Magic Jack telephone connection

If you Google MagicJack, and check in the Unofficial MagicJack forums, you will see about equal numbers of good, and bad reports.

Maybe I'm lucky, but I have had no problems at all with it, and it works as advertised.

Keep in mind, it only works when your computer is active, (not turned off, or asleep). And it adds about a minute to your boot up time while it reloads information from it's home site. It will do this every time you reboot.

I've only had it about 6 weeks now, and I believe it has paid for itself. Should mention I'm on a "low speed" DSL connection (around 1Mbps), but I have had no reports of dropouts, or any voice quality problems.

I have been reading a lot of posts on this subject and found different people having different experiences. The majority - however - fall w/me. I have been unsuccessful. I have been fidgetting w/different options: from using different modem strings to no string to auto answer to class1 to enabling error contro/disabling control. I can send faxes no problem. It is with the receipt of that I am having a problem.

I have not tried manual intervention with an inbound fax. My fax program allows auto receive and this is what I need. Setting my program to auto receive seems to be the problem. I think it is conflicting w/Magic Jack in the vmail area. I can't call in either from a fax or from a handset. At the 1st ring the vmail takes over. Sometimes repeated attempts will get it working where it will ring twice (as set up) and answer. I can hear the moden initializing/going thru the handshake. I think it's working until I get the error "bad line condition". I have never gotton any further. I have downgraded the speed to 2400; tried a different fax / line with the same results.

I think the problem lies with Magis Jack's voice mail but can't try it as MJ comes with voice mail installed. From the posts I've read Ymax won't allow disabbling the vmail. I find this rather an odd marketing mentality to have when u want to sell magic jack and people want to use it for a fax line. What harm wud it do to disable this option from the host site. If u go on MyMagicJack there is an option in ur account to modify other optios u have such as call forwarding but no option for voice mail. If they want to inhibit u from modifying the vmail account urself, why wud they object to doing it at the host level ? Doesn't make sense. I think if I cud disable the vmail and have no controls on the line side, I cud get my fax to work!

To answer other questions about majicJack (MJ) VoIP technology. Compared to other paid Internet phone services today MJ is the most cost-effective. Voice-over-Internet-protocol technology is superior today compared to other type of voice communications in:
- it's the cheapest on the market VoIP technology
- requires only a minimal initial investment (the cost of the device, plus first year subscription)
- works through your computer, as well as through your other home phone
- After you paid the initial cost of the hardware itself, you pay including in the initial cost only $19.99 per year subscription for free-of-charge calls in U.S. Renewal cost you the same $19.99 per year and you can do that online. Other also can call you for free, especially if they also have MJ device hooked in their PC or their home phone.
- When you are away from your home, you need stable Internet connection (stable WiFi connection also works), in order to use your MJ to place free-of-charge calls in U.S., or being abroad and calling U.S. phone.
- Once you register the MJ in U.S. territory, MJ would assign for you an unique phone#, most likely with the same area code as your home. Also, you can travel with it abroad and use it to call for free any U.S. phone back home.
- While for other international calling using your MJ phone you can subscribe by charging your credit card on $10 increments. Once you consumed the dollar amount (only cents per min fee depends on the foreign country location) for international calling from U.S., or being on the territory of foreign country - you can charge your card with aditional$10 or more, up to you, your credit card info is not stored and not charged authomatically, as other do.

In summary, I personally experienced a life in U.S. and abroad using as a phone connection MJ and my laptop only through Internet connection. It works even for those of my contacts that are in U.S. and abroad too, especially for those who already have MJ too.

The cons:
- MJ is not a replacement of your mobile phone. You can not place calls on the go while away from home, you need to have Internet connection and your mobile PC handy in order to place a call. Also other can't find you as they can when using mobile phone. However, other can leave a voice mail, which you can retrieve using your MJ software poping up on your PC screen.
- or you can retrieve your voice mail through Email notification with audio file attachment MJ sends you every time someone left VM for you. With other words it's a plus actually that you are not going to miss any voice mail, even when your MJ is not hooked-in your PC.
- No full-blown customer support as we are used to. You only can use MJ Website where you registered your device, to chat online with a rep if available. Otherwise no other phone technical or other support.

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Good luck if you have a techinical question. And you will try to get a hold of a person.

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I have used the Magic Jack for almost 5yrs now and it works great. Best on Cable if you are gaming on a console but it does work fine on just about any connection unless you are using the hotspot from your smartphone as it greatly slows down the connection for that. On the matter of faxing if you are on win7 and/or Vista there is a built in Fax and scan in the OS. The only thing you need is a print, scan, copy printer.