Since this is the technical part of the Unofficial Forum, can someone tell me in simple terms why some folks connect the MJ to the USB port in their computerss and start making calls while other people have problems that make them call the BBB?
Anne
Why Do Some People Have MJ Problems and Other People Do Not?
Moderators: Bill Smith, Pilot
The hardware and software you run on your computer "example Roxio CD burner program messes up the drive assignments for MagicJack" and USB ports very from machine to machine especially laptop computers and energy saver settings.
Also the type of internet provider you have makes a big difference.
One big discovery is some of the Ymax gateways are overloaded if your connecting to one of those your going to get choppy audio.
Just a few reason why some MJs work out of the box and others may never work properly.
Also the type of internet provider you have makes a big difference.
One big discovery is some of the Ymax gateways are overloaded if your connecting to one of those your going to get choppy audio.
Just a few reason why some MJs work out of the box and others may never work properly.
Anne, you seem to be crossing two independent topics in your posting.
The first topic is why some people have smooth sailing and others encounter problems. The second topic is why the people who encounter problems become tempted to complain to the BBB.
As for the first topic, with the sheer volume of permutations and combinations of PC hardware, software and internet service available, it is simply not possible to make MJ (or any other product, for that matter) foolproof.
The second topic arises because most MJ users have neither the technical expertise nor the desire to seek out and get involved in a forum like this in order to receive competent, if voluntary, assistance. All they can figure out is how to navigate the FAQ maze to get to the point where they can contact online chat help. You know as well as everyone else here how helpful, knowledgeable, forthright, honest, honorable and competent they and their handlers are, so you can see how customers like this can easily encounter frustration that builds to a much higher value than they have invested in the MJ. When live chat turns a $40 product into $4000 worth of frustration, the blood drains and the customer heads for the BBB.
The first topic is why some people have smooth sailing and others encounter problems. The second topic is why the people who encounter problems become tempted to complain to the BBB.
As for the first topic, with the sheer volume of permutations and combinations of PC hardware, software and internet service available, it is simply not possible to make MJ (or any other product, for that matter) foolproof.
The second topic arises because most MJ users have neither the technical expertise nor the desire to seek out and get involved in a forum like this in order to receive competent, if voluntary, assistance. All they can figure out is how to navigate the FAQ maze to get to the point where they can contact online chat help. You know as well as everyone else here how helpful, knowledgeable, forthright, honest, honorable and competent they and their handlers are, so you can see how customers like this can easily encounter frustration that builds to a much higher value than they have invested in the MJ. When live chat turns a $40 product into $4000 worth of frustration, the blood drains and the customer heads for the BBB.
Thank you Matt and Mberlant.
My MJ has worked so well that I'm superstitious about it; I use it only for long distance, keep it disconnected the rest of the time, and only two people in my family know I have it; I've told them never to mention it to others because I'll be hexed. And I would *never* recommend it - there are too many horror stories about it.
Glad I found this forum.
Anne
My MJ has worked so well that I'm superstitious about it; I use it only for long distance, keep it disconnected the rest of the time, and only two people in my family know I have it; I've told them never to mention it to others because I'll be hexed. And I would *never* recommend it - there are too many horror stories about it.
Glad I found this forum.
Anne
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Melman
- MagicJack Contributor
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2008 8:30 am
- Location: Centralia, Washington
My magicjack works very well too. Yesterday my internet seem slower, so I thought maybe my server was having problems and because of this it made my MJ with a choppy voice. This does not happen very often and today my internet speed seems much faster and my MJ voice quality is really good. In 3 weeks I will be going to China visiting my girlfriend, giving her my laptop and I bought another magicJack, so when I come back to the states we both can talk to each other for free. One of the newer problems is that my girlfriend in China bought a new calling card to telephone me, but now she is telling me that my phone does not ring. I am having everyone else call me and my phone rings every time. I use my MJ as my primary phone and my cell phone as a backup and if I am away from home.
