magicJackGO 2017 VOIP Phone Adapter Portable Home and On-The-Go Digital Phone Service. Make Unlimited Local & Long Distance Calls to The U. S. and Canada. NO Monthly Bill. 2017 (1 Pack)

Summary: Pros: * Inexpensive. Average of $5.42/mo for first year (factoring in $20 to port existing phone # and $12 911 fee). * Setup is quick and easy * No need to hook up to a computer Cons: * None so far I get virtually no cell signal in my apartment so I need a home phone. I was with Vonage for a little over a year and have no complaints about their service. When the intro rate jumped up to $35/mo (including taxes), I could no longer justify spending that much for a service I use to little. While looking around for alternatives, I remembered seeing the commercials for MagicJack and started reading up on the company and user reviews. For $33 for the small piece of equipment and 12 months of service, I figured it was worth giving it a try. The package arrived in 2 days (thanks Prime!) and setup took about 10-15 mins. Hooking up the equipment, which is a dongle a little smaller than a deck of cards, took a minute or two, and the rest of the setup time was creating an account and going through the various options. I ported my home # to MJ which costs $20 and took 5-7 days to complete. Another $12 for local 911 taxes, for an all-in cost of $65 for 12 months of service, or an average of $5.42/mo. That will save me $30/mo for the exact same type of VoIP service! Call quality has been very good and no different than a regular landline connection; no static, dropped calls, or anything like that. It works as advertised and does it at a very inexpensive price. I haven't traveled yet but will be heading overseas later this summer and will take MJ with me for calls back home.

Was a bit scared since the reviews are all over the place some with odd claims. Had a brief issue when registering. I think the problem was I read the whole contract which took a really long time and it timed out without telling me it timed out. Started over from the beginning and worked the second time. This device works fine. The sound quality is fine, though a little lower level than a normal phone. And if the other person is talking softly it's not understandable more so than with a regular phone. There's no echoing or robot voice problems. Can call people and receive calls with a regular phone and it works. Be sure you don't plug it into the wall jack if that wall jack is connected to the outdoor phone lines, something bad might happen they note. This supposedly works with an Android app to allow wifi calling through the account. I couldn't get that to work, was giving connection errors even though connection is fine. But I didn't buy this for that feature so that's not a problem for me. I didn't have to pay extra for anything like some have said. There were a bunch of extras offered like custom phone numbers or porting the old number or stuff that you'd expect to pay more for, but these were all presented as optional. If you register with a US address you might later have to pay extra for 911 to your local 911 office though, but that has nothing to do with them. They note that if you don't pay them (and if you do they just hand it over with no markup), then your local 911 people might bill you directly. Contrary to some claims, it doesn't cut off calls after a certain number of minutes. I have made several long calls. They do note that they reserve the right to cut off if there's internet network congestion problems. I haven't yet seen that happen and it's understandable to me why that is necessary. To access voice mail you dial your own number! Wouldn't have guessed that but it makes sense once you know. Also you can configure on your account to have it give a different dialtone (beep beep instead of hum) to mean there are messages. All in all, yeah, this is a good thing and I like it. August 2017 update: It's been a year and a half since I posted my original review. Everything I said still stands: it's still working, there's nothing wrong with this service, I've had no problems, and there's lots to like. I was able to renew my annual subscription simply by buying a card at Wally World for cash. It's all quite smooth, and it's very reliable. I've definitely gotten my money's worth.

