> 3. Will the regulatory authorities place this product in the category of a > PBX because it has at least one port to the PSTN and at least one port to > subscribers' equipment, even though the product's function differs from a > PBX and is only expected to operate correctly when the wire loop connecting > it to the subscriber's device is limited to several tens of metres?
David, You do not tell us whether this device is an isolator between the public switched network and the faxmachine, or a switch-through device. Generaly speaking, in most countries the regulatory issue is whether the device has the capability to cause harm to the network (there are different views on what that means, in different countries). What you send from your device to the FAX machine is between you and the faxmachine manufacturer. Most "big name" faxmachine producers give you a range of options as to what the machine will respond to. Your device would only be evaluated on the characterisitics it presents to the network, not what characteristics it presents to the faxmachine. At home, I have a single telephone line, but two telephone numbers (on the same line). They each present a distinctive ringing signal. My fax machine responds only to one of those signals. H-P was kind enough to provide me with a number of choices. I feel confident, without checking, that they offer different choices in Europe, as will all the other big names. What used to be NET4 gave all the different possibilites in Europe. I haven't seen a late version, but if you can get your hands on an old version, you'll have a very useful document. It may not be a "standard" but it has most of the information you're looking for w.r.t. what different European telephone enterprises will do to you. My interpretation of the TTE Directive is that you need not worry about the regulatory aspects of the device - faxmachine interface (you certainly should from a marketing perspective). In North America, you'll have to worry about not putting outrages levels out to the fax machine, that would cause interference on adjacent lines. Ciao, Vic
