You see it advertised on TV all the time. Will it really replace your phone line like they claim? Well, not for DSL customers.

Because your DSL requires a local AT&T phone line and Magicjack runs over DSL, they rely on each other. If you were to drop your local line and attempt to use your Magicjack then things will come to a screeching halt because you need your local line for your DSL and the Magicjack needs DSL (or some other broadband connection) to work.  Magicjack uses what we commonly refer to as a VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol.

What you can do is drop your long distance service on your house phone and use the Magicjack for all your long distance needs as you can call any where in the US or Canada for $19.95 a year. If you decide to do this then be sure to tell your AT&T sales droid that you only want to drop your long distance plan and make no other changes.

When you get and install your Magicjack you will first register and be allowed to choose your area code (for most of you that would be 530) and your 3 digit prefix to your telephone number. People local to you will be allowed to call your Magicjack number without any charges to them, however if they live out of your service area then it will cost them the same as if they were calling your local phone number...the same long distance charges that applied to them before still apply to them now. But you can call anywhere with the US and Canada and all over the world for reduced charges.

What's nice about your Magicjack is that you can unplug it, take it with you on a trip, plug it into nearly any computer that's connected to broadband and you're back in business. You can call home to friends at no charge. Even if you take it out of the country you can use it to call home, no long distance charges. Your phone book with all your numbers goes along with you, where ever you use your Magicjack.

I've used one for over a year and a half now and it works pretty good. Just as good as Vonage or Skype and the good thing is that it's much cheaper and you don't need any special phones devices.

Bottom line is if you get one, don't drop your local service because your DSL goes along with it and with no DSL, Magicjack doesn't work.