Working of Email fax -send & receive

Working of Internet Fax- Email fax

The Internet has enabled 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 between faxes and emails. It is often referred to as "fax to mail" or "mail to fax". This technology is more and more replacing the traditional fax machine because it offers the advantage of dispensing with the machine as well as the additional telephone line.

Receiveing fax:
Fax to Email.
• Fax machine → Phone line → Fax gateway → email message (over Internet) → computer email account

A fax is sent via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) on the fax server, which receives the fax and converts it into PDF or TIFF format, according to the instructions of the user. The fax is then transmitted to the Web server which posts it in the Web interface on the account of the subscriber, who is alerted of the reception by an email containing the fax in an attached file and sometimes by a message on his mobile phone.

Sending:Email fax to fax machine
EMail to Fax
• Computer → Internet → Fax gateway → Phone line → Fax machine

From his/her computer, in the supplier Web site, the user chooses the document, he wants to send and the fax number of the recipient. When sending, the document is usually converted to PDF format and sent by the Web server to the fax server, which then transmits it to the recipient fax machine via the Standard Telephone Network. Then the user receives a confirmation that the sending was carried out, in his/her web interface and/or by email.

Fax using Voice over IP

Making phone calls over the Internet (Voice over Internet Protocol,) has become increasingly popular. Compressing fax signals is different than compressing voice signals, so a new standard 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)

Traditional fax

The traditional method for sending faxes over phone lines (PSTN)

* Fax machine → Phone line → Fax machine

A fax machine is an electronic instrument composed of a scanner, a modem, and a printer. It transmits data in the form of pulses via a telephone line to a recipient, usually another fax machine, which then transforms these impulses into images, and prints them on paper.

The traditional method requires a phone line, and only one fax can be sent or received at a time.