How well does MagicJack actually work?

I am in the process of helping a friend/customer of mine with his new MagicJack (MJ).  He decided to take the leap and jettison his phone company in favor of MagicJack.  Just how well does it work?  We shall see.

I should mention that MJ is an over-the internet phone service which allows callers to make local & long distance calls (international plans are available for extra per-minute charges) without needing a phone connection.  Note that it connects to USB slot on your Personal Computer (PC), which means the computer must be powered on for this to work.
NOTE: Another assumption is a HI_SPEED internet connection.  The thought of using a dial-up modem for this is laughable and ridiculous.  Email me if you don't get the joke.

This device connects via a USB connection and (hidden in this view) has a standard phone connection on the rear of the unit.  Software is installed once the device is installed and naturally it prompts you to create an account with which to make calls.  The unit offers a 30-day guarantee w/ a full refund if you aren't satisfied.

The Personal Computer (PC) I used to set this up was a last-gen Windows XP, with a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 Central Processing Unit (CPU), 1 GB of ram, and the internet connection was a 1 Mbps connection via a microwave wireless receiver.

Call quality was very good.  My previous experience using A Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) service was extremely poor, but the quality was good, certainly no worse than a cell phone, and nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary phone call.

Performance left something to be desired.  Perhaps it was the internet connection, or the relatively slow PC, but it took on average about 1 min. 15 seconds to load the MJ application and to log in when the computer started up.  Once it was loaded it didn't feel like it slowed the computer down at all, though.

Reliability was a little disappointing. We have experienced a few times when the calls went directly to voicemail, and not to MJ.  This was reported to tech support, and we are testing tech support's fix for this.  Update as of Sept 7: So far it's improved but still not perfect.  Since there was a storm system that took out the microwave tower recently, that could be a partial reason for outages (after the storm).  Since any internet outages will affect your service (your ability to make and receive calls), a factor worth consideration is "how reliable is your internet connection?" For this case MJ was less reliable than a regular phone line.

Expandability was very good, as I was able to plug several phones in (via an inexpensive splitter), plus a fax machine which worked just fine at default settings, no adjustments required.

Cost was very reasonable, @ $39.99 for the first year, approx $20.00 per year after that (which breaks down to about $3.33 per month)  NOTE: Bear in mind that since the PC has to stay on, you will use more electricity than with Vonage, etc. which does not require a PC to be on.

Features: caller ID, voicemail, messages sent via voicemail, (and messages available anywhere).  Portable (take MJ with you on vacation, make free calls from your hotel room, etc.)

Gripes: There are a couple of bruises on the apple here, none of which are too serious, depending on how important these omissions are.

1. PC must be powered on.  Since calls are routed through your PC, it only works when the PC is on (and not in low-power mode)  This means that power saving features of your computer will have to be adjusted for it to work consistently, and it will use more power.
2. Voicemail (VM) and settings are not optional.  VM picks up after 4 rings, then goes to VM.  Would you like it to be 5 or 6 rings?  Sorry, this feature is not available at this time.  Wish you could use an answering machine?  You need to set your phone to pick up before 4 rings, in order to outsmart the MJ VM system.
3. Customer service/tech support: A very shoestring operation here; you will probably wait on hold longer than you should, but they do answer your questions.  Note this is chat only (no email, telephone support).  Kind of ironic that a phone company does not have a phone line.  I suggested they should get a MJ for their own use. (maybe they were missing too many calls):)
4. Missed calls/ calls going to VM.  Not a consistent problem, but if you were using this as your only line it could become frustrating.

Overall the experience has been mostly popular, but my friend may have decided to use a different service (or keep his land line) if he knew about gripe #2 & 4 above.

Competing services include Vonage, other VOIP systems like Skype, and even chat/messaging programs which allow text & voice chat.  While I am not quite sold on this platform, at this price point it's pretty compelling (especially if you intend to use it for outgoing calls, and have your PC on most of the time).

Very happy with my new Tower

So I finally got around to building up my system with this new tower, as Antec 600 series.  I like  the look of it, and with the included fans (a 140mm fan up top, and a 120mm fan in the rear) it manages to be nearly silent (as well as running much cooler).

Here I am putting the hard drive in, still have to install the CPU cooler and video card.

Many small connections need to be made in order for the power, reset buttons and indicator lights to work properly.  I am routing these so they will less visible through the side window...

This fan has an open design, but you need to be especially careful to keep wires, etc. out of the fan's path.  A few zip ties will do the trick.

Ahh, the finished product.  With the extra cooling help, this one runs quiet and cool, with temps (even on hot days) in the high 30-low 40's C.  An extra fan bay on the window gives optional direct cooling for the video card.