling and people you call don't need a computer nor software to talk with you. Unless Skype service has changed, that's the only advantage I can see.


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## JohnWill

hairybusdriver said:


> A lot of you guys sound like your advertising the darn thing. It does sound good though. I have one question though, if you have the magicjack and all of the proper software to run it, and it uses voip than why do you have to pay a yearly fee. Are you paying for access to their servers or something.


Any VoIP that has access to the PSTN will have a fee, someone has to pay for the interface equipment and service to actually reach the phone network.


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## catmom112

I also saw this on tv and it sounded very good but please be sure where your call goes when you dial "911". My brother in Ohio had Vonage and when he had an heart attack his 911 call went to California costing him valuable time under these circumstances.

Good Luck


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## Squashman

JStergis said:


> ...so it's a voip type of thing?
> 
> I couldn't do that because I have DSL and thus need a phone line for internet. It really doesn't matter much to me anyway because our phone bill is only around 20/month (no caller id, call waiting, etc. of course) and we almost never make a long distance call.


It works on any High Speed Internet Connection. Doesn't matter if it is Cable, DSL or T1. I just needs 80 Kb of bandwidth.


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## ronhum

Well, this will just about do in landline phones, as least in homes that have a computer.

Amazing how technology continues to progress.


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## Rivera42

Wino said:


> It works like a regular landline to a land based phone. People calling and people you call don't need a computer nor software to talk with you. Unless Skype service has changed, that's the only advantage I can see.


I have used Skype to call T-Mobile when they needed me to troubleshoot my handset. For over half an hour I talked with Customer Care over my Skype connection, completely for free, and the clarity was unbelievable. No drops, no lags, no gaps.

If you want to get inbound calls on Skype then yes, you either need to pay for a number (just like any phone service) or convince your nearest and dearest to get Skype too. (IOW absolutely free software to make absolutely free calls, no catch, no fine print) There is no monthly/annual fee. The number you buy is dirt cheap and can be local to almost any country in the world, no matter where you're actually located. (If you make a lot of overseas calls, for instance, you can get a local Skype number in that country, so your friends don't have to pay any long-distance charges anymore to call you, and of course you aren't paying any long-distance fees either.) Outbound calls to landlines and other non-Skype users do require a small up-front fee for talk time (exactly the same as your cell phone, and probably cheaper), but if you're calling 800/866/888/other toll-free numbers on landlines (like T-Mo CC), it's free and unlimited, still no fine print, and still no fee. Heck, they don't even need to know your real identity in order to use their service. Their software and service have been around for awhile and, *unlike* the iffy MajicJack, are established and mature.

I still fail to see where the Majicjack outweighs the Skype service.


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## LaytonE

MagicJack gets 2 thumbs up. :up::up:

I have a magic jack. Its not a Land-line replacement by any means. If you don't have a pretty decent connection you will suffer from broken up conversations and sometimes long delays. (I have had delays up to 20 seconds on a bad internet connection.)

so don't replace your phone with one.

If you have a broadband connection (Better then 256k) and a computer that does not run like honey drips then GET ONE!

The quality is great, and you really can't complain about the fact that you can talk as long as you want and not worry about a thing. If you have a bluetooth dongle or a bluetooth radio built into your computer you can use a bluetooth headsets and they work just fine. You can plug your regular phone into it and use it like its pluged right into the wall (pick up the receiver to hear a dial tone), or you can use the mic and headphone jack or pc speakers to talk.

I pluged my magic jack in and within about 5 minutes I had a working local phone number.

The software is not very mature yet but they move quickly to update the most important features as quickly as possible.

for 40 bucks its worth it.

Again dont replace your current phone. switch your landline to the $9.00 a month plan or something.


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## Stmped Cmp Bildr

i have a magic jack and its great! $20 per year, and you don't have to buy a special headset like vonage. The only drawback is yes, a power outage, and the software reinstalls itself every time your reboot the computer. Also, if you they don't have your area code number, then people in your area have to call you long distance.