Recently cut the cord from Time Warner Cable and dropped TWC VIOP service. The Magicjack Go was EXTREMELY simple and easy to set up. Works like a charm! Recommend it as an inexpensive alternative to corporate phone service (TWC, Verizon, Comcast, etc...) and also an alternative to more expensive VOIPs offered on Amazon. Magicjack appears to be the least expensive overtime and works just as well. Except..., and this is why I gave it 4 stars, the Magicjack does NOT work with ADT home security systems. The dial tone provided by Magicjack is not recognized by ADT. Even had an ADT tech come to the house and spoke with Magicjack customer service, but unfortunately there is no workaround using Magicjack and ADT. However, I found another solution. Instead of installing the ADT cellular service/option, which would have cost over $150 to install and added at least $20 a month to our ADT bill, I simply purchased the OBI200, adding a second VOIP device and second phone line thought Google Voice, dedicated to the ADT system. For reasons I can not explain, the OBI200 works with ADT. So we kept Magicjack and by adding a dedicated line to the ADT through the OBI200 and Google Voice, our ADT home security system now works perfectly. Even had ADT monitoring service run a test and the communications between our home and ADT worked! Note, the ADT cellular option is a more secure connection to ADT because a thief could cut our TWC internet connection from the outside of the house, but the cost of adding cellular was not worth it to me. Finally, don't make the mistake I made when porting over your home number and cancel your TWC phone service too soon. I attempted to port the number through Magicjack for $20 and without thinking within a day or two cancelled our TWC phone service. Magicjack came back and said you no longer own that number. Oops!!! Immediately called TWC and signed up for home phone service again. Fortunately our original home phone number had not been reassigned. So... my brain fart did cost use an extra month of TWC service and a re-activation fee, but we were able to keep our home phone number.

After NetTALK decidedly bullied long standing loyal customers into increased costs and enacted mysterious call limits overnight I had to dump them after five years. Then after Spectrum kept to cable company virtues of regular monthly bill hikes after a year (oh those billing algorithms, all of it unregulated of course so all too easy exploiting consumers 24/7/365) I was in between going without “home phone” service entirely or Ooma or number parking or Verizon Fios (and their setup equipment gouging, no thanks). But I really wanted to keep my number and home phone. After not considering at all I read quite a bit of consistently fair reviews of improved MagicJack service, I rolled the dice. And so far it’s paid off. Setup easy, number port easy and shockingly efficient (clearly when you pay for it, $23 in my case, it makes a complete difference). Call quality great, reasonable upfront and running cost, really pleased. Added bonus is their app, where others mostly don't work right magicJack actually does, and it effectively converts your landline number into another mobile but familiar number in that it adds texting, digital voicemail wav file function emailed to you directly, works well with Apple devices iPhone iPad, caller ID, everything you had feature wise elsewhere but way more. Should’ve given magicJack a try a while back but better late than never. Only gripe is how magicJack has already cut a call of mine after exactly an hour so they definitely reserve the right to overly monitor, limit light usage, hopefully it’s not a regular experience as netTALK does that to sell additional call credits. A dealbreaker especially when you make only a few calls a day if that. We’ll see I guess, neither company publishes call pattern limitations. If you’re tired of the cable company billing charade, held hostage to triple play price fears (“if you cancel phone service your cable and internet bill will actually increase”) give magicJack a serious DIY try. It’s worth it if only for a little independence.

