| Magic Jack [message #261517] |
Wed, 10 September 2014 16:46  |
stick miller
Messages: 1036
Registered: March 2010
Location: Americus, Georgia
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Anyone have any experience with a Magic Jack or other like device? We are trying to cut some expenses on our condos in Florida, but don't want to have sub-standard service. We currently have landlines at each condo with unlimited US and Canada free calls. Cell phones are undependable in these high rises and almost always use the landline.
Stick Miller
'78 Royale - "White Trash" - she left me for another man
'76 Eleganza - "Cousin Eddie" Sold
'84 Bluebird Wanderlodge - "Past Tents"
Americus, GA
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261518 is a reply to message #261517] |
Wed, 10 September 2014 17:08  |
Bob de Kruyff
Messages: 4260
Registered: January 2004
Location: Chandler, AZ
Karma: 1
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stick miller wrote on Wed, 10 September 2014 15:46Anyone have any experience with a Magic Jack or other like device? We are trying to cut some expenses on our condos in Florida, but don't want to have sub-standard service. We currently have landlines at each condo with unlimited US and Canada free calls. Cell phones are undependable in these high rises and almost always use the landline.
I've been using it for years and the voice quality has improved from poor to pretty good. Mine uses the computer but they have a version that just connects to the internet directly. It serves just fine as a landline. what I like best is the phone app that lets you make calls for free if your phone has a wifi connection. I also like the voicemail that just sends me a wav file to my email.
Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261519 is a reply to message #261517] |
Wed, 10 September 2014 17:09 |
A Hamilto
Messages: 4508
Registered: April 2011
Karma: 39
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stick miller wrote on Wed, 10 September 2014 16:46Anyone have any experience with a Magic Jack or other like device? We are trying to cut some expenses on our condos in Florida, but don't want to have sub-standard service. We currently have landlines at each condo with unlimited US and Canada free calls. Cell phones are undependable in these high rises and almost always use the landline. My sister got one for my mom. It worked fine until the phone company dialed back her DSL data rate to try to extort another $5 per month for the next higher data rate. My mom had moved over to my brother's place about then and didn't need it, so my sister just opted to abandon the MagicJack and not give the phone company any more of her dollars.
[Updated on: Wed, 10 September 2014 17:10] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261540 is a reply to message #261519] |
Wed, 10 September 2014 21:23 |
tphipps
Messages: 3005
Registered: August 2004
Location: Spanish Fort, AL
Karma: 9
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VoIP phone systems rely on the user having access to high speed Internet. Slow DSL and Dial-up modems will not carry the load. 3G and 4G hot spots will work, but you must drop the video portion.
There are several VoIP systems available, Magic Jack just being one of them. Skpye, Ooma are some of the other systems. Search the Internet for others.
http://www.howtogeek.com/136959/how-to-switch-to-voip-and-ditch-your-home-phone-bill-forever/
is a web site that explains VoIP in very good detail.
Disclaimer, I use Skype and have been doing so for years. I've talked to my CFO, when she was at a conference in Singapore as easily as calling her locally. If I call anyone, I use Skype.
Tom, MS II
2012 Phoenix Cruiser model 2552
KA4CSG
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261544 is a reply to message #261517] |
Wed, 10 September 2014 22:23 |
cbryan
Messages: 451
Registered: May 2012
Location: Ennis, Texas
Karma: 3
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Stick,
I use Magic Jack Plus at home, and on two land voice lines and one fax line at work. It cost $10 per year per line for porting over the old numbers. On the fax line, we changed the number because of incessant faxes selling ridiculously shoddy merchandise and trips. Otherwise, you can pay for three years at a time, for something like $25 or was it $8.99 per year?
I have had a Magic Jack plus power supply go west, replaced it with a surplus USB wall wart looking thing. Works fine now. Had to get a switch to consolidate all lines into one.
We lost the ability to automatically switch lines when one was busy. We have had a couple of days of no service because of poor Uverse service by ATT. Haven't been able to determine how to get good service from them on a long term basis. Very often something, rarely does two months go by without some fiddling or time on the phone required. We are considering using some money saved from the old telephone bill to get a cable modem, and plug one from another depending on which is up at the time. It should give us close to 100% reliability.
911 service goes through the county and you would have to notify dispatch to send you to the local dispatch. Then identify your location. A small drawback but I mention it.
The home magic jack plus has been about 100% reliable, but in case of a power failure the phone won't work unless we put a UPS on the router or modem.
So, we have saved about $4000 per year. Worth it to a small business. Saved hundreds at home.
It was as Ken Henderson says, a "trivial task" to get it up. Plug it into your modem and there's a dial tone. Internet phone management.
Hope this helps, your mileage may vary, as they say.
Best,
Carey
Carey from Ennis, Texas
78 Royale, 500 Cadillac, Rance Baxter EFI.
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261555 is a reply to message #261517] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 01:03 |
habbyguy
Messages: 896
Registered: May 2012
Location: Mesa, AZ
Karma: 3
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Senior Member |
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We have been using Magic Jack for our phone line, and for my business phone line for the better part of a year. I really like the features, including the emailed voicemail (so if I miss a phone call when I'm out of the house / office, any message left ends up as an email that I can listen to on my smartphone... how cool is that?).
I opted for the five year pre-paid service, which cost a whopping $100. That comes out to basically free per month. 
I've had a few issues where the voice quality got choppy and distorted, but suspect that might have more to do with my internet service provider than the MJ device (though I can't be sure). I haven't noticed any quality issues for months though, either on my home phone (using DSL because the cable modem service had an ACTUAL throughput about half what the new DSL 12mbps runs), or on my office phone (using a 4G wi-fi hotspot and a range extender so I'd have somewhere to plug in the MJ - I use the "standalone" version on both phones).
