Vonage vs Magic jack vs Skype

[RobDeer 45]

Not sure if any of this has been discussed but I need to get a phone line for work. Looking for some feedback on any of these options.

I would love the mobility of Magic jack and Skype but really am nervous about their reliability. I suppose when I'm on the road I can use my cell phone but that could eat up a lot of minutes in a hurry (I will not be on the road a ton, but like the idea of mobility).

Thanks in advance for any help.

[JimH5]

I use Skype. It worked wonderfully while we were living overseas, and I have kept it since we have returned.

 

I have a local Skype number that my family can call, it will ring through to my Skype number, and if I'm not at my computer, I have it set up to ring through to my cell. There was something awesomely cool to have family members making a local call in Wisconsin, and me answering it on my mobile phone on the other side of the world.

 

I am not a high volume user at all.

 

I don't remember any times when we had difficulty using it.

[adamb100]

Not a fan of magic jack. The software that you install on your PC for it to work displays ads and is generally crap. Furthermore you have dial the area code for any number you call (even if it's in your area code). I would go with Skype.

[1992casey]

You can also buy a Skype phone if you wish. That would keep you from needing to be closely tied to your PC and would help to limit the minutes you'd use for calls forwarded to your cell.

 

That's too bad about the Magic Jack software. Additionally, I seem to remember that the phone that's connected to the Magic Jack is limited to having a six foot cord, although I'd think that that limitation could be circumvented by hooking up a cordless phone.

 

Dialing 10 digits wouldn't bother me. That limitation is present on a lot of cell phones. Plus, the entire northern half of Wisconsin needs to dial 10 digits for local landline calls. That's the case in a lot of areas around the country.

[RobDeer 45]

Hey guys thanks for your input. I've heard that magic jack is not all it's cracked up to be and the pop up adds get old in a hurry. There are just so many options out there that it's hard to narrow them down. I do think that magic jack is not the best option from what I've gathered so far.

 

Does anyone use any VOIP services? Vonage etc. Is Skype considered a VOIP? Sorry I'm kind of new to all this terminology.