MagicJack sounds like choppy cell phone

[Magicjackernc]

I've used MJ for a while and just now having this problem. It sounds like I'm on a cell phone w/ poor reception.

I've shutdown/restarted,
I've terminated MJ and then clicked to start it again so it would update,

What else can I do? This is a new problem for a regular user.

[az2008]

I've used MJ for a while and just now having this problem. It sounds like I'm on a cell phone w/ poor reception.

I've shutdown/restarted,
I've terminated MJ and then clicked to start it again so it would update,

What else can I do? This is a new problem for a regular user.

See the wiki FAQ concerning choppy/garbled voice. It describes a number of things you can do to diagnose and improve the condition.

Unfortunately, lately it appears the vast majority of this problem is due to deteriorating MJ infrastructure (oversold capacity, careless server upgrades?).

Mark

[Magicjackernc]

Thanks Mark. I've turned the microphone down as the site stated....other than that- it's MajicJack.....


looks like I won't be renewing!

[az2008]

Thanks Mark. I've turned the microphone down as the site stated....other than that- it's MajicJack.....

The wiki provides a lot more diagnosis steps than turning the microphone down.

In fact, I don't believe it suggests turning the microphone down except for problems with echo.

Mark

[Magicjackernc]

You are right. The only thing under choppy was changing the proxy.

I've noticed that is a listed fix for many issues...but even after reading and re-reading...I can't figure it out....is really greek to me.

[az2008]

You are right. The only thing under choppy was changing the proxy.

It doesn't matter to me if you fix your choppy voice problem. But, if you spend more than a few seconds looking at the wiki FAQ, you'll see that it describes a *lot* more than changing the proxy under the "choppy voice" question.

Mark

[oregoncountry]

Yes, I couldn't figure it out either. I don't have a printer but if I did, I would have printed out the directions to change proxy or search, whatever, then, pulled up a DOS Prompt on my puter. Trouble is, I can't read the directions and pull up a dos prompt. You can't just enter the program, pmbump.exe in Start -> Run. Oh well, a my brainy nephew is coming by Wednesday, maybe he can figure it out for me.

Good luck to all, denise:)

You are right. The only thing under choppy was changing the proxy.

I've noticed that is a listed fix for many issues...but even after reading and re-reading...I can't figure it out....is really greek to me.

[saxman]

I know a great solution-try this!
http://www.ooma.com/

[oregoncountry]

and is it better than MJ? I just don't care to go through this again. I have too many things discouraging me and to have what I hoped would be a phone in my home and have it fail, Im just tired.

denise

[saxman]

Hi Denise-We are neighbors. I live in Vancouver Wa. and all I can say is it works perfect every time. It's more clear then any land line and they give you all the features you need. 911-call waiting-caller id-411-voice mail and and answering machine built in to the main hub. Just read the reviews. 90 % are good-you pay for the box and no more phone bills. They may decide to charge a small fee in 3 years but their trying to not have to do that. I would say, check out the site and watch the video on there. You can buy the device at any Walmart, Best Buy and many other places. I had Magic Jack for 3 years-I quit because of the audio problems. Maybe it's mainly our area of the country but it's bad. Let me know if you have any more questions. Better to email me as this post will probably disappear soon-lol

[email protected]

[scottb1982]

The only time I ran into problems with choppiness is either when I had the MJ hooked to my laptop on a WiFi connection, or if I was loading some high bandwidth pages while trying to talk. You wouldn't happen to be doing either of those would you?

[oregoncountry]

I think my problem is having my internet connection through a Belkin Wireless adapter and my landlady has the router on her pc. It's the only service I can get out here. I think I am doomed. Trying to get my in-home business going as Ive been unemployed for over a year now, and so, can't afford a cell let alone a landline.

Thank you for your help in trying to find out what I'm dealing with here. I had vonage a few years ago and it was EXCELLENT but way more money and I had it through the cable. Can't do Vonage because no cable here, just DishNetwork.

denise in Sams Valley OR

The only time I ran into problems with choppiness is either when I had the MJ hooked to my laptop on a WiFi connection, or if I was loading some high bandwidth pages while trying to talk. You wouldn't happen to be doing either of those would you?

[sligg111]

and is it better than MJ? I just don't care to go through this again. I have too many things discouraging me and to have what I hoped would be a phone in my home and have it fail, Im just tired.

denise

Definitely, go with Ooma and your problems with Magiccrap will be over. I have Ooma over six months without one hiccup.

[oregoncountry]

yes but did you read above about my internet connection? I am concerned none of these devices is going to work for me??

Thank you though, I am going to shop for OOMA and ask the sales folks about them being used in my situation as well. denise:)

and is it better than MJ? I just don't care to go through this again. I have too many things discouraging me and to have what I hoped would be a phone in my home and have it fail, Im just tired.

denise

Definitely, go with Ooma and your problems with Magiccrap will be over. I have Ooma over six months without one hiccup.

[az2008]

yes but did you read above about my internet connection? I am concerned none of these devices is going to work for me??

Thank you though, I am going to shop for OOMA and ask the sales folks about them being used in my situation as well. denise:)

Sligg and Saxman are on an Ooma "mission." Nobody proselytizes more than someone who recently left a religion.

