Magic Jack - Our DJ Talk

Bill Hollick · 01-29-2009, 03:51 PM

Is anyone here using Magic Jack for phone calls?
Please tell me the pros and cons.
Thanx

jokerswild · 01-29-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Hollick

Is anyone here using Magic Jack for phone calls?
Please tell me the pros and cons.
Thanx

Ask Jon... I think he told me he was using one to call me from.... we got disconnected a couple of times and there was a clicking sound I could hear on my end.... but then he was using Canadian internet... could have been moose making all that noise.

groovielou · 01-29-2009, 06:45 PM

I have one...

Call clarity is so-so at times. Better with a hard wire than wireless. Works well with both XP/Vista. Great Price! I don't use it for my main business line, just for fun.

The voice mail service alone is worth the $19.95 a year. Emails you your incoming messages. You can retrieve them by calling your number with a PIN# also.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Lou

Ron Auger · 01-29-2009, 08:00 PM

I have one also. What Lou said. Here's the pricing site. http://secure.magicjack.com/my/index.html

I find it no different than my home phone. I keep it next to my desk when I want to make those special calls. It's my Bat Phone.

DougF · 01-29-2009, 08:51 PM

Cons: Doesn't work on Linux machines!

nextgen1 · 01-30-2009, 01:36 AM

I have one also the biggest reason is because I wanted the voice mail. I'm using in for our voice over phone line. I have only done a few of them. But its nice to have it for the brides or who ever if they want it. Plus you get a phone line out of it. Quality for phone line is OK quality for voice over is just as good as any other phone line because its not using my system but an answering system. It sends it to me in email as a wave file. I enhance it as much as I can with software and I just let brides know if that do it that its phone quality nothing more.

Big Dan · 01-30-2009, 02:41 AM

The only thing with Magic Jack over other VoIP services such as Vonage, Packet 8, etc is your computer has to be turned on to use it. That's the only thing I didn't like about it. A buddy of mine has one, I've used it a few times it's okay nothing spectacular the only thing I really noticed is sometimes it took a little longer than usual to connect when dialing out.

Other than that, if you're going to be talking to other people that have computers I'd recommend buying a Skype phone that connects to via USB and you use it just like a regular phone but talk to Skype contacts for free, you are able to buy minutes for regular phone calls and have a incoming number.

If you don't like the idea of having to run your computer all the time (like me), I'd look into Vonage or your local Cable co's VOIP service if available.

Jon Tuck · 01-30-2009, 03:12 AM

at 20 dollars a yr I get less dropped calls than the local cell phone companys. I just have to realize not to take my home cordless outside its range in which I drop the call. Some line noise on the odd call but that is to be expected as Vonage had similiar issues. MOst of the time people cant tell the difference from the clarity of cell or Jack quality. Thanks to Cleveland Scott I looked into this almost a yr ago. They are offering me a renewal of 59 dollars for the next five yrs. I might pay what I paid monthly for land line services for five yrs. I use a second one for dedicated fax out.

Big Dan · 01-30-2009, 03:57 AM

Well Bill you got me thinking of about it and I just bought a Skype plan which allows unlimited outgoing calls to the US & Canada for $2.95/mo with it I got a free incoming number voucher for a year but they charged me $30 for the incoming number for some reason I have an email into support. If they fix it, which there is no reason they shouldn't, I cannot see not paying $2.95/mo for unlimited calls.

I cannot stand talking on the phone much because of my stutter but I have to break that habit. Anyway I'm planning on doing that with VoIP so I don't have people calling the house phone at all kinds of odd hours, that would get me a frying pan over the head real quick.

I wanted to go the Magic Jack route but everyone I've spoken to raves about Skype, if I'm going to be tied down to a computer as a I would with the Magic Jack I misewell do so with a decent program. Magic Jack's front end is really ugly in my opinion.

Ron Auger · 01-30-2009, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Magic Jack's front end is really ugly in my opinion.

You have your photo as your avatar and you're calling Magic Jack ugly?

groovielou · 01-30-2009, 08:02 AM

Also, forgot to mention...

