Author Topic: MagicJack vs Skype  (Read 27048 times)

CentimentalFreedom

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MagicJack vs Skype
« on: April 03, 2014, 10:30:31 AM »
Hello, Mustachians!!

So, which do you prefer... Magicjack or Skype and why?

Below are my findings so far... will update as I go....

MagicJack Pros:

Free MagicJack to MagicJack calling
Free Canada and US calling (on cell)
Free use with App on Phone (which means no phone plan needed)

Skype Pros:

Free Skype to Skpe

MagicJack Cons:

Have to buy MagicJack ($59.99 CDN)

MagicJack Costs:

29.95 annually (2.50 per month) + 59.99 for the device = 7.50 per month approx in first year... although there's a free trial offer I want to check out... which mean decrease the initial cost.

Skype Costs:

2.99 /  month unlimited Canada and US calling

« Last Edit: April 03, 2014, 10:49:55 AM by CentimentalFreedom »

NumberCruncher

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2014, 10:35:40 AM »
(c) none of the above

Google voice and obi for my household

see https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/communications-tech-isps-voip-cell/  for everything you need to know about phones
« Last Edit: April 03, 2014, 10:38:51 AM by NumberCruncher »

JustDave

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2014, 10:41:51 AM »
If I have to pick between those two, never having used MJ I'd have to pick Skype.

(I use Ooma)

CentimentalFreedom

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2014, 10:42:58 AM »
(c) none of the above

Google voice and obi for my household

see https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/communications-tech-isps-voip-cell/  for everything you need to know about phones

Yep, read that. Unfortunately, not available for CDNs

NumberCruncher

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2014, 10:50:39 AM »
Maybe look into https://www.voip.ms/ then


TreeTired

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2014, 10:59:57 AM »
I have 2 magic jacks in my home that serve as our home phone.  The quality is not very good. We often cannot hear when a cellphone is calling us.   I routinely say into the phone,  "I can't hear you, call me back or I will call you back."   I cannot seem to train my wife to allow for the lag when answering the phone.  I tell her to pick up the phone and count to "2" before speaking, but she constantly picks up the phone and I have to listen to:  "hello?..... Hello?......  HELLO?.... oh, HI! "    We use skype occasionally for overseas video calls.  Quality is pretty good considering we are talking to someone far away.
Quote
Google voice and obi for my household
   I also have an obi that I use with google voice and the quality is excellent - much better than Magic Jack.  I would install a cordless phone and use this all over my house except that I heard that Google is going to stop supporting obi sometime this year (2014) and I havent figured out what to do when that happens.

NumberCruncher

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2014, 11:24:07 AM »
  I also have an obi that I use with google voice and the quality is excellent - much better than Magic Jack.  I would install a cordless phone and use this all over my house except that I heard that Google is going to stop supporting obi sometime this year (2014) and I havent figured out what to do when that happens.

damn you, Google! :'(
http://blog.obihai.com/2013/10/important-message-about-google-voice.html

jd

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2014, 12:27:51 PM »
One advantage to MagicJack is that you can get a Canadian phone number that people can use to call you.

That said, I've been using skype for a number of years.  I pay $30/year for the unlimited Canada/US plan and I use it for all outgoing calls when I'm at home.  If someone calls my mobile phone and wants to chat, I'll call them back on skype.  Also, there are sometimes deals on skype credit (which can be used to pay for the plan); I bought a bunch on Black Friday at 50% off.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2014, 01:00:30 PM »
For just outgoing calls, Skype would be better. Voice-only can still distort but it rarely lags.

CentimentalFreedom

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2014, 02:25:20 PM »
I tell her to pick up the phone and count to "2" before speaking, but she constantly picks up the phone and I have to listen to:  "hello?..... Hello?......  HELLO?.... oh, HI! "   

LOL!!!!! wow...

Daley

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2014, 05:17:07 PM »
Yep, read that. Unfortunately, not available for CDNs

Read the newer guide. Most of the recommended VoIP options also work for Canadians (this includes VOIP.ms, CallCentric and Phone Power).
« Last Edit: April 04, 2014, 07:40:43 AM by I.P. Daley »

CentimentalFreedom

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2014, 05:30:11 AM »
Read the newer guide. Most of the recommended VoIP options also work for Canadians (this includes VOIP.ms, CallCentric and Phone Power).