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## Wino

Stmped Cmp Bildr said:


> i have a magic jack and its great! $20 per year, and *you don't have to buy a special headset like vonage.* The only drawback is yes, a power outage, and the software reinstalls itself every time your reboot the computer. Also, if you they don't have your area code number, then people in your area have to call you long distance.


Special headset?? I have Vonage and use my standard phones. Also, transferred my old SWB/SBC/ATT phone number I've had for 20+ years. Also have all on a UPS so power outages no problem (cable modem, Vonage router, network router, fax & phone) with computer on or off. If cable goes off line, then I'm screwed for calling out.


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## JohnWill

Gee, I use ViaTalk, $10/mo for two lines, and I use all the standard wired and wireless phones here at the house. What's this "special" headset?


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## Wino

JohnWill said:


> Gee, I use ViaTalk, $10/mo for two lines, and I use all the standard wired and wireless phones here at the house. What's this "special" headset?


Didn't think of it earlier, but I think he may be referring to the USB V-phone from Vonage. I use it sometimes when on the road and it takes a single small (2.5?) plug for voice/audio. I have a headset I use with my office phone hand set for handsfree operation.


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## deuce

Buckle your seatbelt; some comments...



Rivera42 said:


> For over half an hour I talked with Customer Care over my Skype connection, completely for free, and the clarity was unbelievable. No drops, no lags, no gaps.


Is the quality of Skype calls better than the Skype to Skype video conferencing? I have been using Skype for quite awhile and the video conferencing tends to be laggy and drop calls, but isn't really an issue. I have a 10 Mbps connection and a 3.6 Ghz Xeon Dual Core, 4 GBs ram, so it's not my hardware. (Could just be everyone I call)



Rivera42 said:


> Their software and service have been around for awhile and, *unlike* the iffy MajicJack, are established and mature.
> 
> I still fail to see where the Majicjack outweighs the Skype service.


Skype is a very respectable company I had an issue when then changed their installer awhile ago and only allowed installation on the C:/ drive. (Which, obviously, dual boot users don't have all OSs installed on the C: drive. A little peeved, I emailed tech support, and someone with a name :up: replied within the hour and told me the business download is still the msi installer without that issue.

Later, I had a windows issue that required reinstalling skype and couldn't uninstall it without the the exact older version that I was trying to uninstall--I emailed that guy again now that I had his address, and he was quite and helpful again.



LaytonE said:


> (I have had delays up to 20 seconds on a bad internet connection.)


Do you mean you have a lag of up to 20 seconds? Sounds incredibly annoying, even if it is only 15% of the time.



DoubleHelix said:


> I'd be cautious of a device that's hawked for hours a night on Infomercials.


Long-winded post later, this is what I really wanted to comment on.

My first observation when I went to that site (aside from the annoying auto-video that you have to open your volume mixer to shut off if you're already listening to actual music) was the "FREE TRIAL" sketchy-ness. I read: "only available until Thursday July 24!" and I thought well that's a very random day to end a promotion, and I then thought--hey, that is today. I then googled majicjack and took a look at google's chached page from July 22, and low and behold, it says: "only available until July 22!".

I guarentee you that the page checks your system date, and displays that.

CLASSIC SCAMMER trick #1. Not only skecty, but virtually all scammer electronics websites selling non-existent electronics at unreasonably low prices do the same thing, except the message says free shipping or something. Free shipping on a large LCD screen TV that weighs 40 lbs or so--SCAM.

I attached a .pdf of both the cache page and the current page.

Secondly, that "free trial" ticker seems bogus to me. Even if it is only a dynamically updating visitor counter, (which still seems too like it is increasing at an unreasonably fast rate) it's deceptive. They make it seem like that many people actually took them up on their free trial and will in a few short days will be using their service. SCAM.

