New: Magic Jack Plus

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Yes, I have just bought and installed a ‘Magic Jack Plus’ VOIP, to replace my local phone service.

It will be with GLEE that I call my phone company tomorrow morning and tell them where they can stick their ever more expensive phone service.

So far, Magic Jack is meeting or exceeding all my expectations. It has several features that would cost me over $10 a month to get from my local phone company. My phone bill would normally be $383.40 per year and my Magic Jack Plus cost me only $69.95 and it comes with one year of free phone service, long distance, directory service, call answering and caller ID included.

So I’m really happy with it and I’m just wondering how others have found it. ???

Unlike the original Magic Jack, the new ‘Magic Jack Plus’ only needs to be plugged into a PC for the initial registration. From then on it can be connected direct to your Router, so it will continue to work even after the computer is turned off.

It automatically will answer a call if it’s not picked up by ring five. I want my home answering machine to get the calls so I set my machine to pick up on the 4th ring. That takes care of that.

The only small drawback, and it really is SMALL, is that when I dial a local number I have to include the three digit area code. A small price to pay for such convenience and savings.

So what say ye all ?

The Doctor

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Yes Dr. What, I have been using the regular Magic Jack for a few years and like it…

Not long ago I renewed it for a year but when this year is up I plan to get the Plus version because with that I don’t have to leave my computer on…

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The only small drawback, and it really is SMALL, is that when I dial a local number I have to include the three digit area code.

We have had to do that for several years now here in North Carolina.

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Is this US only?

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Is this US only?

I suspect the English equivalent would be Skype with credit and a Skype enable phone

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Is this US only?

Can get the original MagicJack here

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Several points:

Magic Jack is a US company and they provide service to the US.
So one would have to conclude that it’s not for the UK.

The old Magic Jack is now passe’.
The NEW Magic Jack plus must be plugged into a USB port on an ON-Line PC to go through the Setup, Registration and phone number selection. Yes, for an additional Fee, you can keep your old Land-Line number.
I elected NOT To.

OK, once all that is done, you can unplug the Magic Jack Plus device from the computer and plug it into an open port on your broadband router and connect the little power supply that comes with it to 110vac house power.

If you don’t use a Router, then you need to get one.
If you leave the Magic Jack Plus device plugged into your computer, you will only have phone service while the computer is ON.

It’s necessary to unplug your home phone lines from the phone company lines before you connect your Magic Jack to your in-house phone lines.

It was with great pleasure that I told my phone company where they could stuff their expensive phone service, that was costing me $383.40 per year. my Magic Jack Plus will cost me $19.95 per year. Even if it went up to $29.95 it would still be a Steal !

I hope I’ve answered a few questions here.
Now I have to get back to work.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

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They have low international rates.
If you go to their site you can see what they are..

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The places where the area code is required, is usually where they have more than one area code in the same area. Like Orlando.
Where I live, we have only one area code in this area so the local phone company does not require the area code to be dialed for every call.

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I can’t prove it, since I never used the Original Magic Jack, but the “Magic Jack Plus” it seems has eliminated the problems you mentioned.

The MJ+ plugs into the broadband router, not the computer, so it can be on 24×7 even when the PC is turned off.

If a call comes in and you or your answering machine are not able to take it, MJ+ will answer the call for you on ring #5 give a message and record the callers message then send you that message via email, as a .wav file.

So even if you’re on vacation in Timbuctu or someplace, as long as you can get your email, you will also know who’s called you.

I’ve only had one glitch so far, , , when I was trying to activate a new credit card and I was asked to type in the 20 digit number, the number did not go through properly.
I just fired up “Google Phone” and completed the activation. Google Phone is free through 2012.

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor

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I can’t prove it, since I never used the Original Magic Jack, but the “Magic Jack Plus” it seems has eliminated the problems you mentioned.

The MJ+ plugs into the broadband router, not the computer, so it can be on 24×7 even when the PC is turned off.

If a call comes in and you or your answering machine are not able to take it, MJ+ will answer the call for you on ring #5 give a message and record the callers message then send you that message via email, as a .wav file.

So even if you’re on vacation in Timbuctu or someplace, as long as you can get your email, you will also know who’s called you.