Will do.

GuitarStv

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2014, 07:30:52 AM »
I tried MagicJack for a while.  It sucked because of sound quality and lag.  I'm much happier with VoIP through TekSavvy.

Threshkin

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2014, 12:04:33 PM »
We use both in combination for free to nearly free video calls to family in China and Germany. (Not counting the internet connections)

Free to China:
Call the land line in China using MJ.  Party on the other end sees the call but does not answer. Free because no connection is made.
The party in China then calls the US using Skype to Skype. Free!
We could skip the MJ call entirely but the party in China does not leave their computer running all the time.

Almost free to Germany:
Same process as above except we cannot convince the party in Germany to not answer the MJ call and start talking.

Interestingly the call quality to China is generally much better than to Germany.

This is so much different than when I was a kid and my parents would have to count the individual words on the telegrams to keep the cost down.

HawkeyeNFO

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2014, 12:27:57 PM »
I tried MagicJackOff in '08, wasn't really impressed.  I understand things have changed, but it's interesting to see that it's still not very good.

Emilyngh

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #15 on: April 04, 2014, 12:49:11 PM »
We're another Obi/google voice user.   I heard about the May 15th issues and am looking into just keeping the Obi and getting the 500 minutes/month for $30 a year (includes all taxes and E911) from here: http://www.vestalink.com/ .   I saw something about being able to even keep your google voice number, but I need to look into that.

On one hand, the idea of limiting our minutes on the home phone bothers me, but the reality is that I can't imagine we use over 8 hrs/mo, really ever.   And if we have a crazy month where we do, we can buy more minutes at reasonable rates, so in the long-term it looks like it'll still be super affordable ($2-$3 a month is still practically free).
« Last Edit: April 04, 2014, 12:51:31 PM by Emilyngh »

coffee_sipper

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #16 on: April 04, 2014, 05:22:58 PM »
We use Skype here, costing us $2.54 per month for unlimited calling in the United States (and I think Canada too?). With the ability to call off of my computer, my smartphone, my wife's tablet, and pretty much any device that supports Skype, it's excellent in my opinion. I can use it while I'm travelling to call back home, and I can use it at home when I call customer service centers.

CentimentalFreedom

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #17 on: April 05, 2014, 07:53:55 AM »
We use Skype here, costing us $2.54 per month for unlimited calling in the United States (and I think Canada too?). With the ability to call off of my computer, my smartphone, my wife's tablet, and pretty much any device that supports Skype, it's excellent in my opinion. I can use it while I'm travelling to call back home, and I can use it at home when I call customer service centers.

What about data charges?

stevewisc

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #18 on: April 05, 2014, 12:37:40 PM »
I've used skype a little and it seems ok.  We also used MagicJack for a year at one site and the quality was pretty bad. 

libertarian4321

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #19 on: April 06, 2014, 02:27:14 AM »
I've been using Magic Jack for 3+ years now.

Sound quality is fine.  I can't see any difference between this and my previous (expensive) VOIP provider or even the old land line.

Skype is fine if you are calling college kids and 20-somethings who might actually have Skype accounts, but your mom, your Grandma, and your business connections probably aren't on Skype- so you'll be pretty much out of luck if you want to call them using Skype.  Magic Jack works just like a regular phone- just dial away.

Magic Jack DOES have problems if your internet connection is congested.  So for best performance, put that porn torrent on pause for a few minutes while you call Grandma...

Note:  I'm still using the OLD original Magic Jack from 2009 or thereabouts.  I'm thinking of upgrading to the Magic Jack Plus, which doesn't require that you have a computer online all the time.

