The Best MagicJack Hacks

By Steve Willows

In February, C and I decided to purchase a MagicJack — a simple to use VOIP / SIP service based around an all-in-one dongle. The device runs great, and we canceled our landline service as a result. However, being a ‘techie’, I was sick of the window popping up on my server every time I went to make a phone call.

After digging around the bowels of the internet I discovered a few handy tricks that allowed me to use this device how I wanted to. Here’s what you need:

1. A MagicJack – http://magicjack.com

$20 per year + $10 for a Canadian number.

2. Once the MJ is installed, run it as a service – http://www.evanvaughan.com/magicjack.aspx

Running the MJ as a service not only gives it better CPU priority, but it prevents the window from popping up whenever you get a phone call. Also, this eliminates the pesky icon in the taskbar.

3. Edit your Caller ID name – Start > Run > regedit > HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\talk4free\USBSoftphone\Options\General\FullName

I changed ours to say ‘The Willows’ — and it works like a charm.

4. Use TweakUI (XP) to Hide MagicJack ‘Disk Drives’ – http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/tweakui

MagicJack creates two drives: F — a fake CD drive that allows it to run the files located on G:. This is a stupid system. However, it’s what they have decided. With the drives hidden, the taskbar icon hidden and the MJ running as a service, this device is essentially invisible on our system.

5. Setup some proper QOS (Quality of Service) on your router to prevent your torrents from disrupting your phone calls – http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/MagicJack/Support_Resources/How-To/QoS/Tomato

This is straight forward.

We’re completely satisfied with the MagicJack thus far. Here’s a breakdown of the Pros and Cons.

Pros:
- Low Cost
- Great Call Quality (Low-Bandwidth too)
- Free, Unlimited Long Distance in North America
- Voicemail is emailed in a .wav file
- Free Caller ID and Conference Calling (which nobody ever uses)

Cons:
- Must keep a computer on at all times
- No 911 for Non-US people
- Caller ID doesn’t always work (Could be due to crappy phones!)
- Company has some sketchy things going on — See Below

Additional Resources:

http://www.magicjacksupport.com – Forum filled with great tips and hacks
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/… – Scary article about some ad-targeting issues. Totally sketchy — but no worse than anything that Google is doing.