The Magic Jack is an extremely small USB telephone adapter that allows users to make unlimited local and long distance telephone calls through a regular phone for only $19.95 per year. In order to get the magic jack you have to pay a one time fee of $40 for the device and the first year of service. All subsequent years of service can be purchased for just $19.95 per year. Features that come with the magicJack include free directory assistance, free caller ID, free call waiting, free voicemail, and much more. At a price of around $1.60 per month this little device is an amazing deal. The daily cost is $.05 per day for all of these services. Yep, that's just a nickel a day and a lot less than you are probably paying for your land line right now. Magic Jack technology is simple; it takes your traditional landline phone call and reroutes it over the Internet through VoIP with the end result to the user being no different than a regular landline. It works by simply hooking the magic Jack USB stick into your computer's USB drive and then hooking your telephone into the phone jack that is on the other end of the magic Jack. Once this is done all you have to do is download the magic Jack software and you are ready to go.
Does the Magic Jack Really Work?
YES! The it does work and it works quite well. User response regarding the magicJack has been great. It is cheap at $19.95 so you can't expect it to be 100% perfect all of the time but most of the time it does work very very well. It is also important to note that magic Jack has continues to work daily to upgrade its network and add new technologies that improve its call quality. Millions of individuals use the magic Jack each and every day, in fact the company says they have sold over 10 million magic Jacks, and there is a reason for that. The reason is simply because the Magic Jack works very well.
So What's The Catch?
There is no catch. This little device simply uses a different technology than traditional landline companies and therefore the company has significantly less overhead and has chosen to pass this savings on to its users with a goal of being the price leader in the VoIP telephone industry. One notable issue lies with it's customer service. There have been some complaints that customer service reps are not very tech savvy and do not do a good job with trouble shooting. This indeed is probably true but what do you expect when you are paying $19.95 a year for phone service? Take the savings and just remember when you are having trouble that you are saving $500 per year on your phone service! In some cases users have blown their complaints out of proportion and claimed that it is nothing but a magic Jack scam, of course in reality magic Jack is actually far from a scam. Any claims that Magic Jack isn't a good company running business fairly is quickly squashed by seeing its A- rating with the Better Business Bureau and that all complaints with them have been resolved. magic Jack is clearly a reputable company and they are willing to do what it takes to satisfy their customer base.
What's Next For Magic Jack?
Magic Jack recently announced that they are coming out with both the magicJack plus and a magicJack app. The magic Jack plus is an enhanced version of the magic Jack that works without the need for a computer while the magicJack app is a stand alone software program that allows users to make phone calls straight from their smartphone.
The Magic Jack Bottom Line
The magic jack is a great innovation within the home telephone marker and it offers everybody a great opportunity to keep their home phone line while not paying the outrageous fees that traditional phone companies charge. With cell phones dominating todays market the landline phone appeared to be headed for extinction but with the magic Jack people can now keep their landline for only $19.95 per year. In fact, it is so good and so cheap that it has its competition panicking at the thought of everybody making the switch. If you are thinking about getting the Magic Jack we recommend that you give it a try and don't doubt you'll be satisfied and even if you are one of the few that isn't you won't be risking anything because magic Jack offers a 30-day free trial where you can return your magic Jack for any reason whatsoever!!!
The magic jack is a great innovation within the home telephone marker and it offers everybody a great opportunity to keep their home phone line while not paying the outrageous fees that traditional phone companies charge. With cell phones dominating todays market the landline phone appeared to be headed for extinction but with the magic Jack people can now keep their landline for only $19.95 per year. In fact, it is so good and so cheap that it has its competition panicking at the thought of everybody making the switch. If you are thinking about getting the Magic Jack we recommend that you give it a try and don't doubt you'll be satisfied and even if you are one of the few that isn't you won't be risking anything because magic Jack offers a 30-day free trial where you can return your magic Jack for any reason whatsoever!!!
126 comments:
what can you lose except 40$ sounds like a dream come true. I'm curious as to how you may be able to keep your original home phone number..? or do you receive a new one from MagicJack...? anyone know how this is dealt with? Thx.
Their website says later in 2009 they will be able to use your existing number, but for now its just regular random number or you can pay $10 more for a vanity number.
I just got a MagicJack and I like it so far. The only problem I see is if the software is not running or your computer is in sleep mode then the number will go straight to voicemail. Luckilly its waiting for you next time you load the program and e-mailed to you in a .wav format as well.
When I got it you had to get a new number. They are apparently trying to port numbeers, so in the future you may keep your old number. This works great, IF you are comfortable using internet chat for assistance. Mostly it works great. I have had 2 fry due to sever thunderstorms. One was replaced Free and I had to buy the other. Only $40. In 9 months I have spent $89 for my phone and long distance. Even with having to get another to replace the fried magic jack, I'm still ahead of my old phone cost.
You get a new phone number. They have limited area codes that you can use at this time. I am in Canada, and my magic jack (that I purchased in Texas) works just fine with a Texas number (which I chose to have). They do not have Canadian numbers yet. I went to the Canadian Magic Jack site, and the price is outradegously different. I'll stick with the US number & US magic Jack.
Can anyone tell me how faxing is accomplished using a MJ? Thanks.
magic jack is incredible, you have to have a good internet service, i have fios. I have had 6 connected at my home at the same time, to 6 computers behind a router. Due to hard times, we moved our office home and have used magic jack for 7 months now. My business partner did the same thing at his house with cable internet. We were paying $50 a month at our office and now $20 a year. Truly amazing, yeah sometimes there are some static and cutting in & out, but you can't win them all.
I'm not able to make International calls because I have no more minutes, but When I try to buy more, my account is like frozen and I can't even change my number.
