Considering Magic Jack requires to be plugged into an online USB connection, can the magic jack be plugged into VERA to work?
Anyone with any experience with this ?
The simple answer is NO it wont work. Magic Jack ships with Microsoft Windows drivers built in which self install on USB connect.
But, with a Linux driver & more Vera memory it could be made to work. Were you thinking of just using it as a phone device to eliminate the PC or incorporating it into a scene to turn lights on when the phone rings etc…
JOD.
Thank you for your reply JOD - despite the bad news!
My home is in a verizon dead spot so I got the magic jack recently and was hoping to plug into VERA so I don’t have to have a computer on 24/7. Considering VERA’s low energy usage, it seemed ideal.
I had emailed VERA’s tech support before I purchased it and asked that question, they answered yes. I have yet to follow up with them.
I have tried it and while there is a dial tone, it isn’t able to make any calls or receive any.
I’m determined to get it to work if it’s possible at all.
I’m open to any ideas/suggestions…
thanks again,
If it were me. If MCV said MJ will work with Vera in written form (email) I would post the emails here in the forum. Edit out any personal info
I would follow up with them with a support email sent from your Vera and demand an answer & include a copy / paste of both emails.
FYI, Dan Borislow (the inventor) was quoted as saying "
The magicJack was not designed to plug into the router. One of the main benefits of the magicJack is its portability. By being able to plug into the USB slot, our customers can take it anywhere in the world and use it with any broadband-enabled computer. If it were designed to work with a router, the magicJack would lose its portability. So no plans to add this functionality"
Dan is my bosses neighbor so I will look into this a bit further for you on the Linux / MJ end. I wish it did work as I have a MJ pluged into a PC that runs 24/7 but am 100% confident it will not work. Vera does not have the memory or CPU power to run a MJ.
JOD.
Hi,
I’m willing to paste my reply in the conversation I had with @ramin since I didn’t mention specifically that the Magic Jack will work greatly with Vera. If @ramin wants, he can paste his email, I won’t be doing that…
Ramin - Question about the possibility of connecting the MJ to Vera.
Me:
"Hi Ramin,
Yes, Vera has 2 USB ports available you can use for whatever device you need. "
Ramin - Question about Vera’s wireless quality and signal strength.
Me: Hi Ramin,
Vera’s Wifi signal is the same as any other wireless router. "
And this is the discussion about the Magic Jack.
@ramin: I never tested a MJ myself, you were interested if you can connect it to Vera and rely on it. The answer is simple and positive. We had Vera with USB Z-Wave dongle for more than 2 years and most of them worked great. The affirmation about the USB device you described was based on that. It’s not up to MCV’s team to investigate that device since we’re not selling it.
From my point of view, I did nothing wrong or provided false information to trick you so you will buy our product.
Thanks Ovidiu,
I’ve left a message with Dan Borislow (the inventor) but I already know the answer. This device as yet will not work with Linux (in it’s present form)
Ovidiu, can you reply to the emails I sent to you please. I sent you a few over the weekend and CC’d Aaron, Valy and Anne.
JOD.
Well, I have an answer from Dan and I’ll quote.
"It actually does work on it, it’s just when we will release it
Dan"
I should clarify. He means it will work on Linux (Not Vera) but they have yet to release it. ???
Whatever, It does not work with Vera.
JOD.
from the magicjack.com FAQ:
Your Question Will magicJack work with Linux?Answer
Not yet.
We expect to offer Linux support sometime this quarter.
Last Update: Sep 30, 2010
@Ramin
Why would you spend money on Vera unless you planned on doing home automation with it?
For less than the cost of Vera you could buy a netbook or EeeBox and leave it on 24/7 using only 22 watts or so and plug the Magic Jack into that. Better yet use Skype or similar alternative over something sold on late night TV.
I wasn’t planning on buying VERA solely for home automation.
If I was able to get magic jack to work on it…its one less device that needs to b on 24/7…simplicity is impt sometimes.
I had simply asked before I bought VERA to give me some idea.
Gotcha, yes it would be awesome if Vera could do a little bit of everything. I pushed the limits of my little 600MHz netbook, overclocking to 900MHz and trying to run CPU intensive games, so I applaud the idea of pushing limits and new uses for Vera. Some of the larger Z-Wave installations can push Vera to her limits as it is though, so maybe in the future there will be a device somewhere in between a low-power PC and Vera.
On being a Verizon dead spot at your home, you might try to call Verizon and see if they can do anything for you. I know with Sprint, if you complain and threaten to leave, they will offer to send you a Airave femtocell free that hooks up to your broadband and basically acts as a mini cell tower for your house. I don’t know if Verizon has an option like that, but is probably worth looking into.
It would also be nice if the inbuilt SIP capabilities were perhaps utilized.
Thank you for your input mikemsd…that’s useful info.