MagicJack... do you like it?

[jnieman]

Hi all:

Thinking of getting Magic Jack. Does anyone have it and if so how is the reception in the Villages?

Thanks!

[Patty55]

I bought one about 4 years ago-A TOTAL WASTE. They may have gotten better.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I have one and it is awesome. I use it as my regular home phone. I have no problem with reception. I can call my family in Boston anytime and for a few dollars a year, my wife can call her family in the Philippines.
I wouldn't be without one.

When we lived in the Philippines, I brought my Magic Jack with a Florida number and I could call anywhere in the U.S. for nothing. The phone doesn't know where it is so it was just like calling from Florida.

[bill50]

I have The MajicJack Plus and love it. Used it for over a year without any problems. Highly recommend?

[Dick and Lin]

My Magic Jack is used for the FAX line and it works great.

[dalecrenshaw]

We have used Magic Jack for 5 years. Works great. Wouldn't be without it.

[jnieman]

Thanks for the info guys. I also had the magic jack a few years back and was unsatisfied, however I had heard that as the company grew the reception got better and better. Glad to hear that you all are happy with it. I am thinking that is the way to go for a home phone. Just one question. Does it work for 911?

[2BNTV]

Previous thread on majuic jack.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-non-villages-discussion-93/has-anyone-heard-magicjack-phone-11288/

[aljetmet]

Hi all:

Thinking of getting Magic Jack. Does anyone have it and if so how is the reception in the Villages?

Thanks!


Magic Jack's "reception" is as good as your download and upload internet speed. The faster it is the better it will be.

Thus you need to know your responders' internet speeds to come to a conclusion if it's good for you....

[jebartle]

Can't understand why everyone doesn't have one.....$19.95 a year....Phone bill use to be $50 a month....A "No-brainer"!....

[Mack184]

Can't understand why everyone doesn't have one.....$19.95 a year....Phone bill use to be $50 a month....A "No-brainer"!....
OK..but what's your internet bill? Magic Jack works best on a fast internet, which can get costly. So if your phone bill used to be $50, and you need a $65/mo internet bill to make it work, then you are now paying $66.66 a month for your phone. If you're a wide user of the internet then maybe that's worth it, but if you're looking to save your pennies, and you're not making big use of the net, then I don't think you're saving money.

[Barefoot]

Thinking of getting Magic Jack. Does anyone have it, and if so how is the reception in the Villages? Thanks!

We have Magic Jack Plus in Canada. It saves us a lot of money with free calling anywhere in North America. We currently have Vonage in Florida which costs almost $500 a year. We'll replace that with a Magic Jack when we get to Florida, for less than $100 (initial purchase).

[Cantwaittoarrive]

OK..but what's your internet bill? Magic Jack works best on a fast internet, which can get costly. So if your phone bill used to be $50, and you need a $65/mo internet bill to make it work, then you are now paying $66.66 a month for your phone. If you're a wide user of the internet then maybe that's worth it, but if you're looking to save your pennies, and you're not making big use of the net, then I don't think you're saving money.

This is true but if you are like us (we have high speed and home phone) sounds like we could save $50 a month

[KayakerNC]

This is true but if you are like us (we have high speed and home phone) sounds like we could save $50 a month
If you have WiFi, I highly recommend the MagicJack "Plus" version. No need to have your computer turned on in order to make/receive calls. :thumbup:

[rubicon]

Can't understand why everyone doesn't have one.....$19.95 a year....Phone bill use to be $50 a month....A "No-brainer"!....

What are its limitations vis a vis Verizon AT&T, etc?

[shcisamax]

Does it work for Mexico?

[BobnBev]

Can't understand why everyone doesn't have one.....$19.95 a year....Phone bill use to be $50 a month....A "No-brainer"!....
How much is your internet bill a month?

[jnieman]

How much is your internet bill a month?

Many people have high speed internet already. I agree that upgrading to high speed internet would cost more and may make the cost the same as a phone, but if you already have high speed internet like many of us I think MagicJack is quite a deal.

[mikeandnancy1112]

We have had ours for two years and love it and saved a lot of minutes on my cell phone. But since two months I have Straight Talk and have unlimited minutes and texting and only pay $45 per month. Our Magic Jack is our second phone.

