comparison of best thin client to use with magicjack

[johnlvs2run]

I'm planning to get a thin client for the magicjack this weekend and would like to know what the best one might be.
The ones that I'm choosing from are as follows. Feel free to add another if you feel it is better.
I'm just looking for a basic thin client that will work forever with no tweaking or hassles.

1) Neoware e140 Thin Client 1GHz 512F/512R magicJack Ready
2) HP Thin Client T5720 1GHz 512MB / 512MB magicJack Ready
3) NEW HP Thin Client T5720 1GHz 10GB/512 magicJack Ready
4) WYSE Thin Client V90 1GHz 1GB/512 magicJack Ready WiFi

I'm tending towards choice #2 or 3.

Would the energy use be much higher with the higher capacities?

All helpful feedback, opinions and suggestions will be much appreciated. Thank you

[V-Man]

I'm planning to get a thin client for the magicjack this weekend and would like to know what the best one might be.
The ones that I'm choosing from are as follows. Feel free to add another if you feel it is better.
I'm just looking for a basic thin client that will work forever with no tweaking or hassles.

1) Neoware e140 Thin Client 1GHz 512F/512R magicJack Ready
2) HP Thin Client T5720 1GHz 512MB / 512MB magicJack Ready
3) NEW HP Thin Client T5720 1GHz 10GB/512 magicJack Ready
4) WYSE Thin Client V90 1GHz 1GB/512 magicJack Ready WiFi

I'm tending towards choice #2 or 3.

Would the energy use be much higher with the higher capacities?

All helpful feedback, opinions and suggestions will be much appreciated. Thank you

I can't speak to the Neoware or the Wyse but if all you're wanting to do is have a worry free magicJack with PLENTY of growth capability, a t5720 1G/1G would do the trick. Now, a 5720 draws 22 to 25 watts but it would be plenty snappy and responsive to anything I'd think magicJack would throw at it. MY person fav in the HP 57xx series is a 5710 configured with 1GF/512R. You get just a tad more current draw than a 5700 configured that way and it's plenty responsive to run both the mj AND MagicFeatures 3rd party software.

Specs for that one below ↓

[Diggs]

IMHO #2 unless #3 is cheaper or you want to do more than just run MJ. Also, it seems info and resources are more plentiful for the HP thin clients. 10 GB Flash drive or is it a microdrive? I know the image from HP for the t5710 will not support 10 GB, but it appears the image for the t5720 does.

[V-Man]

IMHO #2 unless #3 is cheaper or you want to do more than just run MJ. Also, it seems info and resources are more plentiful for the HP thin clients. 10 GB Flash drive or is it a microdrive? I know the image from HP for the t5710 will not support 10 GB, but it appears the image for the t5720 does.

Really? That's COOL! I had no idea the 5720 had an image to support a larger HD. I may have to reconsider my choice for my fav.

[johnlvs2run]

I can't speak to the Neoware or the Wyse but if all you're wanting to do is have a worry free magicJack with PLENTY of growth capability, a t5720 1G/1G would do the trick. Now, a 5720 draws 22 to 25 watts but it would be plenty snappy and responsive to anything I'd think magicJack would throw at it. MY person fav in the HP 57xx series is a 5710 configured with 1GF/512R. You get just a tad more current draw than a 5700 configured that way and it's plenty responsive to run both the mj AND MagicFeatures 3rd party software.

Thanks for the prompt reponses.

That's quite a few watts for something that small! My computer uses 58 and most of that is the monitor.
However that is much better than verizon!!

I'll see if there's a 1G/1G. This is very helpful, thanks.

IMHO #2 unless #3 is cheaper or you want to do more than just run MJ. Also, it seems info and resources are more plentiful for the HP thin clients.
10 GB Flash drive or is it a microdrive? I know the image from HP for the t5710 will not support 10 GB, but it appears the image for the t5720 does.

Thanks very much. I'll go with the #2 choice.

[VaHam]

I don't know what your budget is or the cost of the units your asking about but to throw another ring in the fire take a look at the Acer Aspire Revo. Low power consumption and enough horse power to handle MJ and be a media center.

http://shop.revonate.com/Acer_Aspire_Re ... 02.079.htm

[stevereno]

In my opinion, the HP thin clients are much easier to re-image. I've pulled my hair out trying to image Wyse units in the past. At present, I have three HP T5720 512/512 units and they perform almost flawlessly with magicJack. Didn't pay more than $70 each for them on eBay.