Thirdly, any website that flashes credentials like a 5 year old screams SCAM to me.

CNBC video, banner of "great reviews" "Product of the year!", etc.

Although they may very well be legitamate, it seams suspicious.

Also, I provided fake info to get to their ordering system. (The address to Wrigley Field, and a silly full name with an email address of [email protected]) This does not seem like a secure ordering system. Although the URL appears to be secure (https://) where is the padlock? Where is their digital certificate? I don't see it on my page...

What is their privacy statement? What is their terms of service statement? Not easy to find and not legitamate.

Where's their phone number for customer service? I saw they have a "live chat" link, but no where does it seem you can reach a real person voice to voice. I mean they are selling a phone service, they should give one of their magicjack's to a customer service rep and let them go nuts.

What kind of info is available on this company? If they need to hook up to the phone network, they have to have some sort of infrastructure and capital. If you can't easily find verifiable information on the company, like an address for their headquarters, company executives, etc it should be a sign to dig further.

I'm trying to heed a legitamate warning here, but if you do choose to try it out, do your research before handing over your credit card info. Find the state that this company is incorporated in and make sure it is a legitamate company. It doesn't have to be a U.S. company, but at least in the U.S. you know that there has to be an incorporation paper trail.

An alternative situation is that they are producing a very low quality device and selling it far above the manufacturing cost, and aiming to bank on sales of the device with no intention on focusing on service. How long has this company been around? I don't know. Good luck finding that info.

If you don't believe me, do a search for magicJack and scam, or "ripoff report" and see for your self. Seems people have a lot of trouble trying to return the device and not get charged.


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## deuce

Ok...so that got a little out of hand, but do some research before trying it. Just because you are paying for a service/product and actually get it doesn't mean it's a good thing.

Who knows what kind of spyware/malware is in their software, and who knows what will happen to your credit card info down the road? I'm just saying...all signs point to not go. Be careful.

Alright, I'm done.


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## Flashback

catmom112 said:


> My brother in Ohio had Vonage and when he had an heart attack his 911 call went to California


Just be glad he didn't use a cell phone, because _those_ 911 calls go to canada 

We have MagicJack and it is _great_. The guy behind it is the same guy who has worked on many phone innovations and is the founder of YMAX Communications which is the largest competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) network in the U.S. He was CEO and founder of the publicly-held Tel-Save. J.D. Power and Associates awarded one of his companies top honors for customer satisfaction, so he is in no way a scammer as some here have tried to suggest, or maybe those who bash Magicjack just work for the phone company  MagicJack is currently the fastest growing telecom company in the world! It has free directory assistance, free call waiting, free caller ID, free voicemail, etc. You also get free International calling to US/Canada numbers when traveling outside of the US. Gotta love technology :up:


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## jp1203

Squashman said:


> It works on any High Speed Internet Connection. Doesn't matter if it is Cable, DSL or T1. I just needs 80 Kb of bandwidth.


I know it'll work, but it'd be of no benefit, because I need to pay for phone service anyway to get the DSL. No phone service=no line for the DSL to use.

Also, do you mean 80 kilobytes or kilobits? If it's kilobytes, that's an awful lot for my connection (too much if it needs that on upload), since my download speed is only 90 kilobytes/sec and my upload is only 17 kilobytes per second.


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## JohnWill

VoIP requires around 30 to 90 kbits/sec bandwidth in both directions. Vonage has an option to set the voice quality you desire, low quality uses 30kbits, and the highest quality requires 90kbits.


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## Compaq__

So it's about $20 a year and your PC has to be on ALL the time. Ever consider your electric bill increase for having your PC running 24/7? And it isn't as reliable as a landline so what's the point? Why not just get an inexpensive and reliable voip service that doesn't require a PC to be on all the time and is reliable?


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## Flashback

Compaq__ said:


> So it's about $20 a year and your PC has to be on ALL the time.