« Last Edit: April 06, 2014, 02:28:49 AM by libertarian4321 »

Steve Ainslie

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #20 on: April 06, 2014, 02:45:06 AM »
  I also have an obi that I use with google voice and the quality is excellent - much better than Magic Jack.  I would install a cordless phone and use this all over my house except that I heard that Google is going to stop supporting obi sometime this year (2014) and I havent figured out what to do when that happens.

damn you, Google! :'(
http://blog.obihai.com/2013/10/important-message-about-google-voice.html


I was an obi +Google voice user and loved it.  My wife doesn't work and uses the landline a lot to speak to friends and family.  After hearing about the May shutdown I researched a bunch until I found vestalink.   I did the trial and signed up after 1day.  Setup with obi was simple and took less than 5 minutes. I had two days of collections callbots /robocalls since the numbers are obviously recycled and the former owner had some collections issues but after talking to a few companies and setting up some block lists I have had almost no issues. I did try to be a beta user for some  advanced features but that caused my phone not to ring for incoming so I got out of that.   Otherwise I'm a big fan of obi +GV + vestalink

fixer-upper

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #21 on: April 06, 2014, 02:51:11 AM »
I don't have any complaints on Ooma.  It's a bit higher on the startup costs, but works great.

Rural

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #22 on: April 06, 2014, 04:40:39 AM »
I've been using Magic Jack for 3+ years now.

Sound quality is fine.  I can't see any difference between this and my previous (expensive) VOIP provider or even the old land line.

Skype is fine if you are calling college kids and 20-somethings who might actually have Skype accounts, but your mom, your Grandma, and your business connections probably aren't on Skype- so you'll be pretty much out of luck if you want to call them using Skype.  Magic Jack works just like a regular phone- just dial away.


For $30 a year, Skype will call land and cellular phones in the US and Canada. I think this is a new thing, though. Works well for me.

Daley

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #23 on: April 06, 2014, 07:40:28 AM »
I've been using Magic Jack for 3+ years now.

Sound quality is fine.  I can't see any difference between this and my previous (expensive) VOIP provider or even the old land line.

There is most definitely a difference in call quality, so I say this with all sincerity: you might want to get your hearing checked by an audiologist.

Beyond that, MJ has terrible terms of service, terrible support, and you truly get what you pay for it. If you must be an absolute cheapskate with home phone service, NetTalk is the better deal... it's still cheap, crappy VoIP service, but at least customer support is a bit better, the terms are more favorable, and the call quality isn't quite as flat.



I don't have any complaints on Ooma.  It's a bit higher on the startup costs, but works great.

Unfortunately, the math on Ooma's costs don't stand up to scrutiny when measured against the competition. It's great that you're happy with them, but there's better and fuller featured options for the money when people are starting from scratch.



For $30 a year, Skype will call land and cellular phones in the US and Canada. I think this is a new thing, though. Works well for me.

That's for outbound only though, it's not full VoIP service. By the time you tack on all the other nickel and dime Skype services to get a fully PSTN network integrated VoIP service, you're paying Microsoft as much money as the other providers for a service that's still regarded as a lower quality tier of service, you still can't do e911 support through, and still has you tied to a computer or smartphone with their client. Some people are okay with that, but it's still worth pointing out before diving in if anything more than "unlimited" outbound is desired.

libertarian4321

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #24 on: April 15, 2014, 11:36:36 AM »
I've been using Magic Jack for 3+ years now.

Sound quality is fine.  I can't see any difference between this and my previous (expensive) VOIP provider or even the old land line.

There is most definitely a difference in call quality, so I say this with all sincerity: you might want to get your hearing checked by an audiologist.

I might suggest that if I can hear everything clearly over the Magic Jack, and you have problems hearing with the Magic Jack, that perhaps I am not the one who needs to contact an audiologist.

Note that I am NOT using the Magic Jack to play a Tchaikovsky violin concerto over the phone.  If that is how you use the phone, the Magic Jack may not cut it.

I use the Magic jack to make business calls, talk to friends and family, and order pizzas.

It does the job just fine for that.

Quote
Beyond that, MJ has terrible terms of service, terrible support, and you truly get what you pay for it. If you must be an absolute cheapskate with home phone service, NetTalk is the better deal... it's still cheap, crappy VoIP service, but at least customer support is a bit better, the terms are more favorable, and the call quality isn't quite as flat.

I can't speak to MJ customer service because in 3-4 years of using MJ, I've never needed customer service.  I opened the box, plugged it in, and was using it 5 minutes later (I'm still using the old-style MJ that plugs into a computer).

