MagicJack, the USB-based VoIP service from telco vet Dan Borislow, intrigued us from the moment we first read about it in a column by Herb Greenberg. In search of more details, we were finally able to track down Borislow Monday for a brief demo and some inside info, in advance of the product’s “formal” intro either later this month or early next.
Some quick tidbits: The company’s business plan revolves not so much around the USB gizmo but instead around a robust nationwide network that Borislow says is also a certified CLEC; the company has interconnect agreements with all the larger carriers, meaning it’s not about to be shut down like some other value-cost calling operations; and as part of its initial marketing push, MagicJack plans to give away a free phone number (of which it says it has millions) to the first wave of customers who plop down $29.95 or $39.95, a price that includes a full year of unlimited calling to the U.S., Canada and parts of Europe.
If we mess up on any details here, we will blame the noisy atmosphere, since our “interview” took place amidst wayward forklifts and booth-building crews during the exhibit-floor setup day at Spring 2007 VON in San Jose. While it’s possible that we are the willing victims in a measured slow-leak marketing campaign, any operation that claims to have spent two years building a nationwide network of Internet gateways (with 31 session border controllers, a number Borislow is quite proud of), and has spent the exhaustive and expensive time certifying itself as a competitive local exchange carrier isn’t some Web 2.0 play.
The consumer side of MagicJack goes like this: Users will plug the USB end of the ‘jack’ into their Internet-connected computer, and will plug a phone into the other end of the device. The device then boots a softphone onto the screen (in 28 seconds, in our impromptu test); you then can pick up the phone and start dialing. The MagicJack will cost $39.99 for a jack with a memory chip (for the softphone), or $29.99 for one without memory (you can alternatively download the client and keep it on your PC). Yearly subscriptions thereafter will cost $19.99, Borislow has said.
The business side of MagicJack, as best as we can tell, comes from the subscription plans as well as interconnect fees paid to MagicJack’s CLEC partner company (apparently called YMax Communications Corp.) whenever a MagicJack phone number is called. More details — such as additional features embedded into the product, like voicemail, conference calling, and a direct-to-Google search link — will be revealed at the “official” announcement, whenver that is. (At the current leak rate, Borislow might not have much left to tell, other than “some big marketing plan” that he kept to himself Monday.)
Borislow, who claims to have provided most of MagicJack’s $17 million in funding from his own pockets, thinks there is a huge market for value-priced VoIP-based telephony, even though others like Vonage and Skype are revenue-challenged right now. “There’s a lot of people with fixed costs of $700 a year for phone service who may now be able to buy a case of beer a week instead,” Borislow said, putting a thirsty twist on MagicJack’s purported savings. College students or teens who already have laptops and Internet connectivity are also target customers, he said.
On the networking side, Borislow is quick to diagram the MagicJack/YMax advantage, which he says comes from building a network that covers “80 percent of the U.S. population” with its gateways and SBCs. By connecting most of a call’s distance over the Internet between its own gear, Borislow says MagicJack will have far superior call quality to other VoIP providers (or even PSTN calls routed over IP) , who must traverse multiple equipment types and transports that can introduce latency and degrade calls.
(Look for MagicJack in the SJ Labs booth at VON, since MagicJack acquired the softphone-technology firm as part of its inception.)
[...] post by Paul Kapustka and software by Elliott [...]
I’d have to question the business plan a little bit. The telecom graveyard is filled with the bones of CLECs that built a business plan around interconnection fees. That kind of business plan requires a serious imbalance in calling patterns – significantly more inbound than outbound – but if the selling hook for MagicJack is “unlimited calling for $20/year”, there’s likely to be more outbound than inbound calling.
MagicJack should connect directly to the internet…
It’s interesting how many positive comments the MagicJack got days after the argument in the comment section of Paul’s former article about it. Seems that the MagicJack’s fans found their way to GigaOM. Are they really that enthusiastic?…
VoIP USB Device MagicJack Being Showcased at Spring VON…
…
I tried out the magicjack and it worked fine until I logged into my laptop the next morning all my settings were wiped out and my keyboard is not working properly.
Bummed out.
the magic jack just stoped working i took it back where i got it now it wont even down load at all this is not fair
\
THe magic Jack is setup to expire once you hit 700min.
Mine hit 700mins and it is garbage now
DO not waste your money
THIS IS A BIG SCAM
WALMART Returned it and I am never gonna look back.
if you have to try one of these money wasters buy it from walmart
atleast you can return it without problems
WHY IS MJ NOT YET INVESTIGATED FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF CONSUMERS?
Everyone knows, there are posts all over the internet, that MJ stops working after a certain number of minutes AND If you have regular audio playing software that most normal people use. MJ just does not tell you that until after you can no longer return the device.
REPORT MJ
BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
CONSUMER AFFAIRS
ANY RELATED SUCH AGENCIES
Life is not fair! Get over it. Magicjerk works just fine as a fishing lure.
I have Magic Jack as My home phone and I love it! I have used it on my desktop and my laptop. I have never had anything disappear or mess up on either computer. I have had it ever since it over two years. The other day it wouldn’t connect. It said BAD HARDWARE or something. I got online and talked to tech support thru their onscreen chat. She had me go to my computer and locate the Magic Jack. It shows up as a removable drive. Then she had me format it, then download the update file and run it. BAM! Back in business. Works wonderful as always. I will give some as Christmas Gifts this year. It is hard times right now and you can’t beat this for $19.95 a year!
how did you fix the problem…. i can read your comment fine
Enough said, true in some parts but come on peope you only payd what $ 20 a year.You have to understand it is not your old old fashion land line you have to be savvy to troubleshoot one of these take it from a telephone tech who gave up his tel service to go for MJ We have had it for a year now guess what we love it.go to europe and make a tel conversation for less than a buck good luck. Few things you all should know about VoIP is that first of all relays on good reliable and I mean relaiable Inet service( dont expect MJ to work on dial Up) and second MJ needs a lot of PC resourses
when i call on my magic jack the person on the other end can’t hear me I can hear them but they can’t hear me i paid $70.00 for five years and $39.00 for the magic jack. Josephine Clark
josephineclark@hughes.net
Same thing I incountered only it was my sound card in my desktop and Laptop. What did you do?
Reguards…
Junk your laptop it means the magicjack and your computer doesn’t have the enough capability to support the device..
I’m interested in MagicJack for my phone service but would like more comments from those who already have experience with it – give me the pluses and minuses, if any.
I just had a tough time with MagicJack. I had the service from September 2008 until now March 2009. I had a myriad of problems from day one. At first I could never just answer the phone on one ring. The phone would ring for 30 seconds and it would let me answer it., then I couldn’t get signals, and then the last thing that happened is that I lost all my files from out of nowhere, I called customer service and requested a new one be sent to me, but the wanted to bill me another $39.95 and send me a new one. Then give me my money back. I just told them that they can cancel me out. i will go back to using my cell as my only phone at least i know what I am getting for my money.
I have been wanting to buy a MagicJack since last year but decided against it after reading all the negative reviews all over the internet. Then last week I received a call from my brother in Jamaica and he was calling me from his MagicJack. The connection was so good I though he was calling from somewhere in the USA until he told me he was on a MagicJack. When I asked him about the issues that I have been reading about, he told me he have had no problems since the day he took the product out of the packaging and plug it into is computer.
Now happy that I finally spoke with someone I can trust (my brother would never lie to me), I decided to buy my MagicJack. On my brother’s recommendation, I bought mine from Best Buy instead of MJ’s website. That way, if I the product doesn’t work to my satisfaction I can just take it back to Best Buy for a refund instead of trying to go through MJ’s Customer Service.
I got home with my new MJ at 10:35am, 03/28/09, plugged it into my notebook allow the software to install itself, registered for my personal number and 911 access and I am happy to report that I was not required to do annything else, no configeration, the product has been working like a charm ever since then. The clarity is awsome, I have been calling Canada and all over the USA and except for the fact that everyone noticed that my number have change, no one noticed that I am not calling from my land phone. I even connected my HP fax machine to the MJ and sent faxes with no problem.
Looking back at most of the folks who are reporting problems with their MJ, I am wondering an upgrade was done to the software and all that is needed if for folks with the older version need to run the upgrade for the MJ software. (just a thought)
I bought a magic Jack just to “try the hype” over this. I have now cancelled AT&T and my Vonage line as this thing is AWESOME! I can’t believe how easy and perfect it works! Why in the heck would ATT not buy this thing and kill it or use it as a new model and revenue generating product? I have over 1000 minutes on it and it has never “quit”. I am buying 2 more and sending Christmas presents with it to all my nieces, nephews and family!
I bought MJ one year ago. I was going to be away for a few months and thought my cell phone minutes would suffer. It worked great, no noice of interference. I am once again out of town and used MJ yesterday. It worked fine. Today, not so good. I am unable use the MJ, keep getting messages that have different “windows”, not so same as yesterday. I have been on the computer one and a half hours now still unable to make corrections and get it to work once again.
The MagicJack doesn’t seem to offer any real support. When my MagicJack froze my computer on startup I disconnected the device and went to their support chat. It turns out MagicJack knew all along their device conflicts with music players like musicmatch, musicmatch Jukebox or Yahoo Jukebox and burn software like NERO/Roxio.
MagicJack’s solution – REMOVE ALL MUSIC PLAYERS AND ANY BURN SOFTWARE. When I pressed for burn software that would work with MagicJack I was told the only way to keep burn software on my computer and keep the MagicJack working was to purchase a seperate computer to use as a detacated server just for MagicJack. I don’t know about most people but I purchased MagicJack to save money NOT to throw it away trying to get it to work. MagicJack wouldn’t even admit they were going to try to fix the conflict. Instead they kept telling me to remove all burning programs.
I think people need to start filing as many complaints as possible. With the FCC, the BBB and anyone else you can think of. So long as people accept this BS MagicJack will continue to treat us, their customers, like garbage. We need to scream at MagicJack on their Chat Help, through the newspapers and the evening news. MagicJack needs to know people aren’t going to tear their computers to pieces just to help MagicJack avoid fixing known bugs.
Now everytime MagicJack does an update I need to format the Jack, reboot the computer and wait at least an hour before using my MagicJack again to give the system time to reset. (MagicJack’s instructions. Not mine.) When I format I lose all recorded contacts and the use of the MagicJack till it resets.
If MagicJack had a full disclosure on their ads telling people about the conflicts with burn software and music players I would never have purchased this nightlight. At presant time, Ive spent 20 times as long on the Chat Help trying to get the MagicJack working right then actually making calls with it.
Unless you are planning on just installing Windows, an AV and connecting the computer to the internet to use the MagicJack, I’d advise everyone to save their money. If you actually want to use your computer for business purposes or for personal pleasure, MagicJack wil conflict with something on your computer sooner or later.
