MagicJack Plus + Free 6 Months Subscription to Magic Jack Service

Disclaimer: We only got this as a backup to our cell phones, so it will get limited use and I can't comment on long phone calls or extended use. Also, I had no problem with setup or use, so I can't comment on the customer service that so many people report trouble with. So here is the background story. My wife just can't keep track of her cell phone. If it is not in the car, buried in the depths of her purse, or between the couch cushions, it is still on silent from her work day. As a result I often have trouble calling her, especially when she is at the house. We had a couple of emergency scenarios when I couldn't get ahold of her for more than half a day and enough was enough. I tried to convince her to wear her cell phone on a lanyard around her neck, but she wouldn't go for that! Enter magicjack. In brief it works great. Incoming and outgoing calls are clear, and the voicemail is an added bonus. Five stars for now, but I have only been using it for one day and I will come back and edit this review if anything changes. I will comment on the individual features below. USE Once it is set up, it works just like a regular landline phone with one strange exception. You always have to dial the area code, even for local calls. I had to figure this out by pure chance and by reading other reviews because it wasn't obvious in the instructions. What is even more bizarre is that you don't dial a "1" before the area code. This is all a minor inconvenience once you are accustomed to it. SOUND I bought the most basic phone I could get, a AT&T 210 Corded Phone, Black, 1 Handset , and the sound quality through the MagicJack is surprisingly good. I had expected some kind of digitization, echo, or lag in the VOIP sound, but we have had no such problem. VOICEMAIL There is good and bad about the voicemail, but the bad is not enough to knock off a star. The bad is that the default voicemail message is a blatant advertisement of "the MagicJack subscriber you are calling is not available...". I am going to change that annoying message when I figure out how. The good thing about the voicemail is that it sends it as a .wav file attachment to an email address. Since it will only send to one email address, I set up a dummy gmail account to collect these voicemails and automatically forward them to both me and my wife. So, we both immediately receive our voicemails in our email accounts. What a cool feature. Now if I could just get my android phone to open those .wav files my life would be perfect and I would appreciate any feedback about android apps that will open .wav files (I already tried winamp and it doesn't read them correctly). SETUP Setup was fairly easy. I just plugged the magicjack plus box into a USB port on my Windows 7 computer. Once the computer recognized the device, it gave me an option to open it and I did. It automatically launched into the account setup. It was a little annoying that a had to click "no" though a bunch of stuff they wanted to sell (5-year plan, extra year of service, insurance, etc.), but it was still very easy to do. Once that finished, I unplugged the magic jack from the computer, connected a cable between it and my router, ran another cable from the magicjack to the phone, and plugged in the magicjack to a power strip. Presto, I had a dial tone and could make incoming and outgoing calls with no problem. The whole ordeal must have only taken about ten minutes. Very easy. WEBSITE/ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT There is definitely room for improvement here, but I did not take off a star because the account website doesn't really take away from the functionality of the product. That being said, the website is a pain to use and not very intuitive at all. The first page you see looks like a big advertisement, and it has a video commercial that automatically launches. Very annoying! Once you find the button to log in to your account, there are menu tabs across the top of the page but they are not very intuitively labeled and of course the default one is the "shop" for them to sell you more stuff. The sixth tab over is the "account" tab, but in my judgment that should be the default screen when you log in. Anyhow, if you have trouble finding anything or doing anything on their website there are tons of Google results to help you through it. I had to Google how to add an email address, for example. CUSTOMER SERVICE As I mentioned earlier, I did not have any problems with setup or use, so I had no need for customer service but I can confirm that it appears there is no customer service phone number and you have to launch a chat page to deal with them. I find it ironic that a phone service company has no customer service phone number, but whatever. Thankfully, there is tons of magicjack information available through Google searches so hopefully I will never have to even deal with customer service.