There is no one that will help me, no phone number , no address, and live chad is useless.
Magic Jack has their own conference calling service. I am guessing this is because it saves them money and helps allow them to continue to offer phone service at the lowest price in the world at just $19.95 per year. The conference calling service is free so it should not be an issue that you have to use their service.
Yes, the magic Jack service is not perfect but really what can you expect for $1.60 per month. It will drop calls from time to time but this is no different than what we all tolerate with our cell phones.
Don't complain if you bought it and it's past the 30 day window and not working for you. It clearly states it's a 30 day trial so you need to try it within the 30 day period to make sure it works. That's plain and simple. If you don't follow this it's your own problem.
I highly doubt they charged you for a transaction that you didn't finish. If so this would be fraud and they would be in serious legal trouble. And if they did report them by all means and also ask for a refund through the 30 day trial return period.
I have noticed crazy people that are on a witch hunt to smack talk on magicJack. Sure they don't provide the best service and sure their product isn't perfect but are there really any companies out there that provide perfect products and perfect customer service. Nope, didn't think so. It seems that in their early days the company did make some mistakes but I think they are doing a pretty good job right now. I can't stand the people that are going around chatting with customer service reps just trying to be the devil's advocate and baiting customer service reps into tough situations just so they can post the chat log online. Smells fishy to me.
I think the magicJack is a great product, although not perfect. I think that anyone and everyone in need of a home phone should at least give it a shot. After all, what do you have to lose with the 30 day trial period?
Has anyone tried to use a fax with this, and if so did it work?
I'm using MagicJack since 2 months, I travelled to Canada and I have noticed that the hotel charged me for my local phone calls while using their room's land line, then ... the second day I got my MagicKack and start calling USA & Canada to do my work with ZERO charges .. the device is very easy, even I can install it in my office laptop with out any issues (i was not havinf full access (admin) on my laptop). The voice is clear, even sometimes people telling me that you voice is load! because I was using a sensetive phone set, so there is no issue with using MagicJack to call people. Very small device, easy to install, easy to swtitch from actual phone to laptop headset and has nice menu and contact list. In general, the device is great with compare with the price.
I have a multi-port modem which is connected to a router which provides a witeless connection to my computer. Does anyone know if I can plug into the modem so my service won't be interrupted after power is restored following a power outage? I'm concerned about the computer rebooting whem I'm away. Are there any other solutions
My father purchased a Magic Jack device a few years ago and my nephew brought it over and we tried it out. It worked the way it was supposed to. We made some phone calls with it, but since I had cell phone service at the time, with nationwide calling, it really wasn't that practical for use in my home, but it was cool to try for the moment.
With that out of the way... I work for a company, which shall remain nameless just to keep on topic, which deals with electronics and services and deals with millions of customers. I get calls all day long about this and that about how great things work and how crappy things work. It's electronics people. Made by HUMANS! Show me one human that doesn't make a mistake or who's head isn't always screwed on tight! People tell me to guarantee them they will have trouble free service. I cannot, nor can anyone guarantee that I will not hit a deer on my way home from work.
The Magic Jack for all intense and purposes does what it is supposed to do, make phone calls. If it doesn't work right, then there's either something wrong with the phone, computer, the internet, internet provide, the Magic Jack itself or something else. That doesn't make the company a crappy company or the the Magic Jack device a piece of crap either. To me $46.95 is a lot of money for the first time buy, but within a year, $46.95 is a drop in the bucket compared to regular phone service and will not change my life if the Magic Jack, which I just made a purchase for yesterday and awaiting the shipment, doesn't work properly all the time.
There's my 2 cents... If you don't like my response, then there's 2 cents I can put towards the expensive gas prices.
Shawn, from Virginia
If you have an alarm system which automatically calls a central office which in turn calls the police, be aware that the Magic Jack probably won't work for you due to the fact that the alarm software is programmed for a dial tone. If you're thinking about installing an alarm system, be sure to ask rather than assume it will, then be upset when it doesn't.
i just got magic jack on saturday oct 31st. it got discovered on my windows 7 64 bit pc 2 seconds after i hooked it up.instAll was a bit technical,but once i calmed down it was pretty simple.i got a generic random phone number, i had a land line but was getting creditor calls almost 40 times a work day,not just one company,about 5 of them. so i switched off that phone number now they will get the automated voice instead of harrassing me. I do have 1 detail to point out, u HAVE 2 reset the router(cable,dsl,fios) once a month or problems will happen, thats what it says on the package.so if u really have magicJack, do u reset ur router like u should?
To the person asking about faxing with Magic Jack:
YES, you can send faxes with MJ, BUT I haven't been able to receive faxes with it. I read the same thing somewhere else. I'm actually searching now to see if there has been some upgrade or if users have found a way around this.
Anyway, to send a fax, just plug the regular phone line from the MJ into the fax machine instead of into your phone. Voila! You can send a fax!
I got my MJ when I moved to Canada so I could keep in touch with my family in the US with out international charges. It works great!! Once in awhile I get breaks in the conversation and I call back and the sound is perfect. That is kind of a pain but for the price who can complain. Certainly works better than my Verizon cell phone.
For the price you pay it is a small thing when it acts up on occassion. For the most part it works great as our home phone. The sound quality is actually better than Verizon was!!
I was thinking about getting MJ, but was wondering if I could call Italy. If you know could you reply.