[shcisamax]

I am a little confused. We have Brighthouse for all three, phone, internet and TV and it costs $120 a month which comes out to $40 per service. How would Magic Jack help? Would it replace the phone service which is $40 monthly versus $19.95 a year? If so, what exactly is Magic Jack? And do you need one in each room for each phone?

[aljetmet]

I am a little confused. We have Brighthouse for all three, phone, internet and TV and it costs $120 a month which comes out to $40 per service. How would Magic Jack help? Would it replace the phone service which is $40 monthly versus $19.95 a year? If so, what exactly is Magic Jack? And do you need one in each room for each phone?

1> Is your rate fixed indefinitely or is a teaser rate?
2> Magic jack will not replace your VOIP phone so no savings for you to get it
3> The new Magic jack plus attaches to you internet modem. Then you plug a phone into it. Now a days you can buy a 4 phone system where only the base phone goes to a jack and the other three phones ring and can be used wirelessly.

4> I used Magic jack when you had to plug it into a USB port on your PC. Then the PC had to be on to make or receive calls. Actually I was not happy with the service but I might have had DSL internet at the time.

5> I will probably buy OOMA which works in a similar fashion but believe it is much better quality. You do pay more for it though. Check Free Home Phone Service | Ooma (http://www.ooma.com)

[Mack184]

I am a little confused. We have Brighthouse for all three, phone, internet and TV and it costs $120 a month which comes out to $40 per service. How would Magic Jack help? Would it replace the phone service which is $40 monthly versus $19.95 a year? If so, what exactly is Magic Jack? And do you need one in each room for each phone?
The problem with most of the provider package deals is that if you take out one of the elements, (here the phone) the price of the other two skyrockets. It's sort of like going to McDonalds and not buying your Big Mac & Coke in a "Value Meal" where they add fries. If you buy just the two you will pay almost as much (and in some cases more) than if you bought the package.

[CaptJohn]

5> I will probably buy OOMA which works in a similar fashion but believe it is much better quality. You do pay more for it though. Check Free Home Phone Service | Ooma (http://www.ooma.com)


I have OOMA here and it's the one of the first and still the best. Cost a little more but great quality that can be tweaked even on slow speed internet and also includes an answering machine.
If you'll use my username here as a referral when you sign up it may give us both a bonus.

I also have Nettalk Duo on another phone as an experiment and it works well also but OOMA is the best. I have read that MagicJack has bad customer service so avoided it for that reason.

[rjm1cc]

Hi all:

Thinking of getting Magic Jack. Does anyone have it and if so how is the reception in the Villages?

Thanks!

Since it is inexpensive I thing buying and trying it might be the way to go. I use if for free on my smart phone but for some one to use it to call me on my smart phone can get a little complicate. But I think that is because my version is 100% free and I would not have the problem if I subscribed to the service.

[Barefoot]

I have OOMA here and it also includes an answering machine. I have read that MagicJack has bad customer service so avoided it for that reason.

I think the original Magic Jack had problems, but Magic Jack Plus impresses me! Magic Jack Plus not only includes an answer machine, it also sends me the message via email. The marvels of modern technology!

[jebartle]

How much is your internet bill a month?
Our Internet bill is $84, before Magic Jack it was $145....5 TV's, and high speed internet

[kathy and al]

As a previous poster mentioned---it's a no brainer. Can't really understand why everyone doesn't have the Magic Jack at $19.95 a year for unlimited calls to almost everywhere. I've had mine for 4 years (the original Magic Jack) and it's been incredibly reliable and very easy to use.

[silvertoken]

Magic Jack is great but Magic Jack plus is awesome and you get to keep your old number for an extra saw buck a year. What I like about it is you can bring your phone with you when traveling. Magic Jack plus you plug into the router and you dont need to keep your computer on although it also connects to the computer. The 5 year contract is great for approx. $100. Great for snowbirds on the go. Make sure you dont notify your phone carrier when you want to keep your current phone number. Install your phone number with Magic Jack first than notify your old carrier you want to cancel.

[lightworker888]

How do you use the Magic Jack in Canada. We are on Rogers up north and Comcast down here. When you eliminate the phone, does the cost really drop alot? Is the Magic Jack plus the one that is in CVS or do you have to order it online? Did you use your Florida number or your Canadian one? Thanks for any info. I have been thinking about it for sometime but have never gotten around to doing anything about it.



