Fax machines that work with routers, broadband?

Originally posted by sonhouse
Our service is from a Linksys wireless router which has two phone lines added, so we plug the phone into that. When I said a PCI card could be engineered to handle fax signals I was unaware a solution of sorts had been worked out in your asterisk thing. Do you know how much such a beast costs?

A PCI card to handle fax signals? Its called a fax-modem and has been around for decades. However thats not quite what you need - though it is really the same hardware concept. The port in question is called FXS. I am still investigating the cheapest options, but I am looking for a 4 port or more card.
Here are some offered by Digium:
http://www.asterisk.org/hardware

Its quite possible though that you can do it all with your linksys. I think what is important is whether or not the codec you are using on the IP phone is capable of handling fax. I'll have to investigate.
What model is your Linksys?
Its probably a SIP capable device, and it might be possible to use another provider (possibly free) in addition to your current one if your current one cant support fax.

You might find this interesting:
http://www.provu.co.uk/pdf/sipura/ip_faxing_sipura_linksys.pdf

It looks like the first step is to set your fax machine to send and receive on its slowest setting.

Originally posted by twhitehead
A PCI card to handle fax signals? Its called a fax-modem and has been around for decades. However thats not quite what you need - though it is really the same hardware concept. The port in question is called FXS. I am still investigating the cheapest options, but I am looking for a 4 port or more card.
Here are some offered by Digium:
http://www.asteris ...[text shortened]... ooks like the first step is to set your fax machine to send and receive on its slowest setting.

The model is a WRTU54-TM. I'll check out the other stuff later, have swimming pool repair to do before the town stops us from tapping off pool water, a bit of a drought here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_server

A print server, or printer server, is a computer or device that is connected to one or more printers and to client computers over a network, and can accept print jobs from the computers and send the jobs to the appropriate printers.

http://www.frys.com/search?search_type=regular&sqxts=1&query_string=print+server&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&cat=0

$25-$70, depending on whether it includes a router or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterisk_PBX

Asterisk is a software implementation of a telephone private branch exchange (PBX) originally created in 1999 by Mark Spencer of Digium. Like any PBX, it allows attached telephones to make calls to one another, and to connect to other telephone services including the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Its name comes from the asterisk symbol, “*”.

Originally posted by zeeblebot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterisk_PBX

Asterisk is a software implementation of a telephone private branch exchange (PBX) originally created in 1999 by Mark Spencer of Digium. Like any PBX, it allows attached telephones to make calls to one another, and to connect to other telephone services including the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Its name comes from the asterisk symbol, “*”.

I checked them out. Like you say, not cheap. The cheapest card I saw was over a thou.
The simplest thing to do if I really want fax then, is to get a cheapo AT&T hard wire line.

Originally posted by sonhouse
I checked them out. Like you say, not cheap. The cheapest card I saw was over a thou.
The simplest thing to do if I really want fax then, is to get a cheapo AT&T hard wire line.

any older PC you have sitting around, 386 and up, could run Linux. the older ones probably already have analog modems sitting in them. possibly they will run Asterisk.

you can run them headless (no monitor or keyboard) once they're set up.

so, $50, plus 0.25 for the CD to burn a Linux distro designed for older computers, like Deli.

trixbox may work, it's apparently a distro built around Asterisk. same for AsteriskNOW.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deli_Linux

DeLi Linux needs a 386 with 32 MB RAM as a minimum. However, if you run DeLi with less than 48MB RAM you need to select a linux Swap partition during setup. It should work smoothly with a 486. A full installation with all packages requires nearly 750 MB of hard disk space.

http://linuxmini.blogspot.com/2008/01/trixbox-ce-24.html

trixbox (formerly known as Asterisk@Home) is a CentOS-based Linux distribution that enables the home user to quickly set up a VoIP Asterisk PBX. A web GUI makes configuration and operation easy. The CD also includes an xPL (home automation) interface for easy interaction