Magic Jack – Telephone System Over Internet

Introduction

This tutorial is not exactly a review of the Magic Jack, the company that sells them, or quality of service. The tutorial is based on serveral other tutorials discussing optional installs to solve issues that are not addressed directly by company support.

This tutorial examines the small VoIP device known as Magic Jack.  Experince with this device will vary depending on many factors. The device plugs into the PC via any USB port. Some older PC’s still use USB 1.0 and this alone is likely to be a major problem.

Some users claim to get better audio quality when the device is plugged into an AC USB Hub port.  PC USB ports are +5 Volts DC running off the internal powersupply. Using an adapter may keep the voltage from dropping when the computer is in heavy use.  I don’t recommend the using an AC USB since “overclocking” the device may shorten its lifespan. 

Magic Jack is very dependant on your internet bandwidth being available. My system shows Magic Jack using between 1 and 2 percent of the internet bandwith on my PC running between 1,500 to 2,000 Kbps broadband.  I imagine DSL is going to be a bit of a problem.  Using dial up is completely out of the question.

Optional Installations

The first thing most users complain about is the lack of software control or the constant Magic Jack GUI popping up when the phone rings.  The best way to hide the GUI is to give the program its own user account.

If you haven’t installed the software (which is downloaded when the device is plugged in) then I suggest you make a user account called iPhone, VoIP, or Magic Jack. Just something you like and is not used by other people on your system. Then install it to that account. This will prevent the GUI from popping up during games or productivity when the phone is used or someone calls.

When your PC reboots you will need to login as the Magic Jack first. Use Log off and switch users to the account you normally use. This means you will have the user account running in the background and you won’t see the GUI pop up when you are using the system.

Running Magic Jack as a Service

This gets a bit more advanced than what was done above.  There is little benefit from doing this, other than not having to login into your system twice at reboot.  I have no proof that running Magic Jack as a background service saves memory or speeds up the CPU.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

If you followed the optional install above then you will need some free programs from Microsoft you can download from the Microsoft website.  Since urls tend to change from time to time, I suggest searching for “Windows Resource Kit” or “Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools” the filename is rktools.exe.

Once downloaded and installed you need to login to your user account you set up to run Magic Jack.  Then run the command shell either using Run and typing CMD or look for the entry in the start menu under Windows Resource Kit Tools, and then Command Shell.

In this black DOS box you will need to type; INSTSRV.EXE MagicJack “C:Program FilesWindows Resource KitsToolsSRVANY.EXE” 

This is assuming your tool kit was placed inside the C:Program FilesWindows Resource KitsTools folder.  If successfull it will have created a new service called MagicJack and tell you so.  If at any time you wish to remove the service you can type; INSTSRV.EXE MagicJack REMOVE and it will inform you the service has been removed.

Run regedit and expand down the following branches;

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE -> SYSTEM -> CurrentControlSet -> Services -> MagicJack

Once inside here you will see two more branches Enum and Security.  Create a third branch by using Edit -> New -> Key and when prompted for the name call it Parameters.  Now you should have 3 keys inside the MagicJack.  Open Parameters and create a String as you did the Key.  Name the String “Application” then double click to open it.

In the value box you need the location of the Magic Jack loader program.  The user account in this case is iPhone and this should reflect the value you gave your user account above.

C:Documents and SettingsiPhoneApplication Datamjusbspmagicjackloader.exe

Now close out of all those programs.

Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services

Find MagicJack on this list. Double click MagicJack on the list and a properties box opens. Change the startup type to automatic and the start button to start the service.

Tweaking the Quality of Service

While you might have a fast computer and tons of available bandwidth, your computer doesn’t always know the best way to prioritize the programs in memory.  To make sure Magic Jack gets first dibs at available resources, use the Windows Task Manager.

No matter how you installed your Magic Jack software the easiest way to increase performance of this device without overpowering it.  Hit Ctrl+Shift+Esc and look for MagicJack.exe on the list. Right click the name and set prioity to HIGH.  If you find other things are running too slow just drop it down to Above Normal.  If you set it up under another account you will need to be logged into that account for this to work.  This will reset to normal if rebooted.

Bad Product Reviews

As I stated earlier in this informational tutorial, this is not a review of the use of this product or the company that sells them.  However I must submit that if you feel that spending $40 is going to put you into the poor house then I would reconsider why you are paying for highspeed internet, mobile phones, cable and satelite TV.  If Magic Jack provides service for just six months it has paid for itself.  My wife pays $35 per month for a mobile phone, while I keep three others active.  There are times the Magic Jack line sounds like two cans and a string but who cares for the little money spent on this system.  I haven’t found any product review of this product worth mentioning since most sound like they either; selling the product or bashing it for no apparent flaw.