You can have you Magic Jack number forward to any number you like via the website. Pretty cool if you ask me...

Lou

Jon Tuck · 01-30-2009, 10:02 AM

Now that was funny Ron!! good thing you havent shared your mug as an avatar LOL.

BHB!!BHB!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Auger

You have your photo as your avatar and you're calling Magic Jack ugly?

Scott Hanna · 01-30-2009, 09:45 PM

My magic jack has been great. Like Dan, I didn't like having to keep my computer on 24/7....so I bought an HP thin client. It's basically a small computer with no fan or hard drive, just flash memory. HP designed them for companies that wanted internet kiosks. They didn't really go over that well, so they were selling very cheap on the internet. I bought mine for $60. After I set it up, i took off the monitor...so it's just a little box silently sitting there giving me free phone service. Very pretty!!

In my house, it's possible to have a few computers, a wii console, my satelite TV, a blockbuster movie video box and the magic jack all fighting for bandwith on my network.

I got a signal booster that prioritizes bandwith to VOIP to avoid choppy calls. about $30

I was looking into skype when I came across the magic jack. I decided to give it a try because i was going to have to buy a skype phone or just use the computer headset.

With the Magic Jack, for $39 I could try it and send it back if it didn't work. For some reason, I couldn't get it to load on my desktop, but it worked great on my one laptop. But while trying to figure out how to get it to work on my desktop, I found out about the thin client.

If anyone wants to hear how it sounds, call me or Jon.

my MJ number is 216-759-0690. If I am not at home, I'll call you back.

Is it perfect? NO. Is it worth it? Very much.

FYI, if you are getting much better sound from a wired phone than a wireless, it's the phone, not the service. That goes for any service.

I have a wired phone with a few wireless handsets throughout the house all connected the the MJ. No difference.

Scott Hanna · 01-30-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Tuck

I use a second one for dedicated fax out.

Jon,
how is it working for your fax?

Jon Tuck · 01-30-2009, 10:04 PM

Im still in setup mode which has been side stepped with tons on my plate at the moment but I am pretty sure its going to work. If not I wont keep the second one active.

Ron Auger · 01-30-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Tuck

Now that was funny Ron!! good thing you havent shared your mug as an avatar LOL.

BHB!!BHB!!

Look at my avatar. Do I look stupid?

Bill Hollick · 02-04-2009, 06:10 AM

My Magic Jack arrived today.
So far I like it.
Reception is as clear as my landline phone.
People on the other end say they cannot tell it's not my wired phone.
I like the way messages are recorded and sent to my e-mail address.
Most likely will keep it after the trail period.

Thanx for all the input.

eklondon · 02-04-2009, 03:36 PM

I use the magic jack every day for a couple hours to talk to my wife, other than the occasional drops and static I have saved hundreds of LD charges. Really nice when traveling international as you can take it with you.

Al

Jon Tuck · 02-04-2009, 07:11 PM

I bring it to Vegas and my laptop it works incredible.

jokerswild · 02-04-2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Tuck

I bring it to Vegas and my laptop it works incredible.

Alright! I can't wait for a crank call from Vegas baby!

01-29-2009, 03:51 PM	#1
Bill Hollick Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 3,159 Thanks: 3,750 Thanked 4,162 Times in 1,606 Posts	Magic Jack Is anyone here using Magic Jack for phone calls? Please tell me the pros and cons. Thanx __________________ Bill

01-29-2009, 06:45 PM	#3
groovielou Got Groove? Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chino Hills, Ca Posts: 943 Thanks: 351 Thanked 1,459 Times in 593 Posts	I have one... Call clarity is so-so at times. Better with a hard wire than wireless. Works well with both XP/Vista. Great Price! I don't use it for my main business line, just for fun. The voice mail service alone is worth the $19.95 a year. Emails you your incoming messages. You can retrieve them by calling your number with a PIN# also. Let me know if you have any other questions. Lou __________________ http://www.888socaldj.com 888 SOCAL DJ Part-Time, Full Service Professional DJ Don't Be A Peter!

