voice quality

[amc.toth]

I've had this mJ for a few years and have the 1/2 sec delay but no echo all along. Makes no difference if on my home computer, office networked computer, laptop while traveling, no matter which phone I use, etc. Callers think I'm on a very cheap cellphone! I also find the quality is even worse if I'm using the phone within 3' of my computer - but then if I use a longer cord, my arms are not long enough to reach my computer! Any suggestions?

Also read lots about 'thin client' - is there any easy explanation of what taht is? And would it help my quality problem?

Thanks in advance to all you lovely people out there that are willing to keep the mJ alive!

[crackerjack]

I've had this mJ for a few years and have the 1/2 sec delay but no echo all along. Makes no difference if on my home computer, office networked computer, laptop while traveling, no matter which phone I use, etc. Callers think I'm on a very cheap cellphone! I also find the quality is even worse if I'm using the phone within 3' of my computer - but then if I use a longer cord, my arms are not long enough to reach my computer! Any suggestions?

Also read lots about 'thin client' - is there any easy explanation of what taht is? And would it help my quality problem?

Thanks in advance to all you lovely people out there that are willing to keep the mJ alive!

This subject has been treated in excruciating detail within this forum. Get familiar with the search feature

[bitstopjoe]

Jeez Crackerjack telling the poor guy to search, you would think there was a WHOLE Thin Client section on this forum or something!! Oh wait............................. never mind


Joe Sica

[amc.toth]

I guess "...... all you lovely people out there that are willing to keep the mJ alive!" types haven't yet replied.

The ones who responded apparently did not read that I'm a "Newbie" and unfamiliar with forums in general. So, it seems this forum is not very helpful! And I am not a 'poor guy' - in fact, I'm not a guy at all!

Oh wait ......... why am I writing this! You guys don't seem to be able to read very well anyway! Thanks for opening my eyes to this warm-and-fuzzy place!

[bitstopjoe]

I guess "...... all you lovely people out there that are willing to keep the mJ alive!" types haven't yet replied.

The ones who responded apparently did not read that I'm a "Newbie" and unfamiliar with forums in general. So, it seems this forum is not very helpful! And I am not a 'poor guy' - in fact, I'm not a guy at all!

Oh wait ......... why am I writing this! You guys don't seem to be able to read very well anyway! Thanks for opening my eyes to this warm-and-fuzzy place!

Guy as in generic, like where no man has gone before. Yes that includes the ladies ( not sure about fem nazis though as they are in a league all of their own
When you first get into this forum there is a WHOLE THIN CLIENT section. One would think one would go there and read or search for their answer.
Since you wanted an easy explaination as to what Thin Client is. IT"S IN THERE.. You don't need to know anything about forums, just how make some effort and how to read and I assume you can since you are able to write.

Joe Sica

[amc.toth]

Duh! I'm guessing you think I didn't 'make the effort' by searching before first posting this question. There was nothing in the forum I could find which offered an easy (i.e., non geek-speak, layperson's English) to understand explanation of 'thin client' Or perhaps this forum is only for experienced users and not for those of us who simply want to use the mJack, which is sorely lacking any documentation beyond 'plug-it-in'!

And your response sounds abusive, your reference to 'fem nazis' leans heavily toward the offensive, and is entirely unrelated to this subject matter (if you have a preference for 'fem nazis' you'd best seach for an entirely different forum!)

Hoping someone else can offer a more civil, and logical, response. If not, then don't bother to post further.

[bitstopjoe]

I will type this slow since you obviously do not read fast.... THERE IS A WHOLE SECTION DEDICATED TO THIN CLIENT... Had you taken the time to TRY and read said section you would have learned all you needed to know about Thin Clients... Of course this is me making the assumption you can, in fact, read.
Also you seem to have the sense of humor as a wet noodle ( which tells me you HAVE to be a liberal Democrat) and have no idea when something is said in jest or tongue in cheek. Plus you seem to have no idea what the reference to Fem nazis meant and to what it was infered too.
I know I know I used a LOT of big words here, sorry. So it may take you a while to look them up before you can respond..