I’ve only had one glitch so far, , , when I was trying to activate a new credit card and I was asked to type in the 20 digit number, the number did not go through properly.
I just fired up “Google Phone” and completed the activation. Google Phone is free through 2012.

Cheers Mate!
The Doctor

Our original magicJack has that same feature – voicemail plus an email to notify us. Also, many times we have punched in credit card numbers over the phone along with expiration dates, 3-digit codes etc. without any problems.

When our 5-year renewal deal is over we’ll look closely at the new “+” model. I like the idea of plugging it straight into the router.

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Well, where I am I have to dial the area code for local calls made with Magic Jack..

Doc, I think you are talking about a regular land line because all Magic Calls go over the internet through Magic Jack servers and they require an area code when being dialed.

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Yes, I think we were talking about Ma Bell and not Magic jack.

I’ve been trying to call my local phone co. to tell them to disconnect me, but no-one will answer the phone.
I did get one recording telling me that all their personnel are in a training class today “Call Back Later”.
How’s that for phone company service?

JFYI, the Google Phone service is also FREE, extended to the end of at least 2012 and they too require the area code, even on local calls.

So far Magic Jack is working very well for me, indeed.

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Well Doc, you must be in more rural area then me..

Just don’t pay the bill and see how fast they CALL you or disconnect you…

I have had it for a couple of years…There are a few glitches every now and then like a dropped call but hey, at these prices I’m not complaining.

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Well, I’d love to do that….just stop paying them, but they have ways of making life miserable for people who don’t pay their bills.
I’ve already disconnected the phone line outside my house, so they couldn’t call me if they wanted to.

YES, I live on a dirt road, twenty miles out of town.

Well, that’s what it looked like when I moved here, 24 years ago. Now, after I’ve been dragging it for 24 years,
it looks like this:

Yup, thas me with my Suzuki SX4 and my home-made road drag.

I’m so far from the Cable Company, that by the time the TV and Internet signals get here, they’re a day late. rofl

I had a cable repairman out here this morning. My ‘drop’ is almost 200′ long and the original installer had put in pretty small coax.
So, I was having weak signal problems with my TV.
Freezing, pixelating, blackouts, etc. The internet was working oK though.

Anyway, with a little help from me, he took down the old cable and put up a new and much heavier cable.
So I’m back in business, with a lot more signal reaching my Cable modem. That can’t help but improve my Magic Jack signal as well.

It seemed like I was getting some hummmmmming in my phone this morning, so I reversed the polarity of the input to the little 5v power supply that powers up the Magic Jack and all’s quiet now. It’s funny how little things can be so annoying. Everything is backed up with an APC 500w UPS, so I should still have phone service even during local power outages. At least long enough to call the power company.

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Well, not if you can find another way to plug it directly into your Broadband Connection.
If you’re still on Dial UP, all bets are off. But if you’re already working off of a telephone line,
MJ+ would be no use to you anyway. Most telephone lines and Satellite ISP’s, don’t support
VOIP anyway. You need a REAL broadband connection.

That’s the real beauty of it. You don’t have to leave your computer ON, to receive calls with MJ+.

With routers selling today, for under $20, what’s the problem? A router also gives you a hardware
firewall and that extra amount of protection.

If I had only one computer, I’d still want a router and that extra bit of protection between me and the
Wild, Wondrous, Web. (WWW)

If you’ll just click the following link, all your questions should be answered, much better than I can.
http://www.magicjack.com/plus-v05/

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

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BATcher, not sure if Magic Jack is available outside the US. It appears you can call from outside the US to numbers within the US and Canada. It does not mention using the service for, for example, UK to UK calls, sorry.

DrWho, In our case we do not have a land line at all. My wife and I each have a cell phone in which we share a service (Sprint) with our daughter in Alabama. She has 3 phones and we have 2. This system seems to work best for us as we have phone calls, txting and many more features on our phones and can make phone calls while traveling, etc. We did dump our land line a couple of years ago.

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Ted, all he has to do is go to their site and open a chat with them and he can ask them if it’s available where he is…

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Well BATcher, it’s worth a shot to see if it’s available in the UK.

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WSJ’s Walt Mossberg’s review of the Magic Jack:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703444804575071582715212268.html

Jerry

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That would appear, to be the old, out of date “Magic Jack” and not the new and improved “Magic Jack Plus”.

I did research the old version and was not impressed and did not want to provide it with a 24×7 running computer to drive it.