01-29-2009, 08:51 PM	#5
DougF Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indianapolis,IN Posts: 2,001 Thanks: 610 Thanked 3,285 Times in 1,425 Posts	Cons: Doesn't work on Linux machines! __________________ Doug Fairbanks Indianapolis, IN

01-30-2009, 01:36 AM	#6
nextgen1 The Next Generation DJ Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Waterford, CA. Posts: 2,155 Thanks: 468 Thanked 3,475 Times in 1,330 Posts	I have one also the biggest reason is because I wanted the voice mail. I'm using in for our voice over phone line. I have only done a few of them. But its nice to have it for the brides or who ever if they want it. Plus you get a phone line out of it. Quality for phone line is OK quality for voice over is just as good as any other phone line because its not using my system but an answering system. It sends it to me in email as a wave file. I enhance it as much as I can with software and I just let brides know if that do it that its phone quality nothing more. __________________ www.tngdj.com www.tngentertainment.net Last edited by nextgen1; 01-30-2009 at 01:38 AM.

01-30-2009, 02:41 AM	#7
Big Dan Litter Bug :-} Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York Posts: 9,393 Thanks: 41,031 Thanked 20,070 Times in 6,955 Posts	The only thing with Magic Jack over other VoIP services such as Vonage, Packet 8, etc is your computer has to be turned on to use it. That's the only thing I didn't like about it. A buddy of mine has one, I've used it a few times it's okay nothing spectacular the only thing I really noticed is sometimes it took a little longer than usual to connect when dialing out. Other than that, if you're going to be talking to other people that have computers I'd recommend buying a Skype phone that connects to via USB and you use it just like a regular phone but talk to Skype contacts for free, you are able to buy minutes for regular phone calls and have a incoming number. If you don't like the idea of having to run your computer all the time (like me), I'd look into Vonage or your local Cable co's VOIP service if available. __________________ aka Big Dan DJ Photo Gallery Questions, Suggestions, or Problems? Post your feedback here or Email me here. Last edited by Big Dan; 01-30-2009 at 02:42 AM.

01-29-2009, 08:00 PM	#4
Ron Auger Account Closed Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 3,868 Thanks: 4,362 Thanked 6,826 Times in 2,815 Posts	I have one also. What Lou said. Here's the pricing site. http://secure.magicjack.com/my/index.html I find it no different than my home phone. I keep it next to my desk when I want to make those special calls. It's my Bat Phone.

01-30-2009, 03:12 AM	#8
Jon Tuck Dirt is New Skool Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Surrey (Beautiful British Columbia)Canada Posts: 18,498 Thanks: 29,134 Thanked 25,813 Times in 11,429 Posts	at 20 dollars a yr I get less dropped calls than the local cell phone companys. I just have to realize not to take my home cordless outside its range in which I drop the call. Some line noise on the odd call but that is to be expected as Vonage had similiar issues. MOst of the time people cant tell the difference from the clarity of cell or Jack quality. Thanks to Cleveland Scott I looked into this almost a yr ago. They are offering me a renewal of 59 dollars for the next five yrs. I might pay what I paid monthly for land line services for five yrs. I use a second one for dedicated fax out. __________________ www.360degreesent.com you can't rain on my parade...my clowns brought umbrellas

01-30-2009, 03:57 AM	#9
Big Dan Litter Bug :-} Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New York Posts: 9,393 Thanks: 41,031 Thanked 20,070 Times in 6,955 Posts	Well Bill you got me thinking of about it and I just bought a Skype plan which allows unlimited outgoing calls to the US & Canada for $2.95/mo with it I got a free incoming number voucher for a year but they charged me $30 for the incoming number for some reason I have an email into support. If they fix it, which there is no reason they shouldn't, I cannot see not paying $2.95/mo for unlimited calls. I cannot stand talking on the phone much because of my stutter but I have to break that habit. Anyway I'm planning on doing that with VoIP so I don't have people calling the house phone at all kinds of odd hours, that would get me a frying pan over the head real quick. I wanted to go the Magic Jack route but everyone I've spoken to raves about Skype, if I'm going to be tied down to a computer as a I would with the Magic Jack I misewell do so with a decent program. Magic Jack's front end is really ugly in my opinion. __________________ aka Big Dan DJ Photo Gallery Questions, Suggestions, or Problems? Post your feedback here or Email me here.