Had the magic jack for four months not one problem love this product don't understand people complaining that it doesn't work when their computers asleep they tell you right up front computer must stay on as far as faxing is concerned all you have to do is set the speed to medium and turn off error correction after that works just fine best investment I ever made in my life
Regarding Faxing:
It works great sending out faxes. To address the receipt of faxes, you might using j2 Messenger, which is a free voice mail and fax receipt service. You download their program onto your computer. They assign you a phone number, which could be anywhere in the US, that people can call to leave you voice mails or faxes. The voice mail or fax is sent to the e-mail address of your choice, and you use their program to either view the fax or listen to the e-mail. The j2 phone number is what I used to test if the MagicJack would fax. I've used j2 for at least 5 years. It is a great service, and Magic Jack is a GREAT product.
From Virginia; I'm thinking of buying a Magic Jack my question is how good does it work in the mountains
I work for a Cable Telephone and Internet installation company, I have used MagicJack for more than a year now. I have it wired to the existing phone wiring in my house with 3 telephones, It has for the most part worked great. Most problems I've have had have been problems in MY Equipment (computer}.
Anonymous ask will mj work with wifi
Has anyone had luck with faxing with magicicjack on a thin client? I could fax before moving to the thin client. Did not want to leave computer on 24/7. I love my magicjack! Before magicjack all my call would be long distance calls.
My Magic Jack works fine with wifi. I have had Magic Jack as my only home phone system for one and a half years.
I have had the MJ for a year now & it works fine....I went ahead & renewed for the 5 yr plan......& contrary to what many posts say I fax with my MJ. I have a Brother MFC 490CW & I run a phone line from my MJ to the phone in line on my MFC 490CW. I was unable to fax with an older fax machine. It's a great product at a great price.
yes my MJ works with wifi
Would Magic Jack work in United Arab Emirates?
DOES THE PEOPLE YOU CALL OR RECIEVE CALLS FROM (WITHIN THE U,S,) SEE ANY KIND OF A CHARGE ON THEIR PHONE BILL IF THEY DONT HAVE MJ?
I have been using MJ since March 09. It has been great! I have never had any dropped calls however I did experience a beeping tone. I looked into troubleshooting it and it seemed to need an update and my internet connection (Time Warner Cable) needed to be upgraded. After taking care of the little thing, I have had no issues! I have recommended this to many people and even told them just go buy it at the store, save yourself the hassle of S&H! I cannot wait for femto though... any news on eta?
I have two MagicJacks. Let's get something straight for the complainers. In that it connects to your computer and not your router, meaning your computer must be on at all times, it will never replace traditional phone service. Don't expect it to do that. Do your homework first. What MJ is REALLY good for is give to your friends and family outside the USA & Canada. I am in Bogota,Colombia as I write this. We gave my wife's mother one here so she can call call her kids and grandkids in Canada and the USA and they can call her...NO CHARGE! I have one that I use on my notebook when I am in foreign countries. THAT is where it really shines. I dislike their scripted customer chat service. If you throw someting at them that isn't on their script, they are lost. I also have to admit I am suspicious of any company that hides their real identity and location. A PO Box is not good enough. BTW, the company is missing a huge opportunity in marketing to the Latino market who have millions of family and friends in Latin America who use a MJ. When I mentioned this to the chat lady, she didn't have a comment. That wasn't on her script.
Works ok for me, we use cell phones mainly but I wanted a phone in the house..Sometimes it cuts out but I am having problems with my cable so that may be it. I am dumping Time Warner cable, they suck. If the new cable company installs and I still have problems, I just won't renew. At worst I had a year of calling for $20
I've used magic jack for over a year and it has worked ok on DSL but can't use internet and magic jack at the same time without cut outs. Their "new feature" according to MJ is you can NO LONGER CALL webinar numbers except theirs. It's loosing it's magic with every new feature but for $40 it's still a deal.
I purchased the MJ several months ago as a backup to my VOIP phone system. It is now hooked up to my fax machine, and I can now send and receive faxes through the MJ for free. It has never dropped a call, and every call and fax goes through. It is definitely worth the money.
Cable internet is not available at my home address but I can get DSL service though my phone company without phone service. Will this still work?
I just installed a magic jack on a computer with a Suddenlink high speed cable connection. It connected and installed perfectly. There were only a limited number of locations for my phone number, and all were long distance. (I live in rural NE Texas) Still it worked perfectly. I have installed it into a tablet PC that was gathering dust in my closet, and I plugged it into my Panasonic phone system. It is now line 2 on my phone system and is working from all of my phones in my house. At least for me, this device is working great and saving me lots over my previous line 2 charges.
This is my second year useing MJ with only minor problems as audio that Always corrects its self, nothing 100% perfect, not even ma bell, for a measly 5 cent a day, who can complain, it's the next best thing to being free in a world of record run away inflation, I have found no problem with MJ with Patience that cannot be solved, personaly I plan to keep my MJ service forever and thats a fact!
How does this product work with windows 7. Has there been any problems that people will share.
I would like to get a Magic Jack customer service phone number. I need to renew my Magic Jack Service. However, I would like to clarify something. I think I signed up for a fie-year service. Why is it (service) cut off?
Hello,
I got the MJ recently but it never seemed to work. The local telecommunication provider in the country I reside in has blocked the service for some reason. Can any one help me get through this and finally be able to use my MJ? Thanks
Country:United Arab Emirates, Provider:Etisalat
I purchased the MagicJack several years ago for my business. I thoroughly enjoyed it. However I primarily needed it to send and receive faxes and that is not supported. No matter what I tried, it would not work. I was able to return the unit with little hassle, though.
Serious, I have had the MJ for almost a year.. with NO complaints, enough that I bought my wife's brother a mj as he lives in Australia. Now he can call her, or his brother in Washington DC. So I am definitely happy with the MJ just to use to make local calls, as my wife is on the home phone so often.
Will MJ come out with a MJ wifi selfcontained phone that you can take with you to any wifi hot spot? Larry McPh
If you're on dialup IP, what good is it except for LD?
