FoIP - Fax over IP

[mattpark]

Has anyone here got success stories with FoIP?

If so who is your provider, what setup are you using? Codecs software, hardware etc?

I've been playing about with it for a while, but am now looking for a more permanent solutions.

For those of you less knowledgeable on FoIP, buy default, it shouldn’t work. The problem is that fax is analogue, when you send it via ip, it gets converted to digital, and then back again at the other end, which makes the whole process not very reliable.

Some people have got setups that work just fine, and I need to hear from them!

Matt

[MrMan]

Hi!

I managed to dial up to the internet for a good 5 minutes with bt broadband voice!

They seem to have very good quality call connections... Not had a lot of luck wiht other providers though

[kyron]

well matt after you asked this i took a look at sipgate and they say they have had mixed results with it sometimes workign sometimes not

Does sipgate work for fax numbers? (Content Overview: )

We have had mixed feedback from users on this one. We currently do not support the T.38 codec which is designed for fax transmittal.

Fax machines are finicky and even an imperceptable delay (using another codec) can result in the fax machine stopping transmission.

Some people report success and others not. We plan to add this codec and offer fax service, but currently it is not integrated.

SOURCE http://www.sipgate.co.uk/faq/index.p...&highlight=fax

[JamesLovett]

Recent statistics suggest an 80% fail rate of Fax Over IP.

This is why DEVIL7 solutions do not include a fax service via SIP protocol. We implement a single PSTN for this purpose which doubles up as an ultimate resiliency line should the data connection fall over/power cut/999 calls.

I would not suggest that any business relies on Fax Over IP in it's current state.

Hope this helps!

[mattpark]

If i had my way i would never use fax at all!

In my view fax is much like floppy disks, outdated, poor quality, and second rate. Yet people still continue to use them because they know how to use them and see no reason to change!

We need some kind of device that will act like a fax machine, only convert to say .pdf on the fly. whap it down your broadband line (or PSTN if you really have to) and your off! Then there needs to be government legislation banning all fax machines!

Not a bad idea that if i say so myself. All be it a glorified scanner. Hmmm...

Matt

[sm1thson]

Originally Posted by mattpark

If i had my way i would never use fax at all!

In my view fax is much like floppy disks, outdated, poor quality, and second rate. Yet people still continue to use them because they know how to use them and see no reason to change!

We need some kind of device that will act like a fax machine, only convert to say .pdf on the fly. whap it down your broadband line (or PSTN if you really have to) and your off! Then there needs to be government legislation banning all fax machines!

Not a bad idea that if i say so myself. All be it a glorified scanner. Hmmm...

Matt

i couldnt agree more, when i finished university 2 years ago and got a 'proper job' i couldnt belive how much they used the faxmachine, and i still cant! winds me up when people email asking for things to be faxed back, i just ignore the request and email them the document they ask for!

Had a DTI form recently and we 'were not allowed' to alter the electronic copy but had to 'print it off and write on it' -paperless office? not yet!

[telcoman]

Why do you want to BAN something that'll eventually be superseded? We didn't BAN the telex machine, it gave way to something better. My university must have been one of the last in the UK to introduce email, though, in 1996, the same time it finally introduced Windows. Apparently it was one of the last to introduce the fax, too!

Fax is still faster than snailmail, and there are a lot of places in the world where dial-up internet access is limited, and the postal service is unreliable - not everyone is as lucky as you or me. If an organisation in a 'Third World' country hasn't got a fax machine, it's not because it's got 1GB broadband, it's because it's run by very stupid people. (And no, not all 'Third World' countries are the same, nor are people in 'Third World' countries)

Only the other week, I received a contract by snailmail, which I had to sign. I could have a) signed it, scanned it, converted it to PDF, and then send it back by email b) signed it and sent it back by post or c) signed it and sent it back by fax. I chose c) as would many other people in the circumstances. Not everybody has a .jpg of their signature and PDF software.

It's a self-contradiction for people to say that the fax is old-fashioned, and yet still use snailmail, not to mention renting PO Boxes. We don't really use those in the UK, anyway - if an organisation gives out a PO Box number as an address, we tend to think it's dodgy.

[kyron]

starts spouting out expleitives at matt. NOT THE FLOPPY NOT THE FLOPPY, Call me old call me stupid but i like me good old floppy. Dont get rid of it modernise it something like the ls-120 isay.

It is just me and me being sentimental but i still love it

[mmod-sv]

Hi all,

STONEVOICE gives you reliable and CISCO Compatible solutions.

2 ways approach:

- StoneFax a native fax server over IP with integrate messaging ot your email server
- FaxToIP to integrate over IP your faxSERVER

Demo up and running in 30 min:
Stonevoice > Extra > Tools > Stonevoice DemoExpress