BTW, the world you were looking for is "frugal."  I make smart choices with my money.  I look for the lowest cost option that does the job I need it to do, rather than paying more money for small (alleged) increases in quality that I simply do not need.  I'm using the Magic Jack to talk to people.  It does that perfectly well for a ridiculously low price.  Why would I pay more for something else?

There are some minor things about the MJ that people might not like (E911 vs regular 911, doesn't work when the power goes off, etc).  Those things might bother some people, but they don't matter to me.

libertarian4321

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #25 on: April 15, 2014, 11:38:23 AM »
I've been using Magic Jack for 3+ years now.

Sound quality is fine.  I can't see any difference between this and my previous (expensive) VOIP provider or even the old land line.

There is most definitely a difference in call quality, so I say this with all sincerity: you might want to get your hearing checked by an audiologist.

I might suggest that if I can hear everything clearly over the Magic Jack, and you have problems hearing with the Magic Jack, that perhaps I am not the one who needs to contact an audiologist.

Note that I am NOT using the Magic Jack to play a Tchaikovsky violin concerto over the phone.  If that is how you use the phone, the Magic Jack may not cut it.

I use the Magic jack to make business calls, talk to friends and family, and order pizzas.

It does the job just fine for that.

Quote
Beyond that, MJ has terrible terms of service, terrible support, and you truly get what you pay for it. If you must be an absolute cheapskate with home phone service, NetTalk is the better deal... it's still cheap, crappy VoIP service, but at least customer support is a bit better, the terms are more favorable, and the call quality isn't quite as flat.

I can't speak to MJ customer service because in 3-4 years of using MJ, I've never needed customer service.  I opened the box, plugged it in, and was using it 5 minutes later (I'm still using the old-style MJ that plugs into a computer).

BTW, the world you were looking for is "frugal."  I make smart choices with my money.  I look for the lowest cost option that does the job I need it to do, rather than paying more money for small (alleged) increases in quality that I simply do not need.  I'm using the Magic Jack to talk to people.  It does that perfectly well for a ridiculously low price.  Why would I pay more for something else?

There are some minor things about the MJ that people might not like (E911 vs regular 911, doesn't work when the power goes off, etc).  Those things might bother some people, but they don't matter to me.

I'm not married to MJ.  If something else comes along that will do the job equally well for less money, I'll take a look at it.  But right now, MJ does the job for less money than anything else.


Rural

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #26 on: April 15, 2014, 07:41:47 PM »
quite as flat.

For $30 a year, Skype will call land and cellular phones in the US and Canada. I think this is a new thing, though. Works well for me.

That's for outbound only though, it's not full VoIP service. By the time you tack on all the other nickel and dime Skype services to get a fully PSTN network integrated VoIP service, you're paying Microsoft as much money as the other providers for a service that's still regarded as a lower quality tier of service, you still can't do e911 support through, and still has you tied to a computer or smartphone with their client. Some people are okay with that, but it's still worth pointing out before diving in if anything more than "unlimited" outbound is desired.


You're right about the outbound only; that's all I use it for. Inbound is the phone line that comes with my DSL (my only home Internet options, and my lowest-tier price doesn't include outgoing calls other than 911). I use it at work, too, for students who are long distance because my department is poor. The lack of E911 doesn't bother me since it isn't available where I live for landlines or cellular either. If I have to call for help, I just have to hope I can explain where I am, no matter how I call. For others, that might be a real problem. For me, since I don't need /can't get the other services anyway, I like the slightly cheaper option of Skype, and I don't pay for their add-ons.

fixer-upper

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #27 on: April 15, 2014, 08:22:17 PM »
quite as flat.

For $30 a year, Skype will call land and cellular phones in the US and Canada. I think this is a new thing, though. Works well for me.

That's for outbound only though, it's not full VoIP service. By the time you tack on all the other nickel and dime Skype services to get a fully PSTN network integrated VoIP service, you're paying Microsoft as much money as the other providers for a service that's still regarded as a lower quality tier of service, you still can't do e911 support through, and still has you tied to a computer or smartphone with their client. Some people are okay with that, but it's still worth pointing out before diving in if anything more than "unlimited" outbound is desired.


