Magic Jack Plus Anyone?

[Pardus]

My current voip isp is phone power, for $289.00 incl. taxes, you get 2-years of unlimited calls, which works out to $12/month, cheaper than Vonage rates and a great control panel interface to view call logs/voicemails. I've had zero problems with them and there tech support is great.

However, looking at Magic Jack Plus which would cost $130 for 2-years, almost 1/2 of what my rate is now. Was going to get the Omi but Google voice wont port my number over.

What i know about the magic jack plus is:

> $80 for the device for 1-year subscription
> doesn't require a p.c. to use it
> $20 to port a number over
> $30 per year after that
> zero tech support
> mixed bag of reviews

Can anyone comment on the MJP?

 

[wirednuts]

have you looked into skype rates? they run me about $60 a year. and i just bought a used android phone to run it standalone over wifi...

 

[cronos]

I have been looking at this the past couple of weeks as well.

We ended up ordering the Nettalk Duo from Amazon (prime shipping, no tax) today. The device is $50, with most of the features similar with MJP, price of device includes first year and then $30/year after, doesn't require a PC. They also have a wi-fi version for $65.

The part of the mixed bag of reviews are also pretty much the same, just as other VoIP solutions out there. A little advantage is that Nettalk is currently running a promo of free number porting.

 

[Pardus]

have you looked into skype rates? they run me about $60 a year. and i just bought a used android phone to run it standalone over wifi...

Problem with Skype, you cant call 911 if needed.

Skype is not a replacement for your telephone and can't be used for emergency calling.

 

[dagamer34]

Why do you need a land line?

 

[cronos]

Why do you need a land line?

Some people just do. We had 700+ minutes usage on our landline last month (VoIP through U-Verse).

 

[wirednuts]

Problem with Skype, you cant call 911 if needed.

thats the beauty of using skype on a deactivated cell phone. 911 still works over the cellular signal

Look for used cells on ebay that have bad esn numbers... you can save quite a bit!

 

[wirednuts]

Why do you need a land line?

i love having a landline as a 2nd phone. you can give the number out to all the businesses that ask for it and let the telemarketers ring that line, leaving your cell as a personal phone only. its unlimited use so you wont run out of min on your cell, and its surprisingly handy to be able to just call your cellphone if you need to find where it is. usually in the couch or fallen somewhere in the car

 

[Dulanic]

I've used the Obi and MJ... MJ has better relability overall as GV can have voice issues sometimes... but it's free. Also, if you want to port a landline to GV, get a prepaid, port to it, then port to GV.

However, my experience is with the original MJ. I have heard a lot of bad things about MJ Plus... Amazon has it as 2.5 stars.. may want to read some reviews.

 

[Phynaz]

Crapjack wouldn't be worth it if it were free.

 

[Pardus]

Why do you need a land line?

Cell phone service my area is nearly non-existent, I have to drive into town just to get a signal.

thats the beauty of using skype on a deactivated cell phone. 911 still works over the cellular signal

Look for used cells on ebay that have bad esn numbers... you can save quite a bit!

I would prob be dead before i could get a good cell signal in my area to call 911. We have a cell tower dressed like a old tree, but signal is so bad, When i talk on the phone, the call drops out all the time. There planning to upgrade my area to better service, but that is years away. Land line is my only option.

 

[BUTCH1]

I have the standard MJ, it works great..

 

[wirednuts]

Cell phone service my area is nearly non-existent, I have to drive into town just to get a signal.



I would prob be dead before i could get a good cell signal in my area to call 911. We have a cell tower dressed like a old tree, but signal is so bad, When i talk on the phone, the call drops out all the time. There planning to upgrade my area to better service, but that is years away. Land line is my only option.

in most cases you can still dial 911 on out of service land lines too... but you should test it first because the phone company might or might not have physically disconnected the lines.

do you have dsl internet?

 

[Pardus]

in most cases you can still dial 911 on out of service land lines too... but you should test it first because the phone company might or might not have physically disconnected the lines.

do you have dsl internet?

No, have a 10mb connection.

 

[Binky]

Majicjack is low-end VOIP. Better = OBi with GV plus a backup provider of your choice (or several). Or, just stick with phonepower or voipo. Voipo has a current deal at $129 for 2 years, which is ridiculously cheap.

Obi100 and 110 allow 2 providers, GV and one other. The newest Obi202 allows for four providers. You can do a lot with 4 providers.

My suggested simple config with a 100/110 is GV on on port, and anveo or callcentric on the second port. Your fixed monthly cost should be a few bucks, plus usage at 1.5 cents per minute for any outbound call not routed through GV. Do the math and see if the unlimited packages on these providers make sense (for me they don't). Anveo will give you an unlimited incoming number with E911 for less than $3 per month.

 

[Pardus]

Majicjack is low-end VOIP. Better = OBi with GV plus a backup provider of your choice (or several). Or, just stick with phonepower or voipo. Voipo has a current deal at $129 for 2 years, which is ridiculously cheap.

Obi100 and 110 allow 2 providers, GV and one other. The newest Obi202 allows for four providers. You can do a lot with 4 providers.