All in all, I think it was a good call - I suspect there are services that might provide marginally better voice quality, but it really does seem to be more than adequate at worse, and better than a cell phone any day.
Mark Hickey
Mesa, AZ
1978 Royale Center Kitchen
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261556 is a reply to message #261517] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 01:05 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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I have an OOMA. Got the unit on Woot for $50 or less. It's $3 per month but if you pay $10 , you get a second line, unlimited nationwide Long Distance, Voicemail which you get as an email with recording, and 911 service. Had it for years now. Cannot tell the difference from my $50 Cox or copper landlines.
I also have an app for my phone, so when I am traveling, and have wifi, I can receive and make calls with it.
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261578 is a reply to message #261556] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 09:54 |
stick miller
Messages: 1036
Registered: March 2010
Location: Americus, Georgia
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Thanks guys. I'm at the beach right now and i'm gonna give it a try. The only thing that threw me was the "trivial" comment by Ken Henderson. Trivial for Ken is rocket science for me.
I do think i'll give it a whirl. One of the selling points of our condo is that Canadian Snowbirds can call home without high cell phone charges. Also, the steel construction of this building (or the directional footprint of the structure) makes cell phone calling unsatisfactory.
It'll save us about $100 a month.
Stick Miller
'78 Royale - "White Trash" - she left me for another man
'76 Eleganza - "Cousin Eddie" Sold
'84 Bluebird Wanderlodge - "Past Tents"
Americus, GA
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261589 is a reply to message #261546] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 10:37 |
Bob de Kruyff
Messages: 4260
Registered: January 2004
Location: Chandler, AZ
Karma: 1
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Harry wrote on Wed, 10 September 2014 22:08Has anyone tried "Vonage"?
I used them for years and felt that the voice quality was better than Majic Jack but given the price difference I think Majic Jack was the better value.
Bob de Kruyff
78 Eleganza
Chandler, AZ
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261618 is a reply to message #261517] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 15:36 |
rcjordan
Messages: 1913
Registered: October 2012
Location: Elizabeth City, North Car...
Karma: 1
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Another OOMA user here. It's great. I have the earlier model and setup was trivial. Literally just plugged it in, watched some lights blink, then it worked. I like the web interface for call blocking, etc, using the logs. One of the big features for me was that it would power the old telephone jacks around the house and they use cheap wireless phones from walmart. GREAT system. Good+ voice quality. Two thumbs up.
My daughter has MJ, and it works fine. They seem slightly envious of the OOMA, though.
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261621 is a reply to message #261517] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 16:33 |
habbyguy
Messages: 896
Registered: May 2012
Location: Mesa, AZ
Karma: 3
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I *WISH* I could do call blocking with MJ... one of the only real drawbacks. I get about 10 calls a week for someone who I've never heard of. Strangely, they always have the same initials as I do. I have no idea who would be spending that much time trying to call someone who's obviously not there.
Mark Hickey
Mesa, AZ
1978 Royale Center Kitchen
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261632 is a reply to message #261517] |
Thu, 11 September 2014 18:46 |
rcjordan
Messages: 1913
Registered: October 2012
Location: Elizabeth City, North Car...
Karma: 1
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Senior Member |
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>call blocking
We're getting to the edge of the subject, but...
If you pair Google Voice with OOMA, you can make a pretty darn good filter system for your phone. GV has "time-of-day" filtering in the advanced settings so you can shut down nights, weekends, etc. We give out the GV number and then have it forward to the OOMA (GV will also forward to multiple phones at once, which is extremely useful --make the voip AND your cell ring, for instance). Then the OOMA blacklist kicks in as a secondary filter. So you can minimize the time window then nuke the ones that get through.
SOLD 77 Royale Coachmen Side Dry Bath
76 Birchaven Coachmen Side Wet Bath
76 Eleganza
Elizabeth City, NC
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261696 is a reply to message #261632] |
Fri, 12 September 2014 13:34 |
stick miller
Messages: 1036
Registered: March 2010
Location: Americus, Georgia
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Thanks guys - my information cup runneth over.
Stick Miller
'78 Royale - "White Trash" - she left me for another man
'76 Eleganza - "Cousin Eddie" Sold
'84 Bluebird Wanderlodge - "Past Tents"
Americus, GA
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| Re: Magic Jack [message #261704 is a reply to message #261632] |
Fri, 12 September 2014 16:14 |
Chr$
Messages: 2690
Registered: January 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Karma: 1
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rcjordan wrote on Thu, 11 September 2014 16:46>call blocking
We're getting to the edge of the subject, but...
If you pair Google Voice with OOMA, you can make a pretty darn good filter system for your phone. GV has "time-of-day" filtering in the advanced settings so you can shut down nights, weekends, etc. We give out the GV number and then have it forward to the OOMA (GV will also forward to multiple phones at once, which is extremely useful --make the voip AND your cell ring, for instance). Then the OOMA blacklist kicks in as a secondary filter. So you can minimize the time window then nuke the ones that get through.
X2 on that, and if you get the bluetooth adapter for $20, it will ring all the phones in the house that are plugged into the wiring when your CELL PHONE gets a call. No more running across the house trying to answer the cell when it rings and missing the call.
-Chr$: Perpetual SmartAss
Scottsdale, AZ
77 Ex-Kingsley 455 SOLD!
2010 Nomad 24 Ft TT 390W PV W/MPPT, EV4010 and custom cargo door.
Photosite: Chrisc GMC:"It has Begun" TT: "The Other Woman"
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