Does anyone use that Phone Jack thingy?

[HennysMom]

Okay so I'm sure everyone has seen the commericals for the Phone Jack thing - "For $39.99 you too can have all the long distance you want for a year... blah blah blah" LOL

So...my question is - anyone have it? If so - do you like it? Does it actually WORK?

I know Vonage works on the same principal for $24.99 a month, but I'm so leary of giving up my "staple" of Verizon service unlimited everything for $58.00 (tax included) a month to go to something I'm realllly not sure about. I'd LOVE to save money given we have a land line and cell phones (gotta have both unfortunately) but... I dont even know if it would work with satelite ISP -

Thoughts?

 

[BirdBoy88]

I have Verizon everything included free long distance and it works fine for me

i never seen the commercials for the phone jack thing..something you plug in and free long distance???

i to have been tempted to try the other companies but like you i don't wanna wonder off to something else and end up not liking it then having to switch back and all that

maybe someone else knows more than i?

 

[HennysMom]

Magic Jack! Thats what its called! Yeah , it plugs into your USB port on your computer - then you hook your phone up to it and you dial out - free phone service. Basic principal... however, I'm on satelite and I wonder if it would work that way? Cell phones work via satelite, so I dont see why it wouldnt....

Yeah I know... I kinda like my Verizon - but.... $40.00 a year - vs. $696.00 a year..

hmmmm.... LOL seems like a no brainer to me - but then again...whats the service like ya know?

It says you get all the same features of your regular phone service, an assigned phone number "for life", caller ID, call back, call waiting, etc....

but....

 

[Chicky Joy]

My brother-in-law has that "thingy." He likes it. There are a few drawbacks but you can't beat the price. The drawbacks he mentioned is that the computer has to be on for it to work, and you can't cancel your land-line if you want to keep your regular, listed number. So, if you do cancel your land-line that means your new number is long distance for everyone that is calling your, even if they are right next door (good for you, bad for them). I'm considering getting it. I would reduce my cell phone plan in order to compensate for the $40 yearly charge.

 

[HennysMom]

so if you have a computer issue you have no phone? Hmm dont like that idea. What about if there is an issue with service (meaning the phone "company") like if I have an issue now all I do is call Verizon and they come out and fix it?

So I'd still have to pay to keep my home phone number should I choose to - paying DOUBLE the cost? Just to keep a regular phone is like $25.00 a month for local calls... where's the savings in that?

methinks this isnt such a great deal after all...

ETA: Wait a sec... you know I just thought of something - I used to talk to my friend on my computer all the time.. without the use of the magic jack thing - hmmm

HOW did I do that before?? I used to dial her up in Florida and we would talk directly over the computer....

Okay brain...think...start looking through the programs and THINK...!!!!!! Its on here...we did it to save on phone bills....

 

[tomcio]

Look into Skype Website.

It is free if you dial computer to computer. You can buy credit for computer to land/cell phone (per minute, really cheap). And you can buy what's called a Skype phone. It is basically a handset that has a base that hooks up to your computer via USB and you use it just like you do your regular phone.

Overall, that would be your cheapest solution.

 

[HennysMom]

tomcio - yeah.. I know about Skype, thanks for adding it

I'm still looking for how I did it before - we were talking thru the computers just like Skype does... but as I look through the options under PHONE OPTIONS - its got me to thinking - if we can dial up/out on our PC's and fax (although there is a program for faxing) - I wonder if there's a way to dial out if we hook our phones up directly to it? IS there a program pre-installed from Windows that allows that feature?

Anyone know?

*still looking for the computer to computer feature* Although its not a land line feature, it is how we did it, but... its got me thinking now if Windows has a "back door" program somehow

 

[geareduplyn]

I just ordered one of those things that plug into a USB port. I don't have a land line, just a cell phone. My hearing has deteriorated to the point where I can't really hear on the phone. I do have a phone unit that has a great speaker in it which is what I was going to plug in. Will it work?

 

[HennysMom]

Geareduplyn - if you ordered the USB phone jack thing and have a regular land line phone with a speaker on it, yes, it should work from what I've read about it. I dont think you need a particular "special" type of phone for the Magic Jack to work.

Did your USB phone jack come with a program you had to install on your computer?

 

[curliet]

Hennysmom, I talk to my friends often, using the instant message feature on my computer? Is that what you were thinking of? I have both Yahoo instant messenger and the msn instant messenger, which is now called windows live messenger. It works just fine for us, and it's free too.