Comment fonctionne MagicJack

Vous avez peut-être espionné MagicJack sur une infopublicité télévisée de fin de soirée , un réseau de téléachat ou même sur les étagères de votre magasin d'électronique ou de pharmacie local. Ses publicités prétendent apparemment réduire considérablement votre facture de téléphone, mais c'est peut-être le cas. MagicJack est un petit adaptateur téléphonique USB peu coûteux qui vous permet de contourner les services téléphoniques traditionnels et de passer des appels via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) vers des téléphones portables ordinaires, des téléphones fixes ou d'autres utilisateurs VoIP.

Le premier MagicJack exigeait que votre ordinateur soit allumé et connecté à Internet à tout moment afin de passer et de recevoir des appels. Mais la nouvelle version, le MagicJack Plus, peut être connectée directement à votre routeur ou modem et peut être utilisée sans ordinateur tant que vous disposez d'un service Internet haut débit.

Les lignes fixes proposées par les compagnies de téléphone traditionnelles peuvent coûter des centaines de dollars par an, même pour un service domestique de base. De nombreux services VoIP sont considérablement moins chers, proposant souvent des services supplémentaires tels que l'identification de l'appelant, l'appel en attente et la messagerie vocale pour le prix d'une ligne fixe sans avantage. MagicJack promet d'être encore moins cher que les autres alternatives téléphoniques économiques, avec des frais annuels très bas pour des appels illimités vers des numéros partout aux États-Unis, dans certains territoires américains et au Canada.

L'appareil est également très portable, vous permettant de passer des appels depuis votre domicile, depuis une chambre d'hôtel et même depuis d'autres pays, à condition que vous disposiez d'un ordinateur avec une connectivité Internet haut débit ou d'un accès au routeur ou au modem.

Vous pouvez utiliser MagicJack pour vous offrir une deuxième ligne téléphonique, abandonner complètement la ligne fixe ou, en voyage, économiser sur les frais d'itinérance ou d'appels internationaux. Lisez la suite pour en savoir plus sur l'appareil et le service téléphonique.

1. Qu'est-ce que MagicJack et quelles sont ses exigences ?
2. Quelles sont les fonctionnalités de MagicJack ?
3. Comment fonctionne le service de MagicJack ?
4. Comment MagicJack se compare-t-il à d'autres services similaires ?
5. Quelles sont les limitations de MagicJack ?
6. Controverses et questions juridiques
7. Qu'est-ce que les gens en pensent et où puis-je m'en procurer un?

MagicJack a été inventé par Dan Borislow et lancé fin 2007. Le MagicJack original et le plus récent MagicJack Plus sont des adaptateurs téléphoniques analogiques (ATA), à peu près de la taille d'une boîte d'allumettes, qui vous permettent de passer des appels téléphoniques VoIP via votre connexion Internet. L'original a un connecteur USB et une prise téléphonique standard RJ11. Le plus récent MagicJack Plus possède les deux plus un port Ethernet, et il intègre sa propre carte mère, éliminant ainsi le besoin d'une connexion constante à l'ordinateur.

Pour utiliser le MagicJack d'origine, branchez l'appareil sur le port USB de votre ordinateur et il installe automatiquement le logiciel sur votre ordinateur. Une fois la configuration et l'enregistrement terminés, vous branchez un téléphone filaire ou sans fil dans la prise téléphonique et vous devriez être prêt à passer et à recevoir des appels. Vous pouvez même vous passer du téléphone physique et utiliser le téléphone logiciel MagicJack (téléphone logiciel) pour composer des numéros via un clavier virtuel sur votre écran et parler directement via le haut-parleur et le microphone de votre ordinateur ou un casque connecté. Cette version nécessite que votre ordinateur reste allumé et éveillé en permanence pour passer et recevoir des appels. Si vous éteignez votre ordinateur ou s'il se met en veille, vous pouvez toujours recevoir la messagerie vocale et le transfert d'appel fonctionnera toujours.

