skip to main content

The Kitchen Table

Do you use a Web-based phone service?

11 years ago

One of my friends has discontinued her home phone service and is using Google Voice instead. She says she can call anywhere in the U.S. or Canada for free, and there's no monthly charges--or any other charges. Sounds too good to be true, but maybe not. She's pretty tech-savvy.

Have you tried it?

Comments (8)

LuAnn_in_PA
11 years ago
I won't because if the electricity goes out, so does the router.
wanda_va
11 years ago
I haven't tried it, but both by DIL and grandson having been using Magic Jack for several years, and they love it. Of course, a cell phone is a must in case of a power failure.
Related Discussions
Do you 'bundle' services (phone, cell, etc.)?
Q
Comments (24)
tobygirl wrote: Wow, I can't believe the deals some of you get. We live in the country with one phone company and no cable available. Per month we pay $30 for local phone, $35 for DSL, $61.50 for basic Directv and about $25 to AT&T (for their 7 cents a minute plan), not including the cost of toll calls. Ditto for us! No cable and no DSL. $30 for land line (must have for my business) $5-20 for long distance (depending on usage) $90 for Dish (includes HD) $80 for cell phone service (2 phones) $50 for Internet (WildBlue satellite) It seems high to me compared to what others pay. :(
...See More
what telephone service do you use?
Q
Comments (7)
We just ditched one of our two landlines in favor of a free T-Mobile cell (two year contract) at $39.99/month for the cell and $9.99/month for the hot-spot (wifi) service. We live in a valley with almost zero bars for all cell phones carriers in our house. Besides this service, the only option for quality cellular from our home was to spend the time and money to setup antennas and transmitters/receivers. It works great (in our low bar situation) with land line quality over our broadband 1.5 mb/s Linksys wireless Hotspot router (free after rebhate) and no dropped calls. It also worked with our Ativa wireless router. Other users with moderate to good cell reception at home have reported dropped calls when the phone tries to switch from wifi to cell. Of course, you can also use this cell phone on other unsecured wi-fi networks like libraries, some motels, strip mall stores, or on your neighbor's connection! I don't konw why all cell phone carrier don't offer wifi phones. Maybe wimax will replace this soon? We don't have it, but for $5.99/month extra you can get a data plan to allow you to use your bluetooth cellphone (Samsung T-339) as a modem for a notebook computer or PDA that have internal bluetooth or an external adapter. Or you can use the simple internet browser on the phone. I believe this is the cheapest data plan out there for those who need email and internet on the road. I don't talk as much on the cell, and so I have a pre-paid STI mobile (Sprint) phone which is around $5-7/mo. for my low level of usage. We still have one AT&T landline at home for my business and it runs around $25/month. I use the pre-paid calling cards for long distance and the rate is $.029/min. It assigns the pin number to the line, so all you have to do is speed dial the 800 number. It also shows your home phone number on others' caller ID. COOL!
...See More
Web based interior design service for home office
Q
Comments (1)
I can't wait to hear responses because I need the same help. I started working from home last month and have to turn my room-over-the-garage into a home office (typical computer, double monitor, printer)/guest room with lots of storage for books, files (work and personal), wrapping paper, suitcases, ironing board, sewing machine/supplies. In the meantime, I'm awash in piles!
...See More
what web browser do you use?
Q
Comments (29)
I use Firefox in all my computers (Win XP, Win 7 professional 64 bit, and Win10 Laptop). Its tabbed browsing is very useful. On rare occasion, I may use Edge. Due to rapidly changing technology, I've had problems with Internet Explorer (IE). Many web sites supported only the latest version of IE or slowed transmissions if they detected an older version of IE, and now that Edge has supplanted IE, it is mostly useless.
...See More
maire_cate
11 years ago
My phone bill would be so much cheaper if I did use one, but I'm not ready to give up my landline yet. We still have a 'princess' type phone in our bedroom that will work in case of a power outage because the cordless phones won't.

