Not yet a current owner/user of the Magic jack. I would appreciate answers to the following questions to help me make up my mind re a purchase/use of this product.
1.What if any is the minimum amount of RAM that the computer must have for the magic jack to work properly?
2.I have a friend in Birmingham that recently bought one and she and i carried on a conversation on it and i was very impressed with the line quality. She gave me the impression that the product is available in Canada and that one can use a Canadian based phone number. The information on the U.S. Magic jack web page does not indicate that.
3.The impression i have is that the product (U.S.) will not be shipped to Canada.
4.The impression i have is that only U.S. area codes can be used.
5. There seems to be a similar product available based in Canada. Do you have any comments on it?
6. My primary reason of interest in Magic jack is to connect to a laptop and use it when in travel status (primarily in the U.S.) via a WIFI connection. Any comments re that use?
7. My area code is 613.However must i have a 613 requested area code for the device to function without incurring long distance charges?
8. Any additional information that you care to share would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,truenorth
Assistance requested re Magic Jack
Moderators: Bill Smith, Pilot
Re: Assistance requested re Magic Jack
truenorth wrote:Not yet a current owner/user of the Magic jack. I would appreciate answers to the following questions to help me make up my mind re a purchase/use of this product.
1.What if any is the minimum amount of RAM that the computer must have for the magic jack to work properly?
2.I have a friend in Birmingham that recently bought one and she and i carried on a conversation on it and i was very impressed with the line quality. She gave me the impression that the product is available in Canada and that one can use a Canadian based phone number. The information on the U.S. Magic jack web page does not indicate that.
3.The impression i have is that the product (U.S.) will not be shipped to Canada.
4.The impression i have is that only U.S. area codes can be used.
5. There seems to be a similar product available based in Canada. Do you have any comments on it?
6. My primary reason of interest in Magic jack is to connect to a laptop and use it when in travel status (primarily in the U.S.) via a WIFI connection. Any comments re that use?
7. My area code is 613.However must i have a 613 requested area code for the device to function without incurring long distance charges?
8. Any additional information that you care to share would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,truenorth
Greetings from Vancouver.
1. RAM 256 MB should do it, 512 MB is better. What's your processor speed?
2. Just saw MJ in "The Source" (formerly Radio Shack in Canada, oh why did they change their name, because now it's "The Source, you know they used to be Radio Shack or "TSYKTUTBRS", much longer). $49.99 CDN which is about the same as mail order from magicjack.com plus shipping plus currency exchange. Plus you can bring it back if it's faulty or doesn't work for you.
But yes, you can mail order from the Florida address of MJ. It's actually shipped from Ontario (not to be confused with the Canadian reseller of MJ). I'm in Vancouver and have had a MJ for about 18 months, mail ordered from US.
3. Ships from Ontario. See above
4. Apparently ,for $10/year , you can have a CDN number. Limited cities though. Consider a US number where you have friends or relatives. A free call for them by dialing your local US number.
5. What's the similar product?
6. That's how I use mine, MJ into a laptop using a hotel wifi. I plug the hotel room phone in, but carry my own phone too. Works great for calling home.
7. I'm not sure what you mean? Long distance for whom? There are 2 points of reference, you and the person you are talking to. So for whom are you concerned about long distance charges? "613" is Ottawa. If you want your Ottawa friends and family to call you without paying long distance, yes you need a 613 number. But are you keeping your cell or landline? If so, they can call your cell or landline without long distance charges. Remember, MJ gives you free calls to anywhere in Canada, US, Puerto Rico and one other Territory. So no, you don't need a 613 number. In fact, why would you?
8. Works great from Canada. Your Internet connection is a big factor as is not running too many CPU or bandwidth intensive programs on your PC/laptop.
Go to The Source, get one and try it out. No risk.
Re MJ technical questions
tony,WOW what a marvelous response--so comprehensive.Thank you very much. The Canadian alternative i was reffering to is http://www.do not trust - spammer/
I believe what my confusion re the "need" for a 613 area code is from a lack of knowledge of MJ and how it works. As an example of what prompted the question: I do live in the 613 area code.However it is a huge area and many locations within it are long distance from each other.I have a DSL high speed at home and i MUST have access to a local DSL exchange from my provider (Distributel) that is NOT long distance.So Ottawa would not be good as it is long distance to me. However i have my exchange link through Cornwall. Now even here i may be confusing apples and oranges as i also have my long distance service through Distributel and it may only be germain to that service that i need a local connection.Anyway i now see from your reply that is not a factor with MJ.My concern for the RAM is based on my current laptop (very old) Compaq Presario 1810 with only a max availability of 96mb of RAM.It does have win xp-home with a WIFI.But it looks like i would be requiring a more robust laptop. I am going to investigate this new "tablet" portable type.
There is a "Source" store in Cornwall. I will call to see if they stock MJ. I gather there is no problem setting up an area code (in the U.S.) even though one purchases the MJ in Canada?How do you pay future annual fees if you buy it in Canada? I am sure that you are aware of the MJ new function of "automatic" renewal which seems to be causing some issues with customers.
Thank's again,truenorth
I believe what my confusion re the "need" for a 613 area code is from a lack of knowledge of MJ and how it works. As an example of what prompted the question: I do live in the 613 area code.However it is a huge area and many locations within it are long distance from each other.I have a DSL high speed at home and i MUST have access to a local DSL exchange from my provider (Distributel) that is NOT long distance.So Ottawa would not be good as it is long distance to me. However i have my exchange link through Cornwall. Now even here i may be confusing apples and oranges as i also have my long distance service through Distributel and it may only be germain to that service that i need a local connection.Anyway i now see from your reply that is not a factor with MJ.My concern for the RAM is based on my current laptop (very old) Compaq Presario 1810 with only a max availability of 96mb of RAM.It does have win xp-home with a WIFI.But it looks like i would be requiring a more robust laptop. I am going to investigate this new "tablet" portable type.