Melman
Melman
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stroths
- Dan isn't smart enough to hire me
- Posts: 470
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:45 pm
- Location: Dallas, TX
Most computers I have worked on for friends and family come from a large manufacturer (Dell, HP, etc). Those companies love to pile as much crap as they can onto the PC which ends up hurting the performance. That compiled with all the software people install not to mention spyware or a virus.
Plug a magicjack intoa PC like that and you will not have the best experience. The best solution is a standalone PC, but I understand that not everyone has the space, time, expertise or finances to have that.
For anyone with a PC like that, I would suggest you do a clean install of XP (or Vista) and not the restore disc from the manufacturer. If you don't have the expertise, find a friend or family member that does. Your PC will run so much better and MJ as well.
You have to factor in your Internet speed and local network traffic (P2P, streaming videos, online gaming, etc). These all can have a big impact on your VOIP/MJ experience. This is where QOS capable routers can be lifesavers. The Hawking device for those less technically inclined works well as mentioned by many here in the forum.
Another factor is the proxy you connect to as well as MJ's network itself.
The last factor you can control somewhat by forcing your connection to another proxy if yours is overloaded. There are instructions here in the forum for that as well. The PC factor and QOS is something that you can control as well.
Those with the best chance of a good connection have done the tweaks, isolated the MJ to a separate PC or thin client and have their QOS properly setup.
This is not to say that the average user can't just plug in and have a good experience.
Plug a magicjack intoa PC like that and you will not have the best experience. The best solution is a standalone PC, but I understand that not everyone has the space, time, expertise or finances to have that.
For anyone with a PC like that, I would suggest you do a clean install of XP (or Vista) and not the restore disc from the manufacturer. If you don't have the expertise, find a friend or family member that does. Your PC will run so much better and MJ as well.
You have to factor in your Internet speed and local network traffic (P2P, streaming videos, online gaming, etc). These all can have a big impact on your VOIP/MJ experience. This is where QOS capable routers can be lifesavers. The Hawking device for those less technically inclined works well as mentioned by many here in the forum.
Another factor is the proxy you connect to as well as MJ's network itself.
The last factor you can control somewhat by forcing your connection to another proxy if yours is overloaded. There are instructions here in the forum for that as well. The PC factor and QOS is something that you can control as well.
Those with the best chance of a good connection have done the tweaks, isolated the MJ to a separate PC or thin client and have their QOS properly setup.
This is not to say that the average user can't just plug in and have a good experience.
Melman, I hope that you will fully test the MJ/laptop combination that you are giving your girlfriend before you leave home. I'm confident that's your plan, but I'd rather remind you of something you already know than to help you forget.
Also, since MJ natively homes to a proxy server near the MJ's phone number and not near where the MJ is located at the moment, you may want to choose a phone number for your girlfriend that is near a more lightly occupied proxy server. Her latency is going to be around 250ms (and not noticeable to your ears) regardless of whether she homes to Seattle or Atlanta, so don't worry about that factor.
Also, since MJ natively homes to a proxy server near the MJ's phone number and not near where the MJ is located at the moment, you may want to choose a phone number for your girlfriend that is near a more lightly occupied proxy server. Her latency is going to be around 250ms (and not noticeable to your ears) regardless of whether she homes to Seattle or Atlanta, so don't worry about that factor.
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JohnnyFreightTRAIN
- Dan isn't smart enough to hire me
- Posts: 313
- Joined: Fri Aug 08, 2008 3:09 am
Hahahaha. I agree completely.Anne wrote:Thank you Matt and Mberlant.
My MJ has worked so well that I'm superstitious about it; I use it only for long distance, keep it disconnected the rest of the time, and only two people in my family know I have it; I've told them never to mention it to others because I'll be hexed. And I would *never* recommend it - there are too many horror stories about it.
Glad I found this forum.
Anne