Having owned the original magicJack, I would say that it's an excellent way of making and receiving calls, while helping to keep the household on a budget. The original does have its challenges with intermediate choppiness and occasional static making it difficult to depend on for personal or business usage, especially when calls are received during those moments of uncertainties, not to mention voicemails. But with the revolutionary breakthrough of the magicJack PLUS, all of those issues are a thing of the past, making the magicJack PLUS a number 1 for every household. After reading several reviews about the magicJack PLUS, I couldn't help but notice that the nays and the yea's where running at 50% and this had caused me to question whether or not to invest a second time around. But, after realizing that the nays were having technical issues, I had decided to go for it and I'm glad that I did. So to help with the challenges that had made me reluctant, I've decided to post the help that is much needed for the magicJack PLUS community. How to install the magicJack PLUS To register your magicJack PLUS, please follow these steps: 1) Plug your magicJack PLUS into a USB port of your computer (PC or MAC) a) If using a MAC, double click the magicJack PLUS icon that appears. b) If using a PC, magicJack PLUS software will load automatically. 2) Click on "Click Here To Register" in the left window of the magicJack PLUS SoftPhone. a) If you're a previous owner of the original magicJack, then you will have the option to use an existing magicJack number or select a new number for your magicJack PLUS, during the registration process. 3) Follow the on-screen instructions to register with your personal information. You will be given the option to select your area code and a number during this registration process. 4) You are now ready to make and receive calls. How to install the magicJack PLUS to your Router 1) Remove the magicJack PLUS from the USB port of your computer (PC or MAC). 2) Plug the magicJack PLUS into the power adapter that has been provided. 3) Plug the Ethernet cord that has been provided into the magicJack PLUS. 4) Plug the other end of the Ethernet cord into your modem our router. 5) Plug a telephone into your magicJack PLUS. a) I have found that the magicJack and the magicJack PLUS works best using DECT telephones. All features of my DECT 6.0 Panasonic cordless phones are working excellently. The main base unit is currently attached to the magicJack PLUS in a central location of the house, along with the five (5) other extensions scattered throughout my home of 4,000 sq ft. b) * Many routers will assign the same IP address to the same devices nearly all the time, but there are a lot of other routers out there that won't. This issue is causing many individuals to experience disconnects with their magicJack PLUS device, creating what is known as IP address conflict. If you find that the IP address of any device, (printer, laptop, desktop, etc.) or your magicJack PLUS keeps changing, you will need to setup DHCP reservations on your router. Please refer to the, (Important* Notation Section) of this post. This section will assist in eliminating the IP address conflict issues in which your Router is by default reassigning your IP addresses causing conflicts and failures with the magicJack PLUS or various devices. Prior to doing this important step, please first continue with the installation of your magicJack PLUS by completing step 6. 6) Plug the power adapter into a power outlet. 7) You are now ready to make and receive calls. (Important* Notation Section) * To reduce any errors on your home network, go to your routers configuration page and assign the magicJack PLUS an IP address using Static DHCP - To find the magicJack PLUS MAC address, look at the DHCP client list. The magicJack PLUS starts with 6C:33:A9:XX:XX - Yes that's it, now assign your magicJack PLUS an IP address using its MAC address using Static DHCP and your done. Please make sure that the IP address that you assign your magicJack PLUS is not being used by any devices on your network. You can also configure your MagicJack PLUS to use a static IP address via your account page on magicJack's website, but be absolutely certain that the IP address you choose is outside the range of any DHCP server you might have configured, while staying inside your network, making sure that there are no other devices on your network that use the same IP address. Caution: MagicJack will not work with dialup and it is not recommended for use with satellite Internet. DSL SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - If you are a DSL subscriber, then you may want to forgo porting your phone number, this may cause you to lose all services completely since your DSL service provider may require established phone services through them only. If you are planning on keeping your current DSL service provider for your internet services, then see if they have an available DSL internet plan that doesn't require a phone plan. If the magicJack PLUS is to be used as a second phone line, then you're safe to proceed with the magicJack PLUS. Crystal Clear Reception | Conference Calls | High Definition Voice | Landline replacement | Multiple Lines | Voice Emails

