TechBuzz: Internet Fax

Source: Email FWD ... Interesting Information about how Internet Fax Works 

Topic of the day : 'Internet Fax'

The traditional method for sending faxes over phone lines (PSTN i.e Public Switched Telephone Network)  "Fax machine → Phone line → Fax machine "

Internet fax uses the Internet to receive and send faxes.
Internet faxing uses the same principles as facsimile transmission, but it uses a Web interface instead of a fax machine. Internet fax services usually assign a fax number to each person who signs up for the service. People can send faxes to this number, and customers can send faxes via e-mail without using a fax machine.  It achieves a dramatic reduction in communication costs especially when long faxes are frequently exchanged with overseas or distant offices. Since there is no telephone connection charge when sending a fax over the Internet, the cost of sending faxes is covered entirely by the fixed line Internet connection fee. The recipient machine must also be compatible with Internet Fax.
Hardcopy is converted to TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) or PDF (Portable Document Format) data and attached to an e-mail in MIME (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions)format. Then, taking advantage of a connection to the office LAN, data is sent via TCP/IP directly to any Internet Fax on the intranet or Internet. Because they make use of TCP/IP, Internet Faxes do not incur long-distance transmission costs and reception is verifiable.
Here's how it works,
To send a fax through an Internet fax service:
a. The sender attaches a document to an e-mail message. The document can be a scan of a paper document, or it can be created in a program like Microsoft Word.
b. The sender addresses the message to the recipient's fax number, followed by the name of the faxing service (for example: 18005551234@ emailfaxes.com).
c. The service translates the attachment so that a fax machine can read it.
d. The service sends the data across the phone line.
e. The recipient's fax machine decodes the data and prints the fax.
To receive a document from a traditional fax machine through an Internet fax service:
a. The sender dials the fax number that the service has assigned to the recipient.
b. The fax machine translates the data and transmits it over the phone line.
c. The service receives the data, translates it into an image file and sends the image to the recipient's e-mail address.
d. The recipient opens the em-ail message and the attachment and views the file.

The Internet has enabled the development of several other methods of sending and receiving a fax. The more common method is an extension of computer-based faxing, and involves using a fax server/gateway to the Internet to convert documents between faxes and emails. The process is often referred to as "fax to mail" or "mail to fax". This technology offers the advantage of dispensing with the machine as well as the additional telephone line, and because of this, has started to replace the traditional fax machine.

Reception:   Fax machine → Phone line → Fax gateway → email message (over Internet) → computer email account
Sending:  Computer → Internet → Fax gateway → Phone line → Fax machine

Fax using VoiceOverIP
Making phone calls over the Internet (Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP) has become increasingly popular. Compressing fax signals is different from compressing voice signals, so a new standard (T.38) has been created for this. If the VoIP adapter and gateway are T.38 compliant, most fax machines can simply be plugged into the VoIP adapter instead of a regular phone line.
Fax machine → VoIP adapter → VoIP gateway → Phone line → Fax machine (or vice versa)
As with regular faxes, only one fax can be sent or received at a time.

Advantages

Internet Fax  has many advantages:

• No fax machine → no maintenance, no paper, toner expenditure, possible repairs, etc.
  
• Mobility → All actions are done on the Web interface; the service is thus available from any computer connected to Internet, everywhere in the world.
  
• Confidentiality → The faxes are received directly on the account of the user; he is the only one who can access it. The received faxes are then less likely to be lost or read by the wrong people.
  
• No installation of software or hardware → All actions are done on the Web interface of the supplier, on the account of the user.
  
• No telephone subscription for an additional line dedicated to the fax.
  
• Many faxes can be sent or received simultaneously, and faxes can be received while the computer is switched off.

Regards,

Suman G