When you total up what you pay for internet, cable TV and telephone, it can come to quite a tab. So anything you can do to bring that cost down is a good move. One option that becomes available when your internet and phone services would become integrated is to use VoIP for to replace your current landline phone service.
Sticking With Your Phone Company
Making any change is hard and most people will stay with what they know even if it costs more. If the internet service you use is still not broadband, then the conventional phone service may also be the best way to go because you need broadband to support the “voice over IP” or VoIP options. But if you have made the switch to broadband service, then you have some options. By looking into what various communications companies offer over VoIP, you can see if you can get all of the features, your current conventional phone service offers.
The old phone company services do have a lot of service offerings. Often they can bundle caller ID, answering services, wake up calls and other features people enjoy in a phone package and do so in a very reasonable fee. There are even plans to bring down the cost of long distance and other more costly functions. The phone company may be dealing with older technology but they are going to do all they can to compete.
The Magic Jack VoIP Option
There are many VoIP programs that are being offered currently. The technology for internet based voice communications has advanced tremendously. And with it, the ability of companies that can come up with very economical plans has exploded as well. One of the most economical plans currently getting a lot of attention is the Magic Jack service. Some users have gotten VoIP service through Magic Jack for as little as $20 a year.
The simplicity and economy of the Magic Jack system is what makes it so attractive. All that is needed to get started is a small adapter that can be purchased at Radio Shack or from many dealers online. The start up costs are less than $40. The device connects to the computer with a standard USB plug so that is simple. Once that is in place, you just plug any standard phone in and the hardware is ready. When you register with Magic Jack, you get a phone number and as soon as everything is in place, you will get a dial tone through that device you prepared.
Now, Magic Jack does make more money if you add extra features. You can get a package that will provide voice mail, call waiting, caller id and conferencing but at a fee that may be as much as $1 a call or more. The device you get to set up your Magic Jack VoIP is portable which is a real value to this kind of system. You can take it on the road and with the ease of a USB connection, hook it to a computer that has broadband and use your free phone services.
The negative of VoIP services set up in this way is that in order for your phone service to work, your computer must be on. You have to disable any power saver or automated shut down functions that you have set up because if you do that, your phone service will shut down as well. Because your computer has to stay on all the time, your power usage could raise your annual electricity usage by anywhere from $15 to $50.
Other services offer VoIP services but the set up is more complex. You get a box like you do with the Magic Jack system but it one that is integrated through your home wiring system to reroute all of the phones in the house through your VoIP service. A technician will come and disconnect the feed that is coming from the phone company at the box outside your home. That will close the system so when you connect your VoIP box to the wall jack, it takes over the phone communications for all of your phones and routes them through the VoIP router.
One downside of a system like the Magic Jack VoIP system is that most of these kinds of communications devices must have electricity to work. That means if your power goes out, you are cut off in terms of communication. So it pays to invest in a batter backup to plug your computer and your VoIP equipment into. If you get a battery backup that can sustain your power for a half hour or more, that gives you some leverage when the power goes out.
There are services that will allow you to bring your own phone number with you to the new VoIP system. This option is not available with the Magic Jack system. So you will get a new phone number when you sign up for this service. Support is also highly limited with the Magic Jack system. There is an online chat support function on the website. But because the biggest advantage of the Magic Jack system is their low cost, they do not offer phone support, which is pretty odd for a phone service. But we must be honest that the power support has been one of the major drawbacks of the Magic Jack system.
The biggest advantage of Magic Jack is it is quite inexpensive to try out. But for the total answer to your landline phone needs, it might not be adequate. Even the name implies that it is more for entertainment and for people to “play” with VoIP services. It is a step up from just using a chat web microphone because it is internet telephone service. It might be a good secondary phone line to use the way some people set up a Gmail or Yahoo mailbox to use instead of their primary email account. If you approach it knowledgeable of the limitations, there are some ways that Magic Jack and be a nice next step for you into the world of VoIP communications.
