MagicJack is gaining popularity these days as it allows you to make free phone calls. All you have to do is to acquire a MagicJack account, phone number and few pieces of equipment to connect it to your phone and PC.
However, you might wonder if your fax machine will work with MagicJack as well. In this article, we’ll tell you more about MagicJack and explain its connection to fax machines.
MagicJack and VoIP
MagicJack is a device that plugs directly into your computer or internet router and allows you to make unlimited phone calls in the United States and Canada. The phone device is plugged in it through a standard phone jack and calls are made through a VoIP network.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is designed to deliver voice communication and multimedia sessions using the Internet, rather than through the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
Information is switched from analog to digital signal, compressed and divided in electronic packets of data. Then, it is transmitted through a packet-switched network instead of a circuit-switched one.
The devices sending and receiving these signals use special media delivery protocols named codecs to encode messages and convert them to voice on the other end of the line.
Can You Connect a FaxMachine to MagicJack?
As you know, a fax machine is used to send and receive documents. Typically, the documents are scanned, then switched into electronic pulses. The information is instantly transmitted through a phone line to a fax machine on the other end. That machine converts the electrical impulses back into the original image and prints them out.
So can the same occur when you’re connected to a VoIP network – such as with MagicJack?
Technically, yes. Reliably? Not really.
MagicJack offers you the option to attach your fax machine either through a phone jack or switch, but the company representatives do not guarantee you will succeed in sending and receiving faxes using their device every time.
They do provide the instructions on how to connect your fax machine to the device and offer troubleshooting for the most common problems though.
To start faxing, you need to connect your fax machine, equipped with a fax modem and fax software to a MagicJack device.
Then, test your MagicJack connection by connecting a regular telephone and making a phone call. When you have made sure that the device is working properly, connect your fax machine the same way. Send a test fax to someone as you normally would and check the quality.
Potential Problems
VoIP technology has limitations and is not entirely compatible with fax machines, which were originally designed to work on analog networks. In addition, the quality of the VoIP signal may vary and connections are not always ideal for faxing.
On top of that, if you use splitters to connect your fax machine to MagicJack, the quality of reception may be distorted. That means you’ll have to try and plug your fax machine directly into the MagicJack.
However, even then, you may experience some problems, due to the fact that the VoIP technology converts audio signal to digital. That may result in degraded image quality, especially when multiple pages or graphically-intense documents are concerned. Or, the transmission may not go through at all.
Solutions & Alternatives
Set up your MagicJack device to a Wi-Fi connection and make sure it doesn’t run on 3G or Air Card. One of the reasons you may have trouble sending and receiving faxes this way is because fax machines are designed for high-speed systems.
To resolve, try changing the modem speed in the fax machine settings, starting with the lowest one and working your way up until satisfied.
To help the fax signals be better understood and transmitted through a VoIP network, make sure to also turn off the error correction mode.
Another option? Switch to an alternative like FaxBurner, and fax via email or your phone!
Summing up Faxing With MagicJack
MagicJack uses VoIP technology to send and receive digital signals. This makes it an ideal device for making free phone calls using the internet.
Faxing however, which typically relies on analog signals, is not guaranteed. While faxing with MagicJack IS possible, the reliability of the method makes it less than ideal when other options exist.
