Faxing -what machines work?

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Frankjake
Posts:15
Joined:Fri Dec 09, 2011 3:48 pm
Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by Frankjake » Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:00 am

I too am having faxing issues. Honestly I've pretty much given up on any reliable faxing.

I can't get any fax to go though using the *99 feature. What works the best for me which is not 100%of the time is to let my fax dial out the phone number directly, no * or pauses. But I have set to fax to slow down to 9600 baud rate in both sending and receiving. I seldom receice faxes so that may not even work, but I sen put a minimum of 30 pages a day. Most of the time I have to send it twice because the first try fails.

I have a super fast Internet connection but when I'm sending a fax, I can not be downloading anything or it will fail within seconds after the other fax answers.

I never had faxing issues with a Comcast VoIP phone system and my office runs a VoIP system of several lines and no fax issues. So I'm not sure why Ooma customers seem to have the worst time faxing.

Cyberchat
Posts:113
Joined:Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:01 pm

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by Cyberchat » Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:18 am

Frankjake wrote:I too am having faxing issues. Honestly I've pretty much given up on any reliable faxing.

I can't get any fax to go though using the *99 feature. What works the best for me which is not 100%of the time is to let my fax dial out the phone number directly, no * or pauses. But I have set to fax to slow down to 9600 baud rate in both sending and receiving. I seldom receice faxes so that may not even work, but I sen put a minimum of 30 pages a day. Most of the time I have to send it twice because the first try fails.

I have a super fast Internet connection but when I'm sending a fax, I can not be downloading anything or it will fail within seconds after the other fax answers.

I never had faxing issues with a Comcast VoIP phone system and my office runs a VoIP system of several lines and no fax issues. So I'm not sure why Ooma customers seem to have the worst time faxing.
Sometimes, with some fax destinations, I've found that using *98 works better than *99. Here's an extract from an OOMA document which lists out the star codes they support:

" ..... Your Ooma device supports standard star codes that you may have used in the past. We’ve also introduced a few new codes for Ooma-specific functions. See the chart below for a list of star codes that Ooma supports:

*67 - Block outgoing caller-id for this phone call
*69 - Redial last incoming phone number
*70 - Disable call-waiting tone for this phone call
*82 - Send outgoing caller-id for this phone call
*96 - Use low-bandwidth codec (iLBC) for this phone call
*98 - Use high-bandwidth codec (G711) for this phone call
*99 - Optimize phone call for fax transmissions
*#483 - Access Google Voice voicemail (when Google Voice Extensions is configured)
*#*#001 - Speak the version of software
*#*#099 - Factory reset the Ooma Telo (warning: deletes all configuration)
*#*#191 - Clears all handset registrations
*#*#298 - Force configuration sync with Ooma servers
*#*#501 - Enable Bluetooth discovery mode for 2 minutes (Bluetooth Adapter)
*#*#511 - Toggle key press sound effects on/off
...."
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Frankjake
Posts:15
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Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by Frankjake » Sun Jan 29, 2012 2:04 pm

Thank you cyberchat for that list. I had seen that on the Ooma site and printed it out. For faxing I've tried everything, three different machines (brother, HP, and a Canon). I've also tried the different * options. It seems for those of us who ha e some fax issues, it's a trial and error thing. Different configs work for different people. I can work with it, but now I have to wait until the fax goes through ( usually it doesn't on the first try). I can't just load up the fax and leave my office. I just can't trust the entire fax will arrive. I sure look forward to improvements on this.

Thanks again.

Cyberchat
Posts:113
Joined:Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:01 pm

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by Cyberchat » Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:39 pm

Frankjake wrote:Thank you cyberchat for that list. I had seen that on the Ooma site and printed it out. For faxing I've tried everything, three different machines (brother, HP, and a Canon). I've also tried the different * options. It seems for those of us who ha e some fax issues, it's a trial and error thing. Different configs work for different people. I can work with it, but now I have to wait until the fax goes through ( usually it doesn't on the first try). I can't just load up the fax and leave my office. I just can't trust the entire fax will arrive. I sure look forward to improvements on this.

