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Magic Jack or Vonage


Junebuggy

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We've used MagicJack for quite a few years with mostly positive experiences (depending on quality of wifi). I have never used Vonage so I don't know how it compares. Among the reasons we selected MJ:

1. It costs about $20/year (no monthly fees) + $10 per year if a Canadian telephone number is selected. They also have offered specials for $70 (+/-) for 5 years for the service.

2. All calls to Canada and US (excl. Alaska & Hawaii) are free

3. 800 numbers are free

4. you can attach it directly to your modem and to a telephone and it works like house phone along with any relevant extensions (we use it in Canada as our sole "land line"). In Mexico we use it as our out-of-country phone along with a telmex phone.

5. you can download your account to a MJ app to any smart phone for free. This allows me to travel all over the world with just my smart phone and use it in any wifi location to make, receive calls or pick up voice mail

6. Missed call notification is sent to your email address as an attachment and you can hear the voice mail (on your computer, your MJ phone, or your smart phone)

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We've used MagicJack for quite a few years with mostly positive experiences (depending on quality of wifi). I have never used Vonage so I don't know how it compares. Among the reasons we selected MJ:

1. It costs about $20/year (no monthly fees) + $10 per year if a Canadian telephone number is selected. They also have offered specials for $70 (+/-) for 5 years for the service.

2. All calls to Canada and US (excl. Alaska & Hawaii) are free

3. 800 numbers are free

4. you can attach it directly to your modem and to a telephone and it works like house phone along with any relevant extensions (we use it in Canada as our sole "land line"). In Mexico we use it as our out-of-country phone along with a telmex phone.

5. you can download your account to a MJ app to any smart phone for free. This allows me to travel all over the world with just my smart phone and use it in any wifi location to make, receive calls or pick up voice mail

6. Missed call notification is sent to your email address as an attachment and you can hear the voice mail (on your computer, your MJ phone, or your smart phone)

We had used Vonage for 5 years and switched to MJ 4 years ago. I agree with everything that Scotter says. The cost of Vonage for one month is the cost of MJ for a year. The smart phone download is free if you have an account with MJ.

I'm not aware of anyone selling MJ locally. We purchased ours NOB.

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MJ and Skype and can have service issues, not recommended unless you have very fast internet or do not mind poor service. Vonage and others work well and have good sound quality. You get what you pay for.

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I use Net talk which is another option for hardware VOIP phone. Works fine with 1 download speed using Telmex DSL. I found Net talk worked much better than majic jack. They allow you to pay for five years also. Plug cig box sized into AC outlet and plug internet cable in back. Plug phone in and wait for green light pick up phone and get dial tone. Been using for three years no problems. Majic jack was always weird.

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I've used MJ for four years with rare problems. Two units burned out even though they were on voltage regulators and surge suppressors but they replaced them immediately for a $10 fee and the duty was about $150 pesos. I have the basic Internet package in Chapala Centro and have no problems connecting. In areas of poor Internet reliability I could imagine it might go off line like Spencer suggests. Vonage apparently will work better in those areas for some reason even though they both use the same technology. A never used MJ can be initiated by a new owner but a used one will always be tied to the original owner's email account and your voice mail messages will only go to their computer, so don't buy one that's already been initiated and assigned a number. You can get a unit in the US for $55-65 which comes with 6 months or a year of service depending on the model. If it works well for you, then you can buy the 5 year plan for $120 which works out to $2 month or 1/5th the cost of Vonage at its lowest price that you'll get if you threaten to go with MJ instead of them.

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Knock on wood...I hope I don't jinx myself writing this.

I bought and activated a Vonage unit on November the 9th, 2005...yes 2005. I have never had to replace it. I have never not had good reception. I love that I can retrieve messages both from the phone itself AND have them sent to my e-mail address. I have called all over the world with the same success...Ireland, Australia, the U.K. etc.

And the price per month is STILL $22.59 (with tax)...it's never gone up in nine years.

As Spencer says, you get what you pay for.

We also use Skype for the video connection to family in Canada...but trying to get everyone home at the same time is getting nearly impossible. Having the vonage phone means that a five second or a fifty minute conversation is easy peasy even when calling to a cellphone or receiving a call from a cellphone.

There is nothing more frustrating than delayed/overlapping voices in a conversation.

I have absolutely no reason at this time to ever change from vonage.

YMMV

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Guest bennie2

have used vonage from 2005 to present. excellent. have had several plans from 60 country w/unlimited minutes to the 400 minutes i use now. they are usually good w/customer serv. if i dont like the person i get, i just call back. sometimes i get the someone in new jersey. they also gave me credits for almost $100 usd for a "misunderstanding"- you can have your vonage delivered & set up for you by michael merryman.

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We had used Vonage for 5 years and switched to MJ 4 years ago. I agree with everything that Scotter says. The cost of Vonage for one month is the cost of MJ for a year. The smart phone download is free if you have an account with MJ.

I'm not aware of anyone selling MJ locally. We purchased ours NOB.

MagicJack used to be available on special order [pay in advance and wait 2 weeks] from Mexican Radio Shacks and I have seen them in 1 of our Radio Shacks here a few years ago. Last month I asked the kid working at that Radio Shack and he never heard of MJ and didn´t think they can order them. Maybe Radio Shack can still get them. My old MJ works perfect to the US and Canada, so far. $29.95 per year. I have had it since 2009.

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I disconnected my old magicJack when I bought the new one. I was told by the support person that I could give it to a friend, and they could reactivate it with a new number. I guess we'll soon find out.

It isn't perfect, and I've had about 80% reliability. For the cost, I've been very happy with it, and their service and support has improved dramatically over the past four years.

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Los Niños De Chapala y Ajijic (NCA) Thrift Shop in Riberas del Pilar has 2 Vonage

systems with cables. NCA Thrift Shop is directly across from 7-Eleven,

and is the middle store between Casi Nuevo Thrift Shop and Hector's Galeria.

Back right-hand corner of the store is some vertical metal shelving with electronics cables, etc.

A plastic bin ,about eye-level, has 2 zip-loc bags in it, each containing a Vonage box with cables.

1 was marked $300 pesos, the other looked like $200, but was hard to read.

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Guest bennie2

vonage will not work well if the internet goes off for even 1 second. usually i call the person back. if the lights flicker in the house, oviously the internet will be spotty. only time i have internat problems is before a rainstorm. something to do w/airpressue. when it pours the internet/vonage is just fine. for $20 usd w/all taxes i get 400 mins per mth usa/canada.

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