We live in Thailand and travel all over the world for work. MagicJack allows us to have an Indianapolis number while in Thailand or anywhere else we travel...as we have one unit dedicated to our home here an one that we take with us on the road. Since we have a unit at our Thai that lists as an US number, we can call from Australia, Europe, or China back to Thailand for free. The system thinks it's a call from the US to the US...when in fact we're calling transcontinental. AMAZING product that we've convinced all of our exPat friends to purchase and utilize.
Below is one of the MJ FAQ. Note that you have to disable firewall on your router and possibly disable anti-virus on your computer for MJ to work. The risk of leaving your computer wide open to virus and hackers should outweigh the benefits of MJ.
---
If your magicJack service is not available:
Click here and save this upgrade to your desktop. Once the download has completed, double click the upgrade icon on your desktop.
If that does not work:
Please disable any antivirus that may be running on your system and try again.
If you are behind a network/external firewall or router, please open port 5060-5070 UDP. Also make sure that the firewall on your router is disabled.
I am now in my second year using a magicjack. I use it primarily California to/from Vancouver Canada. Its not perfect but it is very very good. They now have Canadian numbers and I've just bought another mj for use at my home there.
Let me start out by saying I am the most skeptical person you will ever meet! I recently purchased my first home and where it is located I dont have great cell phone service. Some parts of my house is great, other parts I have to sit up against the window to get service! I contacted my cable carrier to see how much it would be to bundle and add phone on my exisiting cable/internet package. Of course it was an additional $39.99 and that was for local calling only. As I was thinking about it that's an extra $480.00 a year, not to mention additional charges for long distance. I was prety upset when I heard that. So I thought about the magic jack. I remember all the infomercials about it and kept thinking there has to be a hidden charge, or it can't work that easily. So I went to my local Radio Shack and talked to the sales rep there. She said that the only complaint is that if the power is off on your computer it will go to voicemail, and there isn't always a local number available. I thought ok I keep my computer on all the time so no problem there, and everyone I know has a cell phone, so the local/long distance wont matter. So I decided to purchase it. I got it home plugged it in , and followed the on screen prompts, I got he same area code as mine for a number, just a different city.. no problem! It was VERY easy to set up, and I had service within minutes! I have been using it now for about a month and it is awesome!!! I forward all my cell phone calls to my magic jack and I have no problems what so ever!!! I can't believe I actually love something I was so skeptical about!!! This is a wonderful product!!.. By the time my house is paid off I will have saved well over $15,000.00 on phone service!!!! Thank you so much to the creators of MAGIC JACK!!!!
I just came back from Israel and Europe. I took the Magic Jack with me, connected it to my Asus 1005HA Netbook which picked up wireless signal and I was able to call the local numbers in Tucson as if I were in town. People who called my MJ number didn't believe I was out of the country, and only the pictures I emailed from Jerusalem, Vienna, Rome and Paris were the proof.
I didn't dial long distance numbers in Europe, only the phone numbers of my clients in Tucson. For the MJ it was considered a local call anyhow.
I bought eight MJ at Best Buy in Tucson before I left and after establishing phone numbers I gave them away to family members overseas. Now when we want to talk we dial a local number in Tucson. The only issue is the time difference.
The device works well, and at time there is a delay in ful duplex voice, but I encountered this issue with Comcast VoIP phones, Skype and Start VoIP systems. For the benefits, the price is funny and for the value the device is fantastic.
At home and in my Tucson office I use an older PC as a Phone Server. It is always ON and works great.
By the way, MJ does NOT recommend using the MJ on a PC with a CD/DVD burning software like Nero and Roxio. If you need to use the software to burn a CD, you better disconnect the MJ and after burning the CD reboot the computer and connect the MJ back again. I don't know why, but this is the only issue I found with the device.
all i see is people making calls from MJ( aka not micheal jackson either) Does this program work for recieving calls?
Will MJ eventually have a wireless internet connect card? I really do not want to pay $ 50.00 a month to have internet access while on the move. Can I port my current home # to MJ yet?
How are you using your MJ for your home business if you can't fax? If I cancel my home phone service and get MJ, I won't be able to fax to clients.
Can you send and recieve faxes with MJ?
Mj works great! of course you have to set your computer not to go to sleep or hibernate at first it worked great two days and i would come home from work i would have a dial tone but not be able make or receive calls looked into it i also had to turn off usb suspend now works great i'm running a laptop with windows 7
How long before we can bring our old number with us??
Rose i recived a flyer for mj,
says international calling,most of my family.
live in U.K Scotland. my sister has vonige.
with free U.K CAN I CALL U.K.
I WAS GOING TO BUY IT TODAY 1-17-10
Can you use this for calls made through a hotel's switchboard system?
I purchased MJ over a year ago and it does work.The problem i have is, at that time they didnt have #'s for Canada,so i got a NC #.I was told by several agents that once they become available i could get a Canadian local # and change it free of charge.Now that #'s for Canada are available,they are telling me it's for new activations only!!I have to buy another MJ.There is no # to call someone to sort this issue,just a chat box.I find it ironic a phone service has no phone #.
MJ works most people dont know how to configer ther computer
(Anonymous said...
Can you use this for calls made through a hotel's switchboard system?)
You're not using the switchboard, it's an internet connection.
Bought this thing, plugged it in to Win 7, installed, plugged in a base to a wireless phone...done. Perfect quality, started downloads on 3 computers and started an online game (Warcraft)...caused no lag, no lapse in connection and stayed clear. I used to pay 120 bucks a month for 3 cell phones...i can cut that down to 20/year for MJ plus 2 prepaid phones when we leave home, MJ will forward to those mobile phones...this IS the deal and it will get even better...watch for it. To those NAY-sayers...UPGRADE YOUR HARDWARE AND NET CONNECTION ALREADY!!
