Fax machine at home - with one phone line ?

[OWC Jamie]

I used to have a swirch box on the phone line that directed calls. I t worked really well until I bought this HP AIO. The switch box had to go. Never got the answering machine and fax to cooperate. No big deal at the office because the answering machine is only used during business hours when no one can answer the phone for a short bit.

[Mike Sellers]

Be careful. I got rid of my ringmaster line and now let my fax machine intercept faxes on my main line like tortoise describes. The problem is I've also started getting junk faxes on the main line. One rang around 11 pm last week. I have no idea how they got my number because I rarely receive any legitimate faxes. My guess is the junk faxers sent out sniffer calls trying to find fax machines. Well, obviously I'm on the list now and from what I've read, getting off the list is time-consuming and not always effective. So far, I'm only getting about one call a week but I'm sure that's going to increase.

You may have to get Caller ID and get a box to filter out junk fax calls. I've thought about it but the reason I ditched the ringmaster line was to save money.

[Robert M]

Mike,

You're stuck on it. Trust me. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it now. My office gets junk faxes all the time and everything I've tried as a means of getting off the fax list resulted in failure.

Robert

[comphernation]

Marcello Santos Wrote:
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> I have a single phone line and I want to get a fax machine.

You might consider an e-mail fax service. I've been happy with MaxEmail. Check out their MaxEmail Lite service at $2/month.

Faxes arrive as TIFF attachments in your regular e-mail inbox. You can view them easily in GraphiConverter (shareware) and probably other such apps. Since they're files, the quality doesn't degrade as it would if passing through the receiving fax machine. Additionally, you have a digital record that can be backed up to other media and printed only when necessary, and as often as you like. Saves paper.

For outgoing faxes, you attach a document (JPG, TIF, PDF, DOC, etc.) to an e-mail and send it to a maxemail.com address (or upload it via their Web site). MaxEmail then faxes the document to your recipient(s). I usually compose a letter or whatever in a word processor and attach it, along with any JPG images. (If I need to copy existing paper documents or photos, I scan them with my Epson scanner.) Again, you have a digital record for backup.

Your telephone line is always free if you have a broadband Internet connection. If you use dialup Internet, you can choose when to send or receive your e-mail, and if you're on the phone when someone sends you a fax, no problem -- it's coming by e-mail. No busy signals. :^)

It's very handy when traveling. Send and receive wherever there's an Internet connection. No paper jams or empties, no ink or toner to worry about.

This probably sounds like an ad, but it's just the experience of someone who doesn't miss the hassles of a dedicated fax machine. :^)