No. When your computer is off all incoming calls go to voicemail so the person can still leave a message (_like when a cell phone is off_). We prefer this anyway as it is a great way to screen calls.



> And it isn't as reliable as a landline so what's the point?


I don't know where you picked this up from but ours has been _100_% reliable. Maybe if someone has an older computer there _may_ be issues but on both of our computers (_one 3 years old and one 5 years old_) it has been 100% reliable :up:


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## bigedsm

Great product, I've had one for several months and I love it. It's also great if you leave the good old USA, It's a local call from anywhere in the world back you the USA!

bigedsm


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## bwayne64

Just wondering, Is it an incoming call to you local or long distance. Wouldn't want Grandma to have to pay for call. When shes right down the road, LOL.

*If your not a Democrat by the age of 20 you don't have a heart, If your not a Republican by the age of 30 you don't have a brain. Ben Franklin

The fool has said in his heart there is no God !

*


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## wallyb1280

I seen this and it is pretty nice, but like others have stated the downfall is: 1)computer must be running constant
2) example, I live in montana, the phone number you set up for like us is either denver or seattle for the closest
the upside is: 1) unlimited free long distance
2)no outragous phone bill for talking too long
3)and no minutes taken from your cell phone
personally id use it for calling and talking to family and friends outside my coverage area. keep a base phone for things like calling for a pizza and local calls disabling long distances. then use magic jack to call family long distances away. Either way you are still saving long distance charges for phone bills.


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## Rivera42

We've already established this is (most likely) a scam. They should be giving it away for free, if not pack up their little medicine show altogether.

There's nothing the so-called Magic Jack can do that you can't get from Vonage or Skype, legitimately, cheaper (if not free) and with better support.

And as far as the phone companies, they need to quit whining every time somebody comes along that can do the job better and much, much cheaper (if not for free). It's called competition.

Reviews of any and every VoIP Provider imaginable
The magicJack reviews are funny (in a sad sort of way) but the reviews of "Verizon" (a.k.a. Voicewing) are PRICELESS.


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## JohnWill

Why give it away for free when they can get people lining up to buy them?


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## suess

This was the earliest hack using tones only recognized by the earliest switches. I doubt if it still works. It was a documentary on tech tv or 60 minutes or something....


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## Rivera42

JohnWill said:


> Why give it away for free when they can get people lining up to buy them?


Touche'


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## sandy72560

i have had magic jack for a long time and love it! no more long distance bills thats all i use it for. i keep my regular phone service but not the long dis. its great, i tell everyone about it


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## Flashback

DoubleHelix said:


> The "catch" is that your computer has to always be on and running for the service to work. If the computer isn't on, functioning, with the device/software properly installed and running, you can't make or receive calls.


This is _not_ true! You always have the ability to _forward_ all of your calls to any other number. Plus there are no less than 3 ways to get all voicemail messages. You can call to hear them, listen to them when you return to your computer, and you will also get a e-mail of each voicemail message. Even our cell phone company doesn't do this. We also read somewhere that someone said that you can't use a headset, and this also is not true. You can use any headset with this service :up:


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## Dr.Mario

Yes ive read alllooootttt about this, im getting one in a few months for myself. Read a lot of good things about them, 40 bucks to start, thats 20 for the Jack and 20 for the first year of service, after that its only 20 bucks a *year*.


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## Flashback

Dr.Mario said:


> Yes ive read alllooootttt about this, im getting one in a few months for myself. Read a lot of good things about them, 40 bucks to start, thats 20 for the Jack and 20 for the first year of service, after that its only 20 bucks a *year*.


LOL  That's around *41 cents* a WEEK  You can't touch all of the features that it offers for so little anywhere else. You will love it. Just make sure that you plug it into the computer and not a hub for best results


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## abelleba

Hey guys,

It's been some months now since the release of the Magic Jack service that everyone has been waiting for (March/April). I have to say that now It appears the company might be growing in the wrong direction. Their customer service has been proven to avoid any questions relating how to return the device under their 30 Day Trail period. I would expect a company to uphold their own policies.

