recipient of the call gets interrupted, echoed, choppy voice

[canman]

Hi

After all this mass propaganda over the magicjack I decided to buy it,, but since day one I had troubles,, first with installation which I managed to do after some google searches (and removing something from the registry) ,, now I have a major problem ,, when I make a call , I can hear the other side crystal clear , but the recipient of the call only hear an interrupted, echoed, choppy, very bad quality of voice ,, and they can't recognize any word. I have a high speed wireless internet (I also checked it with wired DSL and the problem persisted).
I tried all the solutions and tricks and every thing written on the forums and the wiki magicjack book (the high priority thing, changing the proxies, switching to other USBs, ... etc) but in vain.
If anyone has any suggestions or had a similar problem and managed to solve it, please post it here ..

Thanks

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

Presuming you were successful changing proxies and implementing the other tips, to further narrow the problem you can try the following:

1) Try your Magic Jack on another machine (preferably with a faster connection than your own).

2) Try your machine on a different internet connection. (I inferred that you merely plugged your computer into the same router you were wirelessly connected to. Don't forget to turn off your wireless connection when doing so.)


With these two steps, you'll know where to focus your efforts.

[bfksc]

Hi
After all this mass propaganda over the magicjack I decided to buy it,, but since day one I had troubles,, first with installation which I managed to do after some google searches (and removing something from the registry) ,, now I have a major problem ,, when I make a call , I can hear the other side crystal clear , but the recipient of the call only hear an interrupted, echoed, choppy, very bad quality of voice ,, and they can't recognize any word. I have a high speed wireless internet (I also checked it with wired DSL and the problem persisted).

Deja vu for me...I had the same problems with my MJ and after reading every thread here and trying all of the tips (and I mean all of them), several different locations, computers, operating systems and even on a relatives computer that works fine, nothing I tried worked. Until I bought a Linksys ATA and put the MJ settings in the ATA and suddenly it worked fine.

I've come to the conclusion that TigerJet (maker of MJ USB device) quality control is poor and lots of Magicjacks are flakey, which is sad given all the hype you hear about it.

But with a decent VOIP adaptor like the Linksys PAP2/2102/3102 or similar, you should be able to get decent quality sound and you don't need to leave your computer on either.

[callontom]

I've discovered two important things to do if you are going to use MJ on a computer you will be using for everything else. First , don't use file sharing software. Second use a program such as cclean (free at www.filehippo.com) for instance, to clean out old files and third , delete your prefetch files. From start-select run- type in prefetch- and select and delete these files. MJ will work much smoother without the jitter. If you have an off the shelf computer bought these days, it's loaded with crap that needs to be deleted.

[luv2uallday]

Hi

After all this mass propaganda over the magicjack I decided to buy it,, but since day one I had troubles,, first with installation which I managed to do after some google searches (and removing something from the registry) ,, now I have a major problem ,, when I make a call , I can hear the other side crystal clear , but the recipient of the call only hear an interrupted, echoed, choppy, very bad quality of voice ,, and they can't recognize any word. I have a high speed wireless internet (I also checked it with wired DSL and the problem persisted).
I tried all the solutions and tricks and every thing written on the forums and the wiki magicjack book (the high priority thing, changing the proxies, switching to other USBs, ... etc) but in vain.
If anyone has any suggestions or had a similar problem and managed to solve it, please post it here ..

Thanks

there could be many things that can cause this.. magic jack depends on sufficient cpu resources and bandwidth resources allocated to it at all times to work good here is somethings i found that helps might help u

1. if your computer connected to a router or switch go into the setup and under QOS or quality of service and set the computer that the magic jack is on to highest level that way bandwidth will be prioritied to that computer first.

2. use a program called proesss lasso or use task manager look for the magacjack program and set it to high priority. That will allot all cpu resources to magicjack first. magicjack will run alot smoother

3. while talking make sure you are not using any p2p programs or bandwidth and cpu hogging programs. Because these processes tend to choke recourses based on what computer u using.

I wish you the best of luck. I had these probs too but my quality has shot sky high ever since i took these actions. Also, I use it on an old 900mhz computer that I dont use. I just use it to run my magic jack only 90 watts max about 4 dollars a month. good luck

[bfksc]

there could be many things that can cause this.. magic jack depends on sufficient cpu resources and bandwidth resources allocated to it at all times to work good here is somethings i found that helps might help u

No offence, but I've heard several people talk about how you need to do "this and that" to get it to work, but you shouldn't have to. It's a simple piece of software and USB dongle so it should work on almost anything. And to the limit of what MJ claims, it does work as advertised. There is nothing in their advertising that says it will sound great, only that it will work. Now personally, I think if the audio is so choppy that you can't understand the conversation, then it's not working as a phone should, so it doesn't work as advertised.

