How to Fax without a Landline???

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dan Jensen
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Dan Jensen

Since everyone in the family has cell phones with voice mail, I am playing
with the idea of getting rid of the landline. One thing that is holding me
back is how to fax. I am a little reluctant to use online services as most
the time I am sending personal information.

Is there a way I could use my cell phone (LG VX4500) with either my printer
(HP psc 2210 all-in-one) or connect it to the modem of my computer (Gateway
500XL)?
 
Dan said:
Since everyone in the family has cell phones with voice mail, I am
playing with the idea of getting rid of the landline. One thing
that is holding me back is how to fax. I am a little reluctant to
use online services as most the time I am sending personal
information.
Is there a way I could use my cell phone (LG VX4500) with either my
printer (HP psc 2210 all-in-one) or connect it to the modem of my
computer (Gateway 500XL)?
Click to expand...

No. Faxing requires the use of an analogue fax modem attached to a
land-based phone line. How on earth you thought you could attach a mobile to
a printer and use it as a fax machine, I really don't know. Fax data signals
need to be carried by cables they don't (TTBOMK) travel very well through
air...
 
I've seen Fax software for dial-up modems...usually it came with the
software for the modem like my parent's 3Com v.92 modem.

Just search around on google "fax software + modem" or somesuch.

I wonder if it's possible to do this on broadband using voip? hehhehehe.
 
Since everyone in the family has cell phones with voice mail, I am playing
with the idea of getting rid of the landline. One thing that is holding me
back is how to fax. I am a little reluctant to use online services as most
the time I am sending personal information.

Is there a way I could use my cell phone (LG VX4500) with either my printer
(HP psc 2210 all-in-one) or connect it to the modem of my computer (Gateway
500XL)?
Click to expand...


http://www.hushmail.com/services-securefax

You can either pay to keep a featureless landline or pay for this kind
of service... Or run a line from your neighbor's house.
 
I use a free efax.com account to receive faxes and a low cost alternative of
send2fax.com to send faxes. Works fine. Very reliable faxing.
 
There are some models of cell phones that can be used as a mobile fax modem.
You would be required to have the phone's optional interface connectors, and
software package. You will need to use a computer, connected to the cell
phone, as if it was a modem.

I have a laptop where I am doing this with a Motorola V270c Travelmate cell
phone. I can also use the cell phone as a dialup modem for internet
services.

Take care that cell phones are expensive to use for data services. Before
getting involved like this, it is best to call your local telephone company
and make enquiries about their fees for these services.

--

JANA
_____


Since everyone in the family has cell phones with voice mail, I am playing
with the idea of getting rid of the landline. One thing that is holding me
back is how to fax. I am a little reluctant to use online services as most
the time I am sending personal information.

Is there a way I could use my cell phone (LG VX4500) with either my printer
(HP psc 2210 all-in-one) or connect it to the modem of my computer (Gateway
500XL)?
 
Miss Perspicacia Tick said:
No. Faxing requires the use of an analogue fax modem attached to a
land-based phone line. How on earth you thought you could attach a
mobile to a printer and use it as a fax machine, I really don't know.
Fax data signals need to be carried by cables they don't (TTBOMK)
travel very well through air...
Click to expand...


My cell phone can receive and send faxes, and then you attach it to the
computer to print the fax.
 
Dan said:
Since everyone in the family has cell phones with voice mail, I am playing
with the idea of getting rid of the landline. One thing that is holding me
back is how to fax. I am a little reluctant to use online services as most
the time I am sending personal information.

Is there a way I could use my cell phone (LG VX4500) with either my printer
(HP psc 2210 all-in-one) or connect it to the modem of my computer (Gateway
500XL)?
Click to expand...
I suppose you use a ouiji board for the net...
 
Miss said:
No. Faxing requires the use of an analogue fax modem attached to a
land-based phone line. How on earth you thought you could attach a mobile to
a printer and use it as a fax machine, I really don't know. Fax data signals
need to be carried by cables they don't (TTBOMK) travel very well through
air...
Click to expand...
Not true.
Fax signals have been sent by radio for over 40 years.
Thers is at least one story of a FAX signal being sent via a light
beam (early 1800s).
 