To go into a couple of comments...
Yes u can receive calls coming in.
I run my firewall and Anti-Virus software constantly and MJ works fine. Don't get hung up on little solutions to rare problems.
Cars get flat tires...u stop driving?
Same thing here. MJ is absolutely working fine.
Just a quick question,
with magic jack, can i illiminate my old land line completely so that i save the monthly cost?
im thinking on buying mj but i have a question, is there any other way to make mj work without using a computer?????
can mj works with game systems like xbox 360...xbox 360 have usb connections too....
I'm an IT professional in computer consulting business. I can safely say that MagicJack works very well as it's supposed to. I own MagicJack for 3 years now. It's a great device however there is really nothing fancy about it. I see many negative comments and I can 100% concluded that if it does not work for you, it's your equipment or computer issue.
MagicJack really just need 3 things to work:
1. a decent Windows (or Mac) computer that was manufactured around or after 2005 (which should have USB port, and has adequate CPU speed.)
2. that computer has Internet connection with adequate network speed.
3. a regular home telephone set
Most people whose MagicJack does not work definitely has problem in #1 or #2, in that order.
The company is definitely legit, otherwise RadioShack, Best Buy, Amazon.com, etc. won't sell it and NY Time, Wishington Post, etc. won't praise it.
My company has been using Magic Jack for several months. We make a lot of long distance and international calls, so the Magic Jack seemed like a fantastic way for us to save money. As a small start up buiness this is vry important. For the first few months, the Magic Jack worked great. Then in October of 09, we started experiencing problems. I started getting an error "Broken Storage Data". I got with the Magic Jack Tech support, and they help me with the issue. They did a great job. Untill the next day when I got the same error again. I worked with tech support and fixed the problem. I was assured the problem was fixed, and would not occure again. But, it did. Every day for a month. And every day I cantacted tech support and "Fixed" the problem. Eventually we installed the Magic jack on a seperate computer, thinking the problem was with my Computer. Well lets just say that I still to this day hae a problem with this same error EVERY DAY. I have now gone through the "Fixing" process so many time that I can do it on my own and no longer need tech support. However, this is very inconvienent and time consumming. Not to mention extreamly agrivating when I go to call a customer, and have to take 30 minutes of my time to fix the issue.
I bought the MJ today. I hooked it up just fine but I have one problem with it. My phone will not ring. It shows up that I have a call coming in on the computer and on the phone display but my phone is not ringing.
The calls that I have made have been clear as a bell but I need my phone to ring. I spent 2 hours online with customer service and we still haven't gotten that part fixed. I would like to figure that one out. Otherwise it is fine.
if mj dosent work for you its you
I bought MJ about a year ago. Sent it back within the 30 days because:
1) no port of home phone number.
2) requirement to dial area code to call the phone next door.
3) Limit of two phones connected to MJ
In limited testing, it seemed to work.
It seems to me that it should be easy modify the software to fill in the area code if you only dial 7 digits. The power problem can be solved with a simple external battery backup. The 2 phone limitation can be handled by buying a wireless phone with as many extra handsets as you want. All the MJ sees is the base unit so it counts as 1.
That leaves the number porting problem that MJ says will be solved "soon" (its een that way for a year now). I chatted today, and the answer is still "soon" and "we are working on it".
Based on my testing, if I were to buy this, I would also buy the following:
1) Uninterruptable PowerSupply (Battery Backup) from Belkin or APC.
2) A cheep green pc to act as a host
3) A wireless phone "system".
I would plug my cable/FIOS modem, my router, my new pc, and my wireless base unit into the battery backup box. That should solve any power problems and most stability problems. In my area, most power outages are short.
So all I need is "number porting". Exactly when is "soon"?
One caution about purchasing magicjack. Be sure that the city where you reside is listed within the cities serviced by magicjack within your area code. If your city is not listed and you select a nearby city, any local call you receive from friends is long distance to them. Also, any local call you dial requires you use the area code and number since your phone thinks it is in the city you selected from magicjack not the city where you live.
well isn't itm a 10 digit code now not seven
bought it like 2 months ago. currently use it in iraq to call home in u.s. love it. no problems
Have 3 MJ's now.They are great as I have a home in Canada and a 2nd in the US. I gave one to the kids so they can call me either place for free.It is working well for them because you can get Canadian #'s now. They mostly use cell phones so even just to call people to call them back on there free incoming minutes works well. I travel with a laptop and most places have wi-fi so I just plug the hotel ph into my Mj. You have to replug into the wall jack if you want room service. In the US I switched to an Ooma connection because it plugs directly into the router so I don't need to have a computer on all the time and I could port my phone #. I just use the MJ for long distance to Canada. The voicemail sent to my e-mail works really well for me as all my phone messages from any location go to the same place and for business purposes nobody knows if I'm at my desk or at the beach 1000's of miles away.
Lots of interesting comments. I have been using MJ for two months all is well so far. I now have faxes working. However I have a need to dial into a device via my pc dial up modem. My control software doesn't want to communicate over the over the MJ connection. Unfortunately when the remote device answers I don't get a connect message as usual (via landline)but instead I get a no carrier message from the remote device. Any special settings to allow a dialup connection over MJ call to a remote device? I understand MJ uses codec and I am using a very low baud rate 1200,N,8,1. Shouldn't this also work for the required phone line connection on a DirecTv sat rcvr? And for those non techies I am not using dial up as my MJ internet connection.