Earlier you said you're short on money. You can get a sense of whether your call quality is MJ-specific (or your internet connection) by using Skype. Free to open an account, and use the built-in test number to make test calls. $10 to fund a pay-as-you-go account if you want to make occasional calls to non-Skype numbers. About $70 a year if you want relatively unlimited calling, a real phone number, etc.

Personally, I use a $10 pay-as-you-go account from Skype *and* vbuzzer.com. These are backups to MJ (which I've had to use more frequently over the past month or two).

And, personally, I'd be a little nervous about putting $250 in the pockets of Ooma. VOIP companies go out of business all the time. Ooma has engaged in some bad practices. They aren't the land of milk and honey (despite the bearing of testimony by Sligg and Saxman). And, Ooma doesn't guarantee a lifetime of service. Only 3 years (it's been reported). Which puts it in the same price category as Skype (without the upfront cost).

At least I wouldn't drop $250 until I verified that the call quality of your landlord's shared network connection will support your VoIP needs. If you ascertain that using Skype, I'd suggest doing pay-as-you-go for awhile and see if MJ's quality improves. It seems to have really fallen apart after the holiday season. Maybe due to a large influx of new customers (recipients of gifts). If it gets better you could save a lot of money.

Mark

[oregoncountry]

for anything else right now so the only thing I can do is keep working on a solution for MJ to work, or send it back.

I appreciate everyone's feedback/opinions. I don't take any of what anyone has to say as Gospel though. I have to weigh it all out and decide what is my next step.

Thank you for your opinions as well. Im just glad to hear someone's got a phone that works so they don't have to bow down to Pac Bell, At&t or whoever anymore.

denise

[krieg]

I know a great solution-try this!
http://www.ooma.com/

or dukadial

[saxman]

The difference between Ooma and Skype and OOma and MJ is the same. Like night and day-They have a lousy sounding system and Ooma does not. Ooma is a sold company with a great future. They would not be selling them in all the major stores if they were planning on going under. They are improving with new features every day. For anyone that wants a great sounding phone and they want to never have phone bill. Get OOma-If you want to "pay as you go" with a another one that sounds like this one then go with Skype. It's simple-or here's a another option. If you want to keep a landline for local calls only you can click on the link below and make all the free long distance calls you want and it's FREE!-no- catch or anything to join-no gimick just call all you want-

http://labs.jaduka.com/dukaDial

[az2008]

The difference between Ooma and Skype and OOma and MJ is the same.

That's not been my experience. Skype has produced very good calls, at least over the past month or two that I've used it more frequently (due to MJ's deterioration).

... Ooma does not. Ooma is a sold company with a great future. They would not be selling them in all the major stores if they were planning on going under. They are improving with new features every day. For anyone that wants a great sounding phone and they want to never have phone bill.

I'm expecting you to say Ooma is also a male enhancement. (Keep in mind that Ooma was reported to reserve the right to charge after 3 years. To me that's not as bad as your "free forever" nonsense. Nothing can be free forever after a one-time purchase. That would make it a Ponzi scheme.).

Mark

[saxman]

Alot of Ooma customers were previous Skpe and MJ customers. If you just got Skype, you did it becuse of Mjs lousy audio and you can expect the same with Skype-don't you read the reviews?-So why don't you stop with the BS? Your trying to tell people to try this and that to improve their sound when you know real well that the problem is not their settings or their system but with MJ selling too many dongles and they have oversold the product and flooded the lines.

Ooma has never stated they will make people ever pay anything other then the original hardware. They have said that it may happen but they are selling other packages to keep from doing it. This phone works perfect and if in 3 years they have to charge a nominal fee, big deal. It's well worth it as it's a clean, clear call each and every time I use it. There is no drawbacks to Ooma and everyone that has them loves it. Well, there's been a few complaints from people who hooked them up wrong or have trouble getting through to tech support but that happens with any new company. I've never needed tech help, not once and it took all of 20 minutes to set up with a new number. You can keep your old number also if you want for a small charge. less the $50.00-best $200.00 I've ever spent!

[devinmccloud]

The choppy connection is magicjack servers. I have had Majicjack for 8 months now and it comes and goes. I usually just tell the caller that I will return their call and then the line is crystal clear again. It sucks but it's a small price to pay for $20 service a year!

[saxman]

Yea, it's not bad if it only happens now and then. It's when every call starts to mess up that I finally threw in the towel. I put up with alot of little background noises, echos, clicks, and the last one was like I was pressing the keys on the phone. People were telling me to quit hitting the key pad but I wasn't. It's almost like I was picking up the sound of someone else dialing a number. I don't know, but if it had just been an every now and then thing, I could live with it and did for nearly three years. This last year it just got to be too much. Every call had noise in it. So, if I was you, I'd use it until it starts to mess up all the time, then switch, cause unless Dan's throwing money into fixing the problem, it's not getting better. Too many new people on the lines plugging the servers.

[JohnnyFreightTRAIN]

I know a great solution-try this!
http://www.ooma.com/

Well thanks, a device that costs over a hundred dollars and I can't even call Canada -- WHERE I LIVE!