Messenger Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I've been a Magic Jack subscriber for about a year now and didnt like some of the things about the service. The most annoying part is that you had to have a computer to run the phone service - That meant leaving your computer on all day long if you wanted the phone service to work. Who does that? So, They came out with a new one called Magic Jack Plus. It can still plug directly into a computer or laptop and then you can use a headset or an analog phone. But, the good thing is that the new one has an ethernet port that you connect directly to a rounter. Also, the power comes from 110v outlet - No computer or computer issues!I got my new one two days ago and its a lot better in call quality too - the software tended to make the call choppy when you were operating the computer when on the call at the same time. This is no longer a problem when not connected to the computer.So far so good Link to comment
ldsfaqs Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Ya.... That's what I hear. I'm thinking about switching also.Was it easy as they say to port your existing number to the new MagicJack?Ya, the lower-mid end computers you can't be doing anything, otherwise you're right, it's choppy.That's good that the direct line version works better. Have you been able to test, like have a couple of computers downloading some files at the same time, to see if you still get network chop while in a call? Link to comment
Mola Ram Suda Ram Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 Or you can try ooma. Just google it. It is really quit a nice piece of technology. Link to comment
Mark Beesley Posted November 30, 2011 Share Posted November 30, 2011 I've been a Magic Jack subscriber for about a year now and didnt like some of the things about the service. The most annoying part is that you had to have a computer to run the phone service - That meant leaving your computer on all day long if you wanted the phone service to work. Who does that?So, They came out with a new one called Magic Jack Plus. It can still plug directly into a computer or laptop and then you can use a headset or an analog phone. But, the good thing is that the new one has an ethernet port that you connect directly to a rounter. Also, the power comes from 110v outlet - No computer or computer issues!I got my new one two days ago and its a lot better in call quality too - the software tended to make the call choppy when you were operating the computer when on the call at the same time. This is no longer a problem when not connected to the computer.So far so goodI've had no problem with choppy calls, and I leave my computer on all the time, so Magic Jack hasn't really presented the problems you describe. That being said, If I do a soft reboot of the computer, Magic Jack does not load automatically, and if I forget to start the program, then calls go straight to voice mail, so Magic Jack Plus would alleviate that little issue that sometimes irritates my wife when she is trying to call me. All in all, I love Magic Jack. I love paying 70 dollars for 5 years worth of telephone service. AT&T can bite me. Link to comment
Messenger Posted December 1, 2011 Author Share Posted December 1, 2011 One of the other problems I noticed is that some people said they couldnt call certain numbers. So I started doing my own tests and found out that MJ (not sure yet on the MJPlus) couldnt call a number that activated the 'no solicitation feature'. It would just crash, fast busy, or die. So, I will try that this weekend. That goof makes 10% of my friends and family not reachable with MJ. But the other features work well. Also, I still have the old one, which works better on my Laptop cuz its a better processor. Its in the kitchen so I plugged the standard MJ in it, and now the one phone number rings in my home office AND kitchen. Kinda like having one number for two cell phones! They say they work anywhere in the world - but the package says it does not, so Im not sure about that.I have heard of people porting their number over to MJ. I didnt have a good landline number before, But I did find a really good one in the MJ ownership so I was pretty happy about that. Link to comment
cinepro Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 As an alternative, I've recently hooked up an OBI 110 device which allows me to use Google Voice with regular telephones in my house, and my computer doesn't need to stay on. It's like free VOIP. Link to comment
darkandlight Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 I've been a Magic Jack subscriber for about a year now and didnt like some of the things about the service. The most annoying part is that you had to have a computer to run the phone service - That meant leaving your computer on all day long if you wanted the phone service to work. Who does that?So, They came out with a new one called Magic Jack Plus. It can still plug directly into a computer or laptop and then you can use a headset or an analog phone. But, the good thing is that the new one has an ethernet port that you connect directly to a rounter. Also, the power comes from 110v outlet - No computer or computer issues!I got my new one two days ago and its a lot better in call quality too - the software tended to make the call choppy when you were operating the computer when on the call at the same time. This is no longer a problem when not connected to the computer.So far so goodThank you for posting about this. I've been a subscriber of Magic Jack myself but there was a point in time when I thought about cancelling the service due to technical problems. I will definitely try this out. Link to comment
Messenger Posted December 21, 2011 Author Share Posted December 21, 2011 There are still some issues with not being able to call certain numbers. My average seems to be about 25% of the people I cannot reach with Magic Jack, that I can reach with other phone services. I know there is a known issue when peoplel with magic jack call a land line with a feature called "no solicitation". Magic jack doesnt know how to deal with this, and gives up or plays a fast busy. Also newer land lines is doesnt know how to deal with either. FYI Link to comment
juliann Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Or you can try ooma. Just google it. It is really quit a nice piece of technology.I have used Ooma for a few years now and highly recommend it. They have a great nuisance call block system that includes a group black list so even if I haven't gotten the call yet, someone else has already blocked it. It allows 911 and forwards my calls to my cell so I can answer with either phone. The only downside is that it doesn't support home alarm systems so I have to still have the basic landline service for that. Link to comment
Messenger Posted December 22, 2011 Author Share Posted December 22, 2011 Ooma looks interesting. But I can see how its sustainable at $199 one time fee. There are always call terminiation charges (the cost of a phone call for the copper pair that you end up on) thats charged by the local phone to company. Link to comment
darkandlight Posted December 22, 2011 Share Posted December 22, 2011 I have used Ooma for a few years now and highly recommend it. They have a great nuisance call block system that includes a group black list so even if I haven't gotten the call yet, someone else has already blocked it. It allows 911 and forwards my calls to my cell so I can answer with either phone. The only downside is that it doesn't support home alarm systems so I have to still have the basic landline service for that.Oh. I smiled when I read that it allows 911. That's a good feature. ^^ Link to comment
Recommended Posts