I purchased the magic jack the cons are i didnt have good sound quality, it cut out real bad. I have another computer that has nothiing on it other then windows and tried it on it and it sounded great and works great. Meaning i wouldnt use it on the computer you use to run the magic jack as your only form of phone service. my second computer i dont have a keyboard or monitor nor mouse hooked up to it just the magic jack and the ethernet thats it. Also the computer has to stay running, if the computer shuts down so does the phone. All in all I like the magic jack and I am reading info on it now where people uses it has a way to use their fax machines, that is my next project. I hope this helps you some and let me know if I can answer anymore of your questions
I have had my Magic Jack for a month now and absolutely love it! I have not had any problems with installation or day to day use and can hardly wait to fire my phone company. The only disappointment is that you cannot use your fax machine with the Magic Jack software, but I don’t fax often, so this won’t be a major issue for me. Given the reasonable price and the money you’ll save within in a year, try it out!
I can tell you I did use my fax machine with my MJ and it worked like a charm. I both receive and send faxes without a problem. The only issue is a phone plugged to the phone line through the fax machine will not work on MJ. To solve this, I simply put a splitter on the MJ unit itself…one going to the phone and one going to the fax machine.
I tried to use the Magic Jack for a phone and a fax with a splitter and it did not work at all. I had to keep my landline for the fax, I have the phone hooked up with MagicJack but call clarity is so bad most calls I make are intolerable, incoming calls are better. It is best for just taking messages, and does so with the computer off.
Listen, if you do lots of downloadings, don’t even think about running magicJ on that same connection, it will work, but people won’t be able to hear you when you speak. If your computer is very slow, magicJ will act suck! beside that it works fine for me…
I don’t have Magicjack and I’ve been think about getting but was just woundering if I get to pick any phone number you want, because i want use the same area code and same prefix as my friend that lives in a total different area code as me. please some one let me know
I installed the Magic Jack a couple of months ago. I do not use it very often but it beeps while I am talking. I cannot hear it but the person I am talking to can. I am not sure what to do. I reinstalled it and I changed telephones to make sure it was not the phone. Other than that it works fine but this beep is annoying to the person I am talking to. Any ideas????
i have the same problem we just installed magic jack and everyone else hears beaps but me, please let me know if you find anything out thanks
looking for the same answer as the question above, which we have had the same experience in all our calls, for a long long time now. i even had a live chat with a tech support. and followed there recommendation. and still have the same problem. help!!!!
I have tech-chatted MANY times about the beeping heard by the people on the other end, and the techs are ignorant of the problem. they have me reinstall, upgrade, reboot, nothing!
LOOK ot the phone pad on your PC screen and you will see it dialing numbers and pound signs everytime it beeps!
Am I the only one seeing this? It scares me.
Has anyone come up with a solution to get rid of the annoying beeping?
i read all the comments about the magic jack making the beeping during a conversation did you fiqure out how to fix it or did you trash the magic jack all together?
Email dan@magicjack.com and ask for the patch to stop the beeping. They will (should) send you an email with a link to download.
About the BEEPING: I emailed complaints to Dan@magicjack.com and got this reply. It has worked for me so far.
My name is Marvin and was asked by Dan to address and help out with your concern.
Some people are experiencing this beeping issue. Please download and run this Patch with your magicJack plugged it. It should eliminate most of the beeping sounds:
http://upgrades.talk4free.com/upgrade/20090619000002/upgrade.exe
MINE BEEPED ALL THE TIME AND I WENT TO THE INVENTOR OF MAGIC JACK HE FIXED IT FOR ME AND IT WORKS GREEEATTT HIS E-MAIL ADDRESS IS dan@magicjack.com SEE IF HE CAN HELP YOU. LINDA
HOLY CRAP Hey LINDA DIAL….
we get it.. you posted the same crap here repeatedly…
you emailed Dan. We understand, we got it. No need to post it 20 times.. jeeshhhhh…
we bought 2 magic jacks ,we have a lot of trouble with them.a lot of jumble in words,otherwise like you can hear a word here and there,and when it desides to cut you off the line will go dead.as of now i am not a happy camper.i cant find anyone to give me an answer on how to fix it,or if it can be fixed.oh yea you can’t tell who is calling either unless you go look at the computer and you have their name programed in computer.
We have had our majic jack for over a year. We also have a cell phone. We purchased ours for calls to Canada, and we use it often. We have used it over 700 hours, and it still works. We full time RV and it works great most of the time. It all depends on where you are at the time you use the MJ. The company can’t be responsible for the area you live in, but if you are in a major area, most of the time your connections will be good, or ours is at least. I think everyone needs to realize it is only 19.99, for a year. Where else can you find that? I look at it this way, if I get one years use out of it, it has paid for itself.
What speed is your internet?
do not make it ur main line….its sucks really bad…i tried out 2 of them and i have returned both. i have the fastest internet there is and it slows it down at times and when i really want to make an important call it seems to act up. i went back to my digital phone with my cable company. the best thing for u to do is try it out for urself. everybody is leaving different feedbacks but most are negative. dont want to make u think its 100% garbage. but from my experience it is.
The magic jack worked very good. I can’t tell U how much money I saved. I my mj for 8 month.
I also used it overseas for 6 month. It worked for very good, once in a while if the internet was slow ur voice would brake up, all u have to do was hang up and start over. it paid for it self 1000 times because I call the states every day for hours.
Magicjack to magicjack calls are for free and magicjack to anywhere in the US and Canada are for free. Even if it’s not magicjack number. When you connect it into the USB port of your computer it occupies two drivers which is the E: F: drive sometimes it conflicts with the other flash drives so it will not install properly, but most probably it depends how fast your computer is the magicjack will still work. Make sure your computer operating is working well with the capable parts because if not your computer will slow down. There are some customers complaining but once they have tried to use the magicjack to a different computer, it will work.
TO DEFENDER, Heres how it works meat-stick. You buy a piece of hardware, it comes with instructions, these are written in the language of English. You install a piece of hardware in your PC, it comes with instructions, they’re written in the language of machine code (or eventually translated into it via programing language). Thats what a DRIVER is. Windows assigns different drive letters depending on whats already been issued and whats available. NOT E: and F: GET A CLUE.
A driver is instructions for your operating system (xp, win7, linux) on how to use a device. Drive and driver are not the same, a PC doesn’t come with drivers waiting to be occupied, or driven aaaahhhhh
I have 10 unopened magicjacks in my possession and I have one out of the package as well. I had to try the service and it was great. The connection is clear and it doesn’t cost anything at all for the first year and only 19.99 after that. I was trying to sell them but I have no idea of how to go about it. Any advice?
depending on the amount of money you are asking for per magic jack i may be interested in some
Ebay them.
magic jack is sold at my local Wal mart in the — “as seen on TV section ” they cost $39.99, and then 19.99 per year . I have not bought one yet, but am thinking about it. I am worried about it messing up my computer, maybe needlessly?
Bill—
Frank, Were you able to make international calls?
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO GET THE INTERNATIONAL MINUTS?I TRY FOR FIVE DAYS EVERY TIME I TRY TO PURCASE TIME IT GIVE ME AN (ERROR CLP2!) I TRY WITH THE ASSISTANCE FROM MAGIC JACK THEY KEEP SAYING TRY IN 24 HOURS.THANK YOU FOR ANY INFO. THAT YOU CAN GIVE ME
did you fill out the required info of the credit card if you do not put the complete year like i did it will not work,you need to fill out corectly…regards
I am using the MJ from Japan to call the states. works good.
I’m trying to buy one, but I can’t seem to get any response from the company. If anyone has one they would like to sell (Frank maybe?) or can tell me how to get one, I’m interested. You can reach me at skyjet at esp.net. Thanks.
There are many more comments on the other gigaOM entry on magicjack, http://gigaom.com/2007/03/09/magicjack-simpler-voip-than-skype/ .
there is also a forum now on their official site, http://forum.magicjack.com/
I got one just today (wait, after midnight, so yesterday). I gotta say I’m very pleased on the whole. Some complaints and not totally smooth but what do you expect when you’re customer #58 in a brand new company?
Hi -Up-Timers. Magic Jack Is New Check Out SeattleRaps Reveiew And Blog For Magic Jackish’ New Aplications And uses. Making Money With Magic Jack @ a PAYPHONE? Right – US Calls $5 for 10 minutes to the US. Oversea’s Money Maker With Magic Jack’?
I got my magicjack and its awsome and works grrrr—eat !!!! and told my home phone company to go to h-ll . and save me 65.00 a month.
I just got mine and it is Fantastic that is a understatment. I cannot remember something that i have been so excited with in years.
It works great clear and i have spent hours on it with no trouble at all.
It works as good as my regular phone and free voicemail,call Waiting + it can send calls to other phones. 5.5 Cents a Day WOW.
does the magic jack work when your online???
yes it does work when ur online but when ur switching sites you can hear it in the magic jack and if ur computer freezes up ur phone will cut off….and u can not turn ur computer off….fuck that i took mine back to the store…..i pay 20 a month digital phone through my cable…i will pay extra because MJ sucks bad…..a waste of time..
Q: I would like to know it the phone # ls local to your area or just a random # from any part of the US, do You get to choose your area code
yes,you can pick any area code you want during the set up process,like i live in nj,my aunt lives in Arizona,if i picked her Arizona area code she can now call me for free and as a magic jack customer i always call her for free or another example my dad lives in the same area code as me but he paid toll charges to call me so when i got the magic jack i did pick my area code but i picked his local exchange (the same city he lives in) now he calls me and it is covered under his big name phone company’s local calling area
Yes, you will be allowed to select your area code and prefix number, but the problem is if your local area code is available. There are some area codes not listed on the selection. So if your area code is not available you may need to select a number not local to you. :(
I am interested in the magicjack however the downside is that I dont leave my computer on all the time. Is there a USB to Ethernet adapter for this? Or some sort of linux driver?
Also, when the magicjack is plugged in, do I have to dial from the softphone or can I dial from the POTS handset?
Hey that is my question too, sounds like you may be onto something. Does anyone savy know the answer to this question, I’d love to know too!
Frank,
Can you let me know if you still have that unopened jack. Can you send me the price to wvirginian at hotmail.com? Also, can you let me know if you are able to make international calls, with that jack?
I was just on the chat forum on MagicJack’s website and learned some information.
Power10: when your computer is off, calls go to voicemail, or you use their “follow me” feature and forward your calls to another phone number (cell, office, etc). Also, once a phone is plugged into the magicJack, you can dial from the softphone OR the actual phone.
Gnldl: From what I gathered on the chat forum and their website, you can choose from one of the available area codes (since only a handful are available at this time – found the area codes under one of the faq questions on http://www.magicjack.com). The moderator on the forum said that you can later change the number to your area code when it becomes available. Further, they said that you can change your number once for free.
I was informed that you can make international calls – Canada and Puerto Rico for free, as you do any long distance call within the US. Don’t quote me on this, but I read that you can call to others who have magicJack in any other country, for now, and they will expand international access as they grow. I’m sure someone may have more details on international calling.
YOU CAN NOT PURCASE TIME I TRY THAY HAVE A PROBLEMS WITH THE CREDIT CARD FORMAT
I am in Brazil and used my friends MJ from time to time. Problems they experienced were that they could NOT be online while on the phone, also, lots of static and after about five minutes, the call would be dropped.