I have been a loyal Vonage customer for the past 5 years but recently retired and no longer needed many of the features Vonage provided. I looked to Magic Jack to help reduce monthly expenses. I was skeptical of Magic Jack Plus simply because it was so inexpensive but figured I would give it a try for awhile before I decided to keep it or stay with Vonage. I bought the Magic Jack Plus here on Amazon about two months ago and have been satisfied and decided to keep it. I ported my original number from Vonage just last week. Here is what I have learned and what I think about about Magic Jack Plus. 1) setting up Magic Jack Plus was a snap. I followed the on-line directions and it came up just fine. 2) The sound quality is fine. The only thing I noticed was that the volume was a little lower than when using Vonage. While using Vonage, I had to turn the volume on the phone down a couple of notches. With Magic Jack Plus, I find I have to have the volume on the phone up all the way to get the same results as with Vonage. All in all the volume is more than adequate. 3) One negative I have noticed is that it seems that the Magic Jack Plus needs more internet bandwidth for good sound quality than my Vonage needed. I have noticed that if I am on the computer and using the internet fairly heavily while making a call with Magic Jack, the voice of the person on the other end will break up and be intermittent. The caller on the other end also experiences break up of my voice. My typical download and upload speeds of my service are 3-4 Mbps and 0.8 to 1 Mbps respectively. Seeing how my Magic Jack service will cost me 1/10th of what I was paying for Vonage, I am willing to overlook this problem. 4) Once I was happy and decided to keep it, I ported my old number from Vonage to Magic Jack Plus. Again this worked just fine. Be advised that there is a one time fee of 19.95 to port the number then you have to pay 10.00 more annually for using your old number. I am not sure why the annual fee, but again the total for a year of service will only be 30 bucks, I was paying 10 times that with Vonage. Bottom line is that for my needs, Magic Jack Plus seems to fit the bill just fine and is so cheap you question if it will even work. I have often thought that Magic Jack might sell more of these if they cost more. I hope they don't figure that out. I would recommend Magic Jack Plus for sure. I hope this review helps.

It is 2015 and we are still using this! One of the best things we purchased to spend less money. I have wanted to use this product for a long time. I even purchased the first product (MJ that plugs into a computer that has to be turned on all the time) only to return it unopened because I was concerned it would be too much hassle to set-up and use. So when I heard about the MJ+, I thought this might work well for us. So I purchased from Amazon, but I was still very apprehensive at first. I even started the process of returning it to Plasma Buddy, but I decided to keep it and try it out. When it arrived, it didn't have any clear plastic cover over it. Plasma Buddy said something like this was the mail order package version, and that it was brand new. Plasma Buddy was great. They said I could return it. I'm SOOO glad I didn't and kept this one instead. IT WORKS WONDERFULLY for us!!! PROS 1. We have several phones in the house connected wirelessly to the MJ+. We use a total of 5 Uniden DCX160s. The base phone is connected to the MJ+ and the MJ+ is connected to our Netgear ROUTER...not a computer. This is a big difference. 2. We can now change our landline we have had for a long time to the MJ+. We will be saving $30 each month. It will be a 1x payment to do so is $20.00 to MJ, though. I think it will be worth it. 3. The sound clarity is perfect. My mother who is hard of hearing lives with us and she says she hears well with the MJ+ and the phone...on speaker...of course. :-) Note: We have Cox cable. We subscribe to their mid-tier internet service. This might help in knowing what type of broadband we have. We also stream movies via 2 Rokus. 4. The set-up was a breeze. I did not opt for many of the offers during the set-up process on the computer. One can later go back, log in and choose them if you change your mind. Once our number switches I plan on setting up 911. We don't plan on traveling with the MJ+ so it should work for us. Cons 1. Some say it doesn't work with alarm systems. We have ours set-up through our cell phones. 2. One friend says she can't fax her work via the MJ. She has the original version that has to be connected to a computer. Note: Both of these cons may change overtime or maybe I'm wrong and haven't done all the research. 3. It doesn't stop telemarketers...oh, well..guess we need to sign up for the DNC list again. No system is perfect. I highly recommend this product. I rarely write reviews, but this one seems to be one that would be helpful for anyone that needs to keep a landline and keep costs down occurred in life. UPDATE YR LATER: It still works great. Sometimes the sound isn't the best, but not that often. When our internet is down, it sends a VM to my email. I like this as a great back-up! My friend who said the old version couldn't fax for her work said it actually can, but she thinks they might be upgrading to the MJ+ soon. We switched to the 911 service in a snap.

