The Magic Jack is much like a flash drive the size of an old Zippo cigarette lighter that you plug into your USB port of your computer. You then plug in any type analog or cordless phone with as many handsets as you want. The MagicJack is absolutely a phenomenal piece of equipment that delivers what it promises. Free local and long distance, voice mail, call waiting and caller ID.
The Magic Jack com auto-configures itself to provide VoIP over a broadband connection. You follow a few step by step choice configurations such as area code, what phone number you would like and so on, five minutes, tops. You plug in your phone, pick it up and you hear the same dial tone you have always heard. Make calls no different then before except you can call any where in the US and Canada and talk as long as you want -FOR FREE after the Initial fee of $39.95 for the first year then its just $19.95 every year after that.
According to the tech industry the theoretical advantage of the Magic Jack is that you do not download any software into your computer. This allows you to take the Magic Jack with you when you travel, and where ever you can pickup a broadband internet connection, hotels, motels or even with friends or family, you can plug your Magic Jack in to your laptop or any computer and make free long distance phone calls. If you spend a lot of money calling, friends, family or frequent business calls when you are away then the Magic Jack will save you tons of money.
The one slight disadvantage to the Magic Jack, is that you must leave your computer on. You must configure you power usage settings not to power down or hibernate. With windows XP – Right click your desktop – Left click properties – Left click screen saver – Left click the power button – Select (Never) in all dropdown minuses – Click ok and ok and that’s it. One other thing that is said about the Magic Jack is if the power goes out you have no phone to call the power company. Well this is true unless you have as I do a battery backup surge protector that allows fifteen minute of computer time before it shuts off, I also, as the majority of people nowadays, have a cell phone that I would use in such an event.
Here are a couple things that you should watch for, which are not problems if you know what they are.
1. If you are having trouble hearing or someone on the other end can’t hear you, check your volume control on your computer, it may be all the way down.
2. If you loose dial tone or the dial tone goes in and out, check the phone cord that plugs into magic jack. Sometimes cheap cords don’t fit snug and causes lose of connection. Try a piece of black tape to hold it firm in the socket.
Conclusion:
The Magic Jack is a fine piece of hardware that can save you countless amounts of money on phone service. When buying anything online that claims to have a grate deal of value for a phenomenal price, the first instinct is, too good to be true. And that is usually the case. But for the magic jack, the value and the price are both phenomenal. I just wish they had the Magic Jack when my kids were in the house. I could have probably bought a boat with the savings.
Notes About The Author
Tim Wedin has written expert articles on numerous subjects but none has made more of an impression on him then the Magic Jack. Find out what advantages Magic Jack has over some of the other VoIP phone services at, http://magicjackusbphone.blogspot.com/