I use another service and pay $35.00 mo. and is worth it. They all have their pros and cons and of course depending who the ISP is, they all have their own “carriers,” so with all that into account, there will be distortions to be expected due to the routing of calls.
I have been contemplating using MJ because it is much less, but probably because of “change” I will stay with my service.
I couldnt’ find the area codes on the faq…
Also I notice they call for XP or vista… I guess it doesnt’ work on win2k?
John
PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:33 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi JML,
try to get an invite to GrandCentral.com and you can forward that number to magicjack for free
Denver, Detroit, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, and Seattle
http://forum.magicjack.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=108&highlight=area+codes
Regards
Admin
Anybody know when MagicJack will be available for Apple computers with Mac operating systems?
I finally got my magic jsck to work and it
is great!
Us frugal pennie pinchers are in PHONE HEAVEN.
Every friend that has come over has ordered one.
You must realize that you must plug it in and register 1st after that no problem.
I would suggest if you have a real old computer and are having problems dont send it back untill you try this. Go to a friends or someone you know with a newer computer and register the phone and get it activated(it dosent matter what computer you use,excepy MAC),then the main important part is over and you can use it on any ancient computer,it is automatically on once you plug in the JACK.
SO my recommendation with the MAGIC JACK device is
get one and enjoy…
“stickin it to the man!”
Hey Frank, send me an email to diseasepedia at gmail dot com if you are still interested in selling off a couple of your magicjacks!
you could just go to magicjack.com everyone to buy yours. you dont have to buy it from frank. they sell on there for 40 dollars for the first year license and 20 after that. the service is real good to me. i dont have any dropped calls and line is clear. there are others that say they have problems though and i think it has to be the computer that causes them. i dont know for sure if it would work perfect for everyone but for 40 bucks there isn’t much room for any let down anyway. i think everyone should go for it because its definitely worth every penny it cost plus much more. i see this company growing in the future and i think that many features will come down the road. it is only in beta right now and still looks promising. i glanced at the registry for the magicjack device and see lots of other options. this lets me know that there are plans to do things in the future.
Will MagicJack work when your computer is in standby mode or hibernate mode?
I have a magic jack and since last week there’s a problem with incoming calls. I have it wired to the whole house. Does anyone else have similar issues?
I got my MagicJack Aug. 16 and it works great! Set up in a few minutes and made outgoing calls and received incoming as well. Computer can be on hibernate and calls still come through and will go to voicemail if you do not answer. I am very pleased with the service, especially after SunRocket and Teleblend!
Can you make calls to
Europe and can you keep your own number?
It would not be possible for them to come through in hibernation mode, beacuse the computer is completely off in hibernation mode. Standby may be possible – depending on which level of standby the computer is in.
For instance, if your power settings have simply turned your monitor off, then surely the calls would come through.
Magic: Problems with incoming calls when it’s wired to the whole house could be a problem with your house wiring or you may have too many phones hooked up. Also, you must disconnect the regular phone company’s input line from your house wiring. If you have too many phones, you can test this by unplugging most of them. There are “ring voltage” amplifiers out there also – that would solve the too many phone issue – but I have not used them.
Magic Jack works great as an alternative number. It does take up a lot of memory on your computer. Most of the times the calls are clear. But I have noticed if you talk more than 10 minutes call quality gets bad. It is worth if for $40 bucks. Sound quality is as good as my packet 8 !
Has anyone figured out how to use this with a security system? We had Vonage and were able to connect our security system with no problem. Will this work the same way?
How did you connect your alarm system with Vonage? Did you do a hard wire connection or did your alarm co. have to come out ? Thanks
do the another party need also have magicjack on his/her side to make a call or he/she just receive the call in the regular phone kitchen home?
I have used MagicJack for 1 month. I am about 1 week away from cancelling my AT&T home service and use MagicJack exclusively.
To answer some questions:
- No, the other party does NOT have to MagicJack. I can call ANY phone number in the US.
Security System Compatable, it works like any other analog phone line. My security system sees MagicJack fine.
I have talked for 2 hours at a time on conference calls with no change in quality. Callers tell me that voice quality is great.
My experience is that it WILL NOT power all phones in your house. Instead I bought a set of 4 cordless phones, plugged the base into the MagicJack and use those exclusively.
Your computer must be ON – not in hibernation or standby. There is an app that runs on your PC.
They have a MAC version in the works.
They have many new Area Codes that will be avail by the end of Sept per their website.
Hope that answers some questions! Your mileage may vary but it is the only phone I’m using now for home and work (work from home) and it has been near flawless. The only time I have issues is when I’m downloading a huge file – I need to enable QOS on my router which should fix that problem.
Is your security system still working fine with Magic Jack? I am getting a security system and there are so many remarks stating not to use Magic Jack.
I just bought my MagicJack and have yet to use it. I haven’t used a landline phone in so long, the only one I had lying around is an old corded thing. I hear a very faint dialtone but can’t hear anything well enough to actually place a call. After reading Chris’ comment I’m wondering if it’s just a matter of not enough power being sent to the phone. I’m hoping buying a cordless phone with it’s own power supply will fix this problem. Anyone else have this problem with corded phones?
Got my first Magicjack and am very pleased.
Placed an order for ten more,inquired about a
resellers program,asked them to contact me for
our UPS Shippers number and credit card info.
Response-Nyet, Nada, Niente, Zero.
What gives with these people.
Hayden
can the magic jack work in africa in a country like botswana, or what is the plan for africa where i think we need call cost cutting
My Magicjack still works when my screen is
sleeping,i am running Vista windows on my HP computer.
You can also have 1 Magicjack unit hooked up per-computer with the same high speed Internet line for all computers.
So basically I have the option of having 2 magicjack phone numbers in my home!
My daughter has a computer in her room so she has her own separate line and number.
I have a computer in my room which I have my Magicjack connected to now.
It is one bill I don’t mind paying.
also the customer service(email link) returns email questions in very timely matter if not that day the next.
Buying a Magicjack is a very cost effective
way to go when you are talking about Voip phone service.
Can anyone know does it work in NYC area.
I have 5 phones located all over the house.
Do I need multiple units for each phone
How does the connection works
Thanks
Hello All
Just a note to see if anybody else is having this problem with the Magicjack.
I found that when this device is plugged in that no sound comes from the computer at all
when not using the phone,Like playing music files or video No sound at all. But when I unplug the device all works just fine.So whats going on? Any ideas. Ken
I just got my magic jack today. I found that when the computer is not logged on, I get not dail tone. But I read other comments that when the computer is in hibernation the phone still works. What do I need to do?
I got a magicjack but when I plugged it in the computer with Windows 98, it is asking for drivers.
I do not have driver disk with me.
Can I download drivers for this computer from somewhere?
I live in Pakistan and My sister & daughter live in the US. How can this device be helpful for us?
you can have a magic jack sent to you in pakistan and be able to receive and make calls using a US number as if u were in the US. all you need is a high speed internet connection and a computer. i live in St. Lucia in the caribbean and i have a magic jack which i use to call/receive calls from my sister, aunts, and some friends in new york as well as in canada. and i don’t pay a cent for the calls and they only pay local call rates since the number is a local US number to them. GENIUS!!
Do any one of you had problems with the delivery? I payed for a priority service which I couldn’t track a t all and after soem days it appeared delivery in Melville!!! it is a huge area in NY, and I can not make a rqst in USPS being the cnee, it have to be the sender… but MagicJack is not answering to me, and I am afraid I’ll lost the time and the money!
I bought a Magic Jack and it doesn’t do what it claimed. I can call out but nobody can call me, it uses some trick to use a number that’s not in service to call out but cannot receive calls. My review is at:
http://www.thumpnet.com/P2/mjack.html
It’s a scam.
Thump
I regret my thoughts, Magic Jack is not a scam and I just got a call on it from their representatime and it works fine. It just can’t be accessed from my AT&T Callvantage account. It’s working fine and is as advertised. Unbelievable good deal.
Thump
I’d like to help everyone with questions and problems with their MJ.
Here are some generic suggestions:
Go to menu and switch to headset from telephone if you are using a headset. Make sure you choose the headset you are using other wise you will get no sounds from MJ and your other sound systems will work fine.
I have used MJ from the US and Europe. It works fine but you do need adequate uploading speed to have a conversation that doesn’t break up and you do need a fair amount of memory. MJ, like Skype will suck processiing power and ram from your system and you can watch your meter if you know how to do that. The more processing speed the better the quality of the service.
Make sure you do both an upgrade for Vista, on their website, if you have Vista.
Make sure you do a full uptimization, available either on their website under customer service or when it pops up on the panel next to the keyboard on the soft phone.
Major problem I have had with friends has been with the audio level setting in the menu. If you don’t have it set right, it will not work. And if you are using Softphone, you will need to go into the menu, as far as I know, each time to switch to menu.
I hope this helps.
Hi there…I would love some input, on how I can connect my fax machine with the MJ?. Sooo far this is the only problem I predict. And yes, I do, do alot of faxing. Thanka a mil……
Faxless, in NYC
will Magic Jack work with Mobile broadband?
Liaqat
Email me, I have a solution for you.
titan08043 at yahoo dot com
when you make calls.. do you get a bill or anything to see who and where you called at anytime?
I purchased a magic jack, and had been happy with it for 1 month. then it had a problem and was asking me for registration info. Email and password. I answered, and it kept saying not correct, serial number is not associated with login. Well, try and get any kind of support. Sales Chat, yes. Sales gave me a dead url address. Seems like support is useless.
I have read all the positives and negatives regarding the MagicJack. I noticed the positives out weighed the negatives and I am very interested in buying one or two. However, I went to the MJ website but it’s not available (under Maintenance)for anything. can anyone tell me where I can find MJ to purchase online or at an electronics store in my area?
Thanks in advance!
JRAS
Mary
we were upgrading servers and you should be good to go as of yesterday.
Jule
The Sie is available to take orders and has been.If you need any help,please email Dan.Borislow@magicjack.com
I can only get clarity on one side of the conversation, the other end is very broken and unable to be understood.. Using satellite Wild Blue internet, Windows Vista and Vtech 6.0 phone. Help
I have the MJ for 2 month now and love it….
I want to purchase MJ but have questions if anyone can answer.
1) I have a desktop that I want to load and use MJ on, but also have a work laptop that I bring home and also want to use MJ on the laptop when the desktop internet connection is into my laptop. Will I still get calls coming into my laptop and will I still be able to call out? Or will I have to purchase 2 MJ’s?
2) Also when online, will I be able to receive or make calls without getting kicked off my sessions?
Thanks for any help.
I live in Spain and I call my friends in the States frequently with excellent voice quality. If anybody in Europe or Asia wants to purchase MJ let me know, I’ve still have some units left with me. Contact me at cat 96 dog at yahoo dot com.
Hi, my sister is in europe and can’t make phone call from MJ to US or Brazil. Is there something different that you dial when calling your friends in US? thanks.