There is a "Source" store in Cornwall. I will call to see if they stock MJ. I gather there is no problem setting up an area code (in the U.S.) even though one purchases the MJ in Canada?How do you pay future annual fees if you buy it in Canada? I am sure that you are aware of the MJ new function of "automatic" renewal which seems to be causing some issues with customers.
Thank's again,truenorth
Hi TrueNorth,
Wow, the Canadian Magic Jack web site needs a work-over, very confusing with all the crossed-out text, the confusing links to the CRTC, etc.
Given the Canadian MJ's 2-4 week shipping time, I'd either go to The Source or order direct from MJ in the US. I think delivery (from an Ontario address) was about 10-14 days.
Right, long distance really depends on the carrier. Here in BC, a Telus landline gives me free local calling in the 604 exchange out about 30-40 km radius, beyond which it's long distance. But the cell phone, also with Telus, has a local calling area of almost 100 km. So really, it depends on what plan the person calling you has that determines whether it's long distance for them or not.
If MJ offers local Ottawa numbers, then you can have a number that your Ottawa friends and relatives can call as a local number and it'll ring your house phone or cell or MJ phone.
No problem setting up a US number from Canada. The only thing is 911 doesn't work outside the USA. Another reason to keep your land line or E911 compatible cell phone for emergencies.
Re annual fees, just pay by credit card. Re: auto-renewals, you can elect to turn that off in your account settings on the MJ web site (member's area).
As for 98 MB, give it a try. If it doesn't work, you can always bring it back to the Source. It might actually work, MJ doesn't require much cpu power.
let us know how it works, 98 MB with XP home might be a new threshhold for the device.
Wow, the Canadian Magic Jack web site needs a work-over, very confusing with all the crossed-out text, the confusing links to the CRTC, etc.
Given the Canadian MJ's 2-4 week shipping time, I'd either go to The Source or order direct from MJ in the US. I think delivery (from an Ontario address) was about 10-14 days.
Right, long distance really depends on the carrier. Here in BC, a Telus landline gives me free local calling in the 604 exchange out about 30-40 km radius, beyond which it's long distance. But the cell phone, also with Telus, has a local calling area of almost 100 km. So really, it depends on what plan the person calling you has that determines whether it's long distance for them or not.
If MJ offers local Ottawa numbers, then you can have a number that your Ottawa friends and relatives can call as a local number and it'll ring your house phone or cell or MJ phone.
No problem setting up a US number from Canada. The only thing is 911 doesn't work outside the USA. Another reason to keep your land line or E911 compatible cell phone for emergencies.
Re annual fees, just pay by credit card. Re: auto-renewals, you can elect to turn that off in your account settings on the MJ web site (member's area).
As for 98 MB, give it a try. If it doesn't work, you can always bring it back to the Source. It might actually work, MJ doesn't require much cpu power.
let us know how it works, 98 MB with XP home might be a new threshhold for the device.
[quote="tony"]Someone (Matt9876) reported running MJ on 64 MB of memory so your 96 MB should be just fine.[/quote] I used to have a thin client with 128 mb running magicjack and the sound quality was awful. upgraded to 256 mb and quality was so-so. upgraded to 512 mb and quality is great. I'll recommend using 512 mb and avoid the hassle.
Hey guys, You have sure been very helpfull in bringing me up to speed re the MJ. I do have some info as yet unverified. My local Source retailer does stock the MJ (U.S. version as a regular item). The staff member i talked to on the phone about it said that he "thought " that Canadian area codes could be used but to me it sounded like he was unsure. It occurred to me after Tony's reply re the RAM question that some time ago when i was trying to determine if that same Compaq laptop could function with Skype i found that their recommended minimum RAM was either 256 or 512. So given that they are both VOIP based it would seem to me that my Compaq would not do a satisfactory job. But that is just an assumption at this point. Two things--i am committed now to get a MJ---i am equally committed to get another laptop with more RAM. Probably one of those small 10 in screen types.truenorth[/i]
Hi, I wonder if Skype needs more RAM because it's operating as a node on a peer to peer network sharing the load of handling the calls in process. That is, like a distributed network, in the background your computer is participating in handling other people's call. With MJ, it's just your call that's being handled.truenorth wrote: re the RAM question that some time ago when i was trying to determine if that same Compaq laptop could function with Skype i found that their recommended minimum RAM was either 256 or 512. ]
If you're going to try out a MJ, then certainly give your old laptop a try, if it works, you'll save some $$. if it doesn't work well right off, there are a bunch of tweaks you can do to improve call quality. Some off the top of my head:
-disable background XP processes such as indexing
-if it's a stand alone computer used for no other purpose, you don't need antivirus.
-Under administration, services, disable unneeded services and processes
- hardwire your laptop to your router instead of using WiFi
- Check your Internet speed and visit VOIP test sites to test how your connection would work for VOIP.
-read the wiki here http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MagicJack particularly the section on proxies
Also realize that call quality, at least for me, seems to vary with the time of day. The worst call call quality is in the late afternoon when all the kids in the neighborhood get home from school and people start arriving home from work and everybody gets on the Internet slowing things down.