I started this telephony project with the expectation of saving a good deal of money per annum,,getting improved performance and owning my own communications equipment.After a great deal of trial and error coupled with blood, sweat, and tears, I have a fully functioning high speed, Internet node. The crux of my travails was the conversion from one vendor to another (U-verse -> Xffinity) and equipment (ATT -> Arris/Asus/MajicJack). Setup of Network Gear --------------------- After performing a thorough Inernet search, I determined that the Arris Surfmodem/Asus N600 Router were capable of good performance while meeting the interface requirements of Comcast (Docsis 3.0). I used the 'onion layered schema' for testing, proceeding: cable modem -> router -> Majicjack. Arris Surfmodem ----- --------- After several polite, but ultimately unproductive calls to ATT, I was able to determine that the modem couldn't 'sync' the line signal. I was, however, able to initiate the 'port shutdown' transaction that ATT requires. I then called Xffinity to get my MAC address into their database. The representative with whom I spoke was barely conversant in English; he felt he could activate the modem. I told him that he couldn't talk to it. So, I threw in towel,and scheduled the heavy gun, Xffinity installer. ATT Customer Support: Ernest, but unknowledgeable; tried to foist ATT field service on me @ $99 ASUS N600 Router ---------------- Upon arrival, Eric, the Xffinity service tech, complimented me on my choice of network hardware, tore out all the ATT coax back to the pole,and tested my modem. All the lights were lit as specified and the mode tested fine. He activated the mode and discovered that the MAC address was almost a random number. Eric also assited in going through the router configuration screens. Voila, the hardware works beautifully, and the network speeds are up to spec. Next, the MajicJack issues. Xfinity Customer Service: Communication problems MajicJack ---------- I got the MajicJack out of box, connected the ethernet and telephony wires as proscribed and began the configuration process.I then reversed my thinking and connected directly to my computer. Unfortunately, on a Macbook the MajicJack takes up two USB ports, and the MajicJack configuration program tends to freeze the touchpad. So, I did another turnabout and used the server program. Contrary to expressed opinion, I didn't find it easy to use; it would accept only ten digit phone numbers. After two iterations, I was satisfied with the results. Results: I could call out but call into Uverse voicemail. I called ATT to disconnect my voicemail, which resulted in a system 'number not available' message. At this point, I felt that ATT was still holding on to the number, so I called MajicJack Customer service and found a chat page. I talked with Carlos, the tech, about my concerns and received a formalized that "ATT would not permit incoming calls until the phone number was dropped." After the ATT due dae date, I receIved an email that the number was dropped. The phone now worked beautifully. MajicJack Customer Service: concise and to point; excellent. A little difficult to navigate. Life Alert/Magic Pendant ------------------------ These must be configured for MajicJack. Magic Pendant Customer Service: Award winning. They will handhold you through the process. Conclusions: ------------ 1) ATT possibly imbedded problems. Their customer service is problematic. All the hardware, that I used, is excellent. 2) There are hidden rules when transitioning from < Network A, type 1 > >---> < Network B, type 2 >. Most are not well known and some of may unintentionaly cause the online service reps to lead you astra¥. 3) The hardware worked well and the documentation was, for the most part, accurate. Restrictions weren't enumerated.

I am so happy that I decided to FINALLY give Magic Jack a try for my house phone. I haven't had a house phone in 5 years and recently decided to get one for my FAX machine mainly, my 13 year old son JUST IN CASE something happens to his cell phone or an emergency since I have sickle cell anemia and am always calling 911 to come take me to the hospital for pain meds and hospitalization. I'm on a budget and refuse to pay $40/mo to Verizon just to have a dang DIAL TONE and call other numbers that are locally within my zip code. I remember when Magic Jack 1st came out people were saying that it worked off your computer but it was slow cause they had dial up, however I always had DSL so I knew my internet speed was faster and it would work fine for me. Yet I always had a cell phone so I ended up removing my house phone and just mainly using my cell phone for EVERY bit of communication needed via phone. I looked into Vonage but realized that I'd still have a monthly house phone bill despite it being under $20 month and looked into Magic Jack and saw that I could get the Magic Jack GO and that would allow me to download the app onto me and my son cell phones just in case something happened where we wouldn't have any service or we could download the app on our tablets so we could use them as another landline for voice communication. At 1st I set it up on my computer in the back and realized that I could ONLY USE IT IF MY COMPUTER WAS ON. So then I decided to use it by plugging it up to a wall plug and THAT made it to where I could use it ANYTIME I needed to or wanted to and it was a great thing to be able to FINALLY use my FAX machine again instead of using ONLINE faxes service. Sometimes when I'm on a phone call people will say they hear my phone making a beeping noise but I can hear them totally fine with no problems and when using the phone you even have to type in the number 1 plus your own area code even if you are calling a local telephone number a block away. That's nothing major to me especially when I don't have a monthly bill and got 12 months of service free and when I renew it I only have to pay the price of a monthly household telephone bill for either a year or 5 years!! I think that I am going to purchase the 5 year deal when my 12 months are up and keep the Magic Jack GO on me and my son tablets and cell phones for emergency uses if needed in the near future.

