Internet Fax

Internet fax is a very popular service for businesses looking to send and receive faxes across the Internet without requiring a fax machine. In this article we will explain what this technology is, how it works, the benefits of using Cabertel for online faxing, along with pricing details.

What is Internet Fax?

Internet fax, which is also referred to as online fax and efax, is essentially a way to send and receive fax documents over the Internet without the need for a fax machine. A protocol known as T.38 is used for transferring the data across the Internet. If the fax machine at the receiving side does not support T.38, then a T.38 gateway is utilized to convert to and from an analog fax signal.

How to Fax with Cabertel

Faxing with Cabertel is simple. In the sections below we detail how to send a fax online and how to receive a fax without a fax machine.

Send a Fax Online

The steps for sending a fax over the Internet are very straighforward and detailed below. Essentially, you simply send a PDF to a fax number. Other file types can also be sent.

• Log into the Cabertel secure web portal.
• Navigate to the Fax server application.
• Complete the short form for the cover sheet information.
• Upload the PDF (Portable Document Format) document.
• Enter the fax number you are sending to and press SEND.
• Check your email to make sure it was sent successfully.

How to Receive a Fax without a Fax Machine

Receiving a fax is even easier. When you sign up for service, provide an email address for incoming faxes. Whenever a fax is sent to your fax number, it will be converted into a PDF document and emailed to you.

It will also appear in the fax server application in your web portal along with logs for all fax transfers.

The Benefits of using Cabertel for Internet Faxing

There are a number of benefits to using Cabertel for your faxing needs. We have detailed some of the most important benefits below:

• Premium routes. We only use Tier 1 premium carriers, such as Level3, for faxing over T.38.
• No more fax machine maintenance (e.g. paper, ink, paper jams etc).
• Simple and secure web portal for handling all of your faxes online.
• Redundancy. We use multiple geographically diverse servers for faxing.
• If your fax transmission fails, we automatically retry up to 5 times with different settings to maximize the chance of success.
• Low cost.

Can I use a Fax Machine?

Most of our customers prefer the simplicity of using a web portal to send and receive faxes. However, we do also support traditional faxing using standard fax machines.

If you need to use a fax machine we will send you a small Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA). Simply connect the telephone wiring from the fax machine into the ATA device and connect the ATA to your Internet using CAT5/6 Ethernet cable.

When you send a fax, the ATA converts the analog fax signals to a T.38 signal that is is relayed through our fax servers and sent online to its intended destination. For fax reception the same process occurs but in the opposite direction.

Pricing Details

Our Internet fax pricing is very competitively priced. The pricing tiers are based on the number of pages you send or receive per month within the U.S. All faxes are sent and received using premium T.38 carriers.

• $9.99 - 300 pages (equivalent to 300 minutes - see FAQ below)
• $12.99 - 500 pages
• $19.99 - 1000 pages
• Ask for larger volume pricing.

Frequently Asked Fax Questions

Are there up-front costs?

The one-time costs are minimal. There is a small fee to port your fax number to Cabertel, if applicable. If you are planning to use your own fax machine there is a cost associated with the ATA device mentioned above.

How reliable is it?

Our fax server is very reliable because we only use premium T.38 carriers such as Level3. However you should be aware of some corner cases. Whenever a fax is transcoded to and from the Internet to a G3 type fax machine there is a possibility of errors due to lost packets. A good Internet connection is key. Also, fax machines vary considerably when it comes to timing specifications so very old fax machines can be problematic. We will retry up to 5 times should there be an issue sending a fax. If it fails you will be notified by email.

Should I consider Internet faxing if faxing is key to my business?

If you are a standard fax user, Internet faxing should work very well for you. If faxing is mission critical to your business, consider keeping an analog POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) landline dedicated to faxing. Move to Cabertel VoIP for your phone service though, it will save you a fortune over landline phone service.

Which document formats do you support?

You can upload documents of type PDF, TIFF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, ODT, OTT or RTF.

Can I send a test fax online with Cabertel?

If your business is genuinely interested in the Cabertel online faxing service reach out to us and we will let you send a test fax online.

Do you count all pages faxed per month?

We actually look at the corresponding number of minutes used during all of your incoming and outgoing faxes per month. On average it takes 1 minute to send or receive a fax page so 300 pages is more or less equivalent to 300 minutes. Using minutes in the pricing table would be a better representation but the market place is used to this being defined as pages.

What Next?

If you have questions or would like a formal quote please complete the information in the form below and we will get back to you promptly. Alternatively use the live chat for immediate help if it is during regular business hours.

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