[johnlvs2run]

$70 is a really good price.

The hp 5720 1G 512/512 that I'm thinking of getting is $105 on ebay.

Do have a link to the $70 one?

[Diggs]

$70 is a really good price.

The hp 5720 1G 512/512 that I'm thinking of getting is $105 on ebay.

Do have a link to the $70 one?

Ebay's search function works even better than this one -

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=hp%20t ... 0&_udhi=75

[V-Man]

$70 is a really good price.

The hp 5720 1G 512/512 that I'm thinking of getting is $105 on ebay.

Do have a link to the $70 one?

Ebay's search function works even better than this one -

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=hp%20t ... 0&_udhi=75

Check these out. Both are from the same seller. $65 including shipping. I've bought from this guy before. He usually ships the next day. You'll have do the MJ installation yourself but that's easy on the 5720. Even if you have to re-flash the flash drive, the image is free and available from HP's support site.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-Compaq-T5720-Thi ... 53e49b4494

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-Compaq-T5720-Thi ... 53e4a05e45

[johnlvs2run]

V-Man, thanks for your reply.

MAGICJACK UPDATES
The fellow with the HP units has posted the following, which I'd rather not have to deal with.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0606963934

> saves magicJack updates automatically
> gets around the dreaded Write Filter feature of the XP Embedded on Thin Clients with Flash Drive.
> when magicJack update is available, your unit will download, install and save magicJack updates automatically.
> Write Filter enabled and works as intended extending the life of the Flash Drive.
> magicJack updates gets a FREE pass
> No more manualy saving the changes, it will be done automatically!
> No downloading MJ software each time the unit starts!

Not having to deal with major MJ updates hassles would make the higher price reasonable.
I'd rather not spend hours trying to figure out how to do this myself, having been through plenty of computer hassles before.
Comments about this?

SIZE OF FLASH DRIVE
My concern with a 512 flash drive (vs 1G or larger) is how long it will be workable, with the increasing MJ requirements.
If the 512 flash drive becomes obsolete, then I'd have to go through an upgrade or new purchase.
However, his 10G drive has a lot of excess (virus programs etc) on it that I'd rather not have.

Comments and suggestions are much appreciated.

[V-Man]

MAGICJACK UPDATES
The fellow with the HP units has posted the following, which I'd rather not have to deal with.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0606963934

> saves magicJack updates automatically
> gets around the dreaded Write Filter feature of the XP Embedded on Thin Clients with Flash Drive.
> when magicJack update is available, your unit will download, install and save magicJack updates automatically.
> Write Filter enabled and works as intended extending the life of the Flash Drive.
> magicJack updates gets a FREE pass
> No more manualy saving the changes, it will be done automatically!
> No downloading MJ software each time the unit starts!

Not having to deal with major MJ updates hassles would make the higher price reasonable.
I'd rather not spend hours trying to figure out how to do this myself, having been through plenty of computer hassles before.
Comments about this?

SIZE OF FLASH DRIVE
My concern with a 512 flash drive (vs 1G or larger) is how long it will be workable, with the increasing MJ requirements.
If the 512 flash drive becomes obsolete, then I'd have to go through an upgrade or new purchase.
However, his 10G drive has a lot of excess (virus programs etc) on it that I'd rather not have.

Comments and suggestions are much appreciated.

Yeah, that guy has posted here before:
http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/new- ... t9848.html
IMHO, he was kind of taunting, almost bragging about his accomplishment but once one of the smarter ones on this forum pointed out a link about using overlays and the EWF filter, the guy went silent and has not posted anything since. That link is here:

http://tinyurl.com/27jvsqw Credits to the poster, stevereno for that link.

Thank ya, thank ya, thankyaverymuch Stevereno!!


I'm not 100% certain, but after I read what was in that link, what MY feeble brain could absorb told me that the Flash Drive does indeed continue to be written to which again, IMHO, is less desirable than doing a fresh boot, fresh download of the mj update and a commit ever so often so that the thin client can be updated with ONLY the mj update push. That way, there's no other extraneous garbage gets written to the flash (like a virus, for example). To me, that's exactly what the EWF is there for, to prevent ANY storage to it except that which gets specifically authorized by the thin client's owner/administrator.

