Fax and DSL

N

neonlady

Registered
I m running on OS 10.28 and connect with dsl. Is there a way to accept faxes while not online that will bypass the dl? I ralize there is fax softtware in my OS, but don't want to continually switch my phone lines from modem to tower when I recieve a fax. (Not to mention that I usually don't know when I am getting one!) I am currently using efax, which is ok, but I'd prefer to not have to go into my email to retrieve faxes. Any suggestions would be appreciated. :confused:
 
While FAX and A/DSL both use the phone line, the idea behind DSL is that you can use the DSL and phone/fax simultaneously, so I'm not really sure what your issue is, since you can use FAX/phone and DSL at the same time right now.
 
The problem is, that you can't access the phone line over your ethernet connection that is supposed to end in a DSL-router or directly in the DSL-modem. There is no way but switching the cables which is indeed very annoying. Since you said you don't wanna go into mail.app to see your faxes, you knocked out my next recommendation. I don't know why this is bothering you. It's a fine thing to use a providers service to retrieve faxes and get them via mail.
Why not buy a fax machine? They are quite cheap now and they should do what you want to have. Any digital way would force you to switch or have two computers.


EDIT: what about having both cables plugged? Ethernet -> DSL-Modem and 56K -> phoneplug
 
michaelsanford said:
While FAX and A/DSL both use the phone line, the idea behind DSL is that you can use the DSL and phone/fax simultaneously, so I'm not really sure what your issue is, since you can use FAX/phone and DSL at the same time right now.
Click to expand...
The point is, that neonlady wants to use the macs software fax. For this she will need to use the 56k connection instead of the ethernet..
 
Like Zammy-Sam said, run down to the local Radio Shack (or comparable store) and pick up a phone line splitter and an extra phone cord for $10. Run the unfiltered line to the DSL modem, and the filtered line to your fax/internal modem. Voila. DSL and fax at the same time.
 
You can do this, just split your phone line(buy a 2 way splitter from an electronics store) BEFORE your DSL line filter(which you should already have on all your phone lines connected to a regular phone), and have one line coming out of the splitter, that gets filtered, and then have that line go to your fax modem.

Then have the unfiltered line go to the DSL modem.
 
Captain, you have the right idea.

The filter is so the dsl modem gets just dsl signal. The phone gets just voice. The fax works over voice line. Your filter should have two ports. One for DSL and the other for phone.
If you don't use the phone line - or use a portable phone (and the base is elsewhere in the house)... you can use a phone cable from modem to voice port of the filter.

Or see if you can get a phone line splitter to fit in the voice port of the filter. Depending on the type of filter will depend on how easy or hard to find a splitter that will fit and allow the DSL line to connect at the same time.
 
Actually, the filter is there to filter out the DSL signal, not the voice signal. Pickup a phone hooked to an unfiltered line and you'll hear the high pitched static and junk from the DSL. The filter removes the DSL signal from any voice use lines.

I have mine split where the main line enters the house in the basement. There's a 2way split before the junction, with a single unfiltered line going to the modem and another line with one filter for the lines to the phones/outlets in the house. Much nicer than having to put those darn filters on every single phone in the place. :)
 
I guess there are more than one type of filter, but the ones I have are inline with the phone line, and have one port in and one port out.

But you don't want to filter the line going to the DSL either way. You will hear a hissing sound similar to a regular modem if the voice line is unfiltered.

I also have my whole house filtered by one filter at the phone DMARC(termination point of the phone line from outside into your house) and then run a line right from there to my DSL modem.

I think the one Cheryl is talking about with 2 ports is a combination splitter and filter, where the ones I have are just filters with one port on either end.
 
Thanks for all your imput. I am familiar with the whole splitter/filter issue. I just hadn't thought it through, or I would have realized I could run the line directly to the other phone port in my G4.

I do have a fax machine, which I use to occasionally send faxes. The majority of my need is to recieve faxes, and I would prefer to have them stored on the HD. I use efax, but am not always recieving them in a timely matter. I was hoping I could circumvent their service at some point.

I will try running the "phone/voice"line (filtered) into my second phone port.
Thanks! ::ha::
 
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