You're right about the outbound only; that's all I use it for. Inbound is the phone line that comes with my DSL (my only home Internet options, and my lowest-tier price doesn't include outgoing calls other than 911). I use it at work, too, for students who are long distance because my department is poor. The lack of E911 doesn't bother me since it isn't available where I live for landlines or cellular either. If I have to call for help, I just have to hope I can explain where I am, no matter how I call. For others, that might be a real problem. For me, since I don't need /can't get the other services anyway, I like the slightly cheaper option of Skype, and I don't pay for their add-ons.

After you buy the equipment, Ooma costs about $40/year with inbound and 911.

Daley

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #28 on: April 15, 2014, 09:55:25 PM »
I might suggest that if I can hear everything clearly over the Magic Jack, and you have problems hearing with the Magic Jack, that perhaps I am not the one who needs to contact an audiologist.

Did you seriously just respond with a "NO U" to a genuine concern about your hearing loss on an issue where you state you can't hear well-documented call quality issues with the service, and then quote yourself again without adding anything of substance?

If MagicJack actually serves your needs and you have been fortunate enough to avoid tangling with their support department, good for you... but don't try to convince others that it's more than it really is: well documented low-grade VoIP service with lousy support and questionable billing tactics. Choosing the rock bottom priced service is not frugal, it's cheap, and there's substantially better available for not much more.



After you buy the equipment, Ooma costs about $40/year with inbound and 911.

I don't have any complaints on Ooma.  It's a bit higher on the startup costs, but works great.

Unfortunately, the math on Ooma's costs don't stand up to scrutiny when measured against the competition. It's great that you're happy with them, but there's better and fuller featured options for the money when people are starting from scratch.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2014, 09:58:39 PM by I.P. Daley »

libertarian4321

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #29 on: April 20, 2014, 05:42:16 AM »

If MagicJack actually serves your needs and you have been fortunate enough to avoid tangling with their support department, good for you... but don't try to convince others that it's more than it really is: well documented low-grade VoIP service with lousy support and questionable billing tactics. Choosing the rock bottom priced service is not frugal, it's cheap, and there's substantially better available for not much more.

I am giving my opinion and experiences using the Magic Jack.  I think the product gives great value for the money.  I have made NO CLAIMS that the product is "more than it really is."  I said I have used the product for years, it was easy for me to install, it has worked reliably, the sound quality is just fine for voice communication, and I've never had to use customer service. 

All of this is TRUE. 

A product that does what it needs to do, for the lowest cost, is a frugal choice.  I need a phone to talk to people.  I don't need any whistles and bells.  The MJ does that job cheaply and reliably.

For those who want to save and invest their money and become multimillionaires/FI, the Magic Jack can be a small part of achieving that goal.  I save hundreds of dollars a year using the MJ, and it does everything I need it to do.  If you want to spend more on some other product, go right ahead. 

I note that despite your apparent anger and ranting against my expressing my choice to use the Magic Jack, you have not presented a cheaper alternative that does the job as well...

CentimentalFreedom

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #30 on: April 20, 2014, 05:50:33 AM »
Ok, so I've been testing out Skype and it's been disconnecting me every couple of minutes. My brother was on his mobile internet connection (lite?) and I was on wi-fi! It's not working out so well. Will try again locally and see how that works...

Daley

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #31 on: April 20, 2014, 11:55:49 AM »
I note that despite your apparent anger and ranting against my expressing my choice to use the Magic Jack, you have not presented a cheaper alternative that does the job as well...

Chill out, guy... the only one flipping his lid in this thread is you. I simply pointed out in the beginning that if you legitimately couldn't tell any difference in call quality between MJ and a POTS landline that you might need to get your hearing checked, which is a legitimate response and concern for your aural health given how low-quality the audio codecs are used by the company you're trumpeting.

I have made NO CLAIMS that the product is "more than it really is."

Sound quality is fine.  I can't see any difference between this and my previous (expensive) VOIP provider or even the old land line.

There's the quote for you. By the way, that certainly reads like your claiming it's more than it really is. It's also why if you can't personally hear the difference, I had expressed genuine concern about your hearing. Instead, you took things as a personal insult and are still clearly spoiling for a fight.

Now you get to be an object lesson.