LW888

[KayakerNC]

Magic Jack is great but Magic Jack plus is awesome and you get to keep your old number for an extra saw buck a year.
Well, not always.
MagicJack doesn't serve all area codes and exchanges, when you try for a MagicJack number, they show you the cities they have in an area code. If your exchange isn't in their list, you can't port your number.

:shrug:

[silvertoken]

You keep the same number as you originated it. I had magic jack for a while and use the boston exchange here in Florida. I got the plus and can also use it in Boston. The 911 feature might be a problem and has to be corrected on the menu feature of Magic Jack. Canada 911 feature might be a problem. I have also used this in Europe.

[Barefoot]

How do you use the Magic Jack in Canada. We are on Rogers up north and Comcast down here. When you eliminate the phone, does the cost really drop alot? Is the Magic Jack plus the one that is in CVS or do you have to order it online? Did you use your Florida number or your Canadian one? Thanks for any info. I have been thinking about it for sometime but have never gotten around to doing anything about it.
LW888

We currently have two Magic Jacks, one at our Canada lake cabin, and the second at our house in Lagoon City, Canada. We ordered one online, and bought the other in Florida. Plug them in and follow the instructions! We are satisfied with their performance. As soon as we get to TV, we plan to replace Vonage with a third Magic Jack, with our Villages telephone number. We could port the system from place to place, but we're too forgetful and disorganized, and it's not expensive to have three Magic Jacks. Each has a local telephone number.

Overall, we're saving a ton of money. And when we get a call at any phone number, the message magically shows up in my email in-basket. I can listen to my messages on email, so I never need to check messages. Love it!

Hope this helps!

[lightworker888]

Do you plug the Magic Jack plus into the router or the electrical outlet? Does the WIFI have to be on? Thanks for the info.


LW888

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Do you plug the Magic Jack plus into the router or the electrical outlet? Does the WIFI have to be on? Thanks for the info.


LW888

If you choose to use it without having your computer up and running, you actually plug the Magic Jack Plus into both the router/modem AND an electrical outlet.

Yes, the router/modem has to be on and connected to the internet.

See more here: magicJack PLUS (http://www.magicjack.com/plus-v05/)

Below where it says "Installs in Two Easy Steps!", click on either the 'With Computer' or 'Without Computer' pictures for a quick video on each.

Bill :)

[lightworker888]

Thanks Bill. Helpful as always!


LW888

[Bill-n-Brillo]

You're welcome!!

Bill :wave:

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

OK..but what's your internet bill? Magic Jack works best on a fast internet, which can get costly. So if your phone bill used to be $50, and you need a $65/mo internet bill to make it work, then you are now paying $66.66 a month for your phone. If you're a wide user of the internet then maybe that's worth it, but if you're looking to save your pennies, and you're not making big use of the net, then I don't think you're saving money.

Who doesn't already have high speed internet?

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Here's a tip for those of you with relatives overseas. Buy a Magic Jack here and get a Florida phone number. Then mail the Magic jack to you overseas relatives. The Magic jack still thinks that it is in Florida. You can be talking with your family member in Italy like you're next door.

[JCM200]

Bought my MJ 2 years ago and it worked fine with the Centurylink DSL Internet. Then after about 6 months it never worked right for incoming calls. I would reboot it and it would work fine for 15-30 minutes, then again no incoming calls could go through. The incoming caller would get a Verizon message "can not process the call as dialed". I had Verizon tech support and MJ tech support on the phone many times trying to figure out the problem without success. Always the same result. After rebooting, it would work fine for only 15-30 minutes. I gave up and used the MJ just for out going calls and faxes.
Then 3 days ago I had Centurylink install their Prism system for TV and Internet and The MJ has worked right since. So if you have a Centurylink DSL setup be advised that you might have a problem with MJ.
Also, MJ doesn't have local phone numbers available to use so you may want to port your old number over.

[sgiamp1]

Here's a tip for those of you with relatives overseas. Buy a Magic Jack here and get a Florida phone number. Then mail the Magic jack to you overseas relatives. The Magic jack still thinks that it is in Florida. You can be talking with your family member in Italy like you're next door.

