MagicJack Test and Trial Results

January 6th, 2009

Cost - $40 + tax (or shipping) --> this includes the widget and 1 year of service. Each additional year is $20 or 5 years for $60 which is awesome price for a basic portable VoIP connection.
Setup Time - about 15 minutes.
Ease of Installation- very easy
System requirements

• Windows or Mac
• DSL or better internet connection (40kbps up and down)
  
• about 40MB of RAM (you could use less but this is a safe amount)
  

Pros - Portability, flexibility and platform compatibility, cost

Cons - Need a computer (Windows and Mac ONLY) to maintain the dial tone. Customer support is via Instant Message and user forums.

The run down,

I saw the commercials on TV and was highly skeptical at first. Who wouldn't be when they see it? To add further skepticism to the ads, I read online about billing and shipping nightmares. When I saw the MJ at my local Best Buy, I figured, what the heck, if it sucks, Ill just return it. So I went and bought it. I've tried it on my XP Pro desktop (SP2), XP SP3 laptop and a MacBook for good measure. My home internet connection is cable connection provided by Cablevision (15Mbps/2Mbps). My router (hacked Buffalo 54G router with DD-WRT) has QoS already setup for my 2 Vonage lines and adding the desktop that was running the MJ was pie (add the MAC address).

The plan has unlimited calling in the United States which is basic unlimited service. Which is perfect for much of us and for $20 per year, you cant beat that!! Unlike Vonage that for $25 a month you get unlimited calling in North America and big parts of Europe. But Vonage is awesome too, don't get me wrong. I have Vonage and MJ and would never get ripped off by a "triple play" scam as long as I have a decent internet connection.

I have tested the unit on the cable modem connection and it ran like, well, magic. There is some slight delay due to the cable network. It would probably run better on a FIOS due to lower latency. DSL would be quite the opposite but it would work. Additionally, I went down to my local Panera Bread and tried it out on the Mac and Windows laptop and it worked fine. If you use this on a wireless connection, your voice latency is likely to increase but you probably wont notice it. Be aware that latency adds up though. DSL, Wireless LAN connection and the general latency of VoIP can cause delayed transmissions but your mileage may vary.

Whats Inside the box?

1. the MagicJack
2. 3 inch USB extension cable
3. Quick setup guide

I found that the initial setup was straightforward and there were no tricks.

Heres the setup:

1. Unpack
2. Plug it into a free USB port on your PC, not a USB hub unless your having problems powering the unit. And if you do plug it into a hub, it better be a powered hub, not passive.
3. When you first plug the unit in, it takes about a minute to get itself going. Initially, it worked fine but I went to the MagicJack website to download MagicFix to update the firmware on the widget just to avoid any possible bugs that may have existed.
   
4. Follow the on screen prompts to setup your account and phone number
   
5. When you setup your account for the first time, you assign 911 location, user account (required) and phone number.
6. Once you do that, your MJ will take a moment to apply your account and activate your phone number. DONE!!

I was off and calling in no time.

PRODUCT SUPPORT

• This is what will make or break a lot of companies. Magic Jack is not your solution if you are hesitant to troubleshoot your PC problems alone.
• The forums for this product are a step above all others. 95% of the problems can be solved here. These forums are actively monitored and commented by technicians.
  
• For problems not resolved by the forums or you want to speak with someone, you have to use their IM support. There is no phone number for support. Level 1 support for MagicJack is horrible. They are painfully scripted. Even if you follow their forums, they will repeat it.

I had to experience their IM support when my MagicJack stopped receiving calls. I followed every single troubleshooting possibility and some that were not mentioned. Even after repeating what I already had done to troubleshoot, they still repeated it so be prepared for some frustration. DEMAND TO SPEAK WITH A LEVEL 2, they are slightly more competent and are the only ones that can forward your problem to back-end technicians. After 40 minutes, they forwarded my issue to back-end techs and within 3-5 hours (as promised) I should be able to receive calls. So at least their back-end techs are good, but I can't say the same for their front line support.


Bottom Line:

I love this gadget!! I can take a dial tone with me everywhere, softphone or bring a portable landline phone with me and I'm good to go. Heck if I just wanted to forward this to a cell phone or mask another number, I can. Voice mail is easy to use both from the handset, e-mail and softphone (which has a speed dial in the app). Even though their support isn't too good, I don't need to use it and if I do, its for a rare case, so it isn't that big of a deal. Besides, what do you expect for $20 or less a year?

DO NOT use this service as a phone number for your house alarm. Additionally, if you don't have a backup (like a cell phone) then it may be too much of a risk of an outage.

Hope this helps those who are looking for a cheap and simple dial tone. If your looking for a more stationary home phone service, then Vonage is your solution.

There is soo much more to this story but its lengthy already. If you have any questions or want more detail, I welcome your inquiries. Thanks everyone!

Until the next gadget....

-Will of F1 Networx Inc.