Hack80.Find a Fax Alternative


Hack 80. Find a Fax Alternative

Skype doesn't work with regular fax machines. Here are the alternatives.

Skype does not work with fax. Fax is not supported, regardless of whether it is a software or a hardware fax device. This might change, but right now, Skype doesn't support fax.

Figure 10-2. KhaosDial can generate DTMF codes independently of Skype


Suppose you've connected your regular fax machine to a USB box that acts as an audio device for Skype, and that you've signed up for SkypeOut. When your fax dials out to another fax, you can hear the wailing response from the remote fax machine and…nothing happens. Fax simply doesn't work over a Skype connection. The same is true for incoming fax transmissions to your fax machine if it's connected to a SkypeIn number.

The reason why fax doesn't work with Skype is complex, but it comes down to the fact that fax machines are far less tolerant of any degradation in sound fidelity, even if such degradation is only transient. Skype codes and uncodes your voice (using a codec, so called because it codes/decodes) at either end of the transmission channel. The codec uses compression and other tricks to get your voice squeezed down into the smallest number of transmission packets. But as a result, sound fidelity suffers. This isn't such a big problem for voice transmission because the human ear and brain do a fantastic job of filling in anything that's missing. Fax, being a mindless machine technology, isn't so forgiving.


Fax might be a technology in declineas Internet connectivity becomes pervasivebut it still has its place. Whereas the Internet promises to become pervasive sometime in the future, the simple fact is that fax technology is pervasive now. Also, fax documents with a signature (or even without) have legal force in many countries, which cannot be said for most types of electronic file transfer (Skype included).

According to analysts, fax traffic peaked in 2000 and has been in decline since then (see http://www.open-mag.com/features/Vol_37/FeMail/femail.htm).


Fortunately, you have a lot of choices when it comes to workarounds for Skype's lack of support for fax.

10.3.1. Keep Your Fax Machine

Throughout the book, I have emphasized that switching to Skype is not an all-or-nothing proposition. You can choose to mix and match Skype services with other VoIP offerings or even with your Plain Old Telephone System (POTS). If you retain one or more regular telephone lines, connect your fax to one of them and Skype's inability to work with fax is sidestepped nicely.

The Skype forums have reported that even though Skype's London office has no regular telephones, it nonetheless has a fax machine plugged into a regular telephone outlet. I think we can surmise from this that Skype hasn't licked the problem of fax compatibility, at least not yet.


10.3.2. Use Skype File Transfer Instead

If the document is in electronic form, instead of printing it and faxing it, consider sending it (or a PDF representation of it) via Skype's file-transfer function. Of course, this will work only if your recipient is also running Skype. Another plus in favor of this workaround is that it costs nothing (other than bandwidth) to send files via Skype, whereas regular fax costs money. Of course, simply attaching a document to an email is already a popular alternative to fax. But if your document contains sensitive material, sending it via Skype has the advantage that it is secure (encrypted), whereas email is typically not secure.

10.3.3. Online Fax Services

The move away from traditional fax machines started long before Skype even appeared. Consequently, Google on "fax service" and you'll be presented with a plethora of different types of fax services that don't require you to have a regular fax machine to send or receive faxes. Some of these services are free, but most are available at low costit sure is a competitive market segment, which is, of course, to your benefit.

10.3.4. Consider Alternative VoIP Providers

Some VoIP providers (see "Get the Best Deal for VoIP Telephony" [Hack #22]) do provide fax-compatible services, though usually at an additional cost. You might want to consider one of these providers instead of, or as a complement to, Skype.




Skype Hacks
Skype Hacks: Tips & Tools for Cheap, Fun, Innovative Phone Service
ISBN: 0596101899
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 168

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