magicJack Plus

by magicJack

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0061R1XI4
• Item model number: MJACKPLUS
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #15 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Networking Products > Network Adapters
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 31, 2011

Product Description

magicJackTM Plus can be used with or without a computer - it’s the customer’s choice. Each magicJackTM Plus comes with an Ethernet (internet) cable and a Power Adapter. You can, of course, still directly plug the magicJackTM Plus into a computer’s USB port. A USB extension cord is included with each magicJackTM Plus. This option is especially useful or individuals who travel with their magicJackTM Plus. In addition to offering free local and long distance phone service throughout the United States and Canada (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that will stay on at all times, customer’s existing phone numbers can now be transferred or “ported” to their magicJackTM Plus. Please note that there is a $19.95 charge to transfer/port a phone number and it’s $9.95 per year thereafter. Porting is only available in the U.S. only for now. Of course, each magicJackTM Plus includes a free new phone number so customers who do not wish to transfer or port their existing phone number may select a new one. magicJackTM Plus, like magicJackTM, includes free: Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, Directory Assistance and emergency 911service.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 167 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive MagicJack Plus Review, November 29, 2011

By 

Fred (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: magicJack Plus (Personal Computers)

I have been using MagicJack Plus for over a month, and I am very impressed so far. I had a lot of questions about this device, and I will try to answer those questions for others who are interested in saving money on their phone service. Here are my answers based on my experience.

Does it work? It really works. After you register by plugging it into your computer USB port, you just plug in your router, power, and phone.

How is the sound quality? It is about half way between a cell phone and a regular land line. Sometimes I briefly hear some low volume static after talking, and some people say my voice sounds slightly synthesized. There is also a slight delay.

How many phones can it support? I activated the phone wiring in my house and plugged in 3 cordless phones, and they all worked. If you do this, be sure to disconnect the phone wire that comes in from the phone company. Cordless phones provide their own power, so they are not much of a drain on the MagicJack power. Other reviews have said that only 1 to 2 corded phones can be supported. The easiest and best way to hook up your phones is to use a DECT phone system. I love the Panasonic KX-TG6645B DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone with Answering System, Black, 5 Handsets system.

Can it fax? I tested it using my computer fax modem, and it works!

Can I transfer my old phone number? After you set up MagicJack with a temporary phone number, you can request that your old number be transferred to your MagicJack service for a $20 fee. This will cancel your old phone service. Do NOT cancel your old phone service yourself before the number is transferred.

How does the voicemail work? After 4 rings, a call can be either transferred to another number, or it can be sent to voice mail. If you want to use an answering machine, you have to set it for 3 rings. 3 rings does not give you much time to answer the phone, but you can leave a long answering machine greeting, and you can always pick up during the greeting. MagicJack voice mail will leave a notification on newer phones. The voice mail will also send the message as a WAV file to 1 e-mail address. I wanted the e-mail sent to multiple e-mail addresses, so I created a dummy e-mail address on my ISP. I set the dummy e-mail account to automatically forward incoming messages from MagicJack to multiple addresses.

How does international calling work? You must pre-pay for international calling. Most countries are $.02 per minute. The normal international phone number is all you need to dial. Calls to China have been working better than they did with my last phone company.

How is the customer service? There basically is none. But if you can use a computer and hook up a router, you should have no trouble getting MagicJack working.

Why are there so many complaints? I would guess that many of the problems people have had in the past are related to the use of the USB connection. That adds an extra layer of software and data conversion to give problems. MagicJack Plus should solve the USB problems because it can connect directly to the router. MagicJack needs a good, steady internet connection to work properly. Minor problems with an ISP might not affect the browsing of web pages, but they will affect a real time phone connection.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Usable for outgoing calls, line is dropped too often to receive incoming calls reliably, December 17, 2011

By 

Liz (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: magicJack Plus (Personal Computers)

Since I got MJ+ a few days ago, the line has been dropped just about every day at least once--that's not nearly reliable enough to function as phone service for incoming calls.

Customer support is poor. FAQ's don't really address much technically. I couldn't find any phone numbers to call on the website and used the chat line twice. Had to wait quite a few minutes for the first chat to start up--that was for help when the MJ website dumped me during the middle of initial registration. However the chat rep was reasonably helpful. 2nd chat today had a shorter delay getting started, but when I asked for help with the frequent line drops I got dropped from the chat line.

I live in central NC and get my hi-speed Internet service from Time Warner Cable. Using the Speakeasy speed test (accessible through the MJ FAQ page under "What type of Internet service does magicJack require?"), I found my upload speed averages around .95 Mbps--which should be more than fast enough for MJ+'s minimum bandwidth UPLOAD speed of 128 kb/s. However, I suspect the TWC line may be the problem--that is, if the line isn't working with high consistency, maybe that is what is causing the MJ drops.

I am giving MJ+ two stars rather than one star, because if I unplug the unit for 1-2 minutes, plug it back in, and give it a few minutes to reboot, I can make outgoing calls with moderately good call quality. So MJ+ is a dirt-cheap way for me to save phone minutes that I would otherwise have to rack up on my cell phone.

If you are thinking of giving MJ+ a try, I would strongly recommend buying it at Radio Shack (or another store?) rather than through the MJ website. (I got mine at RS for $59, which includes the first year of service.) I've seen a number of reviews about double-billings and other billing problems that suggest MJ is a company you should NEVER disclose a credit card number to.

43 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way Better than original Magic Jack, November 26, 2011

By 

outlawcustombikes "outlawcustombikes" (North Eastern USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: magicJack Plus (Personal Computers)

I have been a MagicJack user for the past 3 years using the Origanal MagicJack and have been mostly happy with the service considering the annual savings. The call quality was usually pretty good, but at times it would stutter like crazy if someone else in the household was searching or downloading from the internet. With the computer being on 24/7 it would occasionally lockup or restart because of an update and the MagicJack at times wouldn't reconnect automatically. None being huge issues but would happen somewhat frequently it seemed.

I decided to splurge and purchase the new MagicJack Plus recently. Setup was eazy. I set it up to use my existing magicjack phone number, then use it as a stand-alone unit (without it being connected to a computer) plugged directly into the wall.
The call quality is far better than the original! I have had NO issues so far (several weeks) with stuttering calls due to others using the internet while I am talking on the telephone ,and No disconnections (due to computer) since it is being used as a stand-alone unit.
The magicjack plus also will notify you through the telephone now if you have a new magicjack voicemail (setup in the [...])

I am very satisfied so far with my purchase of the new magicjack plus.