magicJack and magicJack Plus Support, Reviews, FAQs and Tricks

Keizer wrote:

2guntom wrote:I have a hard time getting excited about this...

It seems that if we monkey with something, it will work for a little while, then it will screw up yet again.

Has anybody been running this setup for a month or longer yet?

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mh1983 has been trouble free for a month using the Oct. firmware.

Honestly, at first I had my doubts. But, after a week or so, and no dropped calls like before, I started getting my hopes up. Now 15 days later and no dropped calls.......I don't even think about it anymore. Except when I post in here.

Hmm... that sounds promising.

If this doesn't work, does anybody have MJ's mailing address?

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Still working great here......no dropped calls.

Yep, same here!

Sadly, we just experienced a dropped incoming call this evening (no change to the MJ+ update file or anything). We had a good streak going, but I guess MJ is up to its old ways. Will see over the next while if the overall reliability has been affected at all.

According to black_icon and radzkillah on this thread, the updater file doesn't change very often because it's only a conduit for the most current firmware which is always downloaded on-the-fly directly from magicJack servers. The .exe or .dmg file basically checks your magicJack's firmware version and compares it with the most recent version. If you already have the most recent version, it does nothing. If you do not have the most recent version, the new firmware is installed onto your magicJack and you get the 'Lucky You' icon on your desktop to confirm that your firmware has been upgraded.

There is (apparently) no way to download the actual firmware itself explicitly through magicJack's servers. We cannot download different versions of the firmware for local install. We can only the download the software that decides whether your magicJack should be updated.

In other words, any evidence of difference between using October update file vs. March update file is purely anecdotal and this instance, likely to be wishful thinking. Again, this very likely means that as soon as you use any version of the updater, it should automatically update you to the latest version of the firmware for your model of magicJack.

The system is closed and proprietary.

greenman wrote:According to black_icon and radzkillah on this thread, the updater file doesn't change very often because it's only a conduit for the most current firmware which is always downloaded on-the-fly directly from magicJack servers. The .exe or .dmg file basically checks your magicJack's firmware version and compares it with the most recent version. If you already have the most recent version, it does nothing. If you do not have the most recent version, the new firmware is installed onto your magicJack and you get the 'Lucky You' icon on your desktop to confirm that your firmware has been upgraded.

There is (apparently) no way to download the actual firmware itself explicitly through magicJack's servers. We cannot download different versions of the firmware for local install. We can only the download the software that decides whether your magicJack should be updated.

In other words, any evidence of difference between using October update file vs. March update file is purely anecdotal and this instance, likely to be wishful thinking. Again, this very likely means that as soon as you use any version of the updater, it should automatically update you to the latest version of the firmware for your model of magicJack.

The system is closed and proprietary.

I beg to differ on your statement. We have all the firmware saved and can load it on a computer then immediately move the mj+ back to the router. Since MJ cannot as yet ugrade itself when hooked directly to a router or switch there is no problem at running the October firmware update that is pleasently working fine.

profster wrote:I beg to differ on your statement. We have all the firmware saved and can load it on a computer then immediately move the mj+ back to the router. Since MJ cannot as yet ugrade itself when hooked directly to a router or switch there is no problem at running the October firmware update that is pleasently working fine.

Just to be clear: are we talking about the file "magicJackSetup.exe" dated from October 2011?

greenman wrote: Just to be clear: are we talking about the file "magicJackSetup.exe" dated from October 2011?

Yes, to be exact:
magicJackSetup4252.exe

And I am still having flawless performance since down grading to the above file.

Well it seems that this folks were downloading a new update which they actually think that they've downgraded the device.

To contradict the notion of magicJack PLUS not getting firmware updates on the router, that is partly correct since I have mine plugged in to the router for a quite while and when I plug it in to the computer it doesn't ask for update or download it.



Well, if it seem to work then that's great.

I can't speak for others, but a few days before my downgrade, I was prompted to update my MJ+. Dropped calls persisted. Then I did the downgrade and noticed immediate improvement; at the time I did the downgrade, others on the board were still reporting call dropping issues.

Has anyone done an upgrade recently? I'm afraid to do it, as I don't want my calls to drop again. Maybe someone else is more adventurous?