Pour configurer le nouveau MagicJack Plus, vous devez toujours le brancher sur un ordinateur et suivre plusieurs étapes de configuration et d'enregistrement. Après cela, vous pouvez soit l'utiliser comme l'original - via votre ordinateur - ou brancher l'appareil sur votre modem ou routeur haut débit via un port Ethernet (le câble est inclus). Cet arrangement vous obligera à connecter un téléphone et à brancher l'appareil sur un adaptateur secteur (également inclus). Le principal avantage par rapport à l'original est que votre ordinateur n'a pas besoin d'être présent, et encore moins allumé en permanence, pour que vous puissiez passer et recevoir des appels. Mais comme avec MagicJack d'origine, le haut débit est requis.

MagicJack Plus est compatible avec Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 et le système d'exploitation Apple Macintosh basé sur Intel. Le MagicJack argenté d'origine est pris en charge sur tous les éléments ci-dessus, à l'exception de Windows 8. Les utilisateurs Linux et Mac non Intel n'ont actuellement pas de chance avec les deux versions.

Depuis l'automne 2013, votre achat de MagicJack Plus est accompagné de six mois de service, ce qui inclut des appels illimités vers des numéros aux États-Unis, à Porto Rico, aux îles Vierges américaines et au Canada. Cela est vrai même si vous utilisez le MagicJack à l'étranger. Vous pouvez également appeler gratuitement d'autres utilisateurs de MagicJack partout dans le monde. Vous pouvez passer des appels internationaux avec l'appareil, mais cela nécessite l'achat de minutes prépayées.

Vous pouvez acheter un an ou cinq ans de service supplémentaire lors de la configuration ou à tout moment par la suite. Le service comprend également la messagerie vocale, l'identification de l'appelant, l'appel en attente, le renvoi d'appel, l'assistance-annuaire 411, la conférence téléphonique et le service E911 (la version VoIP du service d'urgence 911 traditionnel , qui envoie votre adresse avec l'appel). La messagerie vocale de MagicJack est accessible via le logiciel sur votre ordinateur ou en appelant votre numéro de téléphone. Vous pouvez également configurer une adresse e-mail pour recevoir vos messages vocaux dans votre boîte de réception sous forme de pièces jointes audio. Le logiciel enregistre également les contacts et les journaux d'historique des appels.

MagicJack vous fournit un numéro gratuit, et vous pouvez sélectionner l'indicatif régional et le préfixe, s'ils sont disponibles, et cela ne doit pas dépendre de votre emplacement. Au départ, les clients ne pouvaient pas conserver leurs propres numéros existants, mais maintenant, si vous choisissez de le faire, vous pouvez transférer votre numéro existant, ou choisir un numéro canadien ou personnalisé, moyennant des frais annuels supplémentaires.

La société propose également des applications iOS et Android via iTunes et Google Play, à utiliser sur votre téléphone ou votre tablette . Les applications vous permettent d'utiliser votre WiFi ou votre plan de données pour passer des appels VoIP aux États-Unis, au Canada et vers d'autres numéros MagicJack n'importe où, tout en évitant d'utiliser des minutes ou d'accumuler des frais d'itinérance. Si vous n'avez pas de compte MagicJack payant, il vous attribuera un numéro sortant aléatoire à chaque fois que vous l'utiliserez. Vous pouvez également recevoir des appels, bien que l'appelant devra appeler un numéro spécial, puis entrer votre numéro d'application MagicJack.

MagicJack provides VoIP service, which means you bypass traditional twisted-pair copper phone lines within your home. Rather than making analog calls like with traditional phone service, you are using hardware and software to convert your call into a digital signal and send it over the Internet. But your calls still have to hit a telephone service network's lines at some point.

That's where the MagicJack business model comes in handy. Its parent company, YMax Communications, founded by Dan Borislow and Don Burns, was created as a phone network and is officially a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC), holding CLEC certifications in all 50 U.S. states. Rather than having to pay other companies to originate calls on their landline networks, YMax/MagicJack only has to pay to terminate calls on others' networks, and can bill other companies when their users place calls to MagicJack users. As a CLEC, it also gets its phone numbers for free and can resell to other phone service providers. It is a phone company as much as it is a provider of a VoIP device.