Joe Sica

[mkushner]

Wow...a lot of you are very rude.

[bitstopjoe]

Wow...a lot of you are very rude.

Rude is as rude does...............


Joe Sica

[Veronica]

[quote="mkushner"]Wow...a lot of you are very rude.[/quote]

I agree. I'm a newbie with voice quality problems, but am now afraid to ask for help on this board.

[sabresfan]

Wow...a lot of you are very rude.

I agree. I'm a newbie with voice quality problems, but am now afraid to ask for help on this board.

Sorry to hear this. A good place to look for audio problems is the MJ wiki http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MagicJack it a detailed writeup on the common causes and fixes available for this and other MJ problems. Audio problems can come from many things so try a few troubleshooting techniques first. Try and disconnect all applications on your computer you don't need. MJ does not work well if it has to compete for resources on your computer. Try it on another computer to see if the problem persists and if possible try it at a friends house with a different isp. Also run a test to see if your internet connection is stable (google voip quality test and you should find some). Other common things to try are plug the MJ into the usb port on the back of your computer and ditch the cheap usb extension cable this has caused problems as well. Other things to try are to remove your router and plug your computer directly in the modem and a powered usb hub has helped many people with similar problems in the past. If your audio does not improve with these steps there are some other things to try as explained in the wiki but try the simple things first and hope you get lucky.

[bitstopjoe]

Wow...a lot of you are very rude.

I agree. I'm a newbie with voice quality problems, but am now afraid to ask for help on this board.

Don't be afraid as the orig poster and their posts have been deleted so you are only seeing 1/2 of the story. When someone gets on here and asks a question which has been asked AND answered MANY MANY times, then me, and others will say please do a search first. Usually that is the end of it or the person says, sorry I did search but didnt see it. That's fine. BUT sometimes you get people who take offense at the shear mention of being told what to do. What me search, bah. Give me what I need slave. So yes then we can and do get rude. As I said rude is as rude does.
NEVER be afraid of asking a question here, but PLEASE do a search first and if you can't find an answer, PLEASE ask and say you did a search but still need help. You will be helped, trust me.

Joe Sica

[tony]

Also read lots about 'thin client' - is there any easy explanation of what taht is? And would it help my quality problem?

I can see where the info on thin clients may not be too helpful, even HP's website launches off with "Thin clients are computing devices that function as an access device on a network" which doesn't really tell you too much if you aren't in the business of accessing devices on a network (which could mean lots of different things).

amc.toth
In the context of a MJ, a thin client is a basic personal computer that can run Windows XP (actually a less than full version of XP but sufficient to run MJ). There are no moving parts in a thin client, not even a hard drive, so energy consumption is very low, under 15 watts, maybe even less (I don't remember, but less than a night light). When dedicated to MJ, a TC does the job quite nicely with minimal maintenance, low energy consumption, no heat buildup (so you can tuck the TC away somewhere), and provides decent call quality.

if you are having voice quality problems, a thin client can help, but there are other factors to check first.

Describe your voice quality problems.

Also describe your setup:
-what kind of internet connection do you have?
-do a Google search for Voip test and run some of the tests. What is your jitter and MOS score?
-try disabling other heavy uses of your internet connection when on a call, don't upload or download lots of data.

Use the forum search to search some of the keywords in your symptoms. Many people have experienced poor call quality and have found means to improve call quality.

Persevere, MJ should work for you as long as your Internet service meets minimum requirements.

[amc.toth]

I want to thank Tony and Sabresfan for offering info far more helpful than someone who prefers being 'abusive' You two have renewed my confidence in this forum being helpful to Newbies. Thanks again.

[amc.toth]

Sabresfan:

I finally found a site to test. I'm on Win7 w/ an Ethernet to cable to Linksys N router to Cablevision & Vonage modem connection. The 'jitter' was 6.0, the MOS was 3.4 and it said something about Packet Loss at 13.8.

As it's brand new computer (Dell Studio XPS 7100 with 64bit & 8G), I'm not running anything while on a call. People complain that I'm breaking up or on a back cellphone connection. They ask me to call back on a landline (kinda defeats my mJ as it's nearest my computer). Any thoughts?

