I've been a magicjack customer for over 9 years.This device requires a high speed internet connection.The magicjack GO includes 1 year of home phone service.After that it is $39 a year( $3.25 a month) or $89 for 3 years( $2.48 a month).It also includes use of the magicjack app on your Android or Apple phone or tablet or an ipod touch.I use the magicApp on my android phone and tablet and get free mobile talk/text wherever I have a WiFi connection.This magicjack GO device works with cordless or corded home phones.You can also plug it into the USB port on your PC and make calls using the mic and speakers or a headset on your PC.
The magicjack app is ideal for mobile phone plans where you have limited talk minutes.It is also ideal for when you can't get a cellular signal but can get WiFi.You can also use the app on a mobile phone with no cellular plan at all and use it as a free WiFi phone.The app also works on 3G/4G connections.If out of the country,you can call back to the U.S. or Canada for free with the app or device.Magicjack to magicjack calls are free worldwide.You can download the app at google play or itunes.
Unlike other free calling apps,magicApp allows you to make/receive calls with landlines and mobile phones in the U.S. or Canada for free,not just other people with the same app.You can send/receive text to mobile phone numbers in the U.S.I have the app set to use my home number so when someone calls my home number it also rings on my mobile phone and tablet as long as they are connected to WiFi or 3G/4G data.
Many tablet/ipod touch owners are unaware they can use their device as a free WiFi phone.It works like a speaker phone and if you want a private conversation,just plug in earbuds/headphones as the mic will still pick up your voice.
I get home phone service and cell phone service for $10 a month combined using a combo of magicjack & tracfone. (magicjack and magicjack app for $3 a month and tracfone with minimal cellular talk/text/data for $7 a month).I use magicjack app on a tracfone android cell phone.The more I use magicjack app over WiFi,the more tracfone minutes I build up as any unused tracfone minutes carry over when I add a $20 tracfone card every 3 months.The cable internet company I use for home internet has WiFi hotspots almost everywhere in my area that I use to get free calls with the app and for web browsing on my smartphone and tablet.Very happy with magicjack and tracfone service as both have worked well for me for several years.
*If you want to port/transfer an existing phone number to magicjack,go to magicjack website,scroll down to "keep your number" and enter the phone number to check if it is available for porting.There is a one-time fee of $19.95 to port your number.However,one benefit of choosing a free,new phone number for me was I no longer got calls from telemarketers,except for maybe 2 or 3 a year.
*If you decide to port your number,do NOT cancel your other landline service until the port is complete.It should take 3-7 days for the port to complete and during this time you will be able to make outgoing calls with magicjack but will not get incoming calls on magicjack until the port is complete.
*If entering a credit card during registration,make sure to use a card registered in the same name the magicjack is being registered to.
*To use magicjack GO with a multi-handset cordless phone system,plug the main unit into the magicjack GO and the other handsets will work as well.Plug the magicjack GO into your router.I recommend the Panasonic KXTG series phones because they feature call blocking and use rechargeable AAA batteries.
*If you are unsure on the difference between the magicjack GO,magicjack EXPRESS or magicjack 2014 Plus,the GO comes with 1 year of service,the EXPRESS comes with 3 months service and the 2014 Plus comes with 6 months of service(there is also a different Plus model that had 1 year of service).You can set the magicApp to use your magicjack home phone number for any of these devices.
TROUBLESHOOTING:Over the years I did have one occasion where the power adapter stopped working.You can order an extra one from magicjack website (which with shipping and handling costs $5) or most smartphone/tablet USB chargers/adapters will work also.The magicjack power adapter is 5 volts/1 amp (5V/1A). I keep an extra USB charger that I can use for charging my smartphone/tablet or for powering a magicjack.Amazon sells many multi-purpose USB chargers/adapters and these can also be bought at most retail stores that sell electronics.
I believe this product is good....customer service is very slow - but it's there.....However, I DID learn something 'the hard way'. I originally had a internet provider for phone service who had put the phone modem in the garage. I ported my number from them to MagicJack - (which was flawless)….. I got notified that my number had been ported I said - wow!.....now I can connect it....so after 5 hours of frustration of connecting because I was getting a busy signal......and after over 2 hours trying to connect with customer service (I did connect with them eventually)......I was just about ready to give up when I went into my garage and saw that my modem from the original provider was still lit (although not getting a phone signal anymore). I disconnected the modem - and "it was truly magic".....everything worked.....it was a big, fat DOH!.....In my head, I thought because I no longer was getting their service, I was good.....but...I guess magic jack was getting confused because the other modem was still 'open' I guess, even though there was no signal going to it......just posting this to help others.....'make sure to disconnected your modem from your original provider if it's a separate modem)!! Signal is good, voice is good....so I'm finally resolved.