If you'd actually read my responses, you would have noticed I've already pointed out a superior provider for the same amount of money that you're spending in this very thread (technically cheaper if you count the device costs between the two) by name-checking NetTalk, and the very guide I manage on these forums (which contains a distillation of years of research and documentation) has several far superior providers for less than $4 a month more than what you're spending.

A poor man can't afford to spend money on garbage no more so than a rich man can afford to throw money away on garbage. Your experiences with MJ are not the norm, and quite frankly I suspect you're lashing out because you're trying to save face or lie to yourself after being publicly cornered on the documented quality for cost issue. It seems a bit Hans Christian Andersen.

The service is widely regarded as low quality by nearly anyone who's ever used it, and there's mountains of evidence to that very point well out in the open. I even linked some of the lowest hanging fruit documenting that.

People who genuinely need reliable, quality communications service shouldn't be afraid to spend the money necessary to ensure reliability. The cost line between one of the best VoIP providers on the market (VOIPo) and your service (when start-up and equipment costs are factored) is a whopping $5.44 a month more expensive when put against MJ's best deal (five years, which is way too long to be locked into any VoIP provider). You go annual billing with MJ, that gap closes to $3.27 a month.

A $10 a month savings may be a big deal, but the line between spending $4.44 a month (with the possibility of it slowly getting cheaper the longer you go, barring hardware failure) and $7.71 a month for verifiably higher quality service with a reputable company that provides good customer support if something goes sideways and doesn't have a history of sketchy billing practices is a reasonable and minimal amount to ensure a wise investment in any necessary communications infrastructure... especially if it is needed for business. That is the ideal concept of frugality. Frugality has nothing to do with choosing the absolute cheapest provider available no matter what, and is what defines that line between it and being cheap. Being cheap is yielding to the same sort of stingy, tightwad priorities that you see in threads started by people trying to milk things like Swagbucks, where they "borrow" electricity and data just to claim a few extra pennies every night.

You may be happy with your service, and that's fine, I even said as much... but I've got solid empirical data that says it's not even a reasonably good deal. Choosing MagicJack for new phone service over any of the known competition is just bad advice.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2014, 12:01:06 PM by I.P. Daley »

sheepgetlambs

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #32 on: April 20, 2014, 08:03:36 PM »
I don't find Skype's quality to be all that great. There is often a delay when talking to people. It drives me nuts. I've never used Magic Jack.
We use Ooma and had problems with dropped calls for awhile. We found we had "jitter" on our AT&T internet line. We switched to Time Warner internet service (they desperately want us to "bundle" so we never tell them that we use Ooma) and have had perfectly clear calls ever since (about two years). In the last two years I've had maybe two dropped calls. The Ooma box was an initial investment but now we pay less than $4 per month for phone. DH gets high-speed internet paid for by work. I have H2O for my cell phone at $100/year. Antenna only for TV. We're happy with all our services.

Thomas54

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #33 on: April 20, 2014, 11:13:51 PM »
I've had MJ at the house for a couple of years and it's OK.  I paid $60 for the MJ unit and $99 for 5 years of service.  I think that there is a small charge once a year for 911 service, maybe $7.

I've dropped my internet with Time Warner to the lowest possible speed of 2K dload and 1K upload for $21/month.  There is a noticeable garble in the voice on my end if I'm simultaneously surfing the internet, so I use my cell if I'm gonna be on the computer for a long time.

All things considered, MJ works OK for me.

Thomas

libertarian4321

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #34 on: April 25, 2014, 12:06:36 AM »

Chill out, guy... the only one flipping his lid in this thread is you. I simply pointed out in the beginning that if you legitimately couldn't tell any difference in call quality between MJ and a POTS landline that you might need to get your hearing checked, which is a legitimate response and concern for your aural health given how low-quality the audio codecs are used by the company you're trumpeting....

There's the quote for you. By the way, that certainly reads like your claiming it's more than it really is. It's also why if you can't personally hear the difference, I had expressed genuine concern about your hearing. Instead, you took things as a personal insult and are still clearly spoiling for a fight.

[Mod Edit: Personal attack removed.]

And I stand by my statement that with the Magic Jack I get the same quality as I had with my previous VOIP provider.  You can toss out snippy  comments all day long, but it won't change my opinion.

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Now you get to be an object lesson.

