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I don't use it personally - my dad has it, however, and in my experience it seems to work pretty good. The quality is comparable to most other VOIP solutions (e.g. Vonage, etc), it's just a heck of a lot cheaper.
The reason I don't have it is, ironically, because it's too expensive. If you're going to have a computer on all the time anyway, you might as well use google voice (which is free, unlimited, and also allows you to send and receive unlimited text messages as well).
The reason I don't have it is, ironically, because it's too expensive. If you're going to have a computer on all the time anyway, you might as well use google voice (which is free, unlimited, and also allows you to send and receive unlimited text messages as well).
I have used Magic Jack and it worked fine, comparable to VOIP. I gave it up because I have a cell for work and didn't use it enough. One thing to beware of; if you're using Comcast for internet, they have (at least in the past) blocked the use of the Magic Jack device over their internet service. I believe there is a workaround for it, but I would check with your internet provider before buying.
I ditched my land line and started using MagicJack in March. The quality is so-so, but then again other VOIP services may have similar issues. I so rarely get phone calls, it made more sense to use this instead of paying $25/mo. Since I only need to re-up early next year, I will use this for now, but I suppose I should look into Google Voice if it is free.
I wasn't particularly pleased with Majic Jack. The voice quality was barely acceptable-- it wasn't so much quality as volume really, and I have excellent hearing and tried two different handsets with adjustable volume.
Caller ID didn't work for me. There are sites that report a fix for this, but at the time I tried it, you had to build a rather crude adapter-- suddenly your phone begins to resemble a broken radio from the 1970s, with exposed wires and a resistor hanging out.
The voicemail service only worked occasionally, and anyone leaving a message has to listen to a majicjack advertisement before leaving the message.
Part of majicjack is that it does subject you to advertising, most of which is for majicjack itself. This is annoying because you already own majicjack if you get the advertising.
When you install majicjack, realize that there is no uninstallation software-- fortunately people have made tools and written instructions on how to uninstall it, so you can get it off your system eventually. It's just an annoyance.
At the end of the day, poor quality, no caller ID, useless voicemail, and the marketing messages made it a no go for me. I bought it at Wal-Mart, and just returned it, no big deal.
Caller ID didn't work for me. There are sites that report a fix for this, but at the time I tried it, you had to build a rather crude adapter-- suddenly your phone begins to resemble a broken radio from the 1970s, with exposed wires and a resistor hanging out.
The voicemail service only worked occasionally, and anyone leaving a message has to listen to a majicjack advertisement before leaving the message.
Part of majicjack is that it does subject you to advertising, most of which is for majicjack itself. This is annoying because you already own majicjack if you get the advertising.
When you install majicjack, realize that there is no uninstallation software-- fortunately people have made tools and written instructions on how to uninstall it, so you can get it off your system eventually. It's just an annoyance.
At the end of the day, poor quality, no caller ID, useless voicemail, and the marketing messages made it a no go for me. I bought it at Wal-Mart, and just returned it, no big deal.
I also tried to use Skype as a home phone service, running the skype through my home wifi to my cell phone. This kind of works. I got phone calls okay, and the voice quality was acceptable. Skype's voicemail didn't work for me regularly. (Just so it's clear, I do know how to use voicemail and have it on my cell, work, and previous VOIP servces).
I also started getting weird spam like messages from people I don't know at all hours of the night through skype. Generally the message comes from an account with a female name, accompanied by picture of a reasonably attractive young woman, with a message that says something like "I just read your really interesting profile. Wanna chat?" Since essentially every field in my profile was left blank, I assumed this was some sort of skype-spam. My wife particularly liked being woken up by these messages at 2AM. I got several of these messages from several different women's names and pics. Maybe I am actually just THAT interesting....
Some of my troubles may be related to using an older iMac as my home system, but it is supposed to be compatible.
In the end, we just decided to go without a home phone at all.
I also started getting weird spam like messages from people I don't know at all hours of the night through skype. Generally the message comes from an account with a female name, accompanied by picture of a reasonably attractive young woman, with a message that says something like "I just read your really interesting profile. Wanna chat?" Since essentially every field in my profile was left blank, I assumed this was some sort of skype-spam. My wife particularly liked being woken up by these messages at 2AM. I got several of these messages from several different women's names and pics. Maybe I am actually just THAT interesting....
Some of my troubles may be related to using an older iMac as my home system, but it is supposed to be compatible.
In the end, we just decided to go without a home phone at all.
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