VocalTec, cited as the inventor of VoIP, merged with YMax Communications and MagicJack in 2010 and MagicJack is now officially called MagicJack VocalTec Ltd. The company is headquartered in Israel with its main warehouse in West Palm Beach, Fla. The company holds a variety of VoIP and MagicJack related patents.

But despite all advantages, MagicJack is not the only game in town. Next, find out how it compares to some other VoIP providers.

One major difference between MagicJack and most other VoIP devices and services, besides its diminutive size, is that it's super cheap. The original device was around $40, which included one year of service, and thereafter had an annual subscription fee of $20. Yes, that is annual, not monthly. The MagicJack Plus lists for $70, but tends to retail for around $50, and includes six months of service. You can pay $29.95 annually for year-to-year renewals, or the equivalent of $19.95 per year for a five-year renewal (paid upfront).

Most other VoIP services either have much more expensive upfront device costs or charge higher fees, usually on a monthly rather than annual basis, although MagicJack does have one very close competitor price-wise.

Its major competition includes Ooma, Vonage and netTALK. You can buy the Ooma Telo device for around $150, which gives you free unlimited calls within the U.S. for no cost other than government fees and taxes. If you want to make calls outside the U.S., Ooma also offers plan options starting at $9.99 a month or per-minute pay-as-you-go rates. Vonage provides equipment, charges $29.99 a month for an unlimited domestic and international plan, and has various cheaper calling plans including U.S. and Canada with limited minutes for $11.99 a month.

The competitor that is similar in price is the netTALK Duo device, with a $50 version and $65 WiFi version, both of which you can plug into your computer or router and come with one year of service to the U.S. and Canada. Additional years are $29.95, and you can add enhanced calling plans for additional monthly or annual fees, as well as an SMS text plan. netTALK also has a free app, but it doesn't include an incoming phone number and limits you to 50 free minutes per month.

With all of the VoIP choices, including MagicJack, you may be required to pay government fees and taxes, including monthly charges for E911. And any additional services you select will likely incur monthly or annual charges, so take care to research your options thoroughly.

VoIP service is also available through cable or phone companies that offer Internet service, and can often be fairly cheap with a package deal. To compare all the options to each other or to traditional phone service, you have to consider your calling area and phone number needs, and you have to factor in the cost of the required broadband Internet service.

There are other communication alternatives such as Skype, which allows you to video or voice chat with other Skype users, but also has plans that allow you to call mobile and landline phones from software on your computer, tablet or mobile for various monthly or per-minute rates. There's also Google Voice, which gives you a number and lets you have calls forwarded to any or all of your phones, and will send you transcribed voice mails, but the service depends upon you already having some sort of existing phone service. Various instant messaging programs and social networking sites also allow voice and video chat. But they're arguably not the same as having a home phone line.

The original MagicJack required you to leave your computer on all the time to make and receive calls, and didn't allow you to use your existing phone number. This was all fixed with the newer MagicJack Plus, but there are still some notable limitations. Depending upon your wants and needs, they could range from minor annoyances to deal breakers.

As with all Internet-based services, if the Internet or power goes out, you will not be able to make or receive calls. Twisted-pair copper phone lines carry power to phones, but the newer coaxial cable and fiber optic lines by which many of us are getting Internet service these days do not. There are some VoIP services that provide optional battery backups that last a few hours, but MagicJack is not among them.

Regarding E911 service, when you call 911 with MagicJack, your address can't be automatically detected. You have to register your home address with MagicJack in order for emergency services to properly locate you, and it won't work if you are using the device in other locations. Also, it will only work in cities where the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) has a system that can receive the address information. You will also need to make sure the address is updated if you move.

There also might be issues with getting phone numbers in some area codes . If yours isn't available, you can pick a phone number with a different area code, and switch if and when yours becomes available, although this likely comes at a monetary price.

Other more minor issues include the following:

Also, if you are using your MagicJack connected to your computer, it could be felled by any number of computer issues, which might be something to consider when choosing the type of device or service you pick.

The company hasn't been controversy free. Dan Borislow, founder of MagicJack, insulted netTALK's quality and the viability of the company in a 2010 interview, and then sued them for patent infringement in 2012, although the case was dismissed.