A relative of mine has it working nicely on his setup, so I recently tried my MJ device on his computer and it suffered the same choppy audio problems. While his device works fine on my computer. Obviously it's the device that's at fault.

MJ will work much smoother without the jitter. If you have an off the shelf computer bought these days, it's loaded with crap that needs to be deleted.

How about my second computer running a P4/2ghz/1gig ram with nothing but Windows XP and Magicjack installed, connected directly to the modem? I still had the same audio problems. I'm convinced many of the MJ devices are just no good.

[luv2uallday]

there could be many things that can cause this.. magic jack depends on sufficient cpu resources and bandwidth resources allocated to it at all times to work good here is somethings i found that helps might help u

No offence, but I've heard several people talk about how you need to do "this and that" to get it to work, but you shouldn't have to. It's a simple piece of software and USB dongle so it should work on almost anything. And to the limit of what MJ claims, it does work as advertised. There is nothing in their advertising that says it will sound great, only that it will work. Now personally, I think if the audio is so choppy that you can't understand the conversation, then it's not working as a phone should, so it doesn't work as advertised.

A relative of mine has it working nicely on his setup, so I recently tried my MJ device on his computer and it suffered the same choppy audio problems. While his device works fine on my computer. Obviously it's the device that's at fault.

MJ will work much smoother without the jitter. If you have an off the shelf computer bought these days, it's loaded with crap that needs to be deleted.

How about my second computer running a P4/2ghz/1gig ram with nothing but Windows XP and Magicjack installed, connected directly to the modem? I still had the same audio problems. I'm convinced many of the MJ devices are just no good.

Well, i hate to tell you this but you are 100% wrong in all of your assumptions.

your assumptions are based on all computers are created equal.They are not. MJ is as good as the computer its running on even the computer listed could be not setup great for the MJ basically power requirments. MJ has to have a supply of 500ma of power through the usb to function at it's optimum performance. 500ma is the max output that usb is allowed to supply through the ports. Unfortunately, some motherboard makers skimp on power not giving the MJ its full 500ma of power. This causes errattic behavior of the MJ depending on how much short of power the MJ is supplied. could be just line noise, but if its short on more it could be disconnects, restarts or choppy performance. That's why MJ recommends buying a powered usb hub if u are suffering with problems. To give the device it's required 500ma supply.

Also, if your computer is running other programs depending on your computer it could hurt MJ performance bcuz the MJ is run through the cpu and if you are using high resource hogging programs it could effect performance that is logical. same with internet bandwidth if you are using high bandwidth hogging protocols or programs like p2p (peer to peer) programs, online gaming, hd video streaming etc that can be a mj killer as all these have to compete for bandwidth resources.

but basically your magic jack is only as good as the PC enviorment it's running on. I had bad performance from my mj as well choppy, noisy crfappy quality till i found the root cause inadequate power to the onboard usb ports and fixed it installed a powered usb hub then the call quality was landline quality instantly. no probs ever since can hear a pin drop through the MJ

[onlyme]

Also did you run windows update after you installed your MJ? Windows update installed an additional file that made my call quaility perfect, juat a thought.

[bfksc]

Well, i hate to tell you this but you are 100% wrong in all of your assumptions.
your assumptions are based on all computers are created equal.They are not.

I never assumed they're all the same, I simply reitterated what Magicjack claims that you can simply plug it in and it works. Obviously it doesn't work perfectly on all systems.

but basically your magic jack is only as good as the PC enviorment it's running on.

As I've said before, I've tried the MJ dongle on several different computers and setups, and it has the same choppy audio on all of them, including my relative's setup where his MJ works fine. The problem is obviously with the MJ device.

And since MJ has never responded to any of my email inquiries, I can't even get a replacement device to see if it will work on the road.

[Alpman]

I've also had many a mJ with choppy audio and overall poor sound quality with the culprit being the cordless PHONE, not mJ or the 'puter!!! Try a hard wired phone first to see if call quality improves. If it does, then try a different cordless model. Borrow a friend or neighbors if you have to just for testing...keep us posted as well.

