get VoIP (Voice over IP)

When we moved recently, we cancelled our land-line service which was costing us about $45 a month. I heard some friends at the Sierra Club discussing a VOIP product called MagicJack, which has been sold on TV and is now available through CVS Pharmacy.

Well, I got one, and I could not be happier with it. It cost about $40, including a full year of unlimited local and long-distance calling in the U.S. To connect it, I needed to get a USB hub for my peripherals, because MagicJack has to plug directly into the computer. That cost $15. Then I decided to go ahead and get a new hand’s free telephone, too. Add another $25, so the total outlay was $80 … less than two month’s of phone fees.

I hooked everything up yesterday, and it worked like a charm. There’s an easy-to-remember local number assigned to it, with caller ID, call waiting and voicemail features. The unit was easy to set up; no programming required. I routed my fax machine through it as well, and the dial tone came up just as soon as I plugged it in. No problem.

Because I also want to be able to make international calls, I purchased 200 minutes of call time for just $5 using a prepaid feature that MagicJack offers via the Internet. Last night, I phoned my daughter, who lives in Tokyo. We talked for half an hour, and neither of us noticed any difference in the connection. Excellent quality, no drop out, and just a little echo, which is not uncommon on overseas calls.

To think we were spending over $500 a year for phone service, paying monthly charges, when this is available for just $20 a year (that’s the annual service renewal fee). This is one of the best investments I have made in a while.

Thank you MagicJack! It is great to buy something and have it work exactly the way it’s supposed to the very first time you use it.

Work from home and use this service for outgoing calls – £9.99 a month gets me unlimited calls in the UK and International calls to Australia, Canada, USA and most European countries.

Even International calls that aren’t free are reasonably priced.

Calls to other VOIP users are free anywhere in the world.

Absolutely no problems with the service!! – Definitely Recommend http://www.voiptalk.org

I’ll make no bones about it: it’s not quite (but almost) as reliable as a traditional phone connection. There are occasional hiccups where I lose contact and have to call back. Still, any inconvenience is more than offset by the great value and being able to do things I couldn’t do before—like having two phone numbers, one in Seattle and another in San Diego, both local calls in their respective cities and both a flat monthly fee to me. Oh, yes, and 911 does work when you set it up as directed.

Have it at home with VG and my work just switch over to a business voip phone system – save money and the new phones can do some pretty cool things.

Can’t believe it! Telstra has raised its line-rental again!! Looks like the only way to save my phone bill is by moving onto VoIP.

Probably going with Exetel, my current ADSL provider.

Should I get a standalone ATA or an all-in-one ATA/ADSL/Router/Wireless unit to replace my current very old gig?

It takes some time to set up apparently as we’re wanting to keep out original number. Just a matter of time, now.

We have VoIP out in the home office as a bit of a test. It’s currently our “second line” so we can try it out before fully switching.

Just switched over from Bell Canada last week. So far, so great! My plan has unlimited calling anywhere in North America and I’ve already taken advantage of this. I’m saving about $50 a month using this new service ($20 vs. $70). I can also check my voicemail and missed calls online while away from home.