I love love love love love this product! As soon as I heard about it I researched it and I read the reviews on Amazon. I have had no problems with it except in the beginning because I had very slow internet. No big deal I called my company and I upgrade it as it turns out I'm saving money there too and now I have faster internet. Go figure!
The setup was fairly easy and quick. I did accidentally purchase and extra year but customer service was extremely helpful and refunding me and within a matter of days my money was back in to my account.
I did not have an easy time finding where I can purchase my old number so we decided to change our #. I'm pretty certain that customer service could have assisted me but we were OK with changing your number since we have had it for 20 years we thought it'd be best. We got rid of all the telemarketers that were bothering that so much.
I do wish the cord that connects from the magicJack to the router was longer or that we had an option to purchase a longer one. I will be heading to Fry's to see if they have such a thing available for purchase.
We are able to use our phone perfectly find the sound is amazing and we receive our voice messages on our answering machine that we always have.
I absolutely wish I had run across this sooner!
I tell everyone about it because you truly are saving tons of money.
Why did I wait to use Magic Jack? Found out I was paying $46/ month for the home phone part of my Windstream bundle. My wife has to have a home phone number for work and the metal roof on our house blocks most cell signals. Looked into Magic Jack and it seemed to good to be true. Here is the timeline of making the switch.
Wednesday - Found out my Windstream phone line was $46/month. Ordered MagicJack Go on Amazon
Friday
- MagicJack Go delivered.
-Opened package and connected MagicJack Go according to directions (ethernet from the MagicJack device to an open port on my DSL modem/router. Phone line from the device to my home phone base.
-Plugged it in and went to mjreg.com to register my device. Set up my MagicJack account and followed the prompts. Attempted to port my old Windstream number but it was "not eligible" for porting (no big deal to me, now I get to start fresh from getting so many solicitors calling).
-Picked out my new number. You pick your area code and then the first 3-4 digits of your number.
-Finished setting up device and my new number was given to me. Setup took less than five minutes.
-My first free year automatically loaded.
-Received an email to pay my yearly 911 fee ($6 in my case)
-Made first test call and call audio is exact same as my old Windstream service. Everything seems great so far
-Called Windstream and cancelled the phone portion of my internet/phone bundle.
-Will save $46/month ($552 per year!!!)
-That's it - so from purchase to switching took literally 2 days total and only 5-10 minutes once my device arrived! Keep in mind porting your old number could take several days if your number is eligible.
So far, I love the service. I can log in to my Magic Jack account and change all kinds of things. I can choose my Caller ID name, how long my phone rings before the voicemail answers and a lot more.
Will update in a month or two
I love my Magicjack Go! The feature that I like the best is the voice mail. You can receive your message through the set or on your computer. Prior to Magicjack I was using an answering machine and if I was gone all day it would beep until I came home to clear it. I was able to keep my existing telephone number by paying a import fee; it was worth it because I have the number on many connections. The Magicjack will save me over $570 plus annually. I put the Magicjack app on my cell phone so that I can get my home calls away from home.
I wish that I had know about Magicjack years ago. So far I don't see any cons.
Feature Product
- DIGITAL PHONE SERVICE: with Unlimited Local & Long Distance Calling to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands with a 1 YEAR WARRANTY. Buy Guaranteed Authenticity direct from us, magicJack official.
- NO MONTHLY BILLS: 12 months of service and Caller ID, Voicemail, Call Waiting, Call Forwarding and Conference Calling -- ALL INCLUDE FREE FOR A YEAR WITH NO HIDDEN FEES.
- EASY TO SET UP: Use with or without a computer, simply connect your magicJackGO to your existing high speed internet and any cordless or Landline home phone. Step-by-step instructions included. Includes Power adapter, Ethernet cord and USB extension cord. (no international charger included)
- DOWNLOAD THE COMPANION APP: and make Unlimited local & long distance calls to the U.S. and Canada from your smartphone. Assign your magicJack device number to the magicApp and have your home, business, and your mobile phone ring simultaneously.