This has to be one of the best purchases of my life!!!! I bought it at Wal-Mart for $39.95. That includes 1 year of free service. Extremely easy to install on my computer. I did not have to use a credit card - so they don't have my credit card information. It's like I never had my regular phone shut off. It works great! I have call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding, voice mail, it's AWESOME! I registered it with my e-mail account so when I'm not at home, I will get an e-mail and I can actually listen to my messages at work on my computer. How handy is that! Who cares if you have to dial the area code every time you call someone - it's a FREE call! So far I have no complains - I had phone service within 10 minutes...installation was so simple a child could do it. I went immediately and registered my new phone on donotcall.org that way I won't have pesky telemarketers calling me. They are up front and explain everything in detail on their website and I'm not disappointed at all with my purchase - it's the best purchase I've ever made. We were paying $900 a year for unlimited long distance and local calling and I thought THAT was a good deal - wrong - now I can use that money for vacation every year! Way to Magic Jack - you're AWESOME!
I used to like my MagicJack. But as of today they are now blocking my ability to call into a conference line of my own. I contacted their customer service and this is a new upgrade to their system. They have implemented this change which includes them offering a conference line. So they now block your ability to call into a competitors conference phone number. But they still advertise you can call any phone number in the US for free. I will not be using this much longer.WHAT A RIPOFF THIS IS.
I have just install m/j and paid for international access also. It works good in the usa, but I can not call china with it. I have talked to techs at m/j for hours and still the problem is not resolved. I get a message that it is working on routing my call, and the phone rings for about ten times and shut off. It does not ring it china. Any one have this problem or can shed any light on this would be helpful. ldovt at yahoo dot com
I get internet via ATT phone line. If I cancel my ATT then no internet, right? Then MJ will not work. My IP is SBC Global with DSL Pro. If I can ATT phone line then my
SBC Global won't work.... In other words to get wifi, I need my computer tied to my modem which is connected to an ATT phone line. How can MJ work if I cancel my ATT Phone line???
I have had and used my mj for 2+ years now. My bjggest issue is that in stormy weather the reception fades and the people I call cannot hear me although I can hear them. I love my mj and have noother problems with it. My mj saves me $1000.00 every year swince I gave up the phone company land line. I am looking at getting a jupitor jack for my cell phone as well and expect to get the same great service as with my mj.
PB
Roseville,CA.
MagicJack is awesome! Running Vista Home Premium 64 bit, 8g RAM, quad core processor, Verizon DSL. Set up was a snap. I was talking to folks in minutes with land line quality.
Anonymous;
im thinking about getting magic jack but i want to know will it work with collect call from a inmate in a prison or jail? if i have a prepaid account with the prison will it work? please respond back
How do you get your phone to RING out so you know you have a call incase your not at your computer
Not a good primary phone. For several months had a horrible echo. Customer service is pretty typical as any other provider. Not much help. You do save a lot of money and most of the time it works fine. Tips: Any time you have a problem, shut down your computer, turn off your modem (or disconnect source), unplug the majik jack. After you have turned everything back on reconnect the majik jack and hopefully you will be back up. Some phones do not ring with the majik jack. This fact took me a lot of time to figure out. Finally had someone else who had majik jack tell me they had the same problem.
I plugged my fax machine into my mj and I get the message "remote fax error". My fax machine worked just minutes before with my landline phone. I thought it would be a good idea to use the mj line so that it wouldn't interfere with calls coming in on the landline. What am I doing wrong? Otherwise, I have absolutely no problems with mj. It was simple to install and I was able to choose a number very close to my landline number. If someone can help me with the fax issue I would appreciate it.
With present landline, Verizon, I have 911 protection. Is there any provision for 911 with MJ? I have not purchased yet. My landline has gone up about $25. a month, need relief!
I've read several comments here about international calls. It seems that it's better to give this device as a gift to family members abroad with a US ph#. Does that mean I'd need to upload it & set it up in the US first before giving it to them or can I upload it on their pc (abroad) & select to have a US#? I'm doing homework before buying mj.
thank you,
Magic Jack customer service:
Company contact that consumers may use for complaints or inquiries:
Toll Free:
888-230-0060
They are not "hiding" where they are located they're in FL. You just are looking for MAGIC JACK, and it's owned by YMax.
YMax Communications Corp.
5700 Georgia Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
Some of you guys need tin hats.
The rest of you need to learn that if you can't get refunded by simply calling and complaining, they have a new thing-y now called CHARGEBACK to your credit card. There are time limits to how long you can do this, most are 60 days or less, so GO, and call your CC issuer, and tell them how many times you tried to get this fixed. They will send you a form.
You file a chargeback, I can pretty much guarantee you that you will get your return processed. MJ may well call YOU.
BTW, EVERY company has a couple clinkers here and there, it isn't some personal vendetta, you just got the 2% that don't work, just have them send you a new one.
Too many questions about this phone-- pay attention, it is VOIP!! No it doesn't work with no computer, and if you plug into your laptop you can take to any hotel with free internet service, and make any calls you like. Of course you have to have a PHONE with a telephone cord along. *the hotel phone may not be unpluggable, so check.
If you wanna fax, plug the FAX MACHINE in instead of your phone, and fax away.
This doesn't really sound so hard to me.
The only issue would be having to leave the PC on all night, but for 19.95 a year, I would consider it.
But I need to keep the same number, so I'm still waiting for "keep your number" coming soon. (I sure hope it's not coming the 12th of never.)
We've had the Magic Jack for two years and we love it. We never got a great many calls and it made no sense to pay 30.00+ for a landline. This way we get calls, forward calls, have a complete record of calls in and out. We love it!
MJ works fine. After reading comments, what is a router?
I had trouble forwarding MJ to a cell phone. It forwards OK--the phone i've forwarded to rings and the caller can hear me but I cannot hear the caller on the forwarded phone (no audio) can you tell me what's wrong.