This sounds great, however since I have sbc yahoo as a isp, which requires me to have a phone line, I would like to know how that works. If I cancel my phone doesn’t that cancel my inernet service
My question is if I purchase and use Magic Jack will I still be able to use my fax from my computer? I use the windows fax program that is loaded on my system, so if it does work with this program how? And, what about stand alone fax machines, how would that work?
I would also have to cancel my internet service since it is with my current phone company, any suggestions for really good ones?
i have vonnage now can i keep my # or do they give me a new one
i have vonnage now can i keep my # or do they give me a new one
Hello All
I have a below problem as stated by Ken McFerrin on October 22nd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
can anybody else is having this problem with the Magicjack and provide me the solution.
I found that when this device is plugged in that no sound comes from the computer at all
when not using the phone,Like playing music files or video No sound at all. But when I unplug the device all works just fine.So whats going on? Any ideas.
Also MJ works good when i use the head phones to make the calls, but if i try to make a call using the landphone, net connection goes down. I am unable to recieve the calls on landphone.
Can any one provide me the solution for the above problems.
Thanks,
Vinod
Also i am not able to recieve any call.
i have the same issue to could someone please help with this!!!
I have the same problem. My sound card seems to just stop working but the thing is I can use my on board sound card and I also have a usb sound card which works fine. But I want to use my $100 sound card that sits useless right now..
Ok, I’m very pleased to have read all the positive feedbacks and review for this MagicJack.
Though we also have to consider the privacy and how secured the calls when using this product.
Skype claims that all calls made on their VOIP are all encrypted and just wondering if MJ does the same to protect privacy of their subscriders.
Can anyone give me an insight on this issue.
Does Magic Jack work with sattlite service
Thanks don
You can have my magic jack back.
Only worked one day. I need another phone line, but I will keep my sunrocket/teleblend one for now. Can anyone tell me how to contact magicjack or has an 800 number?
Their website just takes me in circles.
I have had Magic Jack for about a month, and have it only worked for two days. When I try to access it, my screen goes completely black 4 or 5 times. KIND OF SCARY I finally had to unplug it, it was interfering with sound, everything on my dell computer.
Trying to get through to support is IMPOSSIBLE.
Thanks, Try it out before you buy, it may not work for you….
If anyone can help, I would appreciate it…..
I cannot get the MagicJack to work with my PC. I get an error message about proxy registration. I need more detail on setting the device up. initially it asked for my email which I gave it and it asked for my ID and a password. I made one up. Should I have used an existing password. What is the phone number they talk about. I want to use this from Australia in a week so I need to get this set up.
I also want to use this with my Mac laptop. I have virtual PC on it with Windows XP. Will this work?
Lyman
sorry to boder you bro..just wondering if you fixed your problem cause i have the same problem…i would appreciate ur response
I got the Magic Jack for Dish Network because I didn’t have a land line.
It works great & Dish Network credited me $5.99
I don’t have to pay for wireless internet because i get it free from next door.
I just plug in my laptop USB port work great.
friend sent me a MagicJack. In less than two minutes I was making all my phone calls for $40 for the first year and then $20 for the next! That’s right – not $20 a month but $20 a year! I’m saving big $$$$ – eat your heart out Vonage! I’ve had no problems, sound is just fine.
It is with great delight that I’m kicking AT&T and Vonage to the curb and wearing paid-for-with-the-savings pricey Monolo Blahnik shoes to do it.
I own 2 MagicJack’s and they work GREAT! I am telling everyone I can about this technology. Who needs AT&T’s crazy prices? NOT ME!!
Can someone provide a list of avialable area codes.
Is there a 513 area code?
ricland
How can I make or pre paid international calls to the Philippines cell phone? And how is this done>
I just ordered my magic jack today. Does anyone know the minimum Internet bandwidth someone needs to have for magic jack to function properly?
I have three magic jacks. ONe for home and my two small companies. They all work great. If you are downloading a lot of data then there will be problems. But for 40/year you cannot beat that. It gets better service than packet8. So I will be cancelling the packet 8 number. It does not matter anyways I use grandcentral and so no problem with changing my number.! Go tell vonage, packet8 and all the others they lost customers.!! HAH
i ‘ve had mine for 2 weeks ,took with me to japan,with my laptop had high speed in hotel,took housephone plugged into MJ and into my USB and started dialing clients in US ,UNBELIEVEABLE !! clear as a bell unlimited free calls to US,there’s no gamble here ! a WINNER
Just bought and it is great. Running on Vista on laptop. Plan on using overseas to call U.S. Don’t want to pack a phone in luggage, CAN’T IT BE USED WITHOUT A PHONE PLUGGED IN?
I live in a rural area and I have satellite high-speed internet through the new service called Wild Blue. This is the only choice I have for my
area other than slow dial up. Will Majic Jack work with services like Wild Blue and Hughes Net? Also , will calls come through when I am on line? I would also like to know the bandwidth stength required to be
sure M.J. will work before I order one. Please help. My e-mail is
judylongg@aol.com
Worst voice quality. Can not communicate. No phone number to call for tech support.
Melike Myers
I need to knwo if anyone has a customer service number to magicJack? I am having a problem with them shipping me 2 of thses and chargers me for 2 also….. my e mail is joel002@carolina.rr.com sure hopesomeone can help me here…..
I received MagicJack a few days ago. I received it in just 3 days after my website order.I first tried it on my Windows 2000(SP4)upgraded computer since I was reading comments that it worked but in reality it doesn’t work.
I tried it on two computers with Windows 2000 (SP4)upgrade and still was not successful.
You get a dial tone on your phone and a blue light on the device but the plug n play feature won’t work.
If it worked on windows 2000 it would be great.
I went over to my XP computer and plugged it in the USB port it worked in a matter of a couple minutes very easy. It was much better than I expected. I dialed a few numbers and spoke to my friends in the local area and across the country and the sound quality is excellent using my uniden cordless phone.
Looking through all these reviews above is very confusing and the only way you will find out is “to go order it” and find out for yourself how it performs. This is really an excellent product regardless of all the negative comments you read above.
The requirements are you need Microsoft XP or Vista. Apple/Mac will be supported soon. High speed internet,DSL,Cable,Wirless,Wi-Fi,WiMax or FIOS.
why are there so many different prices. TV ad says $19.95, On line ad says free for first year. Then there’s the $29.95 or $39.95, is that for the device itself. All confusing. Also it sounds too good to be true, for one reason, I will still need my AT&T phone service to get on the internet, where am I saving. Too, I have a very inexpensive mobile phone which gives me access all over the country and Canada and Puerto Rico for FREE. Why do I need MagicJack? That is a real question NOT a rhetorical one. Please respond to my queries and confusion.
Thank You. John
Dan BORISLOW, if you are reading this:
I am happy with my service. HOWEVER, I can no longer access my voice mail from my phone. Every time I try to log in from the phone connected to the magicjack I am told “login incorrect”. It worked fine when first created my greetings. WHO DO I CALL or E-mail to get support?
I NEED TO ACCESS MY VM, DAN. HELP ME.
Thanks
The website shows you exactly what price you pay for the first year. It also tells you what to pay for the next year when your first year expires.
You don’t need much instruction to install since it just a plug n play (No CD ROM installation disk required).
Just plug it in your XP computer USB port and connect the other side to your cordless phone or a regular phone.
That’s all you need to do and then follow the screen prompts what information you need to enter about yourself.
Reading through all the comments on this web site I am puzzled as to how this product can be praised by one individual and cussed by the next. Is it that difficult to get the MagicJack up and running or are a lot of folks just technically challenged? Also it appears that once you buy the product you are on your own since no one seems to be able to contact the company for any tech support or maybe they don’t even have a tech support department ???? Seems like a lot of people are getting out on a limb that is hanging on by a thread, as soon as something goes wrong you’re out of luck.
I forgot to mention what type of phone I use with MagicJack.
I use the Uniden TRU 9360 (Digital) 5.8 GHZ phone works great on a Vonage phone and with MagicJack. It also has a headphone jack for the hearing impaired.
Most of the Uniden TRU series are great both in clarity and reception!
This is VERY IMPORTANT to those who are currently having trouble with MJ’s installation or make sure read the following before ordering one for yourself.
Aside from you will get some troubles if you have WinMX or MusicMatch/Yahoo Music Jukebox installed on your PC, you will also definetely will have trouble if you have Nero installed on your system.
They don’t really tell this to people and none on their website you will find this info unless you already ordered one and start having trouble and chat with one of their tech support.
I was told by one of their tech support that MJ does NOT does not work well some if not all of any burning and anti-virus programs and they currently have no workaround this problem other than uninstalling these programs so watch out if you rely on these programs on a daily basis.
Also emailed Mr. Dan Borislow regarding these problem and was told by him that this is because of a hardware issue rather than software issue that they are releasing a new MJ hardware type in the near future which will resolves MJ’s conflicts with the said programs but you have to pork out more money to replace the one that you’re currently own now, so might want to wait until til then. He also said that they MIGHT offer a small discount to current MJ owners to replace and upgrade to a new MJ hardware.
But with all the things said, current MJ does really works well, I love it but I have to give up my Nero burning program which I use once in a while, I just install it again whenever I have to. I never use any anti-virus program at all so no problem there.
Hope this post help others who are currently having trouble without having to wait to get a hold of MJ’s tech support.
I have Verizon DSL for my ISP. It seems to me that this Magic Jack technology will not work for me. Any comments on this?
I get a kick outta all these people who can’t get the MagicJack to work! Just got one for Christmas and installed without a hitch, been calling all my family for a few hours…and for FREE? All the people who post here that have technical issues must be very, very challenged!
Before I registered to website to check it out…there is a Tech Chat Room and a link to send emails to the inventor directly! Whattya mean there is no customer or technology support?
Merry Christmas to all and have a Magical New Year!
It doesn’t matter what DSL company you use. Its nothing hard to install MJ.
If you are trying to make MJ work with Windows 2000 then your out of luck. You need Windows XP or Vista installed.
After you installed MJ and get a buzz in the phone line or static while your talking to the other person on the other side then you most likely are using a cheap analog phone. Go spend your money on a digital phone and the problem goes away or go test it with other known working phones in your house that don’t have that kind of problem.
Some of the hearing aid compatible phones just won’t work with MJ.
how do i returned my MJ for a refund? i want out of this nightmare.
Can you use MJ to call all the Hawaiian Islands and visa versa?
Thank you!
Cm
Hi,
Can anyone tell me the customer service email / phone or any other contact , becuase i had some questions. i have already bought the magic jack
I have had my MJ for a few months now. I waited patiently to get a local number – and I love it! The only problem I ever had was in trying to install it on an old laptop that was running Windows2000. It won’t run on 2000. But if you have a decent computer and have XP running it is wonderful. I highly recommend it. I have cable modem and once we got MJ installed I just plugged in our old Uniden phones – with extensions – and it works great. Landline is gone! Kc
I am using a small Notebook with Magic Jack its a Asus Eee PC Notebook. Loaded it with windows XP and works fine with MJ.
Using this computer so I can leave it on 24 hours a day without burning too much power.