It's true that you get what you pay for. You are a cattle if you believe anything else. The Magic Jack service would be beneficial to anyone who does not rely on when their phone service works.

There are plenty of websites out there that go into these details. I would recommend that anyone who currently owns the Magic Jack, or plans on going for the "magical" 30 Day Trail do some research at the very minimum.

Here is an example that might point the people effected into the right direction:

Magic Jack Review Article

If your a person where it's not a big deal if your service is disrupted once and awhile, this might be a great investment for you. It all depends what you want Magic Jack to do for you, and what your expectations are. You always have to consider the worst case scenario when thinking about these kinds of things. Hopefully someone will read this and make the right decision for themselves. 

Regards,


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## jvic

I ran into a slight problem with magic jack.......emailed the owner of the company and problem was resolved within fifteen minutes....


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## Flashback

abelleba said:


> Their customer service has been proven to avoid any questions relating how to return the device


Not true. They even have a form on their website for any returns, so you don't even have to call them. You simply tell them your order number and they will issue a RMA.

The so-called 'review' link posted above is *highly* biased, probably from someone who works for a competing service  There are many misleading and false remarks in it, including but not limited to...



> The program needed to keep the phone line open hogs up an immense amount of resources.


Not true. Ours typically uses only 3% and at most about as much as the typical browser uses. Maybe they tested theirs on a really, _really_, old computer. As far as bandwidth goes, it uses approximately 80 kbps of bandwidth, which is very small and won't interrupt anything.



> You should have a dedicated computer running on your network that can be left on at all times.


Not true. You can enable *call forwarding* and simply use any other phone to take your call. In fact I don't even have MagicJack plugged into our PC and I am _still_ able to take calls from another phone.



> you don't need your line running 24/7 and you can live with disruptions of service with the computer is turned off.


See above.



> Now there is the obvious issue of network interruptions.


If your internet network system has frequent interruptions, then you need to get a new DSl or broadband service. Don't blame that on products that use the service. Ours has been 100% reliable, even in bad weather.

Do your own review (_it costs you nothing_) and you will find that the vast majority of people who use this product love it. Consumer Electronics gave it high ratings. PC magazine gave it 4 and a half out of 5 stars _and_ a Editors Choice award. The most surprising endorsement came from QVC, who thoroughly and independently tests products before they even allow them for sale on their network. Similar other high ratings from other REPUTABLE reviewers. QVC even sells it for slightly less.


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## abelleba

Flashback said:


> Not true. They even have a form on their website for any returns, so you don't even have to call them. You simply tell them your order number and they will issue a RMA.


Examples from other users:
http://discuss.pcmag.com/forums/thread/1004397724.aspx
http://ymax-corp.pissedconsumer.com/magic-jack-is-a-rip-off-20080702126024.html
http://voip2u.org/magic-jack-customer-service-numbers

Perhaps they have made changes before the time these chat logs were recorded into these posts and articles? I don't know.



Flashback said:


> The so-called 'review' link posted above is *highly* biased, probably from someone who works for a competing service  There are many misleading and false remarks in it, including but not limited to...


It's just an example. If you do a search for "magic jack review" on google, the results are not too pretty. Then again, a customer who has a bad experience has more intent to make noise on the net, rather then someone who is happy with their service right?



Flashback said:


> Not true. Ours typically uses only 3% and at most about as much as the typical browser uses. Maybe they tested theirs on a really, _really_, old computer. As far as bandwidth goes, it uses approximately 80 kbps of bandwidth, which is very small and won't interrupt anything.


Do you know if there is any documentation supporting this? I am just curious because I was unable to locate any myself when I read your post. I am not denying your claims but was wondering if you might have recorded it somewhere or know where you read about these numbers.



