Reference Guide: Faxing With VoIP

Voice and fax services have different performance standards, which may raise questions about sending and receiving faxes using voice over IP (VoIP) technology. MegaPath's network—which is based on VoIP technology—is optimized for voice services; however, many of our customers also use it for faxing without issue. In the rare instance that an issue does arise, this guide provides helpful troubleshooting tips.

Faxing Requirements

To use an analog fax machine with MegaPath Business Voice, it is necessary to have one of the follow devices (available from MegaPath).

• Linksys SPA 8000 (Telephone Adapter)
• Cisco SPA 122 (Telephone Adapter)
• Adtran 916 (Integrated Access Device)
• Adtran 924e (Integrated Access Device)

Telephone Adapters will provide dial tone to your fax machine via a standard RJ-11 jack. Integrated Access Devices will provide dial tone to your breakout box or punch down block via an Amhenol (RF-21) handoff.

Self-Service Troubleshooting

Should you experience difficulty with faxing, here are some steps that may help improve faxing quality and consistency.

1. Try adjusting the transmission speeds on your fax machine. VoIP supports data transmission at a lower frequency than is possible on analog telephone lines. For best results, set transmission rates to a maximum of 14400 bps (baud per second). This is sometimes referred to as "Group 3" faxing.
2. Try adjusting the image quality of your fax machine. Standard resolution is often sent at a lower speed with more fault tolerance than high quality settings such as "Superfine." Try adjusting the image quality to a lower setting.
3. Contact the manufacturer of your faxing device. Fax machine manufacturers have extensive test programs for the devices they produce and will often publish the optimum settings for use with VoIP technology.

MegaPath Troubleshooting

If you try the steps above and still experience issues, MegaPath can verify that the ATA device is able to register. If needed, MegaPath can replace defective hardware that MegaPath provided, at no cost if under warranty, or at current list rates if the warranty has expired. MegaPath support and troubleshooting is provided on the MegaPath-provided connectivity and analog telephone adapter. Due to the inherent nature of faxing over the Internet, should problems in faxing still exist after MegaPath support verifies that the connectivity and analog adapter are functioning properly, MegaPath's ability to resolve the issue may be limited.