If You Replace One Magic Jack With Another Do You Need to Port Again

Yous may non see it as often these days, but non too long ago it was impossible to turn on the Television set subsequently x p.g. without seeing either a commercial or infomercial for MagicJack, a modest plastic box that could supercede your abode phone line using the power of the internet. With the ascent in the ubiquity of the smartphone, many people don't even have a home phone anymore, but MagicJack is still around, and actually offers more now than it always has. Is it worth a look? Read on to detect out.

What is MagicJack?

MagicJack is a voice over cyberspace protocol (VoIP) provider that has been around since 2007. Basically, it provides the same services as your home phone, but instead of an bodily phone line, it uses your cyberspace connexion instead. The service has moved across the simple dwelling house phone alternative it started as, allowing y'all to brand calls on the road, and even ring calls to your domicile telephone on your smartphone. The company has also shed the shady image information technology initially had, trading dubious marketing tactics for an increasingly solid product.

How does it work?

The original MagicJack plugged into your computer's USB port and piggybacked on its internet connection. A standard telephone jack on the other side of the device lets you lot plug in the phone of your choice and brand calls. It was a simple solution, but required you to leave your computer on all day and all night, assuming yous wanted to be able to receive calls at any fourth dimension.

In 2011, the company debuted the MagicJack Plus. This could nonetheless be plugged into your calculator, just too included an Ethernet connection, allowing it to plug direct into your cable modem or router, pregnant you lot no longer had to get out a estimator running at all times to make and receive calls. The MagicJack Plus also boasted drastically improved call quality, partially because it could be direct continued to a router, merely also because of improved hardware inside. In 2014, a second, smaller version of the MagicJack Plus was released, followed by the fifty-fifty smaller MagicJack Go.

Today, MagicJack offers two chief options, one product, and one enhanced service. They are:

MagicJack home: MagicJackHome is the only VoIP adapter that MagicJack currently offers. This adapter plugs into a USB-A port on your estimator to provide a VOIP connection that can port your old phone number over so you lot don't have to change your contact information. Thanks to the included MagicApp, yous don't necessarily need your estimator to use it, either. Free caller ID, call waiting, voicemail, conference calling, directory assistant, and free calls between MacicJack users are all included, also as gratis local and long-distance calling.

MagicApp: It's the MagicJack service, but available as an app on your mobile phone. This app is designed to support calls and text messages (texts limited to any U.Southward. number), only won't employ your mobile carrier minutes when it'south operational. It can likewise work with features on your phone similar your contact list, and supports voicemail likewise.

MagicJack Concierge: Concierge is an extended service that's specifically targeted at more professional person VoIP users — pocket-size businesses that may want MagicJack capabilities instead of a full VoIP solution. This comes with 2 additional features. Starting time, you go admission to expert support staff that are available via phone calls (something lower-tier users practice not get). 2d, you get discounts for whatsoever new devices if y'all need to replace your MagicJack device in the future.

How much does information technology cost?

The MagicJackHome is available for $39.99 to $59.99. Prices vary based on current deals and where y'all are buying from. Upon ordering, you have 30 days to render information technology complimentary of charge if yous don't similar it. Included in the purchase is 12 months of free service. A renewal for some other twelvemonth of service is $39. The MagicJack App is entirely complimentary to download and use during this time.

The extra MagicJack Concierge service for more back up is $xiv.99 per year. There are no boosted costs or discounts for these added features.

These prices compare favorably to rates for other VoIP services, specially for pocket-sized enterprises and home businesses; as long as you don't demand whatsoever other features or telephone call management options.

How useful is MagicJack, actually?

It may have been a gimmick when it started, but since the introduction of the MagicJack Plus, it has generally been a solid service. While its main use is every bit a home phone replacement, it also offers a number of features that may be useful to anyone, even if y'all oasis't had a home phone for years.

One major use is international calls. As shown above, the pricing isn't bad, but if you have people in other countries that you frequently call, it may behoove yous both to apply MagicJack, as calls to other MagicJack users are free, even internationally. This also applies to MagicApp, and so fifty-fifty if yous don't want to buy whatever specialized hardware, you tin can utilize the app on your telephone of choice.

Actually, MagicApp may be the secret weapon in MagicJack's arsenal. Not but does the app offer unlimited texting — groovy if you're on a limited cell phone plan — but information technology also makes free calls over Wi-Fi. Yes, mobile providers similar T-Mobile and Dart offering Wi-Fi calling that won't employ your minutes, simply if your provider or phone doesn't back up this, MagicApp could be a bully manner to salvage coin on your plan.

How is the call quality?

Call quality varies by a number of factors, but has generally gotten better with each generation of hardware. From the MagicJack Plus through the MagicJackHome, quality has been much better than it was at the showtime.

If you're able to stream Netflix, your connexion is likely more than than fast enough to use MagicJack.

There are ii major factors that affect quality. The offset is whether you're plugged into a computer or directly into your modem or router. The latter seems to greatly improve quality. The 2nd factor is your net connection. If y'all're able to stream Netflix or other video services without break, your connectedness is likely more than fast enough to use MagicJack without upshot. If yous struggle to load webpages, telephone call quality will suffer as a outcome.

The actual phone you employ will also have some issue the call quality. Using a cordless phone, for example, volition accept however problems that those phones have with standard lines. We'll also note that MagicJack has previously reported that service is restricted in "price-prohibitive areas," which substantially means that service won't exist as reliable in rural locations.

Who is MagicJack for?

The most straightforward answer to this question necessitates another question first and foremost. Inquire yourself: Do yous have a home phone line? Should your reply be yes, then MagicJack unquestionably deserves your careful consideration. It's unlikely that you'll find a more affordable alternative, specially if you lot happen to be a frequent long-distance caller on your home phone line.

MagicJack is also an infrequent choice if you regularly brand international calls. Although these aren't covered in the yearly base charge, the prices are still among the lowest you lot'll come beyond. If you've thought long and hard about attaching a landline, maybe for your home office space, you'll quickly discover that MagicJack is much more economical than any other possibilities. They even take a distinct, separate offering for companies, though that doesn't truly belong inside the telescopic of this particular article.

You lot can also choose from an array of other available options. These include companies like Vonage, which is the most well-known VoIP offering available but besides essentially more costly than MagicJack, beginning at a monthly payment of $10. Skype is another alternative, now offering end-to-end encryption . However, this is a vastly dissimilar product, intended for other people. If y'all're searching for a solution to reduce your parents' habitation telephone payment, they most likely won't be taken with Skype. Yet, if you're not entirely sure about which might exist the most dependable option for yous, we invite you to read through our listing of the best VoIP providers .