VOIP etc > Voice Over IP - VOIP > MagicJack > My review of MagicJack

reply to gimme5

Re: My review of MagicJack

Good point. I guess it's not a problem if you call abroad just a little bit.

I call France a lot and my wife calls Australia too, so Lingo's unlimited plan is still the way to go for me at this time.

Best of luck to everyone trying out MJ, I hope the service continues to be good.

I figure I don't have much to lose by trying MJ. I'll keep my home # for the next 6 months and if it doesn't work out I'll let my daughter have the number, and the grief.

reply to gimme5

reply to swanboy
Got mine today and have been testing various features. It's going to be a great second phone, but I don't see myself using it for a main line just yet. The reviews above are accurate in terms of setup and call quality. But, being picky I just have to throw a small wet blanket on things (and yes I know this is a bargain basement deal, so I really shouldn't be expecting much):

- There doesn't appear to be a way to change the time stamp on the voicemail, which is off by 5 hours for me here in the Eastern time zone. There is no web interface for voicemail, so there isn't a way to turn it off or adjust the number of rings before it picks up. Also, I've noticed the outgoing message to callers often gets clipped at the beginning. All in all, the VM leaves a lot to be desired.

Next in line to be fixed would be outgoing caller ID, right now it shows "Southfield MI" for my Detroit number (actually it's a local exchange for Maybee, MI - located in Monroe County).

Also, there is no name with inbound caller ID and if you add names to the contact list in the softphone, they are only displayed on the computer - not on your phone handset.

My install had one hiccup - the sound driver for MagicJack sets itself as the default, requiring a manual fix in Windows Control Panel. Not a biggie and MagicJack has this info available on its web site.

All in all, this service shows a lot of promise -- and I'm more than happy with what it does for what I paid.

reply to swanboy
I've been using Magicjack for three days now and yes the service does work, but apart from all the other complaints, I've also got to add that when a call is initiated or received, the soft phone application pops up and it can get annoying if you receive lots of calls during the time someone is trying to use the computer.

Now it can be avoided if you install MJ on a computer that no one hardly uses, but that may not be acceptable to everyone.

Other than that, I have not had any calls dropped. I called from Majicjack to my other VOIP line and the call quality was good.

Decent product overall and I plan on using it in my travels and not as a primary home phone device

reply to swanboy
I ordered one on Monday waiting to get it. Has anyone tried to fax through it? My Laptop has a built in fax modem and using this as a portable fax would be just great.
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THE ROAD: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9

Just received my MJ, outgoing very clear. Incoming not working yet, but I only registered 1 hour ago. I also see in the MJ forum though several people are having incoming issues.

Question for you users:

I'd guess that you can use a USB (or even Bluetooth) headset, like Skype, if you want to use just the softphone?

Thanks.
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If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Living in "an optimized state of temporary chaos"

Thanks for the 'laser' quick response.

I think I'm going to order one of these just to kick the tires, and see if it's a good solution for my recent college graduate daughter.

~d~
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If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Living in "an optimized state of temporary chaos"

reply to swanboy
I've had one for a week now. I love it!

I bought it so that my 7yo daughter could have a phone to talk to her friends while they play games online, but it works so well that I'm planning to plug the rj11 plug from the MagicJack into the FXO port of my ATA and use it for all outbound calls. Inbound calls will come from the low-cost service that I port my number to, so I should end up with RIDICULOUSLY inexpensive outbound service, with inbound coming via SIP (no per minute charges there, either).

So for initial outlay of $39.95 for the MagicJack, $30 to port my number to a PAYG service, and $8-$10 per month (depending on whether I use Inphonix or Quantumvoice to port my number to), I'll have full inbound and outbound service using my old phone number.

That's tough to beat!

Anyone tried/know if FAXing will work?
I have an all-in-one printer/scanner/fax, and if the FAX works, I'll get another one....

Edit:
Found some answers on their forums
»forum.magicjack.com/forum/
Answer: it depends. Sometimes works no problem - some older machines don't like it.

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If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
Living in "an optimized state of temporary chaos"

Wondering if Magicjack will provide telemarketers with your number as a source of ad revenue.

reply to swanboy
Definitely a big no in my book. I don't need something tied to the computer. Not to mention my computer is a little far from my VoIP panel. "Oh wait...I can't use the phone. My hard drive died." "Uhh...no AutoUpdate you can't reboot now! Can't you see I'm on the phone? Stupid windows!!"

No thanks...
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FWD#64466(6PM-11PM GMT-5)
»[Sipura] Make your Sipura Speak! - GetSipura Guide
And now for the PAP2-NA and unlocked PAP2's.

reply to jeffnyc

reply to swanboy
I've spend quite a few hours on the phone in the last few days. Ironically, I even used the new MJ line to dispute the charge with my credit card company. I've had nothing but clear calls, actually not even one popping noise or echo. SunRocket echoed for me about 1 out of every 6 calls.
So far so good.

reply to digiblur

reply to dbmaven
Faxing works great-better than SR or VT ever was.