Different strokes for different folks. This is just my preference. As another high IQ poster on this forum has said in the past, "Your mileage may vary."

[lseay29]

3) NEW HP Thin Client T5720 1GHz 10GB/512 Magicjack Ready

Does anybody know if the Enhanced Write Filter program can be added and used on the 10GB micro-drive as if it were a solid state DOM? If so it seems you would have the best of both worlds with high capacity and secure contents until enabled and committed to write any updated information.

[johnlvs2run]

Yeah, that guy has posted here before:
http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/new- ... t9848.html

V-Man, thanks for posting that informative link.

It seems to me he states on the listings that his TCs work, and the other's TCs will crash every time the MJ updates,
which is kind of scary, and he's getting plenty of sales.

I'll prefer to stay with a more reasonably priced TC and the forum.

[V-Man]

Yeah, that guy has posted here before:
http://www.phoneservicesupport.com/new- ... t9848.html

V-Man, thanks for posting that informative link.

It seems to me he states on the listings that his TCs work, and the other's TCs will crash every time the MJ updates,
which is kind of scary, and he's getting plenty of sales.

I'll prefer to stay with a more reasonably priced TC and the forum.

Oh, I totally agree on staying with the forum......didn't mean to suggest otherwise. Quite the opposite.....staying with the forum is a GOOD thing. There is a wealth of magicJack info on here.....more than one could ever get through the mj chat support lines.

As far as I know, the only TC's that have had probs crashing are the ones running either 256M Flash and/or 256M RAM. I have 512M in both the flash and RAM in my t5710 and have stayed alive during all three recent magicJack "Lucky You" upgrade pushes.

Please, if I'm wrong, someone chime in here.

What I'm suggesting is the more reasonably priced t5720, which is not necessarily the one that cost over $100.

Also, another little tidbit for those like myself counting pennies, the t5720 draws from 22 to 25 watts while the t5710 draws 12 to 15 watts. IMHO, the t5720's biggest advantage is its ability to have a Gig of RAM.....which should be enough RAM for the foreseeable future of MJ updates.

I've not played with the t5720 very much.....in the process of doing that now BUT, if I understood one of the wiser posters on this forum, the t5720 has available an XPe image from the HP site that will work on a flash drive formatted larger than 1Gig. IF THAT'S CORRECT, the t5720 has a long future ahead of it as a magicJack host, perhaps longer than the magicJack device itself!

[V-Man]

3) NEW HP Thin Client T5720 1GHz 10GB/512 Magicjack Ready

Does anybody know if the Enhanced Write Filter program can be added and used on the 10GB micro-drive as if it were a solid state DOM? If so it seems you would have the best of both worlds with high capacity and secure contents until enabled and committed to write any updated information.

I seem to remember reading somewhere on this site that that was possible. Do a search for EWF and see what pops up!

[johnlvs2run]

V-Man,
I just meant my preference is getting a reasonable price and sharing with people on the forum.
vs paying a high price and having to reply on a spurious proprietary idea, which anyway smacks of microsoft idealogy.

Your comments are much appreciated and thanks for that update on the watts.
I am very conscious of energy use and do whatever I can to keep it as low as possible.
My electricity use has averaged about 1.1 kw/day/person the last three months.
On this note, is it feasible to turn the TC off every night so it's only on 12-13 hours a day?

[V-Man]

V-Man,
I just meant my preference is getting a reasonable price and sharing with people on the forum.
vs paying a high price and having to reply on a spurious proprietary idea, which anyway smacks of microsoft idealogy.

Your comments are much appreciated and thanks for that update on the watts.
I am very conscious of energy use and do whatever I can to keep it as low as possible.
My electricity use has averaged about 1.1 kw/day/person the last three months.
On this note, is it feasible to turn the TC off every night so it's only on 12-13 hours a day?