Flashback said:


> Not true. You can enable *call forwarding* and simply use any other phone to take your call. In fact I don't even have MagicJack plugged into our PC and I am _still_ able to take calls from another phone.


If you have to have the computer running the software in order to receive the call your only option is to setup call forwarding each time or it goes to straight to voice mail? So if someone only had 1 computer in the home, they wouldn't be able to play any intensive games like WOW, CS, and similar? I guess, this can be answered by confirming the actual CPU and Memory usage of the Magic Jack software, active, & idle modes.



Flashback said:


> If your internet network system has frequent interruptions, then you need to get a new DSl or broadband service. Don't blame that on products that use the service. Ours has been 100% reliable, even in bad weather.


I would agree with this. However, not everyone is getting a decent speed on their broadband connections anymore. This has to do with the who cable broadband bandwidth sharing method that has to be used by the major cable companies. It might also have to do where you live. I moved to a location built 2 years ago, and for the first time ever, I'm reaching speeds close to what the cable provider claims (4)MB Down. I can only guess this has to do with time. Over time hard-lines are spliced and repaired from natural disasters. Causing leakage and ingress within the network at a slow rate per incident. At my older places I was (lucky) to hit 1.5MB down, and this was in two separate cities. I could be totally wrong about this, it's only a theroy of mine from experince.



Flashback said:


> Do your own review (_it costs you nothing_) and you will find that the vast majority of people who use this product love it. Consumer Electronics gave it high ratings. PC magazine gave it 4 and a half out of 5 stars _and_ a Editors Choice award. The most surprising endorsement came from QVC, who thoroughly and independently tests products before they even allow them for sale on their network. Similar other high ratings from other REPUTABLE reviewers. QVC even sells it for slightly less.


I couldn't agree more. This was my initial meaning of my first reply. I probably should have provided more examples but I wasn't paying attention 

For others reading. Here are a few more in no particular order. Keep in mind that you really should do some of this on your own.

http://www.measuredup.com/review/I-really-like-Magic-Jack-3434
http://ph.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080408101746AAsNOi3
http://www.thestuccocompany.com/maintenance/Magic-Jack-Review-308665-.htm
http://www.getusb.info/magicjack-the-magic-phone-jack/


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## Flashback

abelleba said:


> Perhaps they have made changes before the time these chat logs were recorded into these posts and articles?


Apparently so, and that's a _good_ thing because it shows they are concerned about customer satisfaction.



> If you do a search for "magic jack review" on google, the results are not too pretty.


News flash: if you do a google on ANY product you will find some people that are unhappy. No product has 100% customer satisfaction. The point here though is that the vast _majority_ of people who have actually tried the product ARE HAPPY with it. Not all of those bogus reviews are written by people who have *actually* tried the product. Some are from competitors and of course they want to scare people into not buying it. It costs nothing to try the product for 30 days so there is no reason for someone not to.



> Do you know if there is any documentation supporting this?


No, plug it in and see for yourself. That's always the best way 



> If you have to have the computer running the software in order to receive the call your only option is to setup call forwarding each time or it goes to straight to voice mail?


Neither.

After you _initially_ install the product and it registers your new phone number it doesn't need your computer to receive calls.



> So if someone only had 1 computer in the home, they wouldn't be able to play any intensive games like WOW, CS, and similar?


I don't see why not.



> not everyone is getting a decent speed on their broadband connections anymore.


And how exactly is that MagicJacks fault? Contact your broadband provider.


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## abelleba

I'm going to borrow a magic jack dongle from work next Monday or Tuesday. I'm going to take screen shots of the actual usage, CPU and vMemory. Test will be conducted on a Intel 3.0gz, 2GB Ram. Did you expect this kind of system will suffice to a test? I believe the specs of this system are about average to what the current family or home owner is running these days.