01-30-2009, 08:02 AM	#11
groovielou Got Groove? Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chino Hills, Ca Posts: 943 Thanks: 351 Thanked 1,459 Times in 593 Posts	Also, forgot to mention... You can have you Magic Jack number forward to any number you like via the website. Pretty cool if you ask me... Lou __________________ http://www.888socaldj.com 888 SOCAL DJ Part-Time, Full Service Professional DJ Don't Be A Peter!

01-30-2009, 09:45 PM	#13
Scott Hanna Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cleveland, OH Posts: 2,569 Thanks: 3,383 Thanked 5,285 Times in 1,807 Posts	My magic jack has been great. Like Dan, I didn't like having to keep my computer on 24/7....so I bought an HP thin client. It's basically a small computer with no fan or hard drive, just flash memory. HP designed them for companies that wanted internet kiosks. They didn't really go over that well, so they were selling very cheap on the internet. I bought mine for $60. After I set it up, i took off the monitor...so it's just a little box silently sitting there giving me free phone service. Very pretty!! In my house, it's possible to have a few computers, a wii console, my satelite TV, a blockbuster movie video box and the magic jack all fighting for bandwith on my network. I got a signal booster that prioritizes bandwith to VOIP to avoid choppy calls. about $30 I was looking into skype when I came across the magic jack. I decided to give it a try because i was going to have to buy a skype phone or just use the computer headset. With the Magic Jack, for $39 I could try it and send it back if it didn't work. For some reason, I couldn't get it to load on my desktop, but it worked great on my one laptop. But while trying to figure out how to get it to work on my desktop, I found out about the thin client. If anyone wants to hear how it sounds, call me or Jon. my MJ number is 216-759-0690. If I am not at home, I'll call you back. Is it perfect? NO. Is it worth it? Very much. FYI, if you are getting much better sound from a wired phone than a wireless, it's the phone, not the service. That goes for any service. I have a wired phone with a few wireless handsets throughout the house all connected the the MJ. No difference. __________________ Scott Hanna American Entertainment wedding djs in cleveland 440-398-9910 877-THEDJ4U www.djincleveland.com What you say and type is a window to your thoughts. Some people should close the curtains. Last edited by Scott Hanna; 01-30-2009 at 09:52 PM.

01-30-2009, 10:04 PM	#15
Jon Tuck Dirt is New Skool Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Surrey (Beautiful British Columbia)Canada Posts: 18,498 Thanks: 29,134 Thanked 25,813 Times in 11,429 Posts	Im still in setup mode which has been side stepped with tons on my plate at the moment but I am pretty sure its going to work. If not I wont keep the second one active. __________________ www.360degreesent.com you can't rain on my parade...my clowns brought umbrellas

02-04-2009, 06:10 AM	#17
Bill Hollick Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: FLORIDA Posts: 3,159 Thanks: 3,750 Thanked 4,162 Times in 1,606 Posts	My Magic Jack arrived today. So far I like it. Reception is as clear as my landline phone. People on the other end say they cannot tell it's not my wired phone. I like the way messages are recorded and sent to my e-mail address. Most likely will keep it after the trail period. Thanx for all the input. __________________ Bill

02-04-2009, 03:36 PM	#18
eklondon BIG AL Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London, Ontario, Canada, Eh? Posts: 2,110 Thanks: 414 Thanked 1,465 Times in 701 Posts	I use the magic jack every day for a couple hours to talk to my wife, other than the occasional drops and static I have saved hundreds of LD charges. Really nice when traveling international as you can take it with you. Al __________________ Canadian BBQ Season has Started

02-04-2009, 07:11 PM	#19
Jon Tuck Dirt is New Skool Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Surrey (Beautiful British Columbia)Canada Posts: 18,498 Thanks: 29,134 Thanked 25,813 Times in 11,429 Posts	I bring it to Vegas and my laptop it works incredible. __________________ www.360degreesent.com you can't rain on my parade...my clowns brought umbrellas