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

As I've said before, I've tried the MJ dongle on several different computers and setups, and it has the same choppy audio on all of them, including my relative's setup where his MJ works fine. The problem is obviously with the MJ device.

And since MJ has never responded to any of my email inquiries, I can't even get a replacement device to see if it will work on the road.

Does your relative have the same area code as you? If so, I'd agree that it looks like you may have a bad MJ.

However, if he has a different area code, that means he is using a different server. I know you mentioned in your first post that you tried a different proxy, but a recent Poster stated he had to block out six separate proxies before he got one that worked clearly. Yes, it's a shame to have to go to such lengths, however it feels good to finally clear up a problem like you're experiencing.

Of course, if you're confident that you've exhausted the proxies and other fixes, then your gut feeling that you have a bad MJ may be the end of your journey.

If you bought your MJ from the MJ website, then they will replace it. You have to use the online chat. You mentioned emails, but not how you attained those email addresses.

If you bought from another retailer, you'll have to follow up with them, if you are still within their exchange/return window.

If you bought from another retailer, and you are outside their return policy limitations, then you have two choices:

1) Buy another Magic Jack, and contact the online chat BEFORE plugging in the new MJ, to transfer your number. (If you want to keep it. You may not have used it enough for your old MJ number to have any value for you)

2) Cut your losses and choose one of the more robust and expensive VOIP alternatives.


You sound like you are on the verge of tossing in your hat, and one can't really blame you. However, I think you are also on the verge of solving the mystery one way or another.

Please keep us posted on the outcome.

[bfksc]

I've also had many a mJ with choppy audio and overall poor sound quality with the culprit being the cordless PHONE, not mJ or the 'puter!!! Try a hard wired phone first to see if call quality improves. If it does, then try a different cordless model. Borrow a friend or neighbors if you have to just for testing...keep us posted as well.

That was one of the first things I tried as call display wasn't working on the cordless phone. Adding a corded phone made the call display work fine, but audio was still choppy with three different phones and several combinations of phones.

[bfksc]

As I've said before, I've tried the MJ dongle on several different computers and setups, and it has the same choppy audio on all of them, including my relative's setup where his MJ works fine. The problem is obviously with the MJ device.

And since MJ has never responded to any of my email inquiries, I can't even get a replacement device to see if it will work on the road.

Does your relative have the same area code as you? If so, I'd agree that it looks like you may have a bad MJ.

Not the same area code, but the same proxy server - New York. That's partly the reason I changed phone numbers and picked a NY number, to see if it made a difference.

However, if he has a different area code, that means he is using a different server. I know you mentioned in your first post that you tried a different proxy, but a recent Poster stated he had to block out six separate proxies before he got one that worked clearly. Yes, it's a shame to have to go to such lengths, however it feels good to finally clear up a problem like you're experiencing.

Again that puts the problem on MJ servers, which is an issue most MJ users have little or no control over since most users won't know how to blacklist proxy servers.

If you bought your MJ from the MJ website, then they will replace it. You have to use the online chat. You mentioned emails, but not how you attained those email addresses.

I bought mine from the Canadian MJ website. I have a contact email for them, and I've also requested an RMA to replace the MJ through the website and have never had any response of any kind from anyone. The online chat people told me to use the website for an RMA since the chat is for the US site and returns have to go through the CDN website.

You sound like you are on the verge of tossing in your hat, and one can't really blame you. However, I think you are also on the verge of solving the mystery one way or another.
Please keep us posted on the outcome.

I've given up on trying to get the MJ device to work. And I certainly don't want to give up my MJ account as it works fine using my Linksys ATA, but that means I can only use it at home or if I take the ATA with me on the road, which defeats the purpose of the MJ device.

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

Well, it sounds like you may have exhausted all avenues, save getting a new MJ.

The Canadian site is just a distributor, so you are bound by the return policy (or lack of) they have for defective MJ's. However, if you wanted to keep your existing number, you'd still have to deal with the live chat on the U.S. site before you plug in the replacement MJ.

I must admit ignorance to the realities Canadians face ordering merchandise from U.S. websites. Perhaps, if your original Canadian MJ website distributor balks at a replacement, you could order a new MJ from a mainstream U.S. website? They tend to have reasonable return policies. I don't know, would the cost of international return postage be a deal breaker?

In the meantime, you've mastered the art of the MJ ATA, so you at least get to benefit from the service, despite the limitations you described.

I'm sorry to hear you've had such a difficult experience. Hopefully, your next go around will be better.