MagicJack Problems

Do you wish to cut down your local and international call costs? You might do so by using a device called MagicJack. The last couple of years have been marked by the rising popularity of this device. This is a small device which basically re-routes all your landline calls via the Internet through a Voice over IP (VoIP) network. You can carry this easy-to-use portable device wherever you go. However, you would need a laptop/PC with a broadband Internet connection to use this compact device. You need to plug it into the USB port of your computer, and then put the other end into the telephone. Once the software is installed, a soft phone screen that displays a keypad will appear on the desktop. This can be used to dial a phone number. The soft phone screen also displays advertisements, messages or alerts about updates. There is also the option of storing phone numbers and adding new contacts. Voice mail can also be accessed. This device basically uses the VoIP technology in order to help you have a normal voice telephonic conversation.

In order to use this device, the user would have to subscribe with YMAX Corporation, which is MagicJack's CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) and landline supplier. You would have to shell out about $40 for the device. The first year's subscription comes free, which means you can make free calls anywhere in Canada and USA. Thereafter, the user would need to pay around $20 annually for the service. Services such as call waiting, voice mail, caller ID and directory assistance can also be enabled. Though you can cut down your call costs by using this device to some extent, reviews reveal a number of MagicJack problems. No wonder, its popularity is waning. In fact, some users have gone to the extent of calling it a scam. Well, let's find out what are the problems faced by the users and how can these problems be solved.

Problems

First of all, some users have complained about installation problems. Once you have plugged in this device to the USB port and the telephone, a software would be installed. You would see the MagicJack software interface or a soft phone screen on the desktop. One of the major problems faced by the users is that of the soft phone screen disappearing and reappearing on the computer's desktop on its own. There have been complaints about the poor sound quality or clarity of voice in telephonic conversation. Another negative aspect about this device was regarding their terms of service, that allowed the company to go through the calls or business numbers in order to place advertisements. Besides the aspect of targeted advertising, users have also complained about poor customer support. Another issue was the absence of options when it came to uninstalling the software. Many users complained that the device worked well initially, but they began to face problems after some time. Some of the users have the complaint that ever since they began to use this device, their computer started freezing very often.

Solutions

Now that you have some idea about the problems associated with this device, let's find out how these problems can be solved.

• If you are facing such problems, unplug the device from the system. Wait for a couple of minutes and insert it again into the port. Wait for it to reload.
• If the voice quality is poor, you should go to 'Menu' on the screen, and click on volume control to adjust the volume for speakers and microphone. If this doesn't help, connect the device to a different USB port or use another phone to see if that makes any difference.
• Since one cannot use this device in event of a power cut, one could plug the cable modem and router into a UPS. This might help if you live in a place where there are frequent power cuts.
• Problems that occur while receiving or making calls may also be attributed to a slow broadband Internet connection. If you have a slow Internet connection, you are more likely to face problems. So it is recommended that the users upgrade to a faster broadband Internet connection.
• Like most gadgets, Magic Jack too needs upgrades via downloads from the Internet. Problems could also be attributed to failure to secure updates. You can check their website, click on live chat and follow the suggestions or instructions in order to secure all your updates.

While some of the users are happy with this device, and feel that using this device has helped in slashing down their phone bills, the company certainly needs to improve upon their customer service and address the problems faced by users. You will surely come across many disgruntled users, who are deeply dissatisfied with the company's poor post-sales support. Due to the success of this product in the initial stages, YMAX Corporation had announced their plans to launch MagicJack for cell phones too. This new device, which was being referred to as a femtojack, would use advanced digital technology called Femtocell to operate on the frequencies utilized by cellular networks. However, some legal issues had to be dealt with, which led the corporation to cancel its plans. However, YMAX decided to launch an advanced version called MagicJack Plus. The advanced version wouldn't need a computer, and also comes with features like HD Voice and Echo Control. All one needs to do is connect this device and the telephone via the Ethernet cable. Hopefully the company has taken the shortcomings of this device into consideration, while designing the advanced version.