I took your advice and purchased MagicJack Plus. I'm very happy with every aspect of it EXCEPT "call waiting". Do you know of a way to disable the call waiting without subscribing to "Magicjackfeatures"? The beep they use is very loud and disruptive so we would rather not have it.

Thanks for your insight - I appreciate it.

[MikeV]

We use ours as our home phone. Then when we go to Cancun every year we take it with us and we can call home for free.

[tag460]

I talk to my neighbor and they have MajicJack Plus and they are very happy with the service, I will switch over soon.

[kittygilchrist]

very happy...2 years, different cities in US

[Russ_Boston]

I have OOMA and it works great. You can take the box with you if you travel or snowbird. It also forwards calls automatically to my cell and I have multiple phone #'s (my old MA number and a new 352 number) I have it connected to my wireless phones in the house so I can pick it up anywhere. Never had a dropped call. Well worth it IMHO.

[CaptJohn]

I have also had OOMA for several years and very pleased. In addition, I have a Nettalk Duo that works well. They are supposed to have better service (for technical problems) than Magicjack.
All of those systems have about the same features such as taking it with you on trips or reading messages on email.

Whoops! I just realized that I duplicated an earlier post. Well, that shows i still like the system a year later! :laugh:

[billethkid]

in several of the posts above it is stated that when you travel you take "it" with you. What is "it" that you are taking? Is it dependent upon being connected to an internet accessible connection?

btk

[Barefoot]

in several of the posts above it is stated that when you travel you take "it" with you. What is "it" that you are taking? Is it dependent upon being connected to an internet accessible connection?

The "it" is a modem. Some people travel with their Magic Jack modem. We don't transport our modem, because we're old and forgetful. We have one in Florida and another in Canada.

Unfortunately, Magic Jack only operates if you have an Internet connection. If your Internet goes down, or your power goes off, you lose your phone too.

[Russ_Boston]

The "it" is a modem. Some people travel with their Magic Jack modem. We don't transport our modem, because we're old and forgetful. We have one in Florida and another in Canada.

Unfortunately, Magic Jack only operates if you have an Internet connection. If your Internet goes down, or your power goes off, you lose your phone too.

That's the main reason I went with Ooma. If the internet goes down all calls forward to my cell #. Nice feature.

[Villager Dude]

Can't understand why everyone doesn't have one.....$19.95 a year....Phone bill use to be $50 a month....A "No-brainer"!....

I left TV in July and went to West Virginia and spent 9 weeks there without any cell service . To communicate I used MJ and e mail. The MJ was awesome. What I like is when someone leaves you a message you get an e mail and a wav audio that you can play back as long as you have e mail.

I came back in September for 2 weeks and went off to the beach for a month and used MJ again.

MJ saved me a bundle otherwise I would have been charged for resort phone charges.

Happy to be back at TV now and enjoying life.

Take Care!

[Shirleevee]

I left TV in July and went to West Virginia and spent 9 weeks there without any cell service . To communicate I used MJ and e mail. The MJ was awesome. What I like is when someone leaves you a message you get an e mail and a wav audio that you can play back as long as you have e mail.

I came back in September for 2 weeks and went off to the beach for a month and used MJ again.

MJ saved me a bundle otherwise I would have been charged for resort phone charges.

Happy to be back at TV now and enjoying life.

Take Care!


We have had MJ since it was first sold; 5 years here and maybe 2-3 years prior and we love it for all of the above reasons! :pepper2:

[dalecrenshaw]

Hi all:

Thinking of getting Magic Jack. Does anyone have it and if so how is the reception in the Villages?

Thanks!

We've had it for maybe 5 years...love it. Great reception. Leaves voice mail messges on on our email, if we are not at home to receive a call. Has caller I.D. without any charges, so you know who called but didn't leave a message. We don't have it in the Villages, since it is our vacation home and we are only there a couple of months a year, but we have it in California and it's been great. No charges for long distance or local long distance calls. We use it whenever we want to make a long distance call....no charges. Fabulous. I don't know why anyone would pay for long distance service. There are choices out there that our much better.

