I'm not real clear about what magic jack is....

[lowtechcowboy]

Good evening to all; like everyone else,saving money is REALLY appealing.I don't really understand what magic jack does. We live out in the boonies and have a land line that provides both our regular phone and DSL on a single line. our bill is roughly 50.00 (not including DSL) which gives us unlimited long distance calling,(everything is pretty much long distance from here), caller ID, and all the applicable taxes. What would be the gain? I mean, I have to keep the landline service to run the computer. Simple explainations work best with lowtech people like us.....thanks

[bitstopjoe]

If your phone company, like mine, offers "naked" or dry loop DSL then you can cancel your landline # ( after you are sure MJ works for you of course) and still keep your DSL. That way you can now pay $20 a year ( after buying the MJ for the first time at $40 with the 1st yr included) for your local and LD calls with caller ID, voicemail and the like. Oh yeah no taxes with the MJ like you see on your regular phone service. Well not yet anyway as I am sure Obama will find a way somehow to tax us.
If they do not offer dry loop or "naked" DSL then yes you are stuck between a rock and a hard place as you need your phone line to get DSL and you need DSL to be able to use MJ. If, however, cable internet is available in your area then you you can use MJ with that instead of DSL.

Hope this helps

Joe Sica

[lowtechcowboy]

I did some fishing around and found out that we can get a pure broadband connection minus the telephone through our carrier. We're still unsure how Magic Jack works. Am I right to assume that the telephone we're currently using would mate up to the computer via the USB port? Would the computer have to be on for us to receive calls? Is our phone number issued by Magic Jack?How would someone call us that normally would go through the white pages or directory assistance? Can we keep the phone # we have now? Feel free to sing out with any advice, this is a big leap for us and the more we know the more informed decision we can make ..... thanks.

[bitstopjoe]

MJ does NOT allow you to port over your existing number and you get to choose a new number.
You take a corded OR cordless ( base) phone and physically plug it into the MJ unit. Yes your PC needs to be on to make and get calls. IF your PC is off your calls will go directly to voicemail.
There is no directory assistance for someone to get your MJ # ( that I am aware of anyway)
I suggest you buy MJ locally ( Radio Shack, Wal-mart, etc...) and try it for a couple of weeks, or for as long as you can till you have to return it for a refund. IF it all seems to work well and you like it, there you go. IF NOT then you are no worse off than you are now and still have your regular phone #.

Joe Sica

[lowtechcowboy]

Hey thanks Joe for the info. we're going to give it a try...see if it flies. hope the economy turns around and you find employment. adious from the ozarks.

[bitstopjoe]

Thank you and let me know how you make out..


Joe Sica

[Darkman90808]

As Joe said, make sure it (MJ) works first. Also, be prepared for some surprises. I'm going on my third year with two of them and my service is still spotty. For some folks, it's worked flawlessly. But not so much for others.

For example, I was chatting with a friend on my MJ over the weekend and twice he was put on hold and then we were cutoff right after. Also, he was experiencing some beeping on his end, which can be annoying.

Take advantage of the thirty day trial but read some of the caveats first. If it doesn't work out for you, knowing the rules can save you an awful lot of grief. Apologies if this sounds a little preachy. There are a lot of satisfied customers but some of the ones who aren't often use the forum to rant when they could have avoided some of their aggravation.

[cdwaldron]

Joe and Darkman are correct about making sure it works for you before dropping your landline. Even if MJ works well for you , you may have reason to keep a barebones landline so people can still find you via the directory. Then you can use MJ only for calling out with free long distance. If you could save $20/mon. by dropping your landline plan to a more basic level then you could save $200 the first year alone. And still have the best 911 service (a landline). Lots of options. Good luck.

[tony]

We live out in the boonies and have a land line that provides both our regular phone ...

As others have said, the landline is your surest means of communication. If indeed you live in a rural area you'll need to weigh whether you want to rely on the MJ for emergency communication versus the cost savings. Do you have a cell phone for backup? A neighbour you can yell to? I have a pretty decent Internet connection (cable in an urban area) but I still consider MJ to be a novelty item. It doesn't always work and many times, especially when there's lots of traffic on the Internet in our area, the call quality is poor to be un-usable

If you are looking for a replacement for your expensive land line, check out using an analogue telephone adapter and a VOIP subscription. Not as inexpensive as MJ, but more reliable and better call quality. You still need your DSL service for any of the VOIP services.

See these discussions for more info:

voip services: http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/what ... -t206.html

ATA description and typical pricing
http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Internet- ... B000HCX7UG

[Darkman90808]

If indeed you live in a rural area....

Completely off topic, but I'm reminded of when I was a kid growing up in Missouri visiting my grandparents on their farm. They were on a party line, so that several farms shared phone service. If I remember, each one had a distinct ring, so you knew whose number was being called. Also, one could listen in on another party's conversation, although I doubt it was common practice. Just a little trip down memory lane.

[norml jack]

It's totally going to depend on he quality of your broadband connection. Speed has little to do with it as long as there is enough "speed". All broadband connections provide adequate speed. The key factor is latency, period. That is the determining factor and is requisite to a quality voip experience.

[bitstopjoe]

It's totally going to depend on he quality of your broadband connection. Speed has little to do with it as long as there is enough "speed". All broadband connections provide adequate speed. The key factor is latency, period. That is the determining factor and is requisite to a quality voip experience.

Yep a high ping will kick your butt with MJ, or any VOIP for that matter..
High jitter doesnt help either
http://pingtest.net/

Joe Sica

Are you sure it wasn't Pelosi made on the 8th day?? Or did Satan have a 2 fer?