I don't think your claims of me or other people that wrote these reviews "work for the competitor". For instance, in some of the examples the main subject of the sites have nothing to do with telecommunications. In the first example I provided (here), the website appears to be mostly about computer stuff. I wouldn't doubt if their were a few, but it's doubtful.

Does anyone know what the exact requirements are for Magic Jack as far as ISP up/down speed. Everyone is saying only 80K. Does this mean 80K when it use or 80K when it's on idle? Their website has the minimum system requirements, but it's unclear with the suggested requirements are to have magic jack work flawlessly.


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## TheOutcaste

Can't hurt to check how much it's going to cost for electricity. Rate per kWh range from a low of 7.06 (WV) cents to a high of 30.13 (HI) cents as of April 2008. National Average is 10.97 cents. 
These rates are from the EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the US Government

If you already leave your PC on, say a Media center used as a PVR, you're already paying for the electricity, so it won't make any difference.

Don't forget to adjust these figures to subtract the time you usually have the PC on. If you use the PC 4 hours a day for example, multiply these numbers by 20/24 to see how much additional it will cost to leave the PC running.

Keep in mind even a high end system will use a lot less power when sitting idle; a video card that uses 100 watts drawing 3d images during a game may use less than 30 watts sitting idle.

(Watts X 24 X 365)/1000=kWh/year (Watts X 8.76)
Divide kWh/year by 12 for kWh/month (Watts X 0.73)



Code:


[SIZE=3][B]    Electricity cost per month[/B][/SIZE]
Watts      Low        US       New       High
Used     West Va     AVG     England    Hawaii
$/kWh->  $0.0706   $0.1097   $0.1689   $0.3031
 50       $2.58     $4.00     $6.16    $11.06
100       $5.15     $8.01    $12.33    $22.13
150       $7.73    $12.01    $18.49    $33.19
200      $10.31    $16.02    $24.66    $44.25
250      $12.88    $20.02    $30.82    $55.32
300      $15.46    $24.02    $36.99    $66.38

If you live in one of the more expensive regions, and have a high end system, you could probably justify buying a low end desktop, or even a laptop to dedicate to the magic jack.

And with a 2nd PC on 24/7 you have a handy place to back up your data on a daily basis

The 80kbps is the bandwidth used when active. It's more a function of the particular Codec used to convert the voice signal to VoIP packets than the particular VoIP provider.

you can check your internet connection for VoIP quality here: http://www.testyourvoip.com. Lots of good info there as well. Many other test sites to be found, just google voip test call.

One thing I haven't found is if it supports pulse dialing, or only DTMF. I also can't find what the max Ringer Equivilance Number magicjack supports, or the actual ring voltage it generates. The minimum is 40 VAC by spec, but some of the older analog phones will barely ring at that voltage. They are much happier with 60-90 volts. They do say it works with standard analog phones though. If you have an old Western Electric Model 500 rotary phone laying around, it would be good to see how well it works.

Jerry


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## JohnWill

I can't imagine anything that sips power from the USB connection can generate enough ringing current to ring an old style mechanical ringer! The total power available through the USB jack if 2.5W, 5V @ 0.5A maximum.


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## Rivera42

abelleba said:


> Their website has the minimum system requirements, but it's unclear with the suggested requirements are to have magic jack work flawlessly.


This reminds me of the flap a couple of Christmases ago over the deceptive "Vista Capable" PC branding. Probably the same sort of thing. Just because a given PC falls within minimum spec doesn't mean it will deliver satisfactory results.

All I'm getting out of any of this is that for anybody foolish enough to throw away their money on this novelty, they still will need a real phone of some sort if they want to make or take any actual calls on any sort of consistent basis.


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## TheOutcaste

JohnWill said:


> I can't imagine anything that sips power from the USB connection can generate enough ringing current to ring an old style mechanical ringer! The total power available through the USB jack if 2.5W, 5V @ 0.5A maximum.


