Skype or Magic Jack Plus???

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I just broke down and got high speed WiFi....but would like to get rid of Bell Canada for my land line phone service.

Can anyone advise on the this?

I cannot talk to a "live person" to figure out how much bandwidth the MJ requires, should I decide to purchase it.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

Jody
  • Profile picture of the author Roaddog
    Jody,

    Just remember, if your computer goes down or offline or just a power outage...

    No phone..

    You know I had to do this, since you were the one that showed me...lol
    Let me Google that for you


    Did they invent cell phones in Canada yet?

    I haven't talked on a land line in ages...hell, just try and find a phone booth to change clothes in these days...the world is in trouble and I can't help, it's a travesty of justice I say.
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    • Profile picture of the author waterotter
      Originally Posted by Roaddog View Post

      Jody,

      Just remember, if your computer goes down or offline or just a power outage...

      No phone..

      You know I had to do this, since you were the one that showed me...


      Let me Google that for you

      Did they invent cell phones in Canada yet?

      I haven't talked on a land line in ages...hell, just try and find a phone booth to change clothes in these days...the world is in trouble and I can't help, it's a travesty of justice I say.
      LOL Jim, I will get a another cell phone for emergency purposes - and/or to have my calls forwarded. I ditched my old cell phone a few years ago...it cost to much -when half the time I couldn't receive a signal....I was wasting money.

      BTW, the best reception was always in the privy. :p I can't seem to locate it, as it has been moved.

      Bottom line, if I go with Skype (and get a back-up for power outages), I still would like to know more about magic jack plus. I have know idea how much bandwidth it uses.

      If anyone is using MJ, please enlighten me!

      Rock bottom line, we pay right through the nose here as we are in a rural area. Still think we should be entitled to a tax credit of some sot as we were promised high speed............it never happened.

      We have to rely on the Hub or the Stick to get high speed here - at a big cost.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kurt
    I just switched to MJ a week ago. I used Vonage for about 7 years and MJ is just so much cheaper. I will say though, that when I cancelled Vonage, they were willing to cut my bill to $9.99 a month.

    Sorry Jodi, I can't answer how much bandwidth, but never had a problem with any ISP over the 7 years I had Vonage.

    I haven't had MJ long enough to know how well it works, but when calling people with MJ they said I sound better on MJ than I did on Vonage, using the same phone.

    Like Jim mentioned, if your Net connction goes out, you don't have a phone. This can be a problem if you have to call your ISP to get it fixed.

    But the new MJ is great because you don't have to plug it into your PC like with the older MJ.
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    • Profile picture of the author waterotter
      Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

      I just switched to MJ a week ago. I used Vonage for about 7 years and MJ is just so much cheaper. I will say though, that when I cancelled Vonage, they were willing to cut my bill to $9.99 a month.

      Sorry Jodi, I can't answer how much bandwidth, but never had a problem with any ISP over the 7 years I had Vonage.

      I haven't had MJ long enough to know how well it works, but when calling people with MJ they said I sound better on MJ than I did on Vonage, using the same phone.

      Like Jim mentioned, if your Net connction goes out, you don't have a phone. This can be a problem if you have to call your ISP to get it fixed.

      But the new MJ is great because you don't have to plug it into your PC like with the older MJ.
      Thanks Kurt, it's the magic jack plus (you don't need to plug this one into a computer, just a phone line) that I am considering.......I have read great things about it, but I would like to get an idea of the bandwidth usage. We pay right through the nose here for high speed....Ma Bell is getting to be just as bad.

      I have searched high and low and cannot seem to find anyone in the business that can any questions. All the numbers I have tried, just lead me to an automated service. It's a bit frustrating, but I will persevere.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kurt
        Originally Posted by waterotter View Post

        Thanks Kurt, it's the magic jack plus (you don't need to plug this one into a computer, just a phone line) that I am considering.......I have read great things about it, but I would like to get an idea of the bandwidth usage. We pay right through the nose here for high speed....Ma Bell is getting to be just as bad.

        I have searched high and low and cannot seem to find anyone in the business that can any questions. All the numbers I have tried, just lead me to an automated service. It's a bit frustrating, but I will persevere.
        You won't find any phone support for MJ, but they do have live support online. You may be able to get an answer from them:

        magicJack - Customer Care - Official Website
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    • Profile picture of the author Kurt
      Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

      I just switched to MJ a week ago. I used Vonage for about 7 years and MJ is just so much cheaper. I will say though, that when I cancelled Vonage, they were willing to cut my bill to $9.99 a month.

      Sorry Jodi, I can't answer how much bandwidth, but never had a problem with any ISP over the 7 years I had Vonage.

      I haven't had MJ long enough to know how well it works, but when calling people with MJ they said I sound better on MJ than I did on Vonage, using the same phone.

      Like Jim mentioned, if your Net connction goes out, you don't have a phone. This can be a problem if you have to call your ISP to get it fixed.

