I'll give that a try later on. Thanks for the suggestions.

leery about MJ
 

I am a bit leery about MJ. Don't see this as a sub to landlines. at best this is a second line. If the power fails, MJ is screwed. On top of this, MJ is tagged to a computer with an internet connection.

I seriously don't want to leave my PC/laptop turned on 24/7 so I can use my phone.

For the time being, I will stick with the onesuite/cell combo while on the road (will buy a sim card as needed) and leave my landline as is.

My MJ works well enough to be my primary phone, except that directory assistance isn't particularly good. As for power, all my phones are wireless, so I'd be screwed if the power failed anyway. I keep my MJ and the computer that it's on on a UPS, so power failures aren't as much of a concern.

I have a thin client for this purpose. It uses about 30 watts (and does a lot of other things in addition to being an MJ server).

You don't have to give up your traditional land line. I will, however, be cutting it down to the minimum service as I do virtually all my calling on the MJ.

A lot of people seem to like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Deluxe-mini-flip...QQcmdZViewItem

I picked one up on eBay. It works, but just barely and the build quality is really poor, as is the sound quality. I have a wired headset that I use, but I can also use my bluetooth headset, which is really rather nice as it lets me walk around without being tied to the laptop. By the way, it's possible to install the MJ software so that you don't need the physical MJ if you're just going to use a headset. Instructions are here. I've tried it an it works great.

I didn't know that - you learn something everyday!

It's alive, it's alive!
 

Well, I did a couple of things, I disabled Zone Alarm, plus I plugged it into another USB port. One, or both of these things worked, as it's set up now.

I have a USB phone that I use with Skype. This will work with MJ too, I assume?

Thanks go out to PT, and everyone else who has put good info in this thread. The quality with Skype was driving me crazy, especially trying to get voice mails off my normal phone, and checking balances on the phone for my bank.

Congratulations! ^

Nope -- at least, not easily. MagicJack works with regular wired-line phones. If your USB phone shows up in DeviceManager as an audio device, you may be able to configure your audio to use it as the primary sound and recording device, in which case MagicJack can use it (set it to "headset" in the menu). Otherwise, you have to hack the SIP code which requires technical skill way beyond anything I can do.

To get the best quality out of the MagicJack, it's a good idea to turn off QOS on your computer and router and use one of these (Linksys has a similar product). It will improve any VOIP product (probably Skype, too). I've got one on my home system and it makes a big difference.

If ZoneAlarm was causing the problem, you may want to try to grant access to MJ program, other than disabling ZA. ZA may not be the best firewall, but I would hate to disable it when browsing.

I recall when I install a new program, my ZoneAlarm will deny the internet access for that program by default. I have to get into Program Control/ Programs, then adjust the "X" (red-cross) icon, or "?" icon, to the green checker. See if it would fix the problem with ZA running.

Found a small little phone on ebay. It is the size of a cell phone. We will try it out in Sept when we travel to europe with MJ. And my MJ works great from here in Illinois. And I do get a dial tone with the phone.

I only disabled it when doing the original install, where I selected the number and such. I rebooted computer, and it worked with Zonealarm at that point. I never got a "Magicjack is trying to access the internet" or such security messages previous to that.

Is this the flip phone that PT mentioned?

Here is something that might be interesting for MJ users:

http://shop2.frys.com/product/559502...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

This machine will still need memory, an HDD and a CPU, but you should be able to get the entire rig setup for under $150. It is small, quiet and the perfect kind of machine for a MJ server. Of course, at the same time you could turn it into a nice NAS :)

This is interesting, but it won't work for an MJ -- it's Linux box. Of course, if you have an old copy of XP sitting around it would work. I had to search to find out the specs. Here the key specs:

Processor: Intel Celeron 430 (1.8GHz)
Memory: 512KB
Storage: 80GB hard drive
Optical Drives: None
Monitor: None
Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 950
Operating System: Foresight Linux

Additional specifications:

Form Factor: Small Form Factor
Processor Interface: Socket 775
Processors Supported: Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel Celeron D 4XX
Intel Pentium Dual Core
Front Side Bus: 533MHz FSB
800MHz FSB
1066MHz FSB
1333MHz FSB
Northbridge: Intel 945GC
Southbridge: Intel ICH7
Number of Slots: 2
Number of Pins: 240-Pin
Maximum Memory Supported: 2GB
Memory Supported: Dual Channel Supported
DDR2 533
DDR2 667
Max. Memory Supported Per Slot: 1GB
Channels: 6-Channel
Audio Chipset: Realtek ALC662
Video Chipset: Intel GMA 950
Video Memory: 224MB Share Memory
Rending Ability: Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) 3.0
Supported Devices: 2
Hard Drive Types: ATA/100
USB Version: 2.0
USB Data Transfer Rates: 480Mbps
LAN Type: 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit
Port Type: RJ-45
PS/2 Keyboard Connectors: 1
PS/2 Mouse Connectors: 1
Serial Communication Ports: 1
Parallel Ports: 1
USB Ports: 4
LAN Ports: 1
Audio Out Jacks: 1
Line In Jacks: 1
Microphone Jacks: 1
IDE Headers: 1
Serial ATA Headers: 2
VGA Ports: 1
PCI Slots: 1 - PCI
Length: 11.00 in. (28.0 cm)
Width: 7.50 in. (19.05 cm)
Height: 6.700 in. (17.0 cm)
Total Output Power: 100 Watts

It has the capability of being expanded to 2 gigabytes and, of course, with 4 USB ports, you plug in USB drives and other devices. It doesn't make a good NAS, however, because of the 480 mbps limitation of the USB 2.0 ports, though that wouldn't be an issue if you can replace the internal drive. It's nice that it has a gigabit NIC, though. Also, note the power draw -- 100 watts, as configured, which is 3 times more than a true thin client.

I think the bottom line for this device is this: if you want what is essentially a Linux thin client, this thing is quite a bargain, even without the rebate. If you're trying to match the capabilities of, for example, a t5730 (which is an XPe-based thin client from HP), you'll wind up with a considerably more powerful machine (that uses more power) for less than the cost of a new t5730, even after buying an OEM copy of XP and expanding the memory beyond 512k (the t5730 comes with 512k or 1 gig of RAM). However, if you're looking for a MagicJack server that can also serve (simultaneously) as a NAS, ftp server, VNC server/portal, etc., you're probably better off with a used t5720 from eBay.

Still, for $49 after rebate I'm tempted to pick up one of these things if for no other reason than to have a little Linux box to play with -- with about $50 for a couple of gig of RAM, this could be a fun machine to play with.

Not sure where you found that, but it's not the specs for the machine I posted.

The K45 I posted is just a regular desktop machine, and is designed to run XP or Vista. There is no Linux installed on it, as it's a BAREBONE that comes without a drive, CPU or memory...

I looked it up on a number of websites, as the specs were, to put it charitably, not readily available. Every box I looked at that had specs was Linux.

It will run XP or Vista, but it doesn't come with it. Linux is pre-installed. If you have an extra copy of XP or Vista sitting around, that's fine, but if you have to buy a license, your adding between $200 and 400 to the cost, depending on which OS you buy. At that point, it's no longer a good deal at all.