My suggested simple config with a 100/110 is GV on on port, and anveo or callcentric on the second port. Your fixed monthly cost should be a few bucks, plus usage at 1.5 cents per minute for any outbound call not routed through GV. Do the math and see if the unlimited packages on these providers make sense (for me they don't). Anveo will give you an unlimited incoming number with E911 for less than $3 per month.

Phone power priced matched Voipo.

 

[MadScientist]

I considered Ooma, NetTalk, Skype, Magic Jack Plus, and Obihari when we recently moved.

I went with Obihari's Obi100 adapter. The adapter was $39.99 shipped from Amazon, used my Discover cashback and got it free. It took about 15 minutes to set it up with Google Voice. Great tutorial on their website. I thought I may have problems with my combo Motorola SBG6580 modem/router but it was plug and play. The sound quality is great with my Panasonic DECT 6.0 phones. I've been using it for about 2 weeks, no problems so far, and NO monthly bills.

 

[vi edit]

Satisfied Ooma customer here. Grab one of the refurbs when they show up on w00t or at Fry's for $100-$120 and call it a day. I guess the new ones have a $3 a month tax fee, but you can still do the e-911. Which doesn't do location based on the call itself, but they can do a location by looking up the address from the number. It's an extra step, but it does work.

 

[MadScientist]

Satisfied Ooma customer here. Grab one of the refurbs when they show up on w00t or at Fry's for $100-$120 and call it a day. I guess the new ones have a $3 a month tax fee, but you can still do the e-911. Which doesn't do location based on the call itself, but they can do a location by looking up the address from the number. It's an extra step, but it does work.

The Ooma monthly fee is based on your zip, $4.78/month for my zip. I have 911 service on my cell, why pay another 911 fee.

 

[Pardus]

The Ooma monthly fee is based on your zip, $4.78/month for my zip. I have 911 service on my cell, why pay another 911 fee.

Speak to Darlene from Phone Power/(888)607-6937, explain to them voipo.com is offering a 2-year deal for $129+tax with free adapter. She matched voipo's offering for me. Have been with phonepower since 2009, hardly ever have an issue. Prices much better than Vonage or cable company.

 

[Wyndru]

The Ooma monthly fee is based on your zip, $4.78/month for my zip. I have 911 service on my cell, why pay another 911 fee.

Wow that seems high. Im in NY, and In my area it's $1 per month (they charge me $12 1 time a year for 911).

I guess if I had signed up a month earlier I would have been grandfathered into the account that didn't have to pay for this, but $12 a year for voip service that has worked flawlessly for the past 2 or 3 years...I can't complain.

 

[wirednuts]

since this thread has started, as a 2nd phone line, have settled on google voice with an inactivated droid x phone.

up front cost is $60 for the used phone, an no fees. 911 is provided over the cellular connection for free. calls and texts are run through my wifi network, and in a pinch i can tether my winmo cellphone to them and get data that way. i can take this phone anywhere, use it for gps or whatever, and still get calls when there is wifi available.

i am in the process now of buying more phones too. one for the nightstand as an alarm clock, one for the livingroom as an htpc remote, and one for my car. basically, ill still carry my primary cellphone on me but these droid phones are like media portals for semi specific purposes. the moto dock they have for these is key too, just pop it on its dock and it changes to a nice clock and weather mode while its charging.

i put a lot of thought into a 2nd line voip phone, and i couldnt think of anything better. its incredibly convenient to have OPTIONS for when your cell phone dies, becomes stupid, or just doesnt work... and also being able to upgrade at any time for little cost (bad esn phones are great to use for this purpose).

 

[microAmp]

About a year ago, I dropped the monthly cell phone bill and switched over to a pre-paid phone. In doing so, I still needed something to comp for long phone calls and I picked up Ooma, $3.89/month for tax. I use Google Voice number for it to ring on both phones.

Monthly phone bill was about $500/yr, upfront cost for the Ooma and pre-paid phone on T-Mobile, android phone, was the same. After that it's $100/yr for minutes on pre-paid phone and taxes on Ooma.

I've been happy with the Ooma, logged in lots of time on that and while there has been issues, I haven't figured if it was due to Google Voice or Ooma being the culprit. When I redial using the Ooma number, I never had an issue but not much time has been logged like that either.

 

[MadScientist]

Wow that seems high. Im in NY, and In my area it's $1 per month (they charge me $12 1 time a year for 911).

I guess if I had signed up a month earlier I would have been grandfathered into the account that didn't have to pay for this, but $12 a year for voip service that has worked flawlessly for the past 2 or 3 years...I can't complain.

Their monthly charge is not just the 911 fee.
From their website:
Can I call anywhere in the U.S. for free?
Ooma allows you to make local and long-distance calls within the 50 states for free. A few exceptions apply: Ooma does not support 900 numbers and phone chat services. Directory assistance (411) calls will be charged to your prepaid calling account and cost $0.99 per call. Pay only applicable taxes and fees. Federal universal service charges, state and local taxes, fees & surcharges and regulatory and compliance fees are billed monthly and are subject to change. To determine the specific charges in your area, go to http://www.ooma.com/rates.

 

[zerogear]

I have Ooma. 60$ a year (for taxes). 199$ up front, but I got mine for 99$

Why do you need a land line?

Land line is actually important for security system/alarm systems.