magicJack: PC to Phone Jack

I'd give the magic jack 20 stars if i could. Simply the BEST $38 I ever spent - PERIOD. Anyone complaining about it just doesn't have the right internet connection to use it, or the brains to control their bandwidth. Here's some of the highlights: 1) You get FREE VOICEMAIL that always works, even if your PC is turned OFF. Yes, you can record your own greeting for the voicemail. You can access the voicemail from ANY phone just by dialing your magicjack phone # and entering a 4 digit pin. OR better yet even, every time you get a voicemail, magicjack EMAILS you a copy of the message in WAV format so you can just play the message right on your PC - no need to dial into voicemail AT ALL. How cool is that? 2) FREE caller ID 3) Your number is UNLISTED by default - you can even make up any fake name you want when you sign up to be SURE. No more calls from ANYONE you don't want. 4) FREE alphabetized list of contacts on your PC - just enter all your important phone numbers ONCE, and you can dial anyone with ONE CLICK - no more dialing. 5) In case you are wondering, in some cases ONE MAGIC JACK can make all the phones in your house work. This will be especially easy for you to set up if you currently have phone service through your internet provider. Just find the master phone jack in your house the cable modem is plugged into, and take the plug out of your cable modem and plug it into your magic jack instead and VOILA - ALL THE PHONES in your house run off the magicjack now. 6) Amazingly, you can send a magicjack to ANYONE anywhere in the world, and they can get a local US number, so if you have family overseas you can kiss your long distance phone bills GOODBYE. 7) Another STELLAR feature - you can choose your own phone number from any available number - first you PICK the area code, and one you want, doesnt have to be local, then you choose the next 3 digit prefix, and you can choose from any available last 4 for a few extra dollars, or let them be assigned at random for free. You can also use the handy search tool to search for any available number in any area code - say for example you want a number like (area code)MER-MAID - just type mermaid in the search and you will get a list of all available choices. I paid far more money for service through my ISP and got ZERO input into the phone number. Now with magicjack I have a GREAT number that is easy to remember. 8) The sound quality is BETTER than I had before using my internet provider's phone service. Sounds as good as a landline to me. The KEY is to make sure you have the required minimum bandwidth AVAILABLE. That means you have to stop your downloads, or at least limit their speed, when you want to talk on the phone for optimal sound quality. I'd bet this is what all the bad reviews haven't quite figured out. 9) Your phone bill is almost 50% taxes if you make only local calls. You won't pay ANY of those taxes with a magicjack. I am saving $200 a year, and I use the phone less than anyone else alive. If you use the phone a lot you can save thousands. 10) You can even sign up for 5 years if you want to and magic jack will give you a 30% discount so you only pay $14 a year. BEAT THAT! 11) EASIEST install of any tech product I ever put in. Just plug it in to a USB port and off you go. If the magicjack software does not auto install, just go to their website and download and run the upgrade file (FREE). I am running Windows XP and have the LOWEST SPEED cable internet service available from COX (also the cheapest of course:)). SIMPLY PUT - An INCREDIBLE savings, a wonderful product, one of my best buys EVER. Thank you MAGIC JACK. Enjoy this party while it lasts folks because once the telco companies start wondering where all their customers went, they'll find a way to end our fun. UPDATE 1/10/11: Yes it is still a great buy overall, BUT I am slightly miffed with magicjack over several issues: #1: Upon renewal after year one, they charged an extra 4.8% to cover what they call "misc taxes etc.", so I had to pay $20.91, NOT $19.95 as advertised, and there was ZERO advance notice of this markup. #2: none of my phones ring - their tech support (which is a total joke I might add) claims this can be solved by adding a powered USB hub. Frankly I don't trust their tech support any farther than I could throw them, so I'm not going to waste money on a hub to try this out. #3: Their tech support is a total waste of time - don't bother calling them. They will make you jump through silly hoops reinstalling their software and you will still have all the same problems you had before. #4: Certain phone numbers CANNOT be called from a magicjack, and some users will find that some people have problems calling them as well. Magicjack tech always finds a way to blame other carriers for these transient issues, but it is pretty clear to me that the magicjack network availability is spotty at best. In summation, at this juncture I still endorse the product overall since you cannot beat $21 a year for unlimited domestic long distance, BUT be advised to expect some trade-offs and keep a cellphone handy for situations where magicjack will not work as promised. I would suggest you only sign up for ONE YEAR at a time even though you might find their five year offer for 30% less per year tempting. Given my experience to date, I'd expect things to deteriorate over time and I'd prefer to keep my long term options open. Same way I feel about getting married...

CONS: It requires an active internet connectivity (to make the Voip calls), calls cannot be forwarded to the MJ assigned telephone number and a laptop/PC to power the device (USB) PROS: Can save you a lot of money if you live in a country where calls to the US and Canada are pretty expensive I have been the owner of a previous MagicJack device which got damaged and had to be replaced and all I can say is that this device is probably one of the new found discoveries of Voip telephony technology out there the best thing since Yap Jack except no top-up minutes required just an annual subscription of US $30 - $20.00. Being in my country, Guyana, it is expensive to make calls to family and friends in the US/Canada but having internet access allowed this to be solved along with a MJ device. The setup was initially difficult since it did not recognise the routing/IP number of my internet service as it apparently would run smoother if you are in the US. However I resolved this through chatting with an online rep who after a few minutes of chatting and requesting both the serial and assigned telephone numbers of the MJ device required me to just restart the device and voila instant savings !!!! Items required for MJ: (1) MJ Device (of course) (2) 512K or better internet connection (anything lower would give an echo throughout your calls) (3) Laptop or Computer (4) One length of standard telephone cable (double-sided RJ-11 connectors) (5) Telephone (to plug one end of telephone cable into and the other into the MJ device) At first installation you would required to download and install the MJ application, java-based, from the internet and this acts as telephone diary that would store the telephone numbers you dial and you can save the details to. After plugging the MJ device in you would be required to complete the registration process where you are assigned a telephone number (US) based on the state you choose within the address section. Once it assigns the telephone number to the MJ software you would notice that an error is displayed on the application window which is basically something that has to be enabled from the MJ servers (guessing here). If you live outside of the US you would then need to go to the MJ homepage and chat with and chat with a customer representative and explain what you are encountering along with the error number being displayed, the serial number of the MJ device and the telephone number assigned and in a few minutes (20 minutes or less) you would be asked to restart the program. If everything is good you would see your error cleared and once you pick up the handset of your telephone and receive a dial tone you are good to make your calls. Definitely a recommended purchase and Amazon Prime allowed me to have the device shipped to my address in two days time which they were on the ball.

n'utilise plus cet appareil depuis que j'ai mon cellulaire

THE PRODUCT WAS NOT GOOD

Thanks. It was useful

I am very satisfied, it works as advertised, I use it in my RV and at home for long distance calls.

Easy setup and good quality. The only time it does not work is when I am using the computer at the same time. Other than that, I am very happy with this product.