Magic Jack

[arntufun]

After much research (including MJ) made the decision to literally pull the plug on my land line, internet provider and go 100% cell. My cell is also my personal hot spot for wifi....net savings per month $138.00...shhhhhh don't tell, but that is my RT fun/farkle $$!!!! Oh that's right I don't report to anyone about how I spend $$!!!!

What do you mean ?????? Are you saying the smartphone is the hotspot for you home computer/ laptop ?????

[murphybrown]

What do you mean ?????? Are you saying the smartphone is the hotspot for you home computer/ laptop ?????

Yes, that is what I am saying. I have an Iphone 5...my 4s did the same thing. My SIL just got a nokia and his does the same...AND for me it is faster and never "dumps" me like my dsl and then my second MIFI from Verizon was some better but nothing like the personal hot spot for wifi on my phone....I live in (apparently according to those in the "know") a difficult reception area...but not with phone. I use Verizon as my carrier but friend has AT&T and has equal success doing the same...

[arntufun]

Yes, that is what I am saying. I have an Iphone 5...my 4s did the same thing. My SIL just got a nokia and his does the same...AND for me it is faster and never "dumps" me like my dsl and then my second MIFI from Verizon was some better but nothing like the personal hot spot for wifi on my phone....I live in (apparently according to those in the "know") a difficult reception area...but not with phone. I use Verizon as my carrier but friend has AT&T and has equal success doing the same...

So...... if your phone is in your house you can use a laptop to get online ?????? so your phone acts like a wireless router ????? Can you use a wireless printer ????? Is this hotspot charged to your data plan or is it a seperate charge ?????

[pro10is]

So...... if your phone is in your house you can use a laptop to get online ?????? so your phone acts like a wireless router ????? Can you use a wireless printer ?????

Randy, You can purchase a data plan from AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. Then you can use a smart phone tethered to your laptop, or better yet, a usb cellular modem, to connect to the internet. You can even put the usb cellular modem in a wireless router to use throughout the house on one or multiple smartphones, laptops, or anything else that uses the internet.

I did this for many years before Comcast finally installed cable in my neighborhood. It worked great and that was before 4G. I was sorry to give it up but I got a package deal from Comcast that was too good to pass up. Of course with wireless plans you have to live within the monthly data cap unless you have Sprint which, I believe, still offers unlimited data.

Wireless printers do not require the internet at all. You can use them with only a wireless router.

[arntufun]

Randy, You can purchase a data plan from AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint. Then you can use a smart phone tethered to your laptop, or better yet, a usb cellular modem, to connect to the internet. You can even put the usb cellular modem in a wireless router to use throughout the house on one or multiple smartphones, laptops, or anything else that uses the internet.

I did this for many years before Comcast finally installed cable in my neighborhood. It worked great and that was before 4G. I was sorry to give it up but I got a package deal from Comcast that was too good to pass up. Of course with wireless plans you have to live within the monthly data cap unless you have Sprint which, I believe, still offers unlimited data.

Wireless printers do not require the internet at all. You can use them with only a wireless router.

Thanks pro I going to check into this !!!!! One other question,, is it fast ??????? My internet now is through road runner which is wicked fast, is it comparable ????

I must have been living under a rock for 5 years or more !!!!

[pro10is]

Thanks pro I going to check into this !!!!! One other question,, is it fast ??????? My internet now is through road runner which is wicked fast, is it comparable ????

I must have been living under a rock for 5 years or more !!!!

It depends on your carrier and if your area has 4G LTE yet. If you can get 4G LTE then you'll get 5-22 Mbps, if your area is still 3G then expect 1.5-5 Mbps.

Right now AT&T is leading the pack in speeds with Verizon right behind. Then T-Mobile and Sprint.

So 4G LTE is comparable to cable and faster than DSL. 3G is much slower but tolerable unless you do heavy data streaming like HD video (Netflix et al). If you use a video streaming service like Netflix then I would stay with a cable service because of the speeds required and the data cap.

[arris]

I've been using it for the last 5 years or so and I love it. I was paying $150.00 per month and now I pay $4.00 for two lines. Get the new Magic Jack that doesn't need the computer to run, that's what I use now.