      But the new MJ is great because you don't have to plug it into your PC like with the older MJ.
      I made the above post 13 months ago. I've used MJ ever since. At first, I was dropping calls fairly often, but in the last 8-9-10 months or so, MJ has been pretty stable.
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      • Profile picture of the author waterotter
        Originally Posted by Kurt View Post

        I made the above post 13 months ago. I've used MJ ever since. At first, I was dropping calls fairly often, but in the last 8-9-10 months or so, MJ has been pretty stable.
        Hey Kurt, I did some more research and checked out different options.

        Unfortunately, I do not have the option of cable or DSL high speed services due to my rural location. I have Wifi that utilizes a communication satellite and my latency is quite high for voip (164 milliseconds, but this varies - usually to a higher count).

        Technically speaking, voip would work but not without issues.

        I have spoken with locals and have yet to find anyone who is using this. We have a lot of cottagers that work via computer enabling a summer long stay here. They rely on a landline and/or cell phone.

        Until recently, cell service was hit and miss and not at all reliable. That's when I ditched my cell phone as I was paying a fortune for services that I was not able to use. My minutes were not carried over, yet I couldn't use my phone in this area without having to drive a distance to get a signal.

        I would also have to order online or travel at least three hours to purchase mj or an alternative.

        I'm not comfortable ordering/purchasing a unit until somebody can reassure me that I won't have any major issues.

        On another note, my Dad has a place on another lake 5 minutes away from me. They kept having major problems with their landline phones (a chain of 5 lakes affected) that after a threat of a law suit, Bell replaced all the lines (with fiber-optic lines, but they can't get high speed there either). His cell phone service is very poor, at times completely unreliable.

        After replacing all the phone lines, the same problem continues with their landline phones. Heck, just a gust of wind will knock their service out.

        Now, when I bought this house, Bell replaced the phone line out to the main road (I'm on a private lane). When speaking with the employees, I questioned them about type of line they were using to replace the old line. It wasn't fiber-optic. I asked if I could pay the difference to have it installed, but they wouldn't. I have to go through a process for this to happen - it's not worth the price tag they want.

        If I had the fiber-optic line, regardless of high speed internet, I could take advantage of so many deals for phone services....but, that is not an option

        In the meantime, I'm waiting for Comwave to upgrade their services to include wifi.

        I have spoken with them, and they have assured me that they will provide this service in the near future - now, if I had the fiber-optic line, there wouldn't be a problem according to their technician.

        Now, just to put this place up for sale! Just not sure if I really want to - I could have sold it last winter, but changed my mind:p
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  • Profile picture of the author LegitIncomes
    Ooma is what I use...works great. Previously had MagicJack, I know it works good for others, but even on my high speed I couldn't get it to work properly, lots of dropped calls, etc...
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    • Originally Posted by LegitIncomes View Post

      Ooma is what I use...works great. Previously had MagicJack, I know it works good for others, but even on my high speed I couldn't get it to work properly, lots of dropped calls, etc...
      Same here - I actually have a MJ I have not used in a couple of years, and I have a 5 year plan...I started using Google Talk for free, and hardly had any problems whatsoever - I do have skype, but GT was just more convenient, unless I have to talk to a skype user specifically...

      They have a MJ now that just hooks into your cable now though, so you don't need to run it on your computer - that may work better, because if you had other things running in the background, it could hang things up -

      I had even gotten an HP thin-client to use for the MJ almost exclusively, so it could run by itself...but I kind of postponed the project...I just use the others...
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  • Profile picture of the author gobizbiz
    To use the magic Jack, or any VoIP device for that matter, you’ll need a broadband Internet connection. For magicJack a minimum bandwidth UPLOAD speed of 128 kb/s is required. This would probably be cable or DSL. You should also have a minimum understanding of your home network, because there will be times that you’ll have to reboot your modem and router to clear up problems. You should also be aware that if you lose power or Internet connection, you’ll also lose your phone capability. I’ve addressed the power issue at my house by plugging my cable modem and router into a UPS. This gives me an hour before I lose telephone service and covers most short power interruptions.
    I am using DSL and MajicJack Plus. It works great. Quality of sound is really good.
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    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      waterotter ,

      did i see you post here in wf about using the phone to make sales?

      if i am wrong, oops and sorry.

      if i am correct, i have heard several reports of MJ users getting CANCELLED / SHUTOFF
      for making too many phone calls

      Also, i use skype quite a bit. somedays its awesome. and some days it sucks. and occasionally , does both in the same day,
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      Selling Ain't for Sissies!
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  • Profile picture of the author jacktackett
    I have a magic jack and for quick calls it seems to work ok. But I have tried several times to host conference calls and handle webex sessions and after about 5 mins I would get kicked off and have to reconnect and dial back in. If you are going to use this as a main phone line I would caution against it - but for a 2nd line and quick calls it seems to work fine.
    Best,
    --Jack
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Originally Posted by Michael Milken View Post

    I had the old magic jack that plugs into the pc. Horrible experience. I could hear calls well, but people couldn't hear me well. I did a few test calls to see what others meant, and they were right. When I spoke, it came out choppy. A person could only hear every other word. I received no support from the company. Only thing they told me was that I live in an *over sold* area. Whatever the hell that means.

