I got a DSL box. Yea, me. Now I am unable to use my old faxing software. IT depended upon using a Dial-Up Connection and a modem.
Anyone know of a faxing software that is compatible with DSL? I’m a bit verklempt here, I do send a fax or two a week. Telling me to keep the modem and phone wire around ISN’T what I’m looking for here. I know I can do that. That’s not a reasonable solution, IMHO.
Does such software exist? How can I find it?
My thanks in advance for the help I know will flow like liquid chocolate over the strawberries of my mind,
In fact, you should have gotten one with your DSL installation.
If you’ve still got your dialup modem, just attach the phone cord to the end of the filter on the DSL line and it works just like a regular phone line.
I’m fairly sure that fax protocols require a phone call that signals the receiver’s fax machine, and since DSL isn’t “dialing into” your DSL provider’s server like 56K modems do (DSL uses extra “space” on your phone line to transmit data, so there’s no ringing involved in the traditional sense) as far as your fax software is concerned, there’s no phone line. I checked Winfax’s requirements, and it states pretty clearly that a dial-up modem is absolutely necessary.
On the other hand, at work we have something called Cisco Dial-Out (or similar to that) that I think simulates dial-up modem/fax connectivity over Ethernet. If that’s possible, I don’t see why it can’t be done over a DSL connection.
Looks like they have U.S. & UK numbers. I’ve been using efax for a couple of years & can get faxes wherever I am in the U.S. through any computer with the help of my hotmail account. I have DSL at home, and use a regular fax machine for outgoing faxes.
Hey, lorinada I used to live in Bedford, back in the days when I worked for American Airlines.
Anyway, it sounds like you have lots of problems with your DSL service. That’s too bad. Mine’s the greatest thing I ever did! Especially ever since I got rid of my usb modem, and bought a router and a switch. I’m sharing my internet connection with 4 computers, and it workds great!
Ok - to fax over a dsl line is possible. Your dsl line is actually 2 datastreams voice and data. THe voice is sepperated from the data with something called a splitter or a filter. That voice line is what you must use to send a fax via a fax modem. During sending and receiving your phone line (that has dsl) will be off hook. YOu can’t send it over the data portion via the fax modem.
I know you didn’t ask but:
If you wanted a dedicated fax line you have 2 cheaper choices then getting your fax (modem) it’s own line.
1 - use efax even if it’s only to receive faxes and send via your fax modem (which is what I do)
2- order distinctive ring and set your modem to answer faxes on the distinctive ring only - (distinctive ring aka ringmate is a service from the telco’s). If you have verizon dsl you can get a calling package (IIRC value package) that will reduce your dsl fee $5/m and includes ringmate/caller id, etc. Not worthit just for ringmate but if you have several calling services then it’s cheaper.
>> IT depended upon using a Dial-Up Connection and a modem.
Nope, your are misunderstanding things. to send a fax your computer needs a Fax-modem card (which I assume you still have) and a plain telephone line (which you also have). DSL has nothing to do with the whole thing. You can continue to send faxes exactly like you did before you got DSL.
I don’t think I misunderstand at all. ( By the way, I use an external modem ). I wanted to find a way to send a fax USING MY DSL box !! That was my O.P.
I know that if I keep the older technology around the house, I can still send and get faxes. That does little if nothing for the fact that now that I am using the DSL box, the fax is disconnected from the computer. I suppose I could leave it connected, but that seems a huge waste to me. Still apparently that is my only option.
Perhaps I need to tell people to send e-mail instead, no matter what. Hmm…
>> I wanted to find a way to send a fax USING MY DSL box !! That was my O.P
OK, I misunderstood you then. The short and simple answer answer is “you can’t”. DSL is just a way of connecting to the NET just like you DUN. What you can do with DUN you can do with DSL (only quicker). The fax machine you are trying to reach is connected to a telephone line, not the internet. If you want to use the Net, then use email. (As I said, that is the short and simple answer. there are services which allow you to make a phone call starting on the Net and ending on a phone line but my experience is they are a PITA)
What you have is an Ethernet connection to a “modem pool”, a bunch of shareable modems connected to plain telephone lines for fax purposes. the “pool” is necessary just because you have multiple users, to minimize busy signals; a single modem would work just as well, but it would be busy more often.
I have DSL; I’m on it right now. I can FAX out whenever I want to, using the same old FAX software I had before I acquired DSL. (I could receive incoming FAXes too if need be). This is what you wish to do, yes?
The phone line where it comes out of the phone jack in the side of the wall is split with a standard line “Y” splitter into two lines. One of them goes into the DSL modem, and that in turn is connected to my computer (via the ethernet port). The other goes to a little filter supplied by the company that provides the DSL, then from there to a second “Y” splitter from which one phone cord goes onward to a plain old telephone and the other goes to the computer’s regular modem port.
My TCP connection uses Ethernet (PPPoE); my FAX software uses the modem. The modem has no problem with the fact that the phone line is also being used for DSL, even if I’m online at the time. (Neither does the telephone).
Cartooniverse, let’s see if this makes it clearer: before you could send and receive faxes from your computer only when you were not on the Net. Now you can do it all the time as you are getting on the Net through another path which does not use your fax-modem. You are better off than before. Where’s the problem?
Okay, okay, I get it. I really get it Take it easy, fellahs, I bruise easily. Mind the tomatoes.
I was hoping to use the zippiness and one-stop-shopping of the new DSL service for faxing. That’s all.
I’m aware that DSL signals have nothing to do with regular telephony. I’m the one who self-installed ALL of the in-line filtration in the house. Doing the split-split-again method will work. I still own the external modem and cabling.
Thank you all for the help, I will spend this Passover day re-installing the ^$#&( modem.