The company also sued Web site Boing Boing for defamation over an April 2008 article that brought up some aspects of MagicJack's end-user agreement that it found objectionable. These issues included the fact that MagicJack reserves the right to analyze the numbers you call for advertising purposes and the stipulation that any legal claims against MagicJack had to be handled by binding arbitration, as well as the user agreement not being clearly presented on its Web site or at purchase or installation time. The article also took issue with the lack of an uninstaller and some aspects of the company Web site. The suit was dismissed in 2010 and MagicJack was ordered to pay around $50,000 to Boing Boing in legal fees. The software can be more easily uninstalled now, and some changes have been made to the Web site. The terms of service still include their right to analyze the phone numbers you call and your registration information to target relevant ads.

MagicJack itself was charged by the Florida Attorney General over accusations that it charged customer debit cards during a 30-day free trial period, had limitations it wasn't disclosing properly and that there were issues with its handling of customer complaints. The company settled the dispute by paying a fine without admitting to any wrongdoing and resolved the complaints. It also made some changes to its business practices. As of fall 2013, the MagicJack FAQ specifies that credit cards will not be charged during the trial period, although a hold may be placed, and you will be charged if you buy more than two MagicJacks or purchase extra years of service. If you use a debit, bank or check card, you will be charged immediately, but you will receive a refund if you return your MagicJack before the 30-day trial period ends.

Most reviews tend to agree that MagicJack works and is one of the cheapest home VoIP options. Early MagicJack suffered from the 24-hour computer connection requirement and the inability to port numbers, but these concerns are moot with MagicJack Plus. Some reviews of the original MagicJack stated that the quality wasn't quite as good as landline, but was as good as or better than cellular. There can still be distortion or delay caused by things like interference from software or computer issues, other devices sharing your bandwidth or a weak Internet connection, but the newer MagicJack Plus purportedly results in better call quality, even on par with landline service.

One repeated complaint is customer service, especially the fact that it's computer-based only, with no possibility of calling a support line. MagicJack's customer support is all via their online documentation and a live Web chat feature. You reportedly have to step through a few levels in the knowledge base to get to the Web chat, but at that point you are at least dealing with a real person. This is apparently fine for simple problems, but some find chat a difficult way to resolve more technically involved issues.

There are also complaints about the paucity of documentation included with the device and all the up-selling during setup. You have to be sure to opt out of all the extras you don't want in order to avoid additional fees.

There are also lots of good reviews, and even the reviews with some negatives or reservations tend to concede that the device works fairly well, and inexpensively, once you work out any kinks.

MagicJack is available through the company's Web site as well as a wide variety of retailers. If you order from the manufacturer's site, the 30-day free trial applies starting from the date you place the order. If you buy it elsewhere, you have to stick to the retailer's return policy.

According to the company, they have sold more than 11 million of the devices since the launch of the product. Perhaps surprisingly, the product attracts a large number of retirees. It's also popular with people overseas who want to call the U.S. or Canada cheaply. And, of course, it appeals to lots of people looking to reduce costs in tough economic times.

With so many people ditching their landlines for cell phones or VoIP, MagicJack is one of several viable options for having cheap in-home phone service. And even if you have another phone service, MagicJack could provide a handy extra line, long-distance savings or a way to preserve precious mobile minutes. It's definitely worth serious consideration when taking a trip abroad -- to locations with broadband, of course.

Author's Note: How MagicJack Works

VoIP isn't so much the wave of the future as the wave of the present. Lots of people are jumping over to it, and even phone companies are talking about abandoning their twisted-pair copper networks in favor of coax and fiber and such. One day, the choice might not be between VoIP and traditional landlines but rather between flavors of VoIP.

I'm only a step or two away from this sort of phone replacement. I've been on VoIP through my cable company for a while, and often seriously consider ditching it in favor of my cell phone. But complacency, a package deal and fear of being without at least some sort of in-home 911 dialing has made me keep home phone service.

MagicJack sounds like an intriguing cable phone replacement, though. Ignoring additional fees, its annual charge is around what I pay per month. Plus, since my mobile is always by my side, I really only use the home phone to receive telemarketing calls. And my cable phone will go out when the power dies, anyway. Perhaps one of these days I'll succumb to the 30-day trial and give it a try.

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