If you'd actually read my responses, you would have noticed I've already pointed out a superior provider for the same amount of money that you're spending in this very thread (technically cheaper if you count the device costs between the two) by name-checking NetTalk, and the very guide I manage on these forums (which contains a distillation of years of research and documentation) has several far superior providers for less than $4 a month more than what you're spending.

If you call that an object lesson, you fail.

It is not cheaper.  I pay $20/year (Net Talk starts at $30/year) for service.  I recently ordered the Magic Jack Plus with 5 years of service for $100.  That's $20/year INCLUDING the cost of the device.  That was a sale price, but it's $20/year (no device) normally. 

The Net Talk Device with 1 year of service is the same price as the MJ Plus with 6-mos service (you can buy the original MJ for less, btw), but after the initial period, the NT is $10 more per year. 

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A poor man can't afford to spend money on garbage no more so than a rich man can afford to throw money away on garbage. Your experiences with MJ are not the norm, and quite frankly I suspect you're lashing out because you're trying to save face or lie to yourself after being publicly cornered on the documented quality for cost issue. It seems a bit Hans Christian Andersen.

You are so angry about my expressing my opinion on a public forum that you can't read clearly.  I stated that I was giving my experience with MJ.  You are the one making wild claims about knowing everything about everyone's experiences.

Note that I'm still not backing down from my original statement.  It's got nothing to do with "face" or any other blather you can throw out.  I'm sticking with my original statement because it's true.

Regarding your anger at my expressing my opinion, I've got to ask what has you so riled up, do you work for Net Talk, or own the stock? (Full disclosure:  I don't own stock or have any interest in either company) 

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The service is widely regarded as low quality by nearly anyone who's ever used it, and there's mountains of evidence to that very point well out in the open. I even linked some of the lowest hanging fruit documenting that.

I didn't spend all day searching the net for other people's opinions of Net Talk, as Magic Jack is cheaper and does just fine by me, but when checking the cost of the device on Amazon, I also noted that the net talk device on Amazon had poorer ratings than the Magic Jack.  Must be some sort of conspiracy of Amazon reviewers against Net Talk?

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Frugality has nothing to do with choosing the absolute cheapest provider available no matter what, and is what defines that line between it and being cheap.


Frugality is choosing the lowest cost option that does the job.  For me, that is Magic Jack.  If you want to spend more on something else, go for it, it's your money.

I'm not telling you what to buy.  Why do you seem so intent insisting that I agree with your choice?

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You may be happy with your service, and that's fine, I even said as much... but I've got solid empirical data that says it's not even a reasonably good deal.

Yes, I am happy with the Magic Jack.  It's done the job I've needed it to do for years, with no problems.  I use it every day for business and personal calls, and it's still going strong, and costs me less than $2 per month for unlimited local and long distance calls.

I hope you won't be too offended if I choose my actual experience with MJ over your "data." 
« Last Edit: April 25, 2014, 08:50:46 AM by arebelspy »

arebelspy

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #35 on: April 25, 2014, 08:49:23 AM »
MOD NOTE: Enough bickering.  You two have both stated your opinions on MagicJack.  You can take it to PM if you still have more to say to each other.
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CentimentalFreedom

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #36 on: May 05, 2014, 03:27:36 PM »
I tried skype but kept getting booted!!! AH!! (maybe because I was on data and not wifi?)

Trying MagicJack Mobile.

rusty

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #37 on: May 05, 2014, 03:34:29 PM »
I have Voipo.com.  I think it was $150 for 2 years.  It works so well, no one in the house even knows I switched it.

TreeTired

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #38 on: September 11, 2014, 02:12:48 PM »
Since I stated upthread that Google Voice stopped supporting Obi,  thought I should mention that I just got the following email:     (yayyy!)

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Obihai has great news for everyone using Google Voice!


Google Voice is now Officially Supported on OBi VoIP devices.

Obihai is excited to announce official support for Google Voice. With a Google Voice account and a companion OBi device you can make and receive VoIP calls on a regular telephone.


zolotiyeruki

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Re: MagicJack vs Skype
« Reply #39 on: September 11, 2014, 06:58:08 PM »
Another satisfied Ooma customer here.  Used to have Vonage.  The only feature we miss is the voicemail-to-email.