Thanks again.
Frankjake,

You probably saw this information on the OOMA Support Site, but just in case you didn't, I'll copy it here:

"Background Information: Voice over IP (VoIP) and Fax Machines

A common question comes up - why are faxes not guaranteed reliable 100% of the time when using VoIP technology? The reason has to do with how faxing was originally developed. The faxing protocol was originally developed for regular landlines. Unlike IP networks which route VoIP, landlines are fairly lossless. This makes faxes less resilient to dropped packets and delay inherently present in all IP networks today. Ooma is currently looking into new ways to improve the reliability of faxing with the Ooma system, including use of the T.38 FoIP protocol.

Note: If you find a need for reliable faxing, we recommend that you keep a Landline for this purpose.
"

Good luck.
First year: Modem-->OomaTelo-->Router
Now: Modem-->Router-->OomaTelo
Ooma Premier, two phone numbers
Ooma Handset
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EX Bell
Posts:401
Joined:Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:42 pm
Location:Toronto, Ontario

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by EX Bell » Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:09 pm

For anyone struggling with a Samsung SCX4521F with a Telo, try *98 rather than *99.
I was having no luck with *99 as a dialing prefix, but then I read that someone left their ECM turned on. I tried this and it sent extremely slow, but several minutes later it showed up on Fax Toy. Then I tried a second and it failed. Re-tried and it failed again. Turned ECM off again, but as suggested by many, I set the dialing prefix to *98. Success! Three times in a row and it worked every time. In fact, it works so well that faxes send in about 10-15 seconds and 20 seconds later they appear on Fax Toy.

For those of you with the Samsung SCX-4521F, you will find both the setting for the Dialing Prefix (so it will dial *98 automatically for you, before the fax number you enter) and the ECM on/off toggle under "7. Advance Fax" in the setup menu.

Here's some background info on what *98 does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.711

Fax Toy
http://faxtoy.net/
Customer Since: 1/17/12
Service: Premier 1/30/2012
BELL Canada Port: 1/30/12 - 2/13/12
TekSavvy via BELL FTTN: 25 Mbps/10 Mbps
Setup: Sagemcom 2864 > Cisco E2000 > Time Capsule v1 > Telo
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mrjagster
Posts:245
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Location:Jacksonville, FL

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by mrjagster » Tue Feb 14, 2012 8:02 am

EX Bell wrote:For anyone struggling with a Samsung SCX4521F with a Telo, try *98 rather than *99.
I was having no luck with *99 as a dialing prefix, but then I read that someone left their ECM turned on. I tried this and it sent extremely slow, but several minutes later it showed up on Fax Toy. Then I tried a second and it failed. Re-tried and it failed again. Turned ECM off again, but as suggested by many, I set the dialing prefix to *98. Success! Three times in a row and it worked every time. In fact, it works so well that faxes send in about 10-15 seconds and 20 seconds later they appear on Fax Toy.

For those of you with the Samsung SCX-4521F, you will find both the setting for the Dialing Prefix (so it will dial *98 automatically for you, before the fax number you enter) and the ECM on/off toggle under "7. Advance Fax" in the setup menu.

Here's some background info on what *98 does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.711

Fax Toy

http://faxtoy.net/
I used *98, ECM ON, 14.4 Baud on a HP 8500A Plus and it worked! I also have a DSL filter attached to my printer. I read somewhere that people had some success with that, although I'm not sure that it had any effect at all.

Many thanks to you...

I also read the Wiki on G.711 and it went right over my head.

I have been faxing with limited success since I began using ooma way back in 2007 when I was an early adopter. I must say faxing was always an adventure and sometimes not a happy one. I hope this is a stable solution.
ooma customer since September 2007
ooma hardware: Telo
Lifetime Premier Member

EX Bell
Posts:401
Joined:Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:42 pm
Location:Toronto, Ontario

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by EX Bell » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:39 pm

Glad you had success. I'm not using a filter in reverse. Sounded strange to me, so I tried several times without any filter, just *98 and it worked.