Getting rid of your landline eliminates the ability to fax normaly, as you
know,
I gather the landline connection is part of your normal phoneline, so why
not just continue to use it that way for faxing only?
 
In message <hrZ7e.82548$t%[email protected]> "Miss
Perspicacia Tick said:
No. Faxing requires the use of an analogue fax modem attached to a
land-based phone line. How on earth you thought you could attach a mobile to
a printer and use it as a fax machine, I really don't know. Fax data signals
need to be carried by cables they don't (TTBOMK) travel very well through
air...
Click to expand...

Well, in fairness it's not just a printer, it's a multifunction device
which includes a "fax' feature.

In reality, most of the HP multifunction units I've played with don't
really support faxing natively, they simply instruct the PC to pass the
scanned document to a fax client. However, I haven't bothered to look
up this model, it might have an integrated fax component (modem).

More importantly, many cell phones are capable of acting as modems
supporting both modem and fax style data calls. There is no modem in
the phone itself, it passes the digital data and the conversion to
analog happens on the cell company's side.

All that being said, unless the multifunction can handle an external
modem, it's not possible to use it in this way without a PC. With a PC
in the middle and an appropriate datacable or bluetooth capable phone,
it shouldn't be a problem.

--
Like a lot of husbands throughout history, Mr. Webster
would sit down and try to talk to his wife.
As soon as he'd say something though, she'd fire back with,
"And just what the hell is THAT supposed to mean?"
Thus, Webster's Dictionary was born.
 
I use a free efax.com account to receive faxes and a low cost alternative of
send2fax.com to send faxes. Works fine. Very reliable faxing.
Click to expand...

Why do you use efax for incomming calls. Is there something efax does
that send2fax doesn't ?
 
Efax is fine BUT they pulled the plug on my free service when I overran my
monthly allowance for received faxes. That meant either paying or switching
to another provider. Paying was out of the question because Efax is based in
the USA and I live in the UK so all calls would have been international and
the cost would have been crippling. Switching to another supplier (and in
fact I couldn't find one as good) would have meant losing my fax number that
I had given to all my contacts. Since I need a landline anyway I dropped
Efax and reverted to faxing through my modem.
J
 
Well, in fairness it's not just a printer, it's a multifunction device
which includes a "fax' feature.

In reality, most of the HP multifunction units I've played with don't
really support faxing natively, they simply instruct the PC to pass the
scanned document to a fax client. However, I haven't bothered to look
up this model, it might have an integrated fax component (modem).

More importantly, many cell phones are capable of acting as modems
supporting both modem and fax style data calls. There is no modem in
the phone itself, it passes the digital data and the conversion to
analog happens on the cell company's side.

All that being said, unless the multifunction can handle an external
modem, it's not possible to use it in this way without a PC. With a PC
in the middle and an appropriate datacable or bluetooth capable phone,
it shouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...

In hoping for further thoughts... the good news is that this all-in-one is
able to send a fax without having to go through the computer. It just
needs the phone line. Is there anyway to connect the all-in-one phone jack
to the cell phone?
 
Getting rid of your landline eliminates the ability to fax normaly, as you
know,
I gather the landline connection is part of your normal phoneline, so why
not just continue to use it that way for faxing only?
Click to expand...

Great question... the truth of the matter is that I recently switched to
high-speed cable. I come to realize that 90% of our calling is now done
through our cell phones and we are paying $25+ a month for the landline.
This surfaced the question, why not save $300 a year. I started to talk
to others who have already gone down this path. It sounds the only major
problem with getting rid of the landline is how to fax.

It looks like the leading possibility is using an online service. I am
still very hopeful that there might be a way to get either the computer or
all-in-one to the cell phone.
 
Good reply, as you didn't previously mention before (I don't think) that you
wanted to get rid of the landline & its cost.
I also have cable, so just hooked into my normal phoneline & ran a cable &
socket to the vicinity of my PC.
 
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