Mine worked great for 6months now I can't talk to anyone in my areacode. They tried to fix it but can't. They won't refund my subsciption or give me any kind of satifaction. I am tempted to turn them into the Attorney GEneral.
MJ works fine unless you call someone using comcast, I believe they block MJ calls
I have had and used the magic jack for over one year now and I love it. Works every time for me and has beautiful audio qauality
Most users do not have any issues but when there are problems with the service it is almost always because the user doesn't know what they are doing or there is something wrong with the users Internet connection or computer=
Larry says,this is very true and people should check out their systems and their settings and their internet and networking settings before bad mouthing the product of Magic Jack=I have had my Magic jack going on two years and I use it on both my Windows XP and my Windows 7 computers without any problems and I would recomend this product to any one it is the best investment I have ever made=Crystal clear audio. Be smart and use it properly and it will give you the best phone service you will ever have=kb1dex@yahoo.com=Satisfied customer
I live in KSA, but although the average speed for connections in KSA is about 6mbps, I live in a somewhat remote area and my internet is about 160kbps, which means about 25kbps transfer rate. It works like a charm. I know, you might think I'm lying. My dad's friend gave it to my dad and it's amazing. I call Canada for free =)
I love MJ!!!!,I send MJ to my mom and south America and I received a call every day for free, and I call her without any problem. Thanks MJ.
I've had my MJ for about 6 months now. I love it!! I'd previously closed my Vonage account when the company I work for provided me with a cell phone. I already had a personal Verizon cell at $51 a month, so I figured 2 cell phones were plenty. I checked into Trac Fone and decided I could drop my personal cell phone (even with the early termination fee) and save $$$. My LG Trac Fone was about $22 including shipping. Minutes and time role over. I have 480 minutes good trhough September 2011 for a purchase price (Look 4 the Double Minutes For Life) of about $50 or so. My plan is to use MJ as a primary phone at home, and use the Trac Fone as a secondary. Can't beat the price. I really don't care about not having a local area code. My friends have both #s. I tend to keep my # private after the days of telephone robo calls. With MJ you can also disconnect the land line from the outside of the house and use a T splitter to feed all phones in your home. Provided of course that you have your computer ON at the time. If not, they go to voice mail.
I'm having problems with my magicjack since I have renewed my subscription. I can make outgoing calls but cannot receive incoming calls they do not even come up as missed calls. Was on live chat for over 2 hours with 3 different agents and still the problem remains
Hi does anyone know if the MJ works okay with the USB 3G modems? I have a cricket modem as we have no internet service in this house and I travel quite abit and find it to be great for travelling....but will my MJ work ok with this? Thanks to anyone who knows...don't want to buy and be disappointed.
It is a good example that you get what you pay for. The price is great for unlimited local and long distance calls.
However, there are some annoying issues. While on a call, the sound is clear but intermittent. I rarely have a conversation without missing some of the words.
In addition, there are many times when I call a number which results in an odd tone similar to a busy tone, but if I call the same number using my cell phone, it connects without a problem. When I contacted customer service, they said it was an area not covered by Majicjack.
For the money, I'll keep Majicjack as a secondary line only.
Is possible to keep my current cell ph # and opt for a MJ "fantasy" ph # and make it the same as my cell ph? Will it work? Anyone...Thanks
I purchased MJ last year to call my friends in Alaska.
About 5 months ago, I could no longer call her and she couldn't call me. A communications dispute going on between AK carrier and MJ.
MJ needs to post a MAP indicating EXACTLY where people can call because it is to just Alaska that is out.
I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ASK. HOW COME MAGIC JACK DOESN'T PROVIDE OR INVENT A MAGIC JACK FOR CABLE AND INTERNET SERVICE TO WHERE YOU HAVE ONE EXTREMELY LOW BILL FOR THE WHOLE YEAR. AT NO MORE $100.00 EACH ONLY AND $250 FOR A BUNDLE PRICE. THIS WOULD SAVE PEOPLE A LOT OF MONEY AND MAKE U A LOT OF MONEY. I WOULD LOVE IT IF PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE CHEAPER THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE, THE MORE MONEY U MAKE AND PEOPLE WILL KEEP COMING BACK AND GIVE MORE BUSINESS. PEOPLE WILL ALSO ALWAYS PAY THEIR BILLS ON TIME IF THE PRICE IS REASONABLE AND NEVER GOES UP LIKE UR MAGIC JACK. MAGIC JACK IS SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE. I HAVE HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS ABOUT IT. UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT USE IT BECAUSE ITERNET AND CABLE COST TOO MUCH.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MAGIC JACK DO THE SAME SERVICE FOR INTERNET AND CABLE. WOULD BE NICE TO SAVE MONEY.
do i still need a router for my ps3
Is it Mac compatible?
How do I fire my phone company and still keep my DSL service?
Order DSL only service, the phone company can no longer require you to pay for a landline for the purpose of supporting DSL service, but the price of the DSL only service is a little bit higher ~$5. There's a phone number associated with it, they have to be able to let you dial 911 on it, but you'll have to get your own filters if you don't buy their install kit.
what is actually needed to use the majic jack plus?
MJ works fine with Comcast customers.
I've used MJ for almost three years and love it. I have a cell phone available for when the PC or electricity is off. The "interruptions", I think, are due to a voice-activated type of switch. If you're listening to someone and you want to interject a comment you have to wait until their end is silent for a second. It's annoying sometimes but I can live with it. This new MJ+ is a bit confusing. Does one have to pay for an ethernet service or is that a hardwire situation? Whatever, I'll probably get it as it will allow me and my PC to go nitey-nite and still have phone availability. A comfort for an old f..t who lives alone.