I guess that Wiki article is a bit technical. I don't follow it all either but the important information about G.711 is, "It can also be used for fax communication over IP networks (as defined in T.38 specification)"

"T.38 is an ITU recommendation for allowing transmission of fax over IP networks in real time"
Customer Since: 1/17/12
Service: Premier 1/30/2012
BELL Canada Port: 1/30/12 - 2/13/12
TekSavvy via BELL FTTN: 25 Mbps/10 Mbps
Setup: Sagemcom 2864 > Cisco E2000 > Time Capsule v1 > Telo
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John1000
Posts:6
Joined:Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:51 pm

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by John1000 » Sun Mar 11, 2012 12:26 pm

I finally got around to faxing with Ooma using my fax machine - no luck. I haven't read through this forum yet to determine what other options I have. From what I have read from just a few posts, it appears that it is hit and miss with faxing depending on the fax machine and other parameters probably too long to list.

Bottom line, people who need a reliable fax service will probably need to do a lot of research and testing to verify that they can reliably fax using Ooma and VOIP technology. Even though I'm a tech wonk and don't mind doing the research, I really just don't have the time to go through all the hoops, and in the end, I don't even have the confidence that the system will be reliable for faxing.

Now what really has me wondering, though, is that NetTalk guarantees that their system is fax friendly. When I tried NetTalk, sure enough, I had no problems faxing. How does NetTalk using the same VOIP technology get faxing to work while Ooma seems to have problems in this area? And I am not suggesting that the answer is an easy one. Maybe I just got lucky given the fax machine that I am using. And even though I got faxing to work the NetTalk, the little NetTalk unit was almost glowing red during the process. So even if NetTalk allows me to fax, I could have a burned up device soon which basically puts an end to my faxing using NetTalk. What's interesting, too, is when I checked on NetTalk's site, the FAQ states "Yes, you can fax with NetTalk", but if you expand the FAQ, there is a caveat "Your fax machine must support VOIP." My fax machine is over 10 years old and probably does not have VOIP in its specs at all, but it still works with NetTalk. So far, NetTalk has met all my land line requirements using VOIP technology while Ooma has not and will unfortunately be returned to be sold on Woot.

EX Bell
Posts:401
Joined:Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:42 pm
Location:Toronto, Ontario

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by EX Bell » Sun Mar 11, 2012 6:14 pm

Do you think you might ever use your netTalk VOIP for more than 3000 minutes in a month (1.62 hours per day) ?
See their terms of service (Section 5c, paragraph 1)

I considered netTalk myself, but the 3000 minute limit versus Ooma's 5000 minute limit, and the fact that I could not get number porting here in Canada meant netTalk was not the right choice for me. Sending a couple of faxes a year is all I need and in my case it works fine with *98. I don't need to receive faxes and have not needed that for the last 14 years. It would be nice if Ooma added fax to email, but I personally don't need it.
Customer Since: 1/17/12
Service: Premier 1/30/2012
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Handsets: Panasonic KX-TG6655S DECT 6.0

John1000
Posts:6
Joined:Wed Mar 07, 2012 7:51 pm

Re: Faxing -what machines work?

Post by John1000 » Mon Mar 12, 2012 12:09 am

Not being able to port your number would be the main deal breaker, at least in my book. I don't fax that much or very often either, but when I do need to fax, it usually is something that is urgent. The last thing I want to deal with is an issue faxing when the situation is critical and time sensitive. As far as the 3000 vs. 5000 minutes between NetTalk and Ooma, I don't think I will come close to even the 3000 minute limit. The VOIP plans are promoted as unlimited free calling. The limits are included to deal with situations where someone uses the plan for more than just personal use.

Overall, I'm getting the feeling that VOIP may not be a real replacement for a land line. I'm trying to cut down on my expenses, so I thought I might give it a try. So far, I've tried M-Jack Plus, NetTalk, and Ooma, and it looks like NetTalk may be the way to go for me since I can fax with it and it boots up in less than 5 seconds compared to several minutes with Ooma. I also could not get a warm fuzzy regarding Ooma's ability to deal with customer issues outside the common technical (user) issues. Having said that, Ooma customer service seems to be very good, and they respond quickly to email. But I couldn't get a straight answer regarding the Android mobile app and didn't want to spend $10 to be a beta tester. Nothing is perfect, though, so you just have to weigh the adv/disadv and go with what works for you.

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