Help with call forwarding to a fax machine
dlsmith:
Quick description of my goal -- I have a land line connected to a fax machine and need to keep this number (business has used it for many many years), but I would like to start using an online fax service instead of the POTS and physical fax.
Google Voice doesn't have any fax features, but an online service I like called HelloFax has the features that I want (especially the ability to sign and edit incoming faxes). The service has worked very well during the trial period, but they don't offer number porting. I've tried a few other online fax services that do offer porting (like Ringcentral) but their features are not as good for my needs.
My thought is to port my land line number to GV (I've done it before with another number -- have to port to TMobile, then to GV), but GV can't accept the HelloFax as a forwarding number because there is no way to answer the verification call.
OK -- now to ObiTalk. I have an Obi110 that works great with GV as our home phone number. I read about the ability to set call forwarding on the Obi and figured out how to do that. To test it I sent faxes to my home GV number, which was forwarded to my HelloFax phone number but it would never go through. When I call the home number from a test phone it goes right to HelloFax (the call is answered and fax tones start).
The problem seems to be that within 2-3 seconds of HelloFax answering the call is dropped. It happens every time I tested it (if I call the Hellofax number directly it maintains the call and I hear fax tones as long as I stay on the call).
Do you think this is an issue with Google Voice? Is there anything I can adjust or tweak on the Obi110 to get it to maintain the call with the online fax #? Maybe it's a problem of VOIP to fax in general?
If this fails any ideas for inexpensive call forwarding? I tried another test where I forwarded GV to my cell, which then forwarded to HelloFax and that works, but not consistently (maybe every third one goes through) so I'm thinking it's a GV problem. I could skip GV and port my landline number to a cell and forward that to HelloFax (but getting a cell line just for call forwarding isn't really cheaper than just keeping the ATT POTS line).
Last question would be how successful is receiving faxes with a fax attached to an obi110? Would I have the same problems if I ported my # to GV and answered those calls with a fax machine attached to an obi? (Also this doesn't get rid of the fax machine and the wasted paper and toner, etc).
Thanks in advance for any ideas!
--David
jimates:
I think the problem is going to be google voice. I never had success with faxing or baud rate modem on google voice.
Not as cheap as free, but you could port your number to NetTalk and use that for your fax line. You can also connect it to the line port of the Obi110, disable inbound ringing to the phone port, and use it for alternate outbound calls and especially E911.
I have success with NetTalk after adjusting the baud rate.
dlsmith:
Quote from: jimates on March 03, 2012, 08:44:25 am
I think the problem is going to be google voice. I never had success with faxing or baud rate modem on google voice.
Not as cheap as free, but you could port your number to NetTalk and use that for your fax line. You can also connect it to the line port of the Obi110, disable inbound ringing to the phone port, and use it for alternate outbound calls and especially E911.
I have success with NetTalk after adjusting the baud rate.
Thanks very much for the tips jlmates. It helps a lot to know that I need to leave GV out of the equation if I want to send/receive faxes (won't port my landline fax # to GV after all!)
Also thanks for the suggestion of NetTalk. I hadn't heard of their product before. Do you think this set-up would work?
Port my landline # to NetTalk > set NetTalk to forward all incoming calls to my online fax service's #? I might buy one at a big box store and try it out and return it if it doesn't work.
Also the idea of connecting to the Obi110 for outbound e911 would be a great bonus. Would that work like this:
router>NetTalk>LINE port of Obi110 (I have a phone already connected to the PHONE port)? If the NetTalk is set to unconditionally forward all calls would it still ring when I am receiving a fax? Can I turn off the ring or have a silent ring on just incoming LINE calls (so our handset doesn't ring for faxes but does ring when someone calls SP1 and 2)?
Lastly, that's a great bonus to have e911 through the NetTalk on the LINE port -- am I right that the Obi110 automatically shunts 911 calls out through the LINE port?
Thanks again -- I really appreciate the time and advice!
--David
One more question if I might! Out of curiosity is it possible to set a "silent ring" (where the handset is active if you pick up the call but doesn't make any ring sound)? My wife's GV is currently on SP2 and she likes to pick up the handset when she is home rather than her cell (GV goes to both). But she doesn't want the kids to pick it up if she isn't home and we've had problems where the kids didn't really distinguish the difference between "distinctive" ringtones between SP1 and SP2. Since her cell rings anyway she would always know that a call was incoming and could pick up the handset even if there was no ring on it.
Rick:
I lowered my baud rate and turned off error correction and successfully fax in and out with GV and an HP 3330.
dlsmith:
Thanks again for the various advice.
In case someone else is in a similar situation -- I bought a NetTalk device and tried it out with the Obi110 attached to the LINE port. Can call in and out just fine, but when I tested faxes sent to the NetTalk #>forwarded to my online fax number (set up via NetTalk's web dashboard) it wouldn't work. I can hear fax tones if I call so I know the number did get forwarded but the faxes failed every time. So much for the idea of porting my legacy fax# to NetTalk.
If I can find a cheaper service to port out my ATT landline I actually am going to keep the NetTalk device because it is a fairly inexpensive way to get e911 -- I bought it for $40 which includes 1 year of service (works out to about $3/month), then costs $30 per year after. With kids it is important to me to have 911 service in addition to our cell phones and both obi SPs were already assigned to GV #s so I couldn't go with CallCentric without getting another Obi.
Eventually HelloFax should be able to accommodate number porting, but for now my ATT landline with call forwarding and taxes and fees costs an annoying $25-30/month. I'm going to try a VOIP service like Line2 that has free call forwarding and number porting -- if faxes sent there are properly forwarded to HelloFax that would save money while I'm waiting ($10/month for Line2 plus the NetTalk cost for e911 at home).
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