Does magicJack Work?

magicJack has been an unqualified success for millions of users, most of whom pay less than three dollars a month to make phone calls to nearly anywhere in the United States and Canada.
YMAX, the company behind the new phone service, launched the product late in 2007, and sold over 3.

5 million units by May of 2009. The company's explosive growth and inexpensive phone rates have been cause to celebrate for its stockholders and customers, but its customer service department has failed to keep pace with that growth.

Despite all the complaints found online, YMAX continues to provide quality service for millions of users, including many free features which conventional phone companies commonly charge for, such as call forwarding, call waiting, and voice mail. There is even a plugin for the unit which can act as a call blocker for specific, unwanted phone callers.
The basic magicJack has to be plugged into a USB port of an operating computer to function.
If you turn off your computer, messages from any unanswered calls will be sent to an email address you provide, allowing you to listen to the messages(s) as an audio attachment to the email.

If you'd prefer not to leave your computer on all day, you can purchase magicJack Plus, which plugs directly into a wall outlet, and requires no computer to operate.
You need to run an Ethernet cable from your router or modem to the magicJack Plus, and you need to plug your phone into the unit as well.
If you have a problem which isn't addressed in their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and which their online chat technician cannot resolve, all is not lost.
You can find answers to your problem by researching related online forums such as http://www.magicjacksupport.com.
As with many issues, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so before you invest, you should verify your Internet connection is adequate, using a free online test such as that offered at They offer a test which is specifically designed for those intending to make phone calls over their Internet connection (called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP). If your connection passes the test, spend a few dollars to purchase and test magicJack - you could be among those saving hundreds of dollars each year by using the little device.
You may want to keep your land line for a few months while getting comfortable with your new VoIP home phone service.
When you've developed a suitable level of comfort, you can contact the phone company for your land line and tell them you want to port your number to your magicJack.
Once the process is completed, you can turn off your land line altogether -- but keep your cell phone handy for emergencies.