- INTERNATIONAL CALLING: When traveling internationally, bring magicJack with you to make calls back to the U. S. and Canada from virtually anywhere in the world. Call outbound worldwide from the U. S. and Canada and enjoy magicJack's low international rates. You can also make free unlimited magicJack-to-magicJack calls worldwide.
Description
magicJack is a Home and “On-the-Go” Phone Service
FREE 12 MONTHS of service included, SAVE up to $381 per year!
UNLIMITED local & long-distance calling to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, & the U.S. Virgin Islands
How magicJack Works:
The magicJack device uses Voice Over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) to allow you to make local and long-distance calls to the U.S. and Canada using an existing internet connection.
You can make and receive calls using your computer or regular telephone. No additional telephone service is required.
Connect with High-Speed Modem: magicJack is easy to set up with your existing high-speed internet connection and home phone. You are only a few quick steps away from making ultra-low cost internet phone calls.
1. Plug your provided Ethernet cord into the port labeled "INTERNET"
2. Plug your phone into the port labeled "PHONE" on your magicJack.
3. Connect the provided power adapter to your magicJack USB.
4. Plug your magicJack into a power outlet. Connect with Your Computer:
magicJack is easy to set up with your computer. Use your home phone or the magicJack desktop application to make calls.
1. Plug your phone into the port labeled "PHONE" on your magicJack.
2.[OPTIONAL] Connect the provided USB extension to your magicJack.
3.Plug your magicJack into a USB port on your computer.
magicJackGO IS THE MOST AFFORDABLE HOME PHONE REPLACEMENT SERVICE that provides unlimited local & long distance phone calls to mobile phones and landlines in the US and Canada. Make reliable, clear calls with magicJack's VoIP digital phone service at a fraction of the cost from other providers.
After NetTALK decidedly bullied long standing loyal customers into increased costs and enacted mysterious call limits overnight I had to dump them after five years. Then after Spectrum kept to cable company virtues of regular monthly bill hikes after a year (oh those billing algorithms, all of it unregulated of course so all too easy exploiting consumers 24/7/365) I was in between going without “home phone” service entirely or Ooma or number parking or Verizon Fios (and their setup equipment gouging, no thanks). But I really wanted to keep my number and home phone. After not considering at all I read quite a bit of consistently fair reviews of improved MagicJack service, I rolled the dice. And so far it’s paid off. Setup easy, number port easy and shockingly efficient (clearly when you pay for it, $23 in my case, it makes a complete difference). Call quality great, reasonable upfront and running cost, really pleased. Added bonus is their app, where others mostly don't work right magicJack actually does, and it effectively converts your landline number into another mobile but familiar number in that it adds texting, digital voicemail wav file function emailed to you directly, works well with Apple devices iPhone iPad, caller ID, everything you had feature wise elsewhere but way more. Should’ve given magicJack a try a while back but better late than never. Only gripe is how magicJack has already cut a call of mine after exactly an hour so they definitely reserve the right to overly monitor, limit light usage, hopefully it’s not a regular experience as netTALK does that to sell additional call credits. A dealbreaker especially when you make only a few calls a day if that. We’ll see I guess, neither company publishes call pattern limitations. If you’re tired of the cable company billing charade, held hostage to triple play price fears (“if you cancel phone service your cable and internet bill will actually increase”) give magicJack a serious DIY try. It’s worth it if only for a little independence.
I have had voip service for about 3 years now and thought that missing calls, picking up the phone and the other side not being able to hear me were just the price you had to pay for voip. It was the price of mj that attracted me. I figured that if I was going to get bad service I should pay less than $6.60 per month. I have mj for several weeks and am very happy with it. The call quality is better than my other service, at least there are no obvious drop outs in speach when I am listening. Also I don't get calls that I cannot use, both sides can hear and speak. I am very happy with the service. The only thing I work it had is there ability to send voicemail to more than one email. That way I would not have to be the answering service for the whole house. Very happy I switched
Update:
I was about to returned it when I decided to give this another change. This time it actually worked. This is what I did. I unplugged the device from my PC and plug it into the power outlet. Restarted router and modem. Pick up the phone and got error code 48. This means no internet connection. In my router, I enable DMZ and put the Magic Jack IP and MAC address. Restart my router. Waited 5 min and made a call. It worked. Called the Magic Jack, didn't work. Waited 2 more min and viola it worked.