This new one, connects to the computer only long enough to go through the registration process, then it can be plugged into
the Broadband Router, for a permanent 24×7 connection.

DrWho, In our case we do not have a land line at all. My wife and I each have a cell phone in which we share a service (Sprint) with our daughter in Alabama. She has 3 phones and we have 2. This system seems to work best for us as we have phone calls, txting and many more features on our phones and can make phone calls while traveling, etc. We did dump our land line a couple of years ago.

That’s funny Ted…. I live so far OUT in the woods, I have to drive three miles, toward civilization, just to use my cell phone. So it stays in the car and is for Emergency calls only, while I’m out on the road.
I’m happy for those who can get by with just a Cell Phone, but alas…..I can’t.

C’est la vie!

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I used to live out a ways, but could not adapt any more. I guess I’ve grown soft in my later years. We get along well with our cell phones, but they don’t work where my parents live so I can see where Magic Jack could be handy. They presently have phone through the cable supplier (Time Warner) I will have to see how much they are paying. Perhaps I can find a way to save them some moolah.

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I used to live out a ways, but could not adapt any more. I guess I’ve grown soft in my later years. We get along well with our cell phones, but they don’t work where my parents live so I can see where Magic Jack could be handy. They presently have phone through the cable supplier (Time Warner) I will have to see how much they are paying. Perhaps I can find a way to save them some moolah.

Well, TED, if it’s anything like around here, they add about $30 to $50 a month extra for home phone service via the cable.

The thing that really convinced me was that once the Magic Jack Plus is paid for ($69.95) you don’t pay anything more for a year.
Then it’s only less than $30 for the next year.

My next door neighbor is going to add Internet Service to their cable and then get a Magic Jack Plus.
If they went with the TV, ISP, Phone package deal, they would be paying close to $150 per month for their communications.

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Your lucky where you live DrWhat..

Here’s a pic of me checking out my cable connection last winter..

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Cable?
That looks like old style rural telephone lines to me. We had lots of those in the mid-west where I used to live. There are none of those here in FL., and not many left in the mid-west either.
In most places in the US that kind of phone lines has been replaced by underground phone cables and in some places it’s not even wire, it’s glass…..optical lines. And in mountainous country, phone service is relayed by microwave towers on hill tops.

My cable service comes to within 1000′ of my house in an optical cable and from the end Node, its BIG coaxial cable, underground, to the corner of my lot and from there it goes overhead, with all-weather coaxial cable, off the power poles to my house.
I had a Cable repairman out here yesterday to fix my freezing and pixelating problem on my TV and he determined that the “Drop”, the cable to my house, was too small for the 200′ run. It was causing a 5db drop in signal level. So he took down the old, small cable and put up new and much heavier cable. Fortunately, he was driving the Bucket Truck.
If it helps my TV, it will also help my ISP and VOIP signals.

Cheers Mates!

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Well Doc, I live in a rural area.
Everything here is above ground with the exception of some of the local activities…

From the pole to my house is about 500 feet

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Great read guys;
I’m going to have to try MagicJack out, wish I could keep the same land-line number but (one of the posts) said it’s coming.

Is it my understanding that one connects MJ to a USB port (PC online) and THEN connect a phone line wire (out of the MJ unit) to any house wall connection and THEN one can use any/all the phones in the house — coreless or not ?? is that right?

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We’ve had a regular magicJack for about 3 years and so far it works great. There can be glitches, however. If you have an ancient router without QOS (Quality Of Service feature) then the router won’t prioritize the data “packets” of your calls for clear trouble-free reception. If magicJack is on a computer with a wireless network adapter, make sure you have strong steady reception. If you put your computer to “sleep” at night magicJack may wake it up after a little while so just use shutdown instead. We’ve used it successfully in a couple of old, slow computers with no problem. These days the mJ is plugged into a Core i3 PC in the living room which is also our home theater pc and a music server/player (Exact Audio Copy for ripping/All My Songs database for catalogging/VLC media player). The 5-year renewal deal from mJ was a good deal. No one believes our “landline” type phone costs $15 a YEAR; they think we mean $15/month …. haha!

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I have Magic Jack. Works OK. I like the MJ Plus idea though and may look into that.

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Is a router needed for Magic Jack Plus?

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