We can charge our cell phones in the car or use the generator but I'm still happy to keep my landline.
alisande
Original Author
11 years ago
I hadn't thought of that, LuAnn. Of course, most people use a cell phone in the case of a power outage (hopefully they have a car charger). But my cell service at home isn't all that great. I liked being able to plug in a corded phone when our power was out all last week.

I've heard of Magic Jack, Wanda, but didn't know what it was.
Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
11 years ago
I tried Magic Jack but my computer speed wasn't fast enough for it. It was useless so I returned it, after a big hassle of getting an RMA # from them.

I will gladly always have a landline.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
We got rid of our landline over 8 years ago and haven't missed it one bit. We really like our carrier (Verizon) . Free evening and weekend calls make keeping in touch with gabby friends and family inexpensive. We do have a car charger, which came in handy when we lost power for a week after a day of tornadoes.

If I were still tied to a land line, I wouldn't hesitate to try a computer line.
chisue
11 years ago
CUB (Citizens Utility Board) recommends the magicJack Plus. We just received their newsletter containing a story about the service. It's $70/first year for a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. That gives you the device and a year of calling US and Canada. Then you can buy service for another year for $30, or pay $20/year with a five-year contract.

The 'Plus' is an improvement over the original, which required you to have your computer on to make calls. You can plug an Ethernet cable into the 'Plus'. The original is still available at $40 for the first year (device and service).

The article has a Q and A about who should consider this device and service.

1. You already pay for high-speed Internet.

2. You already have a cell phone of landline for emergencies. (You'd have no VoIP service during a power outage.)

3. You make frequent long-distance calls.

4. You like extra features like callwaiting, call forwarding and caller ID. (All are included with this service.)

5. You frequently travel out of the country. (And would take the device with you.)

It says you can use any type of phone and can call any type of phone. You can keep your existing landline phone number for an initial charge of $20; annual fee of $10 after the first year.

This would be a selling point for our Maui condo. We have a lot of Canadian guests whose long-distance cell phone service is costly.

We have minimum service on our existing landline at home (AT&T), but it costs over $200/year (including $30 in taxes).
User
11 years ago
I have magic jack, it works fine for me when I don't want to use my cell. If power goes out I still have the house phone & cell I can use.

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

HOME TECH Turn Your Smart Phone Into a Home Security System

Monitor your home a less expensive way by putting your phone and some new gadgets to work

HOME TECH Coming Soon: Furniture That Charges Your Phone

Countertops, tables and home appliances with wireless charging capability mean less clutter — and zero effort powering your phone

HOME TECH Switch On the Phone-Controlled Home

Lock your front door from afar, let your thermostat set itself and more when you use your phone as a control device

HOME TECH Smart Phones Hold the Keys to Front Doors

Knock, knock. Who's there? A brand-new generation of hardware and app combos that let you play doorman from anywhere

HOME TECH Unlock Your Smart Phone's Front-Door Powers

Take your locks and keys into the digital age with 3 solutions that put convenience and new capabilities on your doorstep

KITCHEN DESIGN Home Tech: Make a Place for the Web in the Kitchen

By Laura Heller

See why the heart of the home may be the perfect place to connect to the internet — and each other

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Coffee Service

Upgrade your morning ritual with accessories to help make the perfect brew

DECORATING GUIDES Working With Pros: When to Choose Full Design Services

By Judith Taylor Designs

Whether you want a single room or a whole house done, the maximum service level means the least work for you

HOME TECH Harness the Cloud: 8 Ways to Automate Your Housekeeping

By Laura Gaskill

Make life easier by scheduling regular deliveries, managing appliances, simplifying meal planning and more via the web

DECORATING GUIDES Working With Pros: When a Design Plan Is Right for You

By Judith Taylor Designs

Don’t want full service but could use some direction on room layout, furnishings and colors? Look to a designer for a plan

Sponsored

More Discussions

Does anything look different to you?

27

Smile today - 4/19/24

7

Friday/Weekend Quiz

16

Can we start a Chain Reaction Game - Part 4

16

I'll show you mine/you show me yours - Sat 4/20/24

8