Um, I suppose you could do that. Some would argue that constant cycling of power could cause a premature failure of some component inside the thin client. Personally, I'd bet that the power spikes and sags that are constantly on my power at my property are at least as damaging to components as daily power cycling. I live in the country and my power is not as consistant as that in the city. Because of that, I have most of my sensitive electronics protected by spike protectors and battery back-ups. Additionally, I've dropped my voice landline in favor of my magicJack and my NetTalk TK6000 so I prefer to leave mine on 24/7....which is precisely why I went with a t5710 in lieu of a t5720. The 5710's approximate half the power requirements as the 5720.

[johnlvs2run]

V-Man, that's good to know about the cycling.

I'm considering to put in a square D surgebreaker or similar, to help protect the whole house from surges. I will look at that after getting the phone thing worked out.

Also I'd like to hear more about nettalk at some point. I've given that a cursory glance but have never used a cell phone and don't know anything about them, however would want the price to be reasonable. I hope I'm talking about the same thing, maybe it's net10 and tracfone, but so far their prices seem way too high and I don't like cell phones anyway.

Basically I'd like to have some alternative to the magicjack in case verizon messes with my dryline when I switch. They just jacked up my broadband from 14.99 to 23.99 and said that's the best they can do, so I hope the dryline won't be higher than that. I would love to find some alternative and get rid of them completely.

[V-Man]

.....I'd like to hear more about nettalk at some point. I've given that a cursory glance but have never used a cell phone and don't know anything about them, however would want the price to be reasonable. I hope I'm talking about the same thing, maybe it's net10 and tracfone, but so far their prices seem way too high and I don't like cell phones anyway.

Basically I'd like to have some alternative to the magicjack in case verizon messes with my dryline when I switch. They just jacked up my broadband from 14.99 to 23.99 and said that's the best they can do, so I hope the dryline won't be higher than that. I would love to find some alternative and get rid of them completely.

I've been very satisified with my TK6K. The company has been very busy since its debut improving their services and offering new ones. Lots of MJ users on this site have the NetTalk device too. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. You can do a search on here for NetTalk (you'll get lots of hits) plus NetTalk has a company sanctioned/supported forum link to their primary web site too. The thing I like MOST about netTalk is their phone tech support using Living Breathing people that have a great command of the King's English. Leaps and bounds over the MJ chat support and their canned answers.

MagicJack continues to be my primary device though, due to the third party software that's available. I use the MagicFeatures flavor which gives the MJ lots more features than it originally was given by its own company. I suspect someone will release some third party software for the NetTalk device at some point. But at the rate they're improving, the third party stuff could become obsolete before it's released.

[johnlvs2run]

Ah yes the nettalk duo. I had seen that and figured it was too pricey, but 70 ($86.72) plus $30 for subsequent years is pretty good really, and much better than the other alternatives. That works out to $7.23 and $2.50 per month, no computer or thin client required.

The device does use electricity, as it runs from either the computer, or a power adapter that plugs into the wall. Maybe someone can check the watts from the power adapter. Nettalk charges $10 shipping, plus tax regardless of state and additional tax for some states. The price to CA is $86.72 for the device and first year. There is no tax or shipping for additional years.

I like that no computer is required and wonder why anyone would use both devices? It seems like one or the other would suffice. I'll check out the other threads about nettalk.

What happens if the broadband goes down entirely? For example what if the phone company just turns off the broadband to mess with you, and you have no phone connection with them, what happens then? If all the electricity went down, in that case I suppose just waiting it out would be fine, though there would be no phone in case of emergency.

[Nobody beats the Whiz!]

I maintain a T-Mobile prepaid cell phone for backup to VOIP.

They are great, because once you add $100 (1000 minutes) to the phone, all minutes will last a year. Once you add any more money (minutes) to the phone, the new minutes, plus all remaining minutes get extended another year.

So, after a year, I still had 900 minutes on my phone. I just added a $10 card to the phone, and now have about 1000 minutes that are good for another year.

[johnlvs2run]

V-Man thanks for the heads up about Nettalk.

I got the 50% off deal tonight, $48.33 with Cali tax.
This didn't work earlier but went right through tonight woo hoo!

I just went to their link and put the redemption code NTLKCRZYDISC in the space.
https://www.nettalk.com/buy/index.php?m ... ducts_id=1

President of Nettalk, Takis Kyriakides, is quite an innovator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEIG8Yiz-Gc