    I really do hope they've stepped it up with the MJ Plus.
    They have to use TCP/IP to get it to work over the internet, and that isn't compatible with the phone system, so they have to have some place handle the communication between the systems. Something like skype<->skype CAN go peer to peer and decentralize load. If the communciations are too slow, there are too many collisions, etc... there can be a delay between packets, and it will sound choppy. Oversold could mean netflicks, youtube, etc.... comcast, verizon, etc... or MJ.

    It is a symptom of what I have been talking about for about 15 years or so. EVERYONE(netflicks, youtube, etc...) is trying to push the envelope. It can take SECONDS for youtube to add resolution(increasing the NEED for resources), it can take DECADES to dig up streets to place in lines to add the needed resources. Some areas may not have anything approaching broadband EVEN TODAY!

    Heck, in many cases, if I watch youtube, the first run is CHOPPY! It could take a half hour to show a 5 minute clip. The replay only takes 5 minutes. WHY? The NEED for bandwidth sometimes exceeds that available. The replay runs from the local cache so the network connection isn't an issue.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author gaij
    Hello Judy,

    The answer to your bandwidth question can be found here (I had the same concerns):
    bandwidth | magicJack and MagicJack Plus Support, Reviews, FAQs and Hacks

    Cheers,

    Dan
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  • Profile picture of the author shazaman
    Hi Judy,

    I am in the same situation, can you let me know what you came up with
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  • Profile picture of the author twisters
    I am using Skype since 2years, very friendly use, its service is better. very fast and reliable.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
      Originally Posted by twisters View Post

      I am using Skype since 2years, very friendly use, its service is better. very fast and reliable.
      How long ago was it that you used MJ?
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      Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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  • Profile picture of the author Jose Princely
    Skype is very good for all calls since its a video talk we can see our friends from any part of the world.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Jody,

    I just finished recovering from a problem I had with magic jack this morning. The number worked fine until the middle of a call today, and BANG, disconnected. I TRIED to recover. I connected with customer support, and it was INCREDIBLY slow and trying to determine if I was where I obviously was. I haven't checked to see if I still have the dial in number, but at least got a new number that SEEMS to work.

    If you DO have to talk to technical support, realize that it could take 1-2 minutes for a yes/no answer, and 20+ minutes for them to prove that what you did was right. ALSO, THANK YOU M/S! One of my pet peeves with M/S is that they keep changing hierarchies, so the tech support is off.

    Skype is fine BUT, of course, as I recall anyway, you have to pay extra to hook up with regular phones.

    BTW BOTH sound better than vonage.

    Vonage PROBABLY works fine on a T1 line(1.5Mbps). By today's standards, that is slow. Obviously, it is unlikely to work with the older phone systems, like ISDN, though their support forum says it WILL almost work if you have BOTH circuits!

    Minimum system requirements | magicJack and MagicJack Plus Support, Reviews, FAQs and Hacks

    Phil
    magicJack Apprentice


    Joined: 22 May 2008
    Posts: 24
    Location: KY -- (502)-713-ETC
    Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:06 pm Post subject:
    My "MJ server" is an old PC I had nothing better to do with -- Pentium 2; 256 MB RAM; XP Pro/SP2. Sometimes I'll use the web browser to do a quick email check, but other than that it pretty much runs MJ and nothing else.

    Stats for MJ from Windoze Task Manager (all numbers approximate):

    When not making a phone call -- CPU = 0%; Mem usage = 6600 KB; Network bandwidth = 0.

    When making a phone call -- CPU = 0-50% (varies moment to moment), I'd say about 30% average overall ... Mem usage 19000 KB; Network bandwidth 160 KB/s.

    So, with your Pentium III, I'd say you'll be fine.
    _________________
    BTW the system has NO provision for standby, so standby effectively shuts it off. That should NOT affect MJ+ though. Voicemail is controlled by THEIR server though, so you can still get voicemail emailed to you.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author RichBeck
    Jody,

    I dumped my Comcast phone service over six months ago for Magic Jack Plus... It has been consistently working... I would recommend it.....

    Take Care,

    Rich Beck BCIP, MCSD, MCIS
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  • Profile picture of the author charm01
    I'd go with Skype, since Magic Jack uses internet connection too. Skype has more affordable rates and much clear when calling someone. We had 2 magic jack and is useless I shall say.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by charm01 View Post

      I'd go with Skype, since Magic Jack uses internet connection too. Skype has more affordable rates and much clear when calling someone. We had 2 magic jack and is useless I shall say.
      I think magic jacks claim to fame is NOT that it is a phone service, but rather a way to integrate your phones with the internet in such a service. I just plugged my phone base into magic jack, and all my cordless phones were active.

      Steve
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