[leftyf]

For a home phone we have the Verizon Home Phone. It's great. $19.95 a month with unlimited usage and no long distance. It's just a little box that you plug into a 110 volt outlet and plug any home phone into the phone jack. It works off the local cell phone towers. No home phone lines are required. I bought one for my Mother when she was in the nursing home. After she passed, I just kept it for our own use and it's great. We have a cordless phone with caller ID and voice mail that we use with it. The only thing it won't do is handle a fax machine.

[Joaniesmom]

If you have any friends or family overseas, I recommend Vonage. We can talk to our daughter and family in Australia for as long as we want at no extra cost. We also use Vonage for our home phone.

[Indydealmaker]

The secret to the successful use of Magic Jack is a good high speed internet connection. We tried it for my parents and the inconsistent signal from Comcast at their Indiana home made it virtually useless. On the other hand, I have a friend that lives a mile away from them and it works well for him hooked up to his Brighthouse high speed internet.

[PTY Sparky]

Have used my Magic Jack for years now and love it..........Moved here from Panama and used it there for over 5 years. Saved a TON OF $ with it. No need to think about it, buy it. The Magic Jack Plus is even better than the original one. I have a friend who is a pilot for United and flies internationally and he uses his to call his family from Asia, Europe, South America, etc.

[dadspet]

We have been using it for yrs now. We xfered our home phone number to MJ and when we travel between NY and The Villages anyone can reach us with the same phone number. You do need a good internet connection and there are issues at times but for $20 a year - WOW its a deal. The voice quality tends to be a lot better then cell phone quality. We now have the MJ+ 2014 and think the voice quality has improved with it.

[mrdills]

What type of download and upload speeds do you need to make this unit work well.

[JourneyOfLife]

I have been thinking about using voip and have been looking at Ooma's product and service. Ooma claims to encrypt their calls.

Clear VOIP | Ooma PureVoice (http://www.ooma.com/how-ooma-works/voice-quality)

For us, encryption is a requirement since our communication would be going over the internet (till it gets to their facility).

I looked at some of the other "buy the device" voip providers and could not find any information or confirmation that they encrypt calls.

[regalcat]

Will magic jack plus work with Comcast modem? Anyone have Comcast and
Magic jack plus and experience any set up problems? I have their modem but dropped their phone service.

[dotti105]

Magic Jack is great!

We had Vonage with $19.00 a month.

Magic Jack is the same technology but dirt cheap. WEedid pay a one time fee to keep our previous number. If I am not home the Voice mails get forwarded to my iphone. Nothing could be easier or cheaper as far as we are concerned!

[Peek]

can you use it on more than one phone?

[CFrance]

can you use it on more than one phone?

Yes. You get one of those cordless phone sets that has a base phone, which is attached to your modem, and one or two satellite phones. Works on all of them. They would all have the same phone number.

[Peek]

thanks so much

[dadspet]

Will magic jack plus work with Comcast modem? Anyone have Comcast and
Magic jack plus and experience any set up problems? I have their modem but dropped their phone service.

Yes it will work with comcast modem, no setup problems

[dadspet]

Magic Jack is great!

We had Vonage with $19.00 a month.

Magic Jack is the same technology but dirt cheap. WEedid pay a one time fee to keep our previous number. If I am not home the Voice mails get forwarded to my iphone. Nothing could be easier or cheaper as far as we are concerned!

BTW I thought it was also a 1 time fee to keep my previous number but it turns out its $10 a yr. Still cheap.

[Jakel]

I am two years into a five year contract with mj..... we rarely use it but we have friends in Canada and like calling there for no additional cost.... does anyone know if I can purchase the mj plus and keep my three years of service....I would like to not have to hook up the computer every time I make a call

[Shirleevee]

can you use it on more than one phone?

We have MJ plus ...plugs into Comcast modem and I have a base phone plus 3 ......no problems at all.

[ahockeynut]

Another vote for Ooma.
Cost around $100 at costco on sale. for the 'free' service you only pay the gov't taxes (around $4). one plug to the internet, one into your house jack and all the phones work. free US calls. never have lost a call. if you are out of town, you can go on the internet and get voice mails.
for $10/mo they will give you a second line with any area code so the caller can avoid long distance and all your calls are forwarded to your cell.

[keysbabe]

I have one and love it. But, it is correct that it depends on your internet connection speed, not on where you are located.