Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

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teelainen
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Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:17 am

Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by teelainen »

Are there any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

My MagicJack account is up for renewal, and I don't feel like paying the $39 per year.

Any recommendations would be great, thanks.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by JoeRetire »

That depends on your goals, and what devices you already have.

I can make calls for free on my Amazon Echo device or my Google Home Mini device.
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jyoung
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by jyoung »

I've used Ooma for years and have had no problems. You just have to pay a 911 fee and maybe some taxes. There's a relatively high upfront fee and then I think it's about $5ish/month, so a little more expensive than magic jack but I really like it. I back it into my home jack so I can have a phone anywhere and I use it as my "throw down" number to sign up for things, and when someone calls that likes to talk for a long time I find it easier to used a home phone than cell.
NYC_Guy
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by NYC_Guy »

Google Voice and an OBItalk device works great. Pretty simple to set up and then it’s fire and forget. I think I loaded $25 into my google voice account to be able to make international calls. I’ve made about 3 hours of calls internationally and I still haven’t ysed half of that $25. So if you essentially want a complete landline replacement for no monthly charge, google voice and an OBItalk device would be my recommendation.
bob60014
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by bob60014 »

I've used my cell phone, no landline for years. No issues and no additional expense.
humblecoder
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by humblecoder »

We have a landline bundled in with our TV and Internet service. It was cheaper to get the landline bundled in than to get only TV+Internet.

However, if it weren't for the fact that the TV+Internet was cheaper with a landline, we wouldn't have got it. We use our cell phones exclusively. We don't even have a phone plugged into the jack, since the only calls we get on the landline are calls that we don't want to answer since we have never given that number out. If it were cheaper just to cancel the landline completely, we would.

We also use Zoom or FaceTime for video calls with family and friends. A Zoom personal account is free and FaceTime is free although it is limited to the Apple ecosystem.

I don't personally use it, but if you have a Google or Amazon smart speaker, you can use that as a method for calling as well.
iamblessed
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by iamblessed »

teelainen wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:09 am Are there any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

My MagicJack account is up for renewal, and I don't feel like paying the $39 per year.

Any recommendations would be great, thanks.
Do they still have the deal where you can buy five years at a discount?
shess
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by shess »

NYC_Guy wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:50 am Google Voice and an OBItalk device works great. Pretty simple to set up and then it’s fire and forget. I think I loaded $25 into my google voice account to be able to make international calls. I’ve made about 3 hours of calls internationally and I still haven’t ysed half of that $25. So if you essentially want a complete landline replacement for no monthly charge, google voice and an OBItalk device would be my recommendation.
I agree with this, years ago I got an obi202, plugged the WAN line into my DMZ, and plugged the home phones into the phone jack, and it's worked fine.

BUT, the entire time I've felt like there is a chance that Obihai (Polycom) was going to abandon support and I'd have to scramble to replace it, or Google would change Voice in a way that makes the device stop working. I remember when Google acquired Grand Central, I immediately had dreams that they would do the obvious thing of taking over VOIP and replacing an aging and rotten system, maybe tying it into online voice chat, maybe making cheap wifi-only devices like iPod touch into psuedo-phones, etc, but instead I honestly have no idea what their goals are.
philpill
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by philpill »

OOMA for twelve years. wonderful!
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anon_investor
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by anon_investor »

NYC_Guy wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 7:50 am Google Voice and an OBItalk device works great. Pretty simple to set up and then it’s fire and forget. I think I loaded $25 into my google voice account to be able to make international calls. I’ve made about 3 hours of calls internationally and I still haven’t ysed half of that $25. So if you essentially want a complete landline replacement for no monthly charge, google voice and an OBItalk device would be my recommendation.
+1. This is my setup.
Adfmacro
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by Adfmacro »

I use Ooma as our “home” phone with 911 service. Hook one phone line to a wireless based unit and you can have phones all over the house. We just have the basic service, but you can get premium services as well. Never an issue with it and since it is a ported number, I can change internet providers and just plug and play. No porting to a bundled plan. It used to be under $5 per month, but in our area it is now about $8. It is considered to be an actual phone service.
jerryk68
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by jerryk68 »

I use Google Voice (GV)/ Obihai 200 close to three years now. GV is free but the initial cost was porting from Verizon to TMobile (TM)($40), TM to GV $20, $50 for Obihai device and $1 a month for E911 service. After the initial setup cost I only pay $1 a month or $12 a year for E911 service which I consider necessary because with house phones it's expected with the elderly and is needed with kids. I use GV911.com. You call 922 to verify the service is operational and I also called my county dispatcher to confirm. Obihai has other E911 vendors listed on their website. E911 service is not necessary until it's needed and then it's worth a million bucks. Don't cheap out.

If you decide to use your wall jacks be sure to unhook the phone wire coming into the house (in my case Verizon) in case of a power surge that could damage the Obihai and your router.

What sealed the decision for me was GV/Obihai 200 supported Windows 10 faxing program called Fax and Scan. We occasionally have to fax medical records. Yeah, it's old, some would say ancient technology but a lot of medical facilities still use it. Fax and scan offers privacy in that I don't have to go thru a third party. I fax directly to the medical office.
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NAVigator
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by NAVigator »

I have used Ooma for 10+ years and love it. If the caller leaves a message, it sends the recording as an email attachment to you. It also allows you to add numbers you want to block. As mentioned the 911 service is $5 or so which is a state mandated fee. As mentioned earlier, I also connect mine to Dect 6 bases and have portable phones on charging cradles strewn about my home. It even supports 2 lines.
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Saving$
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by Saving$ »

jerryk68 wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 3:08 pm I use Google Voice (GV)/ Obihai 200 close to three years now. GV is free but the initial cost was porting from Verizon to TMobile (TM)($40), TM to GV $20, $50 for Obihai device and $1 a month for E911 service. After the initial setup cost I only pay $1 a month or $12 a year for E911 service which I consider necessary because with house phones it's expected with the elderly and is needed with kids. I use GV911.com. You call 922 to verify the service is operational and I also called my county dispatcher to confirm. Obihai has other E911 vendors listed on their website. E911 service is not necessary until it's needed and then it's worth a million bucks. Don't cheap out.

If you decide to use your wall jacks be sure to unhook the phone wire coming into the house (in my case Verizon) in case of a power surge that could damage the Obihai and your router.

What sealed the decision for me was GV/Obihai 200 supported Windows 10 faxing program called Fax and Scan. We occasionally have to fax medical records. Yeah, it's old, some would say ancient technology but a lot of medical facilities still use it. Fax and scan offers privacy in that I don't have to go thru a third party. I fax directly to the medical office.
Thank you for this info. Very helpful.
Topic Author
teelainen
Posts: 501
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:17 am

Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by teelainen »

iamblessed wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 9:22 am
teelainen wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 1:09 am Are there any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

My MagicJack account is up for renewal, and I don't feel like paying the $39 per year.

Any recommendations would be great, thanks.
Do they still have the deal where you can buy five years at a discount?
Yes they still have it, but I would rather not do that either.
seawolf21
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Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2014 7:33 am

Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by seawolf21 »

As mentioned earlier, Google Voice and Obihai. One time setup cost - $20 to port a number to GV (optional) and around $50 for the device.
Reubin
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Re: Any MagicJack phone alternatives that are cheaper and better?

Post by Reubin »

philpill wrote: Sat Apr 10, 2021 11:41 am OOMA for twelve years. wonderful!
Yup. Go with OOMA. I just pay the tax every month...less than $5.
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