I had a MagicJack Plus in operation for a couple years. It worked ok for outgoing calls but incoming calls would frequently go directly to voicemail, making the unit completely worthless if I was trying to call my kids at home from my cell phone or from a remote location. When I was finally done with the service I wanted to port the number away from MagicJack because I had given the number out to a number of people. The fee to port was over $30--ridiculous when you consider most companies don't charge anything for porting. Then when I considered reactivating MagicJack so my kids would be able to make outgoing calls, the company wouldn't give me any credit for the unused portion of the five years' service I had prepaid. I explained to the customer service rep that giving me some credit would make me a paying customer once again; not giving me any credit would cause me to look elsewhere. But the MagicJack reps are not empowered to make decisions like that, even when doing so would benefit the company. MagicJack is too focused on making money to focus on anything else, including customer relationships. So I did some research. For $38--less than the price of most MagicJack devices--you can purchase the Obi100 here on Amazon. Instead of paying for spotty MagicJack service and nonexistent customer support, this device will allow you to use Google Voice for internet calling absolutely free. The Obi100 plugs into your internet router and you plug your regular phone into it. The result: free calls (same as MagicJack) with no computer required. The Obi100 is a standalone unit. Its reviews are exceptional. Try it and you won't be disappointed. NOTE: I am not affiliated in any way with Obihai, nor was I compensated in any manner for this endorsement. I was just happy to find their product and sufficiently motivated by my experience with MagicJack to create and post this review.

After setting up two MagicJacks for my parents, I broke down and bought one for our house. They have one for the home business (the old model that requires to be plugged into a turned-on computer to work), and a home phone line (this one, which plugs straight into the router and does not require a computer to function). They work great for them, so my wife and I bought one. It's pretty easy to set up. It requires a computer to do so, but that's the only time you'll need a computer with this version of MagicJack. It guides you through the setup process, prompting you to pick your phone number and optional renewal options (on top of the free year that is included). Beware, the pricing is sketchy. The price is $19.95 per year if you buy in five year increments. Buy in 1 year increments, and it's $29.95 per year. That's still a steal. Also, it tries to upsell you on a lot of things. Want a vanity number? That's an extra charge. Want to port your old phone number over? That's an extra charge. For us, we skipped all the extras and picked a free phone number. After the PC setup is complete, it plugs straight into your router, which is nice, because it ensures a steady, reliable, always-on connection. Then, plug your phone line into the back of the MagicJack and you're good to go. It's easiest if you avoid the house wiring and go with one of the wireless bases with the satellite phones. That way, the base plugs into the MagicJack, and you can put the satellite phones wherever you want. How does it work? Exactly like you'd expect it to. It just works. Caller ID works. 411 works. Call waiting works. It has voicemail options as well, which we skipped, because we'd rather use our physical answering machine than have our messages stored online somewhere. With the Verizon FiOS 50/35 internet package, I don't notice any delay at all. It's not quite as clear as a regular land line would be, but it's clearer and more reliable than a cell phone, for sure. There's a little bit of static, but my MagicJack is buried in a pile of wires behind my entertainment center, and I suspect that there's some interference from that. It's so minor that I don't care enough to try moving it around. I really don't understand the negative reviews. Anybody could set this thing up. It's pretty self-explanatory. My boss bought one and returned it because he couldn't port over his existing number. They fixed that. The call quality is fine. I've never had issues with delays or dropped calls. Customer service may or may not be sketchy, I've never had to use it. And seriously, how picky can you be at this price? At $19.95 per year, it's cheaper to pay for a year of MagicJack than one month of Vonage. And Vonage, like MagicJack, is also VOIP (Voice Over IP). Any connection issues you run into with MagicJack, you'll likely run into with Vonage. I just don't know how people can complain. It works, it's easy, and it's CHEAP. That's a perfect mix for me.

