You Get What You Pay For

MagicJack
D

I assume that 12 months is a long enough trial period for a product like this, the "MagicJack". It is, basically, home phone that plugs into your computer through the USB port and runs it's service through your Internet. MagicJack into USB, home phone into MagicJack and there you go! Mediocre, at best, home phone service for just $20 a year. TWENTY DOLLARS A YEAR! I thought this was too good to be true and after "using" it for the past year, it is.
First of all, anytime you shut your computer down, you lose all software and have to navigate through all the FAQ pages to find how to reinstall that darn thing. When you finally get it running, when the computer is in sleep mode, like over night, it won't ring on the home phone. When I have made calls in the past, I get complaints on the other end of the line being crackly, cutting in and out, or they just can't hear me at all. When it does ring on the home phone, sometimes it's just one continuous ring until you pick it up. Normally happens when trying to get a baby to nap, is my personal experience. I have good reliable expensive cable Internet so I doubt that the reliability issues lie on my end. That's the word... UNRELIABLE! In my humble, nonprofessional opinion, it's totally worth all $34 we invested up to this point. I've made some long distant calls, and it has a lot of cool features (most I can't figure out how to set up). If you need a land line for something other than talking on, this is a great and inexpensive option. But for everyday communication with friends and family, I'd get a basic line with the local phone company or just get a bigger cell phone plan.