May try hooking up a bluetooth dongle and cell phone bluetooth ear piece when I travel.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lis186/2036768313/
I received my magicJack 30 days ago, and have used it for personal and business calls. The consensus feedback is that the call quality is better than my local Comcast service. It works pretty well on my wireless LAN, but incredibly well on my Verizon FiOS connection. The only shortcoming is that 3-way calls have to be incoming. But for $1.5/month, I’ll get over that limitation. I hope they sells thousands of the device and service to solidify the company’s position. Buy one – I can’t imagine you’ll be sorry.
I ordered one of these thing on Dec 13th. Haven’t gotten it yet, and when I go to check the order, it says “pending billing”. Have no idea how to contact them.
Am not happy so far.
Has anyone experienced repeated errors stating that MJ “cannot find the server make sure you have a working internet connection”?
I’m trying to set up MJ for my elderly Dad on Comcast cable and it started the install up to the point of asking for email and password when it said it showed the error it could not find a server to connect to. It’s done this over and over again. I tried rebooting the MJ unit, switching USB ports, rebooting the PC, rebooting the cable modem and router, there is no firewall or anti-virus protection running, no media burn apps and no music apps to conflict with it, etc. The Live Chat reps at MagicJack knew of no conflict issues with customers who use Comcast highspeed cable.. So-I don’t know where to go from here. Really
appreciate anyone’s coments. Thanks.
I ordered Magic Jack on the website and it arrived in just 3 days. I live on the west coast and it came from florida.
It took me 3 minutes to install on my XP computer and it was up and running with no problems at all. I use a digital cordless phone and its crystal clear.
It works just fine and I haven’t had anyone selling me things on the phone since I have been connected for last 3 weeks.
ATT lost my business completely 3 weeks ago and its a great feeling not having those phone solicitor’s calling me day and night for past few years.
Received my magicJack as an Xmas gift and I was thrilled with the install and demo provided by family member. Worked great for 24 hours and then every challenge that one could think of happened (as a number of you have spoken to in this BLOG). Only found this site this evening, and I must say I have found it a great resource of experience and also humour in reading all the notes captured here. I am now equipped to answer the bulk of them that seem to repeat themselves with recent problematic installs. I even performed trouble-shooting and resolution with family member today since he only now encountering what I did days ago.
For the benefit of the other readers who have challenges, please read the scenarios noted below and the resolutions – they might prove useful to you too.
As for the other commentaries above, you don’t need a phone connected to your magicJack in order to use the application. Change the configuration to Headset and simply use your laptop’s microphone and speakers if you don’t have a headset (we tested it today and it works fine). For the magicFIX … the link via the softphone doesn’t appear to function properly, so go directly to the magicFIX option on the Web site and use it instead. And, if NUMLOCKS is on, you can use the keypad on your computer versus the softphone (and/or on the hard phone).
I would suggest that individuals employ common sense – if you have multiple windows open of active applications, they are going to pull memory and power and … I too have encountered Virtual Memory messages. So simply close all the excess windows (stop some applications via Task Manager) or reboot and focus on opening the basics along with magicJack. I have Norton Internet Security installed and operating with AV and I am able to use the magicJack application, together with MS Office Outlook. Be mindful of the opening too many Internet browser windows when actively using magicJack as it puts a strain on the connectivity/streaming.
If you haven’t already logged onto my.magicJack.com site, I would encourage you to to so. Some of you have indicated that you don’t understand the correlation between the E-mail address that you provided and the password (?) during the setup process. Yes … provide a valid E-mail address and NO! DO NOT PROVIDE PASSWORD that you use during your login to your E-mail application. Instead, provide a “unique” password as you are in essence creating an new ID/account on the magicJack database. Once logged into this my.magicJack.com database, you will be able to set up the Voice Mail parameters and password (yes another one to replace the default 1234) etc.
For those of you who don’t want your magicJack device, I’d be more than happy to receive them for distribution to Women and Children shelters here in Canada (example: Herizon House) so that their clients have a means to make calls out and remain anonymous. You can reach me at jbug_morrison@yahoo.com if you have interest in donating magicJacks for this purpose.
Thank you Dan for creating such a unique device that can also be used in business continuity applications like during crisis management/response to connect families and friends (when normal phone services are down). With forward thinking like that, I would give anything to work as part of your visionary team in promoting this dynamic product. Happy New Year! June
Scenario #1: magicJack worked for 24 hours and then failed – Softphone Doesn’t Load Completely
1. Marketing/Info Panel Missing (previously spoke of an Important Upgrade but nothing happened)
2. Client’s US Phone Number doesn’t appear (shows 000-000-0000 and other info)
3. Registration Pop-Up Incomplete and Disappears Quickly
Resolution #1: Perform Vista Upgrade
Strange as it sounds, laptop is an XP, yet the magicJack itself requires upgraded code. Perform the Upgrade, and softphone loads completely, displays the client’s US phone number and is functional for in and out calls.
Scenario #2: Voice Over IP is broken in speech clarity
Resolution #2: Turn on/off the communication company’s modem (dial up/high speed) and it resolved 85%. Review and upgrade from High Speed Light to true High Speed (via the telecom/IP provider) and/or install my new modem (larger buffer and more stability).
Scenario #3: MS Outlook Plug-In doesn’t appear in Task Bar after performing the magicJack task
Resolution #3: Vendor at magicJack.com is aware of a problem that some downloads work as expected and some don’t – they are still working on a solution re: the missing Task Bar and/or fast-key functionality (Alt+L) for sharing the Contacts database and speed-dialing via magicJack (check back later with the online Tech Chat guys).
As a side note, I’ve registered for the Subscription/Newsletter from Dan (http://magicjack.wordpress.com/) and hope to hear when Canadian phone numbers will be assigned. Another BLOG via this site. Wonder when the following site will be up for input, etc.: http://forum.magicjack.com/forum/ucp.php?mode=register
OH YES … forgot to mention, once you perform the Vista Upgrade and then reboot your modem and Windows XP PC/laptop … you may well find that the SOUND CHALLENGES go away (as they did for my PC). Now when on magicJack sites (Canadian: http://www.mymagicJack.com or the United States one: magicJack.com) the videos play now and sound is evident. Strange but true … cheers! JSM
NOTE TO Auxair … you need to perform the VISTA Upgrade … I had the same initial error messages as you report and then messages changed, etc. The VISTA Upgrade does not modify your XP Workstation (I was assured by TECH-CHAT) – it modifies files contained on the “smart drive” = magicJack, which are needed to get beyond the “strange” error messages that you are encountering. Open MYCOMPUTER and review the FOLDER/FILE structure for date stamps on the varied files before you begin the VISTA Upgrade (perform a screen-print via ALT+PrtSc and insert the image into a new HTML E-mail note and save as evidence of before tasks). Then re-check the status of the folders/files on your magicJack drive(s) and perform another screen-print to validate against previous status. This will confirm that the VISTA UPGRADE was applied against the smart-key device. And if you worry about something going wrong, then before you process the VISTA Upgrade – copy the complete folder/file structure onto a CD or your PC’s hard-drive as a backup measure. Hope this info helps you out!
FOR ALL WHO ARE ASKING ABOUT SUPPORT E-MAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER:
Check out: http://my.magicjack.com/ site
Ensure that you login with your magicJack ID (your E-mail address) and provide your unique “for magicJack database only” password. Then contact the Technical crew via the TECH CHAT link. If you are trying to contact them outside of their published business/support hours, exit the application as it remains active and loops back with another message.
Once you have a Tech member online with you, state your need for help and ask him/her to contact you via a land-line or cell if your magicJack line is not functional. They assisted me with checking the sound and connectivity hence I received one of their support phone numbers in the process. Notice in earlier dialogues in this forum database that Dan’s E-mail is noted … happy reading .. it is about half way down in the COMMENTS LIST. Or simply ask the Tech member for a support E-mail address. The other way to get one, is register your concerns in the BLOG for http://magicjack.wordpress..com/about/ as their support staff do reply within 48 hours. Night!
Is there a record available online or that you recieve in the mail of calls made and recieved?? Thank you for a response.
I’ve had the Magic Jack since last week. What a piece of junk. I have a new computer with Vista. The jack messes with my keyboard and when I can place a call, clarity is perfect on my end, but the people on the other end complain.
There is no customer service. No tech support. I think this is nothing more than some guy who invented a device that is supposed to work, but he has no infrastructure behind it to support customers. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PRODUCT. Absolute junk with a terrible company behind it.
CANADIAN MAGICJACK WEB SITE:
Correction … it is http://www.themagicjack.ca/
Most of the problems setting up MJ are very common. conflicting programs,too many windows open,no sound,poor connection,trying to run it on windows 2000,using dial up service, etc…
They should set up a Forum right at MagicJacks website so people can read and try to resolve it on their own instead of looking at several websites.
Like a block diagram layout on how to resolve the problem. Right now, it appears its in a infancy stage where you contact a busy tech support (TECH CHAT) person to resolve a problem.
For immediate shipment at the best price to CANADA, try ebay. There is one authorized distributor, USER ID “ACCESSVILLE”
I’ve started a forum/news site for MagicJack at:
http://www.magicjacknews.com
several of the categories are:
Everyone is invited to join and share.
Thanks,
Ric
MagicZune …?
They’ve figured out hot to turn the Ipod Touch into a VOIP, can the Zune (with MagicJack) be far behind?
The 80gig Zune has wifi and no real practical use for it I can tell.
Read all about it. Leave a comment:
http://www.magicjacknews.com
roberta
Canadian authorized dealer is at http://www.themagicjack.ca
Anyone figure out how to use the Follow Me feature?
On July 25,2007 Marie said – you can “register it on another computer” (with xp or vista etc) and then use it on a win 2000 computer …. is this true?
I have a MJ that (of course) won’t work with my old computer – I’d like to try this solution while I’m shopping for a new computer – but don’t really need to go chasing down rabbit holes – if you know what I mean :-)
I am about to buy my MagicJack. But i have just one question: To call from MagicJack to a landline number (long distance), will i incur a long distance charge?
Magic Jack works great!
Very easy to install on my XP computer or a laptop.
To answer the prior reviewers question:
Registering on another computer then trying to use it on Windows 2000 with latest upgrade SP4 will definitely not work. You won’t even get a dial tone.
You get a message on your screen which says ” Magic is not supported on your version windows”.
It will work only on Windows XP or Vista. You can register it on one computer and your registration goes with you if you install it on another computer.
You must have a good internet service otherwise the voice/reception will start to break-up. Using Wireless you may get some break-up of the signal if signal is not strong enough.
A good digital phone will give you a clearer reception compared to the old analog phone.
MJ can call any landline number or cell phone anywhere in US. Even if you install it on your laptop and take it to Europe on vacation.
I used the magic jack and it works fine. I had it for over 4 months and called a lot to Canada for free. Couple of weeks ago, the USB piece broke loose and now it works intermittently. We tried to get in touch with the customer support but there is no number. I tried to ask online but they said they will take it back only within a month. Now they are forcing me to buy one,since I like the way it works. May be somebody here is willing to sell me for a bargain? Let me know at my email : djmudbhary@hotmail.com .