First of all, this is my first ever review on Amazon and I make at least a dozen purchases A WEEK, literally. I purchased Magic Jack a few months ago to replace my VOIP home phone line from my cable provider and it has been a FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE. I've now bought 3 of these units...the 2nd I use as a number that I provide when filling out my information or making purchases, so I don't care about telemarketers calling this number. The 3rd I bought for my little sister at college. She has a limited number of minutes and this takes care of that problem. Here's a few notes to summarize my experience: 1. Absolutely seamless porting of my old number. The entire process was SO EASY!! I just provided my telephone number and within a week, my number was transferred and my old account automatically cancelled. I've swapped VOIP in the past (from Vonage to Charter) and the whole process was a disaster. I didn't have to do anything for this to work. 2. Works flawlessly...just plug it into your modem and then into your master cordless phone base. The reception is perfect in every room (including the basement) of my 2 story home. The quality and clarity of the sound is fantastic, and actually better than my old VOIP service. 3. CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP! $20 A YEAR PEOPLE!!! Why isn't everyone using this product? I was paying $20 a month for phone service through Charter, and this is the same type of product (VOIP) and it actually works better. 4. LISTEN TO YOUR VOICEMAILS THROUGH EMAIL - this is one of the coolest features. When you receive a voicemail, you're automatically sent an email with the message attached...you can listen to it anywhere. I seriously don't understand the negative reviews about hidden fees. I personally haven't experienced any hidden fees. But, if they do charge an ANNUAL fee of $12 for porting a line....SO FREAKIN WHAT??? What are you all crying about? You're still saving 90+%. The people leaving negative reviews and instructing others to avoid the product because of an annual $12 charge must have slept through their Econ classes...you're still saving a boatload money. $32/year vs. $240/year...need I say more? My point is, DO THE MATH...this is a NO BRAINER! I felt like I had to leave this review after noticing all the negatives. I have had ZERO problems and I'm 100% happy with the purchase.

OK, so I wrote my review on my Magicjack and did not move over to the Plus because I was satisfied with what I had. Took the plunge and decided to try the plus. Works as well as the regular Magicjack except you can turn off your computer and still have phone service. For those that don't have it and are considering getting it: It is awesome. You get an occasional beep while on the phone but that is it! You need a computer with Ethernet to hook up to ... Just like Vonage or your cable provider, it's VOIP. You have call waiting, call forwarding, and even piped in music when you put someone on hold. Only time it doesn't work is when power goes out ( which is almost never nowadays). However, thats what cell phones are for! I have five phones all over the house because I have a sick husband. Very much worth $29.95 (let's call it $30) a year. If you're paying per month and combining Internet with phone, ditch it and go Magicjack. Sorry ... Going from 5 stars down to 2. Had the MJ Plus for a year now and I've noted some VERY recent flaws that makes it not so special. Have had some problems with the Caller ID disappearing off my phone for awhile ( they said it was on their side). No credit for that. Also had problems at the same time with most of my calls not coming in -- dead air on the other end. Might I add that this was at a time when I had RSVP's out for my daughter's birthday party!!!! Soooo not cool. Then there has been more interference than the regular MJ. Not impressed with the MJ Plus. At the same time, something went haywire with the outgoing calls to businesses. Now I dial a business and it is as if I'm being connected to their 411. I have to sit through an advertisement and then I get the wrong options to choose from and it gives me a phone number that is NOT what I just dialed!!! All of this occurred at the same time, which, in my opinion lays fault squarely on whoever is screwing with their product on their end (since they owned the Caller ID problem). To make matters worse, MJ has announced that it is hiking its prices AGAIN. Two years in a row? Really?! As far as I'm concerned, they are taking one step forward and two steps back and then hiking rates. They have it backwards. First, provide me with a good product THEN I might consider the rate hikes. One could argue that rate hikes will improve the quality. I believe it lines people's pockets. They've gone from $19.95/year to $29.95 last year and are increasing it to $34.95. I might be obliged to stay if I were still happy but I honestly believe the product has gone downhill. I now feel bad because I convinced my aunt and neighbor to get it and they are experiencing similar problems. I've read great reviews about OOMA. Even Clark Howard approves. It is more costly but there is no annual charge. If MJ doesn't figure it out soon, they will be losing a customer that once raved about their product. I hope this review was helpful.