That was my first thought. Having to come up with 40-90 VAC and enough current to ring, than a USB port can provide. The DC loop doesn't take much, 48 V at a minimum 23 mA. But most phones will work just fine on 9-12 volts, it's the current that matters for the DC loop.
The numbers show it's possible:
1 REN is roughly equivalent to a 7000 ohm load, so you get:


Code:


Voltage Current    Power
Ring
40 V    5.714 mA   229 mW
50 V    7.142 mA   357 mW
60 V    8.571 mA   514 mW
90 V   12.857 mA  1157 mW
Loop
12 v       23 mA   276 mW
24 V       23 mA   552 mW
48 V       23 mA  1104 mW
USB Supplies:
 5 V      500 mA  2500 mW

Assuming an 80% conversion efficiency, the USB port can provide 2000 mW of power.

So it depends on how they regulate the Ring voltage/current, and what voltage/current your phones actually need to ring. If they will ring at 50 volts, you could get 5 old style phones to work (The full loop current isn't needed until the phone is off hook).

No real reason to use an old phone on this though -- only reason to have one is because they work when the power is out. Magicjack won't, unless you have a UPS for the PC, Modem, and router. In that case, you can plug the phone's power into the UPS as well, or get a cheap line powered electronic phone.

I don't think it will power my *TELCO POWERED™ CAR CHARGER* though, so I'm going to stick with the regular phone for now

Jerry


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## vicks

You can receive calls even when the computer is off. Just set the call forwarding to your cell phone... or land line.
Works great.
Vicks


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## JohnWill

[WEBQUOTE="http://www.tkk.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/telephone_ringer.html"]*What is ring signal ?*

The telephone company sends a ringing signal which is an AC waveform. Although the common frequency used in the United States is 20 HZ and in Europe is typically 25 Hz, it can be any frequency between 15 and 68 Hz. Most of the world uses frequencies between 20 and 40 Hz. The voltage at the subscribers end depends upon loop length and number of ringers attached to the line; it could be between 40 and 150 Volts. The ringing cadence - the timing of ringing to pause - varies from telephone company to company.

The usual arrangement is to feed the 75 V a.c. ringing current (backed by earth) down one wire of the phone line. On the other wire is placed a slugged relay (or equivalent) which is backed by -48V d.c. When you pick up the phone, the relay operates to the loop d.c. current and trips the ringing current. It also triggers a further device to put the transmission bridge in circuit to enable speech to take place, together with supervision of the calling and called loops. The ralay needs to be a slugged relay to prevent premature ring trip by the a.c. ringing current.

In USA minimum ring voltage supplied is 40Vrms (delivered into a 5 REN load). This is the must detect limit. There is also a minimum must ignore value of 10Vrms. Milage on individual PBX's will vary greatly. But most guarantee to deliver 40Vrms into a 3 to 5 REN load.

When the telephone ring signal is sen to the telephone, the ring voltage is not applied constanly to the line. Typically ring timing is 2 seconds on and 4 seconds off in the US. In the UK ring timing goes .4 sec on, .2 sec off, .4 sec on, 2 sec off then repeats. In toher countries the ring timign cna vary from country to country (even from operator to operator) and you should check the local regulations if you want to get to know the actual ring signal timing in use.

For more information, check Understanding Telephones article by Julian Macassey at http://www.egyed.com/phonework.html and appropriate BellCore documents.

*What is REN ?*

REN stand for Ringer Equivalen Number. It is a measurment of how mugh ringing power certain telephone equipment takes. REN numbers are used in USA to determine how many telephoen equipments you can connect to same telephone line and still get them ringing properly (typical line can drive about 3-5 REN load).

The definition of 1 REN is the ringer power required by one ringer of an AT&T standard 500 series telephone set in single-party configuration (ringer placed ACROSS the line). One place to find the exact info: get a copy of 47CFR Part 68 - this is the FCC technical specs (and other info) regarding the PSTN (public switched telephone network). This info also may be available from the FCC's web site. [/WEBQUOTE]


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