If any of you are willing to try it, please go ahead and buy one. I loved it and it works flawlessly. Just be gently and use it with the usb cord they provide, so it will not break like mine.
Cheers
Its no doubt MagicJack works great. But can any one able to reach their customer services or their corporate office located at 223 Sunset Ave, Suite 223, Palm Beach Florida? Do anyone know their correct phone number?
Hi Henry,
In response to your comment, here is a link to the info u need:
http://tinyurl.com/2gvlbz
1) I live in the Dominican Republic, I have no landline, My internet connection is by satellite through Starband, My Orange cellular phone only works from the house occasionally.
2) Can I use MagicJack for local calls here in the Republic and for overseas calls to England and France?
I look forward to reading answers, please.
MagicJack has a razzle-dazzle marketing plan, but it is not yet ready for prime time. There is no way to contact anyone directly with criticisms, they seem to have intermittent operating problems which I’ve been unable to confirm when the phone fails to provide service for periods of time, and the last time I tried to get help from their help desk I waited over 24 hours for a response – on-line!!
The concept seems great, but for anyone who requires a reliable connection, I’m sorry to say that this so far has not provided me the dependability I’ve come to expect. Okay, so it’s beta – you still expect it to work reliably, no? Or at least when it fails, you expect to be able to find out whether it is MagicJack or the local environment which has crashed, and it would be nice to know how long it will be out.
An additional benefit I’ve experienced seems to occur when I run Skype – within a few hours, I get the Blue Screen of Death. But ONLY when I have MagicJack and then load (and even after I quit) Skype. There’s something bad going on between those two, but I can’t contact MJ to suggest that they might want to look into that problem.
All in all, great stuff. When it works. And when it doesn’t crash my computer. And when I’m only calling in-country (that’s why the Skype). A terrific extra line, but not a first choice until they improve either communication with the company or the bugs – I could live with either one, but having both problems is too much for me.
Cannot access my voicemail calls. Only managed it once, and the callers voice sounded as though he was underwater, all burbled and not understandable. Will try various suggestions from others online, before giving up.
Had my MJ now for about two days. So far so good. However, the phone menu contact list on the right side of the screen does not show all of the time being used. The very far right half is cut off where the seconds are supposed to display. Also, how do you erase the list of calls in and out?
Thanks for a reply.
I am interested in MJ. Does anyone know how I can get in touch with some units at a discount? PLEASE fill me in at brena67@yahoo.com . I would be forever grateful!
Discount? You want to pay less than $40.00? Puhlease. I’ve had my magicjack for about two months, left Southern California for a year in Arizona and took the number with me. The thing works fine, it’s not quite as good as the old land lines but it’s cheap enough not to matter, I use Cell most of the time anyway, but this cuts down on the minutes when at home. The Tech support online hasn’t let me down on the two times I had questions, they were there within a minute or two both times. I even installed one for a friend and backwired it into the house wiring so he had dialtone at every jack, works just fine and it kills the endless charges that none of us know what they’re about on our AT&T/Quest/Verizon bills.
One question, when I make a call using MJ what number does it show in the phone I call, hope it is not wierd numbers or 000-000-0000.
Your number get’s displayed,not a weird number.Not Like skype with a bogus number.I know,I am the inventor.
The tel # and city relevant to the registered tel # gets displayed. i.e. 555-555-1212 City, State
I’ve had my MagicJack for a few days and haven’t tried to make calls with it or receive calls. However, I noticed I have no volume from the computer, and it is likely due to the MagicJack. Is it safe to unplug the MJ once it’s registered?
Refering to Jennifers’ question from 1/28/08–I too would like to know the answer to her questions. To Any out there who can help.
You can unplug it,but you do not have to.Go to customer care at magicjack.com.Click magicfix and it will fix this audio issue you are having.It is very easy.if you have any further trouble,email me at Dan@magicjack.com.I am the inventor.
You can unplug and plug in MJ as much as you want, it just takes sixty seconds each time. On Jennifer’s PC sound issue, first check that you do not have your mute button activated, second on the MJ Menu in the upper right corner, click on Menu. If it has SWITCH TO HEADSET, click on it and your PC sound card will be active.
Hi i have a PBX in the office is there anywhere we can send calls out to for terminating our USA Calls.
Mikai
In order to find what area codes are available go to the magicjack web site, click on Ask Dan the Inventor at the bottom, then type the word area in the box and hit enter. There’s quite an extensive list of area codes available, representing most of the major population areas in the US. For example, in Georgia, 3 of the 4 Atlanta metro area codes are offered as well as Athens (Univ of GA), Rome (NW of Atlanta), and Lagrange (S of Atlanta). Not offered are any in South Georgia: Savannah, Macon, Augusta, Columbus or North Georgia: Chatsworth, Dalton, etc.
Interestingly, a wide swath of West Texas, area codes 325 and 915 aren’t available either but the large areas are: Dallas, Ft Worth, and Houston.
When will Canadian Telephone numbers be available on Majic jack?
Are the Voice mail files stored on the HD and if so what is the file format?
John
We will do Canadian numbers sometime this year.Voice mail is stored on Network.Thanks for asking the inventor about magicJack
may need new glasses but didn’t see any ordering info for your MJ.
You may order a magicJack at magicJack.com
Cheers
Dan Borislow
No tech support no number to call no answers
Risk Free? No refunds if you can’t contact them– Sweet deal
My magicjack is useless l have adial tone,but l can’t contact anybody its useless
lneed to return,but no phone # to contact Magicjack for help, no technical asistance
at. Its a joke and a Big big lie. shame on you magic jack shit.
Works Awesome!!! our family really liked it.. we did couple of basic tests such as calling from our cell phones to the magic jack phone and calling from mj phone to our cell phones, it works truly wonderful!
The set up was a breeze with the software that could be downloaded from the website onto your laptop.
The one question that I have is if I can turn off the VOICEMAIL feature that comes inherent with Magic Jack and have the physical phones VM receive and store the voice messages. Could someone please answer me this question?
I ordered the Magic Jack via Paypal & for the special -100% RISK FREE, 30 DAY FREE TRIAL! Get your magicJack and one year of Free Local and Long Distance Calls. If you LOVE your magicJack, like we know you will, then and only then will we bill you $39.95. There is NO RISK! You can start making all the free calls you want.-… Well I must already love it because although it says -then and only then will we bill you $39.95-, I’ve already been billed and I only ordered it yesterday & don’t even have the device yet. The person who answered the customer service phone number (561-215-1407) listed in this post claims he is not with the company & said he has emaild the company to get his number off their webpage. OOOps, my bad for beleiving that -There is NO RISK!- , It must really mean I’m screwed out of my money, Anyone got any Ideas? Unfortunately, this was the first time I made such a purchace without checking out the www for more info, I definately have a few choice words for my beeper sales rep for reccomending this headache…………
I ordered “one” magic jack the week of January 28th. Only “one” without the option of the second year at $19.95. On February 4th, I again called and ordered a “second” magic jack with the optional second year.
Yesterday I received two packages each with “two” magic jacks, and an e-mail showing “two” orders. WHICH I DID NOT MAKE. I have been trying to reached your customer service to mention the error. But there is no way to reach magic jack. No telephone number, no way on your website or the 800 numbers. How does one reach magic jack? Are there no customer service areas? How do I return the second order? The e-mail to me showed order numbers 35194708 and 35173508. Please let me know how I can return the second package/order which I did not order.
I would like to know why is my local state area code is not the same area code when I register to setup my magic jack internet service.
When my friends call me local, will they be charge long distance call because my area code is different.
It seen like I have all the free and long distance calls, but when my friends call me they will be charge a long distance fee.
Please let me know this issues, thanks.
Sherwood, currently all Area Codes are not offered by MagicJack. So, you may to select one that is outside of your state. At some point in the future (when additional area codes are available), MagicJack will offer a one time free transfer of your number, after that it will cost ten dollars to transfer to a new number.
It is still a great barain, even though you do not get all the bells and whistles (like Vonage) of VoiceMail eMail notification, VoiceMail to Text, SimuRing on multiple phones, etc.
I received mine 2 days ago. Set-up was easy approx.5 minutes, on screen display guides you through. Pay attention to Media player and Music match Jukebox. Had to uninstall Music match but works fine with Media player. It stores the voice mails and plays the back to you on screen.
If things get out of sync for some reason it has an optimizer which quickly puts things back in perspective.
In essence, it works great,incoming and out going clear as a bell and the price can’t be beat. I highly recommend for anyone looking for reasonably priced phone service
I checked my credit card and nothing has been charged yet. So to the above poster…..it must have been an error on someones part. They do have live customer support on the help page that comes with the program.
I know it’s aggravating but mistakes DO happen.
Any tech savy people of Dan can answer why it won’t work on Win 2K, I have a good working PC with 2k and a laptop for work running Linux. It would be great to cut the high cost of my local telco.
Thanks
for Mike who paid with paypal and is upset because he has already been charged..that’s how paypal works. Your credit card would NOT have been charged for 30 days.
Beverly, thanks for the info, their tech support guys couldn’t figure that out (now 3 days later, & still no answer). The tech support “chat crap” really puts a damper on trying to type as fast as you can to keep their attention span on your issue, while trying not to miss something in the explanation, I believe a phone conversation would go much smoother & much quicker, therefore not tying up the techs too long and not having to wait on “virtual hold” for more than 10 minutes for the tech to begin. The whole “chat crap” thing lasted almost 30 minutes between their long replies to my questions, which probably could have been less that 10 minutes on a phone call.
Has anyone used the MJ with Verizon Wireless EVDO data card (Rev A) for “broadband” coverage. Bandwidth varies a lot as I use this card in my laptop when traveling depending on whether I’m in main metro area or in a fringe reception area. I assume that “breakups” in the voice transmission will occur if the bandwidth drops too low, even after turning off browsers, etc. MJ sounds ideal for supporting my work if the bandwidth can support it. Would like to hear from someone who has actually used this configuration in their travels.
I have a Magicjack now for one month.Tested it with 3 computers 3 phones and 2 ISP and still no go. I can hear the other person fine but he can’t hear me. I like the blue light.
It will work,but it will work better within sixty days when I have VAD enabled and low bandwidth codecs as an option.I know this group will be a big user set,so I started on this about four months ago.I have about 3 of these cards myself,so from a selfish standpoint,I wanted it to work well too.Enjoy your magicJack and continue to watch things get better.We have over thirty five software engineers improving on this everyday.
Dan the Inventor
It will work,but it will work better within sixty days when I have VAD enabled and low bandwidth codecs as an option.I know this group will be a big user set,so I started on this about four months ago.I have about 3 of these cards myself,so from a selfish standpoint,I wanted it to work well too.Enjoy your magicJack and continue to watch things get better.We have over thirty five software engineers improving on this everyday.
Dan the Inventor
I have had Magic Jack for a couple of months now and it works ok. the problem I have is my bill. I paid directly out of my checking account and MJ just billed me or took another 46.90 out of my checking account without any notice of why. I bought this for my 16 year old daughter who lives on the phone. is there additional charges that I don’t know about. If this is a constant bill I would like to know how to unregister it so I don’t get charged anymore. The cable company reception was far better for that price. Please reply to scrockett@seacoastonline.com Thanks
Just a note to let you know that they are for sale on ebay.