In any case, the points I outlined above lead me to believe that the file we used was indeed an older "firmware version" for MJ+ and is stabler than the other update that was available at the time.

mh1983 wrote:... the points I outlined above lead me to believe that the file we used was indeed an older "firmware version" for MJ+ and is stabler than the other update that was available at the time.

I agree.
I tested your theory.
Here are my results.
They are conclusive and reproducible.

October 2011 firmware version magicJackSetup.exe is 2.0.11
February 2012 firmware version magicJackSetup.exe is 2.0.13

Firmware version changes with the version of the setup file you use. Hence firmware is in the setup file and not secured from a server on the fly.

Great findings that confirm our suspicions, greenman -- thanks for sharing!

I'm glad we are all on the same page now. The October upgrade is still working fine here. I have had not one dropped call since I downgraded to it.

greenman wrote:

mh1983 wrote:... the points I outlined above lead me to believe that the file we used was indeed an older "firmware version" for MJ+ and is stabler than the other update that was available at the time.

I agree.
I tested your theory.
Here are my results.
They are conclusive and reproducible.

October 2011 firmware version magicJackSetup.exe is 2.0.11
February 2012 firmware version magicJackSetup.exe is 2.0.13

Firmware version changes with the version of the setup file you use. Hence firmware is in the setup file and not secured from a server on the fly.

Yes the setup file is the new firmware. Any file that makes changes to a ROM is called firmware.

Hello and good-day to profster, Keizer and all here. I'm new here.

I've been pulling my hair out trying to find out what is wrong after upgrading from the old MJ to the new MJ+.

This solution of reverting to the October firmware is one of the few credible answers I have been able to find.

I'm willing to give it a try but I'm afraid of bricking my MJ+. Although I've read the whole thread, I couldn't find a clear-cut procedure on how to go about reverting to the October firmware.

I'll be very grateful if someone will be kind enough to post a step-by-step guide that any newbie can follow.

Thanks!

i updated from mj to mj+ without a single problem,
what problems do you have?

Joe_ wrote:I'm willing to give it a try but I'm afraid of bricking my MJ+. Although I've read the whole thread, I couldn't find a clear-cut procedure on how to go about reverting to the October firmware.

I'll be very grateful if someone will be kind enough to post a step-by-step guide that any newbie can follow.

Thanks!

1. Plug in your mJ+ in the USB port of your windows computer. Do not plug in the ethernet connector or power adapter while plugging into USB.
2. Navigate to the magicJackSetup.exe file and double click.
3. You'll see the 'Lucky You' splash screen, and then it will log you into the mJ on-screen application. You're done.
4. When it's done, try receiving a call with the mJ+ connected to your computer. If it works this way but does not work via direct internet connection, there is some other thing interfering with your connection.
5. If changing the firmware doesn't work, firmware version change probably isn't the answer. Try checking your phone's REN.

Good luck.

Thank you both for you response! I've been a bit busy with other matters hence the reason for the delay in my replying.

@Pilot,

When I first upgraded to the MJ+ approx. a month ago, I immediately tested it and found that calls were disconnecting at random when the MJ+ was connected via my router. It didn't matter whether the calls were incoming or outgoing. Calls lasted between ~30 seconds and 14 minutes before disconnecting. (I didn't use it connected via a USB port on my computer - didn't have time to test and use via USB defeated why I got the MJ+ in the first place.)

The strange thing was that sometimes my Internet also stopped working as well, but not always. In fact my Internet was down for almost 2 days and no amount of re-booting of the modem and router would get it going again. It was only when I decided to check the tightness of all the cable connections that I stumbled upon the possible cause. I was routing the coax cable from my ISP through a "supposed" protection circuit in my surge suppressor and that seemed to be the problem. I have since bypassed the surge suppressor and that seemed to have solved it - At least my Internet has been steady since.

To test the MJ+, I have since received as well as made an outgoing call without being disconnected. I don't really use the MJ+ much at all, but I hope that the problem is solved for good. If I encounter any other issues I'll let you all know.

@greenman,

Thanks for the instructions. I had some time today so I decided to use the mediafire link posted by SPC (?) to download the Oct 2011 firmware in case I really needed it. Unfortunately it is no longer on the site. Anyways, here's to hoping that I wouldn't be needing it.

Once again, thanks for your prompt responses.

Joe