I once had a magicjack... in fact...I have had 2.....I had to purchase a second when I could NOT renew the original for the advertised $19.95 per year....they work well but I had problems with renewing them both....I guess I'm a sucker because I'm thinking about getting a third, and hoping i can renew at the end of that first year.
Like many others, I think MJ sounds like a great deal. Today, I decided to research some sites which had actual MJ customer comments. This is the third site which I have visited, and it seems much like the others. Many of the complaints are identical. However, also like the others, some commenters are thrilled with MJ's performance. For the time being, I have decided to forego the MJ and stick with the phone service which I have. Perhaps in a few months - or years - MJ will not receive so many negative reviews, and I may purchase one.
I love magicjack it is a great service!! All that aside the support suc***!!! I just got off of a 4+ hour support session. 3 incompetant techs and 1 competant one later it was finally working. when it came time to review the tech support the remote support was still on. I tried to give the session a 1 out of 1 to 5 for poor. she took controll and gave it a 5!!!!! Majicjack needs to review its tech support and replace it!
I have just gone from MJ to MJ plus. I am wireless have Charter Cable. My MJ is plugged directly into my router and it is amazing. . My only hesitation was my security system calling out in case of a breakin but I have solved that. I am an 80 yr. old Senior Citizen with no tech. skills to brag about so if I can have a good clear MJ anyone can.
I love my MJ.
Just received the new plus model,it seems to work very well.
I saw the commercials for the MJ and thought, this is hinky; A piece of infomercial crap. Looking to streamline costs and not have to lay off people, I have spent hours upon hours cutting cost while maintain quality and keeping everyone working. I have saved THOUSANDS of dollars with the MJ. I have dropped my T-1 service line and went to MJ for all my phone lines. Call me crazy, I got one to check it out at home, I was impressed. My wife asked if I could use it at my office. I wanted to try it long term. But the quality and ease of use is just awesome. My office makes hundreds of call a day, we are a recruiting firm. So we live and die by the phones and internet. When my phone rep came by to inquire as to why we dropped the T-1 service and found out I had replaced them with MJ, he said we’ll see in a couple of months. Over a year later, were still going strong. I have not let anyone go. MJ is the REAL DEAL. I have not had any problems. Were kind of geeks, so I have not had any CS issues? There are 11 lines in my office. How’s that for “every day use”? I tell everyone about MJ.
Magic Jack works really well. Used it for over a year and it sounds better than Ma Bell. Try to get customer service though. That's another story! Ma Bell will talk to you but likes to keep those prices creeping up when you aren't watching your account.
iam from canada i puchased magicjack had it for 3 years, works great no problems, purchased magic jack plus 3 mths ago no problems works great verrry happy, and there customer service is freindly and verry helpful
well, I bought the magic jack plus in dec..l already had a voip phone so knew the expectations of sometimes l have to call back..well, I love it, I got rid of the voip when I had 3 months of NO problems. I'm in canada so I have to pay 29.90 a year for a canadian number but yeahh its worth it. I downloaded the MJplus on my itouch and took it on a cruise with me, in ports, I got a wifi connection and was able to call back to North America FREE, yes, you can call from anywhere in the world for FREE...it cost me 2.50 a month....I am saving a fortune and just love my magic Jack plus.
that's what you get for $20 a year... so customer service... that's part of why its so cheap. Zero business overhead. They just revamped the web site and added a few features (about time), but they still are missing the all important voice mail control. You can't turn it off, or change # of rings.
I have 2 MJ lines. One for my office phone, and I just ported my land-line # from Time Warner "Rip me off" digital phone, to the MJ+ (stand alone). It drops calls every once in a while, but completely worth it for cutting my bill from $50/month, to $1.66/month. You can adjust your audio/voice settings through your control panel; once I figured that out it became almost a dream.
does mj work if you have direct tv or any other satellite system?
I bought MagicJack Plus for my sister in Europe and we use it to call each other. Free international calls - it only costs me whatever the yearly fee is. Used it for over 6 months and love it. No issues yet.
Will say MagicJack is not a scam, but be aware they do limit your usage. I had an MJ for approx. 1 month and during that time I repeatedly called my girlfriend in another part of Canada. Service was superb and the 2 times I had to contact customer service it was handled quickly and easily. Today I tried to call my friend and discovered my service had been cut off. Apparently I had violated their usage limits. Which are stated in the agreement as 50 times more than average use. What is average use? I can not get service restored. PLEASE read the Agreement and be aware of usage limits.
my magic jack is not working on my laptop,and why?
I have had a Magic Jack Plus for about a few months now, and save for a minor installation difficulty at first (now fully resolved), it's been a great device. The calls are clear as a landline and sound great, and the cost can't be beat by any other telco and their phone service packages.
Let me explain about that install difficulty I had: When I first got my MJ+ and got it hooked up to my phone & router, there was an awful noisy hum in the audio in the phone's receiver earpiece. Since I didn't have any problems with the phone when I previously had it connected to a landline a few years ago, I assumed it was the MJ+ that was on the fritz.
I went and exchanged it for a new unit, but had the same problem again! So, I decided to try a different telephone set to plug into the MJ+, and lo and behold, it worked perfectly! The noisy hum was gone, just crystal-clear calls to be had! So, the MJ+ does tend to be a bit picky as far as the kind of telephone set you have connected to it. If you have a phone on you MJ+ that has bad hum in the audio, try a new set, it might solve the issue.
Besides this hiccup (and the common consensus that MJ's technical support is lacking, which fortunately I have not had to contact yet), the MJ+ is a very good product and quite a money-saver. I was originally thinking about getting a landline again from my incumbent telco (CenturyLink), but MagicJack is a much better deal. I'd rather spend $30 a year than $18 a month.
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