I’m curious if I can configure this device to work on every outlet in my house. I’m thinking about doing one of two things:
1) taking the RJ-11 jack coming out of the MJ, and running it right back to a wall-outlet (another RJ-11) jack – to possibly send a signal to all the wall-jacks throughout the house; or
2) running that same line coming out of the MJ over to where my telephone line enters my house – and plugging it in there.
Does anyone know if I can utilize this type of configuration, which would allow me to use any phone from any jack I’ve got in the house???
just got majic jack hook up and found out Indiana 812 wasnt on there list to choose my area code so I had a choice of other states better ask if your state is on there list or you will end up with a LONG DISTANCE phone number maybe not calling out but anyone calling in.$$$$
Hey Jeff, I don’t beleive that the Magic Jack will handle more than 1 or 2 wired phones at a time due to the Magic Jack being powered from a USB port that only puts out about 5volts & very little current, however, if you only want to have the phone line available at all jacks in the house but only plug in one phone one at a time, I’m sure it will be ok. Your 1st idea will work the best as long as you disconnect the phone companies main line from those wires where they enter the house..PS, My Magic jack is connected to of my panasonic cordless phone & it has 3 cordless handsets that work fine, no need to worry about where to connect the phone extensions. If you try it, let us know how it goes.
I need a diagram on how the headset of the phone is connected using magicjack.
Can you use it outside the continental U.S.?
I travel alot to Europe and Mexico, and I´d like to know if you can use it to call into the U.S.
Mike -
I only use one phone at a time, so I may have some luck with plugging into the house’s phone lines (I’ve just got some phones on the opposite side of the house I would like to be able to use from time to time). Your idea with an expandable cordless phone base is an option I hadn’t considered (I like it).
The other consideration I’m wondering about (especially if I ditch my domestic phone service) is how this all would work with my Dish Network satallite TV system. Dish requires my TV receivers (I’ve got two) are hooked-up to a phone line (for Pay-Per-View purposes; software updates; etc). Does anyone know how compatable MJ might be with a satallite receiver??? I’m considering ditching my domestic phone service if the MJ works as well as the raves seem to be saying it works – but I’ve just got a couple of considerations (like my Dish Network) to weigh before I make the leap.
The MJ is on order – I’m just waiting for it to hit my mailbox.
No problems receiving the order. Some problems receiving calls but I worked them out on the chat site. Still problems getting the speakers on the computer to work with it. The soft phone menu will not let me make any changes to the headset or any thing else. The only buttons on the sound page that work is the volume sliders, but of course I have no sound so it makes no difference where I put them. Over all very satisfied. Wish I had a local number so incomming from a land line would not be long distance. Many of my friends have cell phones in the 517 area code so they can call on the cell without charges.
I have a Dell with Vista and analog speakers plugged in the softphone displays usb speaker set up but won’t let me change it.
For Rod,
If you are not getting any sound from your speakers with the magicJack plugged in it may be that you have to change the default speaker setup in Vista.
To do this go to control panel in Vista, in there click on sounds, you will get a popup with different tabs. The first one is called playback, in there you will see some different options. My guess is that the green checkmark will be set to “speakers – USB phone by tigerjet”. That is why you are not getting sound from your speakers. Instead click on the other speakers option, which should be your computers default soundcard. After you have clicked on that and it is highlighted, click on the button that says “set default” then click ok.
Now you should have sound in your speakers. You may have to restart the application you were wanting to hear sound from before the speakers kick in.
John
First off, I so want this to work. I have been online with chats (to no real assistance) and have rebooted, unplugged, tried different phones, gone through magicfix what seems like a hundred times, tried download the MAC upgrade (I’m running on Windows XP, but chat rep said to download that and it would fix my errors). I also uninstalled NERO and music match jukebox as I was told that would help. Not! I get a high pitch noise on my phone, and cannot call in or out. After I start dialing, the backlight on the phone goes out. I am connected to a powered usb. MJ loaded fine, and seemed to run fine initially, but soon started having problems… lost vm, got it back, then calling in and out stopped, then I lost my softkey pad on my pc and can’t get it back. The magicfix shows that all is well, but it still isn’t. I’m using a digital phone with it. HELP??? I truly want this to work. It would save me $70 a month! Any suggestions?
For John
Thanks for the tip. You were close and I was able to get the defaults correctly. Every thing is working great now.
I really need use of a fax machine in my home business. But the MJ website states that it does not “officially” recommend use of fax with MJ. Do you plan to offer fax machine compatibility in the future? Thanks!
Well, not sure which fix did it, but my faith has been restored as I’ve been up and running on MJ for the 2nd day straight, with no interuptions to service. I had to actually go into the firewall settings and open ports, run the VISTA update, run the MAC update, uninstall NERO (which I never use anyway), and change the settings on my system to not automatically download and install updates and not to hybernate. I also deleted the mj folder and reinstalled the entire application. Sounds like a lot of “fixes”, but to save $70 a month, I think it’s worth it. I’m going to keep trying it, and if I can get consistent results for the next few weeks, I’ll downgrade my current landline so that it’s just basic service for the security system, and then use my MJ for everything else! For those having problems…. don’t give up. I was ready to trash this thing. But, after some hours of troubleshooting, I think I might be okay now. I’ll keep you posted! I almost think I could work for them troubleshooting other’s problems! I think I did almost everything possible to get this thing to work.
well i have been encountering some instalation issues with this product on a tobshiba laptop. my family has a few of these products and they all work fin except one. when it is started it says it cant connect to the internet…please connect to the internet and double click here. i have disabled teh firewall and antivirus programs and installed the update and still i get the same message. ERROR 03 can anyone help me with this??
Please email me at Dan@magicjack.com.I can fix this quickly.
Dan
I ordered the Magic Jack on Tuesday and it arrived Friday afternoon. I did choose the express mailing w/tracking number. I had a great of trouble getting it load up on my computer. It took some doing but I was able to get into a ‘chat’ w/a tech support rep. After some 30 minutes, I was able to get the device up and running. However it is ‘not’ installed on my computer. There are no ‘magicjack’ programs in my program list. The magicjack recovery tool is listed in the ‘add/remove programs/ in my control panel. I am running XP-SP2. Each time I start the computer I have to manually initiate the Magic Jack start up. It takes less than a minute to configure. After I do all that, everything is fine, including the simultaneous ring to my cell phone.
I am going to purchase a Belkin usb hub and configure my cable modem to use the usb port and then connect the modem to the Belkin usb hub along with my Magic Jack – I want to see if this will allow the MJ to function w/o the computer being on. I will let you know.
I think I’ve decided to give up. I’ve spent yet another 2 hours trying to troubleshoot, doing almost everything that I’ve already done, to no avail. I’m thinking that maybe it’s the MJ itself, but not sure. I don’t have this problem with any other connectivity, so I don’t understand why I should with this. No matter what I do, MJ is not recognized by the MJ site, therefore, the MAC update doesn’t work, which is what I’m told I need. The MAC update must recognize the MJ, and if it doesn’t it won’t update. This has been a very frustrating experience, but I STILL want it to work!
Are you in Utah- Orem?
Are you in Utah- Orem?
THIS JACK IS A JOKE IT DOES NOT WORK ON A CORDLES PHONE,AND WHEN I FINALLY JOOKED IT UP TO A CORDED PHONE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE ONE CALL ,AND THEN IT STARTED TO GO CRAZY ON ME ,
THE CUSTOMER CHAT ROOM IS ALSO A JOKE
Martha – I use MJ with a cordless phone at both my home and my office. I gave over 20 MJ’s to friends/family for Christmas and also bought cordless phones as part of the gift. They all work without problem and the service is great.
Sounds like you need a new cordless phone or have an incompatible program on your computer.
When are Canadian 905 area code #’s coming out? Is there anyway I can transfer my current phone # to this MJ?
Great experience with this product. It works good, but sometimes you have to work out the bugs. Again NOTE: Nero and musicbox programs don’t work with this – unistall them. Can they be limited or masked so that these programs can still be used?
With some problems it is best to find the program and wipe it from your computer, reboot and re install MJ.
Remember, when installing, configuring or updating, you must always have an active internet connection.
Thanks, I have had a good experience with cust service.
can I transfer my voip number from vonage orany other fone number for that matter to mj?
I started using MJ January 2nd, 2002. It worked great for 3 days. For almost 2 months now I do not get any calls. Whoever calls me gets a message that the area code or phone number is invalid. I spent a tremendous amount of time with different customer service reps doing repeatedly the same things I was told to do. I finally was given a new phone number with a different area code. The problem is still the same.
The rep was very eager to finish the session.It is very disappointng. She didn’t even wait a couple minutes to hear if the new number works.
Outgoing calls on MJ are just fine. There is nothing else that can be done on this end. We did it all many times over.
If one is making a call to someone that do not have a MJ, will there be any charges? Please let me know ASAP
Will the MagicJack work with regular old dial up networks or do you have to have a broadband connection. Also if I shared a broadband connection with my friend next door will it work with it or is it complicated to make it work correctly in that kind of situation or hookup. Does the call forwarding feuture cost extra to get with Magic jack or does it come with it???? Thanks for any advice!
My majic Jack worked fine for about 2 weeks. Now it will sometimes dial the other phone, but I can’t hear anything on my end and sometimes neither party hears anything. I test it on my regular and cell phone. The web sight only advertises and sells. There is no avenue to get help. Without help, it is just a piece of crap.
hey all…although the company does not have live customer service agents and the website is definitely oriented to sell magicjacks, if you need tech assistance go to the Customer Care link, which is on the website.
http://www.magicjack.com/site/customercare.html
Then go to Magic Fix or Magic Jack Tech Chat for help.
If you can’t get this cool product to work after these steps, then you’re the (user)problem.
I find it interesting that have been unable to call this company to ask if we are able to keep our Vonage phone number we currently have. I do not want to change it and we also have a virtual line that is a local line. Do you know how I can call this company:
In Jan, 2008, I ordered on-line the Magic Jack. After receiving it, I tried to get it to work with poor results, even after about 4 hours back and forth with their chat help on-line.
I retured their product and they stopped the charges against our bank account.
Well, today, over a month later, they again charged our bank account?
I went to chat, and after about a hour of nonsense, they claimed I had ordered the item AGAIN…… Absolutely not true. I was very unhappy the first time and would NEVER have bought another one….
After getting a long run-around from them, I kept the chat and will wait until Monday (today is Feb 28) to see what happens.
They refused to give me their address.
They refused to give me their phone number.
The only way they could have a record of yet a SECOND order is:
(1) Computer error.
(2) Employee error.
(3) Some type of SCAM…….
I don’t know which YET…..
I would like to hear from any others having a similar problem with them:
gregandsheila@triad.rr.com
As referenced in the company’s FAQ, no one, regardless of carrier can yet transfer their existing number to a magicJack line number. The company is planning this. As many of us know, the problem lies with your existing carrier wanting to hold you hostage and make you think its your new carrier. Vonage was notorious for this.
