1. what happens when your 1 year subscription expires and you're using an ATA (and don't use the software anymore)?
2. why are people blocking 911 in their dial-plan? is there anything wrong with having the ability to dial 911 (in combination with having the ATA running)?
3. why are people blocking international callings in their dial-plan as well?
Thanks for all the help.
few questions about ATA
Moderators: Bill Smith, Pilot
Re: few questions about ATA
Just as with any other VoIP service provider, the service stops working. With most VoIP service providers, you will lose Dial Tone and incoming calls will no longer be presented to you. There are some threads here (please Search for them) that say that MJ will continue your inbound service for a while (hoping you'll resubscribe, I suppose), while blocking any outbound call you try to dial.desidude2000 wrote:1. what happens when your 1 year subscription expires and you're using an ATA (and don't use the software anymore)?
VoIP service, whether it is used with the MJ dongle or with an ATA, is a portable service. You are encouraged by the provider to take your client device with you as you travel. 911 service is associated with a particular fixed address (with MJ you can declare several, and choose among them, but the point remains). So, if you take your MJ from your home in Pennsylvania to your summer home in Florida and then need to call 911, the authorities will race to your home in Pennsylvania and you will be subject to a heavy fine for this, as well as not receiving the help you need in Florida.desidude2000 wrote:2. why are people blocking 911 in their dial-plan? is there anything wrong with having the ability to dial 911 (in combination with having the ATA running)?
The MJ service comes with included calling only to destinations in the US and Canada. Every other place will incur a charge. Blocking international calling outright is less of a requirement with MJ than with another provider if you never pay into an international calling plan with them. The Dial Plan I posted reflects the reality that most other VoIP service providers have your credit card number and will automatically charge you by the minute for any calls that are not within your calling plan. It is a Dial Plan I use for many of my customers, and I decided to post it here as a community service.desidude2000 wrote:3. why are people blocking international callings in their dial-plan as well?
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desidude2000
- MagicJack User
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:16 pm
great, thanks for the replies to my questions.
for my magicjack, i use it as a secondary line at my house. i do not plan on using it anywhere else other than at the registered address. i've registered with a legit address as well, and not a bogus one. i have an elderly person in the house for whom i've setup this line such that she can call anyone anytime for as long as wishes to chat to alleviate her loneliness without having to worry about running up her phone bill. however, at the same time, i would like to ensure that she has access to the 911 service should , God forbid, such a need ever arise. yes, i understand that magicjack depends on the internet and should not be considered as a "reliable" line. i do have a "regular" landline (my line). but in a time of crisis, she may not realize one line from the other, and let's assume for a moment that she dials 911 from the magicjack when in need of help. if i unblock 911 from the dial plan, that should get the job done, correct?
(it order words, the blocking of the 911 is NOT to prevent magicjack from detecting that you're using an ATA, as I first feared it to be).
secondly, for the international portion, suppose that i don't limit international calling through the dial plan, and dial internationally through the ATA through magicjack service. how will they (magicjack) bill me? (i don't mind paying, and i would like to have the flexibility to dial internationally). i was thinking that if one uses the magicjack software, perhaps they prompt you for credit card info through the software when you try to call internationally. i've never tried. this is my assumption. is this a true assumption? if so, since the software piece is missing when using an ATA, how is this handled?
thanks again, great forum, and i'm glad i bought magicjack. (yes i know it's against the ToS to use it on the ATA).
for my magicjack, i use it as a secondary line at my house. i do not plan on using it anywhere else other than at the registered address. i've registered with a legit address as well, and not a bogus one. i have an elderly person in the house for whom i've setup this line such that she can call anyone anytime for as long as wishes to chat to alleviate her loneliness without having to worry about running up her phone bill. however, at the same time, i would like to ensure that she has access to the 911 service should , God forbid, such a need ever arise. yes, i understand that magicjack depends on the internet and should not be considered as a "reliable" line. i do have a "regular" landline (my line). but in a time of crisis, she may not realize one line from the other, and let's assume for a moment that she dials 911 from the magicjack when in need of help. if i unblock 911 from the dial plan, that should get the job done, correct?
(it order words, the blocking of the 911 is NOT to prevent magicjack from detecting that you're using an ATA, as I first feared it to be).
secondly, for the international portion, suppose that i don't limit international calling through the dial plan, and dial internationally through the ATA through magicjack service. how will they (magicjack) bill me? (i don't mind paying, and i would like to have the flexibility to dial internationally). i was thinking that if one uses the magicjack software, perhaps they prompt you for credit card info through the software when you try to call internationally. i've never tried. this is my assumption. is this a true assumption? if so, since the software piece is missing when using an ATA, how is this handled?
thanks again, great forum, and i'm glad i bought magicjack. (yes i know it's against the ToS to use it on the ATA).
Last edited by desidude2000 on Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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desidude2000
- MagicJack User
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:16 pm
re-reading your reply about the international calling, i think i understand what you're saying. it sounds to me like international calling for magicjack is "PREPAID". in other words, even if i try to call china through my ATA (assuming the dial-plan doesn't restrict it), it won't connect, since i don't have enough "credit" to place the call. do i understand it correctly? thanks again, and thanks for posting your dial-plan.
Yes. And yes.
Yes, blocking 911 is just for the purpose of blocking 911 for the reasons I stated. If you dial 911 from your ATA the call will go out on behalf of the 911 address you had selected on your MJ softphone. If you have only supplied one street address, that is the one that is automatically selected.
Yes, in the case of magicJack you must pay into a deposit account in order to make international phone calls. In that situation I normally rework the Dial Plan to force the entry of a prefix code before an international number, just as a reminder that the call is an extra charge call. This is very similar to the days when many telephone companies required a 1 in front of a chargeable call, whether within the same Area Code or to another one, and did not require the 1 for a local call, whether within the same Area Code or in an adjoining one.
Yes, blocking 911 is just for the purpose of blocking 911 for the reasons I stated. If you dial 911 from your ATA the call will go out on behalf of the 911 address you had selected on your MJ softphone. If you have only supplied one street address, that is the one that is automatically selected.
Yes, in the case of magicJack you must pay into a deposit account in order to make international phone calls. In that situation I normally rework the Dial Plan to force the entry of a prefix code before an international number, just as a reminder that the call is an extra charge call. This is very similar to the days when many telephone companies required a 1 in front of a chargeable call, whether within the same Area Code or to another one, and did not require the 1 for a local call, whether within the same Area Code or in an adjoining one.