I have one question about this magic jack that you are talking about. I get my phone, cable and internet thru my cable company. Do you or someone else thinks it will work thru the cable co if I drop there phone?
Thank You

[arntufun]

I have one question about this magic jack that you are talking about. I get my phone, cable and internet thru my cable company. Do you or someone else thinks it will work thru the cable co if I drop there phone?
Thank You

Yes........... thats excactly what i'm doing now, its working perfectly !!!!! I'm dropping the phone service through my cable co and saving 50.00 a month. Do you have a wireless router in your house ???? If so, get the magic Jack plus so you don't have to plug it into a computer and leave it on.

[murphybrown]

So...... if your phone is in your house you can use a laptop to get online ?????? so your phone acts like a wireless router ????? Can you use a wireless printer ????? Is this hotspot charged to your data plan or is it a seperate charge ?????

yes to all your ?s. $20 month plus taxes for wifi hot spot

[arntufun]

yes to all your ?s. $20 month plus taxes for wifi hot spot

does that eat into your data allowed on your cell plan ????

[tobor9]

Check with you cell provider as ATT in my area does not allow tethering. I have U-verse with phone,internet and TV togather. As a ATT retireree the phone part is free,I mostly use my iPhone 4s,great phoneI tried MJ to use as a Fax line but it did not work(they said it wouldn't but tried anyway)ant I sent it back.

[murphybrown]

does that eat into your data allowed on your cell plan ????

. Yes if I am on internet. I spend alot of time on internet and have never gone over my 2g (whoops take that back 1 month had to invest another $10...no I wasn't shopping or on match.com)

[arntufun]

. Yes if I am on internet. I spend alot of time on internet and have never gone over my 2g (whoops take that back 1 month had to invest another $10...no I wasn't shopping or on match.com)

Thanks for all your info on this. You have been most helpful.

[Bob Denman]

If you've been living under a rock for five years... I've been under one for about twenty! I haven't got a CLUE what you guys were even talking about!

[murphybrown]

If you've been living under a rock for five years... I've been under one for about twenty! I haven't got a CLUE what you guys were even talking about!

heck if this "old dog" can Learn new tricks So can you Bob and then we all have more money for our Spyders

[wyliec]

yes to all your ?s. $20 month plus taxes for wifi hot spot

Don't you still have to pay for internet service/provider?

I have verizon for tv, cell phones, and internet service. That's why I ask.

[bob edward]

Does anyone use the Magic Jack for their home phone ????? My cable, internet and phone provider is ripping us off every month and if I can drop the home phone part and replace it with this Magic Jack thingy, it would save us $50.00 a month.

You can't beat the price of 20.00 a year, but im wondering if anyone has it and wants to share thier experience with it.

it has a lot of problems.they cut you off,sometimes other folks can not call you when they want to.

[Recluze]

yes to all your ?s. $20 month plus taxes for wifi hot spot

Can you run a test and tell us what your bandwidth is on your hotspot? It all sounds like a terrific idea and I am ready to go that way. But I have to have a lot of uninterrupted bandwidth for iRacing.

[ataDude]

Does anyone use the Magic Jack for their home phone ????? My cable, internet and phone provider is ripping us off every month and if I can drop the home phone part and replace it with this Magic Jack thingy, it would save us $50.00 a month.

You can't beat the price of 20.00 a year, but im wondering if anyone has it and wants to share thier experience with it.

I use the Magic Jack Plus. Easy install... and it works very well... can't tell the difference.

However, the 19.95 a year price is only if you pay in advance for five years... I didn't want to do that on something relatively new. It's $29.95/year on a year-by-year basis.

Plus, the purchase price includes the first year's service.

[ataDude]

Don't you still have to pay for internet service/provider?

YES... you can just cancel any phone part of the provider.

[zrc]

I guess I am surprised to see that no one talked about google voice. If you do not need a fax service (though you can get these too), you can just google voice your number. Then the number becomes a digital number that can be forwarded to up to 5 phones to ring in order or at once.

I have a google number that I give out for everything, that way I can get texts, files, calls anywhere. It will ring whatever whenever I like, so it means that I can have a number that having my old # transferred at a 1 time fee of $20 bucks. Then my cell just rings, and google even will forward caller ID, and prompt me telling me its coming from the other number so I can either answer or screen any call. And it has built in voicemail, that transcribes to text / email.

Basically I now pay 100 bucks for cell / internet / phone per month and it gets me whatever I need wherever I want it. (Internet is cell and can travel with me)