Volker Kuhlmann wrote: > On Fri 20 Jul 2007 13:56:47 NZST +1200, Andrew Errington wrote: > > >> For the archives (and I suppose I should put this on the Wiki), I just sent >> a fax with KdePrintfax. Here are the details: >> > > Faxing is just about the only reason I got myself another modem (small > bucks on trademe, the old one is an ISA card). I use hylafax though, and > after running faxsetup it does need a little bit of tweaking for the > modem, like how the modem counts the rings. > > This is what used to be easy: after N rings, the modem answers as fax > machine. Also, the modem is able to log the caller ID to syslog, if one > fiddles the hylafax modem initialisation string to the modem's > satisfaction (several hours of work). A script which scans through > syslog emails me calls received, together with the name of the caller > from a simple manually maintained lookup table. Not only geeky, it's > also useful ;) > > Fax receiving however doesn't do much got with voice messaging (there > can be only one auto-answer device). The solution is to get distinctive > ring, which gives a second phone number for the same(!) phone line, and > which produces a different ring tone. The modem is able to detect this, > and reports the different ring types (supposedly). Several hours to get > this to work. > > Trouble is, the modem locks up on the listening part on a regular basis. > Haven't yet found out what causes the lockup, and it can only be cleared > by power-cycling the modem. ATZ only loads a pre-stored configuration > set, but doesn't do any sort of reset. The modem remains otherwise > functional - I can talk to it with a terminal program without trouble. > It just doesn't report incoming calls any more. I'm very keen on more > ideas here. E.g. is there a proper reset AT command? Can't see any in > the AT command reference. Modem is a D-Link DFM 560E. > > All of this uses faxgetty of the hylafax package for receiving, and a > hylafax fax daemon for sending. > > Volker > Hylafax is an enterprise grade faxing solution. I used it briefly in my business (experimentally really) for sending faxes. Then we got a network printer/scanner and it made emailing pdf's a whole lot more convenient and reliable than faxing anyway.
Distinctive ring is about $4-5 per month on the phone bill. It gives you a second number with a different ring. Suitable hardware (look for claims of "faxability") can distinguish the ring and answer if it likes the ring. If your hardware won't do that then there are addon devices that you can plug into a phone jack that will do the detection for you. I must also confess to using winfax pro extensively in my business at one point (until i got better). It was actually very stable and usable, but the underlying OS wasn't, and it wasn't really a networkable solution, at least in the version I had. In other words to send a fax you had to do it from Nick's computer, and Nick's computer had to be left on 24/7 to receive the faxes. And if it crashed at 2.00 am and someone tried to send you a critical fax at 7.30 am frustration ensued. The machine with the shiny thermal paper started to look good again... I'd like to think that faxes have had their day, and could be replaced by scanners and email. Alas that is not so. One of the commonest pains in the ass in a law office is the provision of signed loan agreements, mortgages, and solicitor's certificates to banks to enable settlement of a house purchase. Sometimes 60 or more pages for one transaction. Plus you have to photocopy for your file. Its way easier to scan once, email to the bank and then print your file copy from the scan. But will half the banks in NZ accept that? No, they want it faxed. So it gets fed through the fax machine AND the photocopier/scanner. Idiots. To get really OT, I became aware a while ago that stone deaf people get to use a phone by having it attached to a fax machine, it makes the conversation really stilted, but less so than shouting into the mouthpiece at someone who cannot hear you :-)