As far as Greg’s issues, contact Dan@magicjack.com
Daphne:
It should work with no problem with a security system as long as it is ahead of all the phones on the Magic Jack. An RJ31X line seizure jack.
If you need help setting up the security system to it ask me I will explain it for you.
I own my own alarm company 28 years in the field. 16 years as an owner.
Regards,
Patrick
I ordered the magicjack & the next day they charged my credit card. Their website said only after 30 days would they bill me. Also, the tracking number they gave me was invalid. Comment??????????????????
I have Magic Jack for more than a week now, it works fine after few tweak here and there. I have my landline phone disconnected and just kept my DSL service and still save me about 40-45 bucks of monthly service i no longer used. You people, be patient ! the thing is improving, compare to Vonage you pay the monthly fee when that’s the thing you want to get rid of…$19.95/year people..Hope Magic Jack come up with version where you directly connect it to your DSL line.
Does anyone have any suggestions for voice mail issues? The voice mail does not pick up…not from the phone connected to the magicjack…and not from a phone NOT connected to the magicjack. Soft phone does not work as well. Tech support has been NO help whatsoever…I have downloaded the various magic fix links that they each tell me…10 downloads later, still nothing!
I’d appreciate any help.
Nobody has mentioned whether or not MagicJack generates an actual dial tone prior to dial out. I would think that it would have to in order to pick up tone dialing out of the attached touch-tone telephone that requires a dial tone to interpret the numbers.
This is not the case with Skype who requires a headset/microphone and has no dial tone but has a virtual key pad on your monitor. I also found in my experience that Skype is a bit misleading in that their “Unlimited calling” for $29.95/year. It actually expires at some point before the year of calling has been used and they shut you off telling you to buy more “Skype points” starting in blocks of $10.00 So “unlimited” with Skype is not truly unlimited. Then I found out Skype is actually owned by the “fee-hungry” e-Bay company which explained it all.
I look forward to getting my Magic Jack and hooking up a cordless phone to it just to save on cell phone usage since they nail you for .40/minute when you go over your plan and charge you out the ying-yang. (see, ya! Verizon Wireless)Can you hear me now?
I just ordered this device and paypal has already charged my account. It was supposed to wait 30 days. What gives? I am hoping that this device works in my home office to keep the house line free!
Please advise. Check out the website customer service area an no place but here to ask a question.
Thank you!
Sharon,
FAX machines are designed to use old analog phone lines, they do not work well with the newer VoIP technology. Kind of like a horse & buggy on an Interstate. I would recommend using one of the FAX-to-Email services, or just keep the old fax connected to the landline.
I haved read all (well, alot) of the reviews and have one very important statement; if a company wants to sell you a product or service and stand behind their product or service then they would have a convienant way for you to contact them.
Really now, if i meet you on the street and said i have this “widget” for $xx.xx but i dont have an address, or phone number, would you buy it knowing you cant find me if it doesn’t work? sure it may be cheap but if i could get half the people in the US to give $10.00 i’d be rich. if i wanted to throw 40 bucks away i’d give it to someone who needs it. but i’m sure Dan.Borislow has really fat pockets now.
Think about it, if 50 percent of you are unhappy, does he care? H*ll no! He has 100 percent of your money!
I am interested to introduce magicjack overseas.Please contact me you have my e-mail address and my phone number.
I purchased MagicJack in mid-January. I thought it was going to take at least 10 days, but actually it only took four days to arrive and that’s including the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. I ordered it Saturday. It was in the mailbox on Tuesday. I was so excited!!!!!!! I came home, my daughter plugged it in and in seconds we were in business. I immediately called my mom in NY. I live in Georgia, by the way. The service was excellent and almost two months later it’s still excellent. I’m soooo happy I’m saving hundreds of dollars per year by not having to use a landline phone. The money I would’ve used paying a monthly phone bill, I can now use to go see a movie or go out to dinner with my family. Now, that’s worth it. This is the best thing since sliced bread. (lol) MagicJack didn’t charge my account until after 30 days of having the service. They kept their word as far as I’m concerned. The voice mail is perfect. Although it doesn’t offer Caller ID with call waiting combined, I can look on the computer screen to see who’s trying to interrupt my call and that’s good enough for me. I hope it works out for you guys because it has been a blessing for me. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!
I have read all of the comments on this site, as I am very interested in this product. The concept is great and it sounds like many people have been successful in using MagicJack. It would also appear that there are a lot of issues to be worked out and not enough support to do this to everyone’s satisfaction. One question that was asked, that I did not see an answer to, was how to deal with the satelite dish requirement to have a phone line hookup for programming, etc.? Has anyone had any experience with this? Is it possible?
If the modem is on all the time (it also has a usb port) why can’t you connect directly to it and leave the computer off?
I can not usae magicJack. We havw 2 computers. We keep them off most of the time. We use DSL to access the web. If the computers are off, magicJack does not work.
To Ed : I have Direct TV and it works just fine without the phone line plugged in. The line is mainly to order movies and for Direct TV to check your box to make sure your not getting freebe’s. I sur would like to get magic but I use HughesNet and I understand that they do not support any VOIP what so ever. LOL R.K.B.
*********************ATTENTION EVERYONE*********************************
MAGIC JACK IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. I HAVE MJ..THEY ONLY HAVE LIMITED AREA CODES. THEIR POLICY IS TO CHARGE YOU FOR A PHONE NUMBER IF YOU CHANGE YOUR NUMBER. THE SECOND DAY I RECEIVED MJ I RECEIVED 5 TELEMARKETING CALLS.
MAGIC JACK DOESN’T GIVE YOU AN OPTION TO BLOCK CALLS LIKE SKYPE. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. I THOUGHT MAGIC JACK WILL GIVE ME A OPTION TO FAX….NO! I WASTED $55 BUCKS. GETTING A RMA IS A NO MAN LAND. THEY HAVE SYSTEMS TO PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING A REFUND.
This is a scam as you cover your ass-ets like the fly by night car/product scam take their money and run slow but not to fast that you can not keep geting more money they must have a merchant acct. that or ask the authorities to trace or bank.Call the federal trade comission or the attoreny general in the state where the company is located first then where you at. You mabe able to stop others from being scamed or class action law suit if you pull together. good luck
Scam stay away from this remember the old saying. If its to good to be true it must not be true well this product fits it. Just keep your old phone or use a cell phone.
My two cents
Gary
Is this the way we cancel if we want to?
Magic Jack stopped working this morning after 4 months. Is anyone else having a problem?
i ordered my magic jack on saturday afternoon on the web site. i received it monday morning in my mail box. had it hooked-up in about 3 minutes & it works GREAT. it is the most AWESOME thing i have ever bought. best invention since toilet paper
I have a magicjack. I use it very sparingly, as a backup to other devices. I always carry it when I travel. Recently, I had a business situation in the USA where I needed to make a bunch of international phone calls from Thailand to the USA to work.
I had no problems making calls and the quality was fine. I was using hotel wireless internet and I was a bit suprised the call quality was as good as it was.
Overall my experience has been positive with this device.
Well, just today, I have not been able to receive calls. I can call out, but I wasn’t able to get a ring when I tried calling it from my cell phone number. I’ve gone on to their website notified them, so, we’ll see…wasn’t able to do the immediate web chat because they said something about some provider was having problems today…I wonder who that might be.
Yes, my Magic Jack went down again today for over 5 hours. (Error 3) which apparently means internet failure. Looks like MJ is not reliable enough to stand alone, better have a communication back-up.
OK ! I bought 2 Magic Jacks and 2 5 year service plans. After making the purchase I decided I wanted to cancel the service plans but had a hell of a time getting customer service just to tell me what their refund policy was.
I found one of the founders’ e-mail addresses, wrote to him and problem solved. He could not have been more professional. Thank-you Dan.
His address is dborislow@aol.com.
I am wondering if this is just not another way for someone to get into another’s or many others computers and get ALL the personal information and cause a lot of chaos for many, many people. This is one of those things that does seem to be too true to be REAL. Watch out consumers. You may be getting more than you bargained for!!!
I’m another person who can’t get incoming calls anymore. The more I read these postings, the more I find out I’m not the only one. Is there some defect in some of the MJ devices?
I would like to have my local area code so friends and my relatives (my mom) could call me and it will be a local call. But as it is, I have to have either a Miami, Tampa, or Clearwater area code. I think that really sucks. Also, I would like to retain my same area code and phone number as all my aquaintance’s has this number. We’ll hang in there to see if they can get this problem solved as the connections are great and the clarity is unreal and for the price you can’t beat it.
I would not put magicJack at the top of my Web Page if I did not believe it is the Product of the Century. WOW. magicJack keeps going on and on and on without a glitch. Just like that bunny with a drum. I am very impressed Dan. Dan, I just called the YOUR magicJack invention, the “Product of the Century”. Please start a cellular service soon. FREE! Just like the magicJack! Can you imagine what the cell companies would do? LOL
Tony you are not alone I am not been able to receive in coming calls and also my # voice mails has some one else name on it .. Strange
Is there a contact number for magicjack so I can directly talk to one of the customer service or something..I’ve check out the site already but it doesnt give me no number to conact them. I actually want to talk to them instead of using emails or what not. appreciate it.
I purchased Magic Jack about three weeks ago. When it arrived I proceeded to install it. It did not work. I tried their support chat which was a mistake. My 5 year old knows more about a computer than they did. It was obvious that they were not in the U. S. and working from cue cards with no real knowledge to help you. I did some trouble shooting on my own and found that they were using a device driver by TigerJet. That same driver is in use on my computer by, “ Cu-phone RJ-11 adapter”, which I use with Skype. There software did not show a conflict. I still wish to use Skype and the adapter in that Skype has video properties that come in useful. To do so I have to run msconfig and disable cdloader2, go to task manager and stop magicjack.exe, then go to device manager and uninstall one of the drivers of which I have two on my computer now. Reboot the machine then hook the RJ-11 adapter back up.
My father always said that you get what you pay for. Don’t waste your time or money on Magic Jack. It does work but they expect you to give up other programs on your computer for theirs. Even though Skype with the same features cost more you would be way ahead using it.
It seems strange that with their so called network they list no phone number for customer support and their live chat seems to be out of country.
I bought the magic jack believeing the ad that said 30 day free trial. Well, it does not work with my MAC and I wants to return it. i look on the package and there is no return address. I go to the wed site and it states you have to have order #. I don’t have an order number, I didn’t save it. Now I am stuck with something that cost me $60 and I can’t return it. I really don’t think this is fair.
If you cannot find companies address or help line. That ought to tell you something about the company. It is like that lady that gets a package delivered to her. And the delivery guy leaves her holding the package not knowing “how to program this” This should set up a red flag.
I do not feel sorry for the people who did not read before they buy. It is like the old saying “buyer beware”
PS
If all you people are unhappy.Then you ought to e-mail Mr.Borislow.and try to get the problem solved. Instead of BAD Mouth the company