I live in New Hampshire, a single Area Code state, and our Area Code is not available through Magic Jack. However, I contacted Magic Jack support via Chat prior to purchase and asked specifically, "Is Area Code 603 in NH available?" I was assured that it was. When I received my Magic Jack, I followed the instructions for set it up--- which were straight forward and easy to follow. After my computer detected it, I was directed to the online registration to finalize set-up and be assigned a number. However when I reached the page for number assignment, I discovered nothing was available for NH! I could have a CT, MA, ME, RI or VT area code, but not a NH number. This was frustrating! I contacted Chat. Through the course of the next hour, I was assured I could have a 603 Area Code, however, I'd need to contact Customer Service on the phone and was given a number. After making that call (the call center is not located in the US), describing my challenge and what I had been through--- three or four times in order to be understood--- and making no progress--- despite being told "603 is available," I asked for a supervisor. I was told "a supervisor can't help." WHAT!?! I was then given the number for US Customer Service, but was told "They are now closed and you must wait to call in the morning." Amazon--- please add to the description that this devise will not allow you to have a number in all area codes. You can begin by listing NH. I also noticed that DC was not available. If this had been published and Magic Jack Chat knew what they were doing I would have saved a great deal of time and not become so frustrated!

I purchased Magicjack mainly for cost reasons. It works out to be about $5.00 per month, compared to phone service from a regular phone service provider, which can be in the range of $15 to $30 per month. However, my experience has been mixed so far. The Good: 1. Low cost. For the first year, cost works out to be around $5:00 per month. For the second year onwards the cost could be as low as $3:00 per month depending on the plan you choose. 2. The set up is pretty straightforward and easy 3. You can port your old number to Magic Jack for a price – charged me $10.00 plus tax 4. There are lot of good features (unlimited calling in US, Canada, free second conf line etc. etc.) 5. Their website is pretty easy to use What is not that obvious: 1. You have to pay for the 911 service separately. About $7.00 for the first year in North Carolina where I live. There are some limitations on the 911 service. The Bad: 1. Customer Service. The only way you can contact their customer service is through live chat. There are no phone numbers to call. My experience chatting with them has been pretty poor, as explained in my experience below. 2. If you are trying to port your old number to Magicjack, it could take as long as 10 days according to them. Until the number port request is completed, you will not be able to receive incoming calls. You can make outgoing calls only. By the way, number portability is Federal Law; so phone providers cannot refuse to do it (in most normal situations). My experience: I received an e-mail from Magicjack customer service indicating my port request did not go through because Vonage (my current provider) rejected it. They suggested to contact Vonage to resolve it before re-submitting my port request. When I contacted Vonage, they said there is nothing holding up the port from their side. I chatted with Magicjack and they suggested I re-submit the port request. I did that and it got rejected again. I contacted Vonage again and they want to know the specific reason why the request is not going through. I tried contacting Magicjack through chat again. After waiting 20 minutes for the next agent, it dropped me unceremoniously and asked me to try again later. So, after spending 2 or 3 hours on this over two days, I still cannot receive incoming calls. I have no clue why my port request is not going through or how to make it work. Moral of the story: Cheap prices does come with some limitations… LOL. I will update my review once this saga ends. 2/1/16 update: After chasing Magicjack numerous times through live chat, I was promised the issue will be escalated to their upper management and someone will get back to me via e-mail. While waiting for the e-mail from MagicJack, I got written confirmation from Vonage that they NEVER received a port request from Magicjack for my number. Finally, I got an e-mail from Magicjack promising to port my number by 2/5/16. I hope it goes through, but I will believe it when it actually happens. So the saga continues... 2/11/16 update: No, it did not come through on 2/5/16 as promised. But, I kept following up with MagicJack through e-mail. After exchanging e-mails several times, MagicJack customer service indicated they are in touch with Vonage folks and they would port it by 2/11/16. This time they came through. Today I received confirmation from both Vonage and MagicJack that the number has been ported. I never found out what the real hang up was... Well, all is well that ends well, right? I am going to leave it at that. Since MagicJack finally came through, to be fair, I am changing their rating from one star to 3 stars. That's the end of my saga...