$20/year MagicJack VoIP Phone Service

My review and experience with the MagicJack product. Originally posted and updated 8/26/2008 on Youtube. Youtube Page


Free Trial Signup
August 12th, 2008 (clip 1 0f 11):
In these next set of clips I will chronicle my experience with the new MagicJack voip device and service. I currently pay approx $30/month for my current standard VoIP service for use as my main home phone line. I rarely use it for outbound calls and currently have all incoming calls automatically forwarded to my cell. This MagicJack service boasts $20 PER YEAR. Hey, this could be a revolutionary device/service. My initial conerns are about sound quality, call forwarding, and ability to take it overseas. Hey, there's only one way to find out it's merits, so this first clip shows how to sign up for their free 30day trial.

Email Confirmation
August 12th, 2008 (clip 2 0f 11):
I demonstrate how to test your internet connection speed. The faster your download/upload speed, the better sound quality you'll get from VoIP services and from MagicJack. I probably won't recommend MagicJack if your download/upload speed is below 1000kbps (or 1mbps). I also show what the confirmation email from MagicJack looks like and discuss realistic customer service expectations from a $20/year service.

Shipping Confirmation
August 13th, 2008 (clip 3 0f 11):
Received another email in my Hotmail account from MagicJack, informing me that the adaptor has been shipped and has links available for me to track the shipping progress via USPS.

MagicJack Arrives!
August 15th, 2008 (clip 4 0f 11):
The MagicJack arrived in the mail today in a simple and tough rubber/latex envelope.

Hooking it Up!
August 15th, 2008 (clip 5 0f 11):
The MagicJack's orange packaging covering was crinckled and bent up, but had no noticeable effects on the styrofoam insulation that the jack was imbedded. The entire packaging looked exactly like the ones I saw on other YouTube videos dated months before. The MajicJack should not be plugged into a USB hub/splitter.

Setting up Software
August 15th, 2008 (clip 6 0f 11):
Here I enter my email address info that establishes the online login account with MagicJack's website so that later I can login and change settings and lookup my account details. My physical address info must also be provided for proper 911 emergency response.

First Test Run
August 15th, 2008 (clip 7 0f 11):
I now choose my desired area code, finish the account setup, and finally perform a test phone call.

More Email Notifications
August 15th, 2008 (clip 8 0f 11):
I found 2 more emails sent from MagicJack: first one to verify my new login account that was created and the 2nd one, legal disclosures concerning the 911 emergency functionality.

2nd Test
August 15th, 2008 (clip 9 0f 11):
I attempt to use up as much internet bandwidth (via downloads and online video streaming) as possible while simultaneously making several calls with the MagicJack to see if I could degrade the audio quality.

3rd Test
August 19th, 2008 (clip 10 0f 11):
Over the weekend, I configured a dedicated system for use with MagicJack and for general internet downloads - 1.7Ghz Celeron CPU with only 384MB of RAM. This dedicated system is much slower than my laptop, but was ok for the MagicJack. However, I found that the MagicJack audio quality often got choppy if simultaneously running heavy downloads from this system. Sometimes even automated menu prompts during a telephone call would not read or misread my phone key presses. MagicJack will not perform well on a slower system with limited amount of system memory WHILE AT THE SAME TIME utilizing a big chunk of your internet bandwith with internet downloads/uploads. However, if I am NOT downloading/uploading than the MagicJack sound quality is just fine and no problems.

Conclusion
August 26th, 2008 (clip 11 0f 11):
My conclusion for now...