For that reason upgraded my previous from 1 to 4. I deduct a star because it was too much of a hassle to get it to work.
Previous review:
When something works 2 times out of 10 something is wrong. I was never able to have a conversation using this. The phone does right as soon as you start talking the person on the other line will stop hearing you after 30 secs. You can tweak the application to increase the volume for the input and output but is useless. Troubleshooting said to unplug, reset your modem and your router to fix the issues. Really? It seems you have to do that everytime you want to make or receive a call and that doesn't guaranty it will work. Too much of a hassle. I want something I can just "set it and forget it" !!
If I can give this garbage a rating lower than 1 star I will....
I decided to write a detailed review of Magic Jack having been a customer for about a year now. I should tell you that for a little over a year before that I was a Nettalk customer, so I do have some previous experience with a VOIP phone service for the purposes of comparison.
I originally compared Nettalk against Magic Jack and the two were very close, but I ultimately decided to try Nettalk first as I had read a review by someone who had multiple pieces of equipment connected to theirs including a fax machine, which was what I intended to do. My actual inventory was as follows: 3 phones, one more phone with a satellite wireless extension (all with electronic ringers), a fax machine and an older wall phone in the basement that had an actual mechanical bell. And I wanted it all to work. Yeah.
The Nettalk service was spotty from the beginning but to be fair, it DID make all the equipment work. I accomplished this by disconnecting the plugs (just like the ones on the end of your house phone) inside AT&T’s interface box on the outside of the house, and simply leaving all the equipment plugged in just as they were. If you have an older home as we used to, there may be no outside interface box, but instead will probably be a terminal block close to where the phone supply cable enters the house. You could accomplish the same thing by just disconnecting the colored wires from the main supply cable there, leaving all the others running to the various rooms in place on their terminals. Both Nettalk and Magic Jack caution you against connecting their modems to lines that are connected to a land-line phone service which would most probably cause the modem to burn out. Word to the wise!
My main issue with Nettalk was that the service would just drop out entirely; sometimes for minutes at a time, sometimes for hours. This spotty service would come and go. Just when I would start to forget I had any issues, they would crop up again. It all reached critical mass when my service just quit one day never to return. After several futile attempts to deal with their pathetic customer service, I knew I had to try something else.
I briefly considered other VOIP services, but for the higher prices of service and equipment, I really couldn’t justify the increased cost as the reviews I saw were no better than for Nettalk or Magic Jack. So, for the price of what had once been one month’s phone bill with AT&T, I purchased a Majic Jack “Go” complete with one year’s service!
Set up is pretty straight forward as shown on Magic Jack’s website, with only a couple of caveats. If you are running an up-to-date version of Mac OS or Windows you are good to go, but if your browser is out of date, you will be locked out of the “Live Chat” and other features needed to activate the product. You can simply plug the modem (a slightly larger than normal USB device) directly into your computer in order to register and activate the device. Windows will recognize it and open a window automatically while Mac will put an icon on your desktop that needs to be double clicked. In my case, I use Linux Mint which also works, but you have to do it through the Magic Jack website and have the modem installed normally in the phone system as you would for it to provide service. That is; the Magic Jack modem must be plugged into your internet modem or wireless router (the option I chose), and also be connected to the 110v. power supply, and eventually of course, into the phone or household phone system (see above). You MUST also have an ethernet cable connected from the wireless modem to the computer used to activate the device – it can’t be done from a wireless connection! Ask me how I know.
Out of the box, the Magic Jack system gave me near perfect performance for about 9 months. At first, most but not all of the phones would ring once, then the call would go into Magic Jack’s free voice mail system. I finally reasoned that the bell ringer on the old wall phone downstairs was hogging too much power and replaced it with a cheap electronic ringer phone from the local “Dollar” store. Problem solved! Everything then rang and worked normally. The clarity and call quality was far and away better than anything I had experienced with Nettalk. In the beginning, I had a small problem with voice latency which caused about a ½ second delay between when words were spoken and when the other party actually heard them. For the record, this was an ongoing and much bigger problem on the Nettalk system. I ran a speed test on my internet connection, and then readjusted the “Intellestream” function on my wireless router which more closely matches its performance to the actual internet speed. That took care of the problem and I was a happy camper for a long time, enjoying nearly perfect phone service.
