Anyone with MagicJack experience ?

I've heard and read mixed reviews about MagicJack (MJ).
How is it for reliability, quality, etc. ?

From what I've read a good internet connection is needed for "quality" service with MagicJack.
What does that really mean ???
Is it the internet connection speed, or what other factors do i need to consider ?

I've been having ISP problems for the last month or so.
I have att Uverse "triple play" - Internet (15 Mbps down), Phone, and Television.
Lately Uverse has been going out for hours or days at a time ...
Yup, I've called and reported my problem ...
They have sent techs to my house, drilled holes, rewired, new modem, nothing so far fixes my problem.

I "think" i need a landline phone, and Uverse is not reliable for me now.
I'm rethinking my need for landline/cell phone ...
Should i get MagicJack and an "emergency" cell phone ???

I'm 65 years old and most people I help are senior, 60-90+ years old.
They are not technical and often poor vision/hearing, etc.
Helping friends and family using Teamviewer and a speaker phone is important to me.

I can switch to Time Warner Cable, or the new guy in my neighborhood (North State Communications).
North State has gigabit internet, but i don't know anyone that has experience with them.
They would have to lay cable from the street to my house, drill holes and do whatever to "wire my house".
I really don't want more holes and wires, etc.

My current Uverse internet service works or it doesn't.
When it works, it works fine, when it doesn't work, nothing works ...

Is 15 Mbps down (Uverse) good enough for MJ, or is a slower TWC good enough, or is North State gigabit network a good bet ???
I'm not a gambler, but i do luv watching the old Maverick westerns

Thanks for the replies and help !
I'm going to pick up a MJ and test it.
I just need to get my internet working reliably before i test MJ ...

Good news is since the latest tech did his magic, i haven't seen where my ISP connection went down, apx 20 hours now ...

As i was without service for apx 60 hours last weekend, they taught me an expensive lesson.

They charge me for 24/7 service, but if i have a problem "off business hours", no support technician is available to fix the problem for me "a home user". That's how i get help spending $200+ a month for their service.
I also learned the only thing i really missed on TV was Golf Channel tournaments.
$100+ a month for that isn't worth it ... i get 350+ channels now ...

DocBrown said:

Bill, on their website, you can get a LIVE CHat. I had to do this once or twice. They give you a link to click on and it updates the FIRMWARE in the MagicJack unit. Then it starts working fine again.

Thanks Doc for that tip, much appreciated :)

My broadband service went out again.
I pay $200+ a month, and this is what i put up with.
4-5 techs in the last month, rewired my house, new cable laying from the "pedestal to my house", ...
Another one due by 8pm today ...

It's pretty awesome, me and my dad uses it to call siblings in the USA.

Hey David, sorry to hear you have problems. Do you guys use a phone line-data filter in the US? Did they change your port on the DSLAM device?

Out of curiosity, 200 USD? Really? What's the break-up of that amount?
Here in Turkey (less developed):
- cable tv 300+ channels: 4.5 USD
- cable Internet 100/4 Mbps (250 GB quota): 50 USD
- landline phone: 7 USD + what you speak
Technical service is free

I guess services may be more expensive there due to minimum wages and whatnot but still... How much are the rates for the alternatives you mentioned?