Why doesn’t my fax work with my VOIP Phones?

Troubleshooting a client’s faxing issues.

It’s late on a Wednesday afternoon when we get a frantic call from a client. The person on the other end of the phone is panicking and frustrated. “I’m not getting any of my faxes! In fact, I don’t recall the last time I got a fax. We need someone to come out and look at the copier, fax, I mean (long pause) copier/fax thing.”

After talking the client down off the ledge, we narrowed the issue to when the problem started. We asked what changed. Did they change from Verizon or Comcast? Have they moved the equipment within their office? What’s new that would make their fax stop receiving faxes?

A new phone system. This client changed their phones to VoIP (Voice Over IP) or internet phone system.

“I’m not getting any faxes! I don’t recall the last time I got a fax. We need someone to come out and look at the copier/fax.”

The short answer

We’ve seen hundreds of clients that use our products transition from copper wire phones to VoIP, and some people have managed to make it work (at times).

The short answer is that a fax machine doesn’t work over VoIP lines.

Why? It’s best explained in an article from FaxAuthority, which talks about the compression and signals that convert data into computer language. Click Here for the article.

The fix

Most people within the technology or communications industry haven’t been able to find a consistent fix for the problem. Often, people think the speed of the internet is the issue, which leads the client to call their provider and increase their bandwidth.

Let’s be clear: it’s not a speed issue; it’s how the signal is compressed.

Here are a few suggestions we’ve heard people try.

• Reduce the Transmission Rate (Baud Rate) to the lowest setting on the fax.
• Enable “QoS” (Quality of Service) through the router that serves the VoIP.
• Install an Analog Telephone Adaptor (ATA), usually at an extra cost.

The better fix

Many different types of software and solution packages are available to solve the “I can’t receive faxes” problem.

• eFax
• MyFax
• Nextiva
• RingCentral
• eGoldFax
• CloudFax
• and many others

Here’s the problem with some of these “solutions.” The cost is what gets most people’s attention. Some charge “per fax,” which can become very expensive if you do a lot of faxing.

The best fix

The one solution we’ve found to be the most cost-effective with the highest reliability is etherFAX. While there is a subscription price to use etherFAX, it’s generally less than what our clients pay for their current fax line. That’s right, you read this correctly. Cost-savings! Who couldn’t use a little of that right now?

Summary

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t receive your faxes just because you purchased a new phone system for your office. There’s also no reason that you have to settle on a workaround or temporary fix, either.

Call or email us today to learn how our solution lives in harmony with your VoIP, so you’ll never miss another fax again.

Contact Carson Stone at (804) 288-9000 ext 107 or email cstone@stonesoffice.com