# Has anyone used Magic Jack? Skype?



## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

With the skyrocketing prices of everything I am thinking about ways to cut costs. I was thinking about using Vonage-which is $25 a month and needs cable from your computer? to work then I heard about Magic Jack which is a similar set up and you plug it into your computer. The jack is $40 and the first year is free then its $20 a year for phone service. I am just repeating the hype and don't personally know any of this but was wondering if anyone out there had any knowledge of these products. Oh yes what about skype? I heard you can only use it between 2 people who both have skype??

Thanks


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## BeaG (Aug 21, 2008)

I use Skype, and am very satisfied. I am saving a bundle each month because I gave up Verizon and went to Skype. I did make an initial investment in hardware that was equivalent to about 3 months of my Verizon bill, so my savings are just starting to kick in, but it was well worth it. 

We had a fairly long discussion about this last October in this forum. The name of the thread is "Experiences with VoIP?". You might wish to go to that thread and read that discussion. One of the last entries in the thread was my feedback after getting all set up with my new Skype phone. All the detail about what I actually ended up doing is in that thread, along with the ideas and experiences of other people with other phone services.

Since that last entry, I could add that the audio on the Skype Phone that I am using is not as good as verizon, the "ring" is hard to hear from various places in my home, and occasionally it drops a call and I have to call back. It is still worth it to me.


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## backwoodsman7 (Mar 22, 2007)

What kind of internet service do you have? If satellite, the latency (delay) of an IP phone will take some getting used to, and many of those you talk to won't like it. It takes about 1/4 second for a signal to make the round trip to the satellite, in addition to any delay caused by the hardware on the ground, which may or may not be significant to a 2-way voice conversation. In a 2-way conversation, that's at least 1/2 second of latency, which some find really frustrating.

Even if you have land-based broadband, an IP phone won't work right if your ISP doesn't have their hardware configured correctly to prioritize the real-time packets an IP phone uses. That's my situation, which is odd because they advertise IP phones on their website, but I haven't been able to get them interested in setting things up so they're usable. So my IP phone varies from barely usable to completely worthless, depending on the load on their system. Outgoing it's fine, but incoming is usually garbled beyond recognition.

So if possible, try it out before you commit your money.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

I just switched from Vonage to Magic Jack for cost savings. Magic Jack is a piece of cake to set up - Vonage a little more complicated. 

Had a lot of static on call yesterday - don't know if it was phone or cable or Magic Jack causing the problem. Still could communicate with caller OK.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

Its worth the price, IF you willing to live with less than 100% service and you willing to leave your computer on 24x7 so you can make and receive calls. Unlike vonage when there is an external device magicjack and skype require your computer be on.


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

used2bcool13 said:


> Oh yes what about skype? I heard you can only use it between 2 people who both have skype??


Skype is terrific, and it's very affordable. It also can send & receive calls to regular telephones.

For two people to communicate who both have Skype, it's completely free. That's true even if the other person is overseas. It's free to anywhere in the world that way.

If you want to be able to call telephones with Skype, you'll need to subscribe to Skype-Out. It's $2.95/month, or $29.50 annually, for unlimited outgoing calls including free long distance to the US & Canada. Overseas calls are extra, but are the most affordable rates I've seen anywhere.

If you want to receive telephone calls with Skype, you'll need to subscribe to Skype-In. It's $30/year and you can chose telephone numbers from all over the country. Skype-In includes many free advanced features, such as caller ID & voicemail.

In the end, I pay $29.50 for Skype-Out and $30.00 for Skype-In (total $59.50/year) each year for unlimited incoming & outgoing calls, which is just under $5/month total. The only catch is that you need to have high-speed Internet service to use it.

You don't necessarily need a computer to use Skype, since there are Skype phones available that can connect directly to a wireless network (including wireless hotspots around town). Those phones start at around $100.


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## used2bcool13 (Sep 24, 2007)

Backwoodsman7,

I currently have Verizon for my internet, I believe it is DSL and I don't mind leaving my internet on if necessary. I think it is through my phone line. 

I understand you can try out magic jack for 30 days maybe I will try it out before I ditch the phone.

Any other thoughts just let me know, If I decide to take the plunge I will post my thoughts.

Thanks!


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