This is my setup at home so the 'thin client' is not exactly what we would be able to do comfortably.

And thanks again for helping me understand 'thin client' in my humble layperson's language.

[crackerjack]

Sabresfan:

I finally found a site to test. I'm on Win7 w/ an Ethernet to cable to Linksys N router to Cablevision & Vonage modem connection. The 'jitter' was 6.0, the MOS was 3.4 and it said something about Packet Loss at 13.8.

As it's brand new computer (Dell Studio XPS 7100 with 64bit & 8G), I'm not running anything while on a call. People complain that I'm breaking up or on a back cellphone connection. They ask me to call back on a landline (kinda defeats my mJ as it's nearest my computer). Any thoughts?

This is my setup at home so the 'thin client' is not exactly what we would be able to do comfortably.

And thanks again for helping me understand 'thin client' in my humble layperson's language.

Your call quality issues can definitely be attributed to less than ideal results from your line quality tests.
Try this link and select a local server
http://myspeed.visualware.com/indexvoip.php
Explore if there are QOS settings that can be implemented on your router.

[xamire]

Try adjusting your QoS (Quality of service) on your router. You can set it to give either the computer, or just the voip more bandwidth.

This would be my guess, as you're probably running on a lower end internet connection (lowest dsl) etc. And while running MJ on a lower dsl service is alright, it will chop the crap out of your bandwidth, making MJ sound like crap, or even cut out if theres too much noise going back and forth through the phone.

You might also want to check this out (copied from the MJ faq):

A quality high-speed Internet connection will ensure a clear voice quality.

If you are experiencing an audio issue not related to your Internet connection:

Please try connecting your magicJack to a different USB port and try again

If that does not work:

Please turn off your modem and router (if you are using one) for 3 minutes. Then turn them back on again. Now unplug your magicJack and plug back it back in. After it starts up again, try to make a phone call.

If that does not work:

Please try using a different phone with your magicJack

If that does not work:

Right click on My Computer

Click Properties

Click the Advanced Tab

Under Performance, click Settings

Click the Advanced tab

Under Processor Scheduling, check the round button called Background Services

Click Apply

Click OK

Click OK again.

Now restart your magicJack and try a couple of calls to see if the quality improves.

If that does not work:

Please make sure that you have a good Ethernet cable connected from either your router/modem to your computer or from your modem to your router. Although some low priced Ethernet cables can handle Internet connections without any issues, they might affect the quality of your phone calls.

NOTE: If you are using the optional USB cord, please try without it.

[amc.toth]

Oh, dear - this feels like it's way over my head.

We are on cable via Cablevision. They provided the modem, after that we have Vonage voip modem (Motorola), after that I have a Linksys wired & wireless N router. My hubby is on it (XP Media) via Cat 5e, he also has an XP laptop on wifi, same to me (mine is the Win7). I know this setup sounds crazy (or at least it does to us) but it's been working so I'm a bit hesitant to make any changes (if it ain't broke.....).

The mJ does not have any noise or static, just a slight delay as if I'm on a poorer quality cellphone. My callers find it annoying. I'm using a Vtech portable phone 2.8 bandwidth. I've also tried a wired phone, and an ATT portable - all with the same results.

Hope this helps understand our setup. Maybe I'm just hoping for more than is possible. If so, let me know and I'll just drop this and use my cellphone.

[phillipnewberry]

Hey, I have a MAC and have the same issue

Why is the sound so bad?

[Diggs]

Are both/either of you on wifi?

[phillipnewberry]

My MAC is connect VIA wireless.

But, I've tried connecting directly into my router and I get the same experience

[amc.toth]

As I've said before - I'm not very technologically oriented.

As mine is a new Win7 computer, I had the folks from Dell set it up on Ethernet - or so I thought! But no, they set it on wireless (via Linksys N router). They are supposed to call me tonight and re-set it to the broadband & Ethernet connection. I'll test the MJ once that's done and see if that solves the problem. Sorry for the confusion folks!