About 3 months ago, I started to experience a small but annoying problem: any calls lasting longer than about 10 minutes would just drop out and disconnect. In all other aspects, the service remained the same. I put up with it until my wife who was trying to get some things settled with her Dad’s VA account got disconnected and had to start all over again in the que. I started researching this on the internet, and found there could be many reasons for this, most of which would be hard to diagnose, and may not be solvable with the equipment I was using (most diagnostics were meant for commercial VOIP systems and dedicated phone equipment). I did find a couple of posts where someone had had the same issue with Magic Jack and had solved it by replacing the modem. After a couple of days of dithering, I decided to do just that. I finally replaced it yesterday and so far, so good. I’ll just have to wait and see how it performs.
So, if you are still with me after reading all this, what are the take-aways? If you are considering whether to try Magic Jack or some other VOIP system, I can’t make that decision for you, but I can suggest a few considerations:
1.) If you decide to take ownership of your phone system, remember you are also taking ownership of all the problems that may come your way. Like almost all high-tech, low-cost items you purchase today, the technical help you will receive from the company stinks at best, and is non-existent at worst. This was true of BOTH VOIP companies I dealt with. It is what it is. If you are a “hands on” person and you don’t mind solving an occasional problem whose solution may or may not be very obvious, then you may enjoy the the challenge. I kinda do...I think! However, if you aren’t at all handy and would just rather call “The Guy” then just stay with a major phone service provider.
2.) Cost. Cost was the major motivator for me in this decision. I was previously paying $35/month for AT&T basic, local, land-line service – no long distance, no call forwarding, no caller ID. As mentioned, my first Magic Jack “Go” system cost about $35 and included all the perks I just mentioned, AND, one year’s service! From a strictly economic standpoint, it’s a no brainer! When I replaced the modem, I actually bought a Magic Jack “Express” for about 30% less. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the “Go” is black and comes with 1-year’s service, and the “Express” is white and comes with 3 month’s service. I already had an account with service time remaining, so again, a no brainer. Even if I have to replace the modem once a year or so, it’s still a screamin’ deal!
3.) Service. There are other VOIP providers as well. Two of the most well known are Vonage and Ooma. I confess I did little research into them, so I know little about them other than their cost of equipment and services are considerably higher. Does this translate into a better customer service experience? No way to truly know unless you try it or talk to someone who has. I will say That I had a pretty good look at Ooma’s reviews and I really didn’t see much difference in the ratio of satisfied vs. dissatisfied customers. Caveat Emptor!
4.) I rate this product at 4 stars. The only thing that keeps me from giving it 5 is the lack of truly good customer support, and of course the equipment reliability thing. But then again, I really don't know if my problem was an anomaly or not. I read reviews by some people who have had the same equipment and no problems for six years! You are not paying for premium equipment or service here, but I have to confess; when it works, it works very, very well. I hope it does for you as well!
I've been using this for 2 months and am very pleased with the Magicjack service. Call quality is great. I can't tell any difference in quality between the Magicjack and our landline through Time Warner.
The Good:
1. Call quality is great. I can't tell any difference in quality between the Magicjack and our landline through Time Warner.
2. I also installed the free Magicjack app on my phone. It's convenient to be able to make and receive calls on my home phone number while I'm away. Call quality on the app is also good, and tends to be better than other voip apps I've tried.
3. Being able to just unplug the Magicjack and take it with you while traveling or if you move is handy. This would be great for people who move often. Plus, you'll keep the same phone number.
4. I was paying around $30 a month for phone service through Time Warner, so the Magicjack has paid for itself in less than two months. $35 for a year of service through Magicjack is definitely worth it.
5. Voicemail is included at no extra cost.
The Not-so-good:
1. Caller ID only shows the caller's number, not their name. I'm hoping Magicjack will be able to fix this in the future.
2. This isn't Magicjack's fault, but just an extra expense to watch out for. When I activated my Magicjack, my county charged $40 for a yearly 911 fee. With traditional phone service, this would be a small fee on each month's bill, so it was unexpected to have to pay this all at once when activating.
3. Again, not Magicjack's fault. Depending on your current carrier, it can take up to 10 days for your number to port to the Magicjack service. It took 7 days for mine to port from Time Warner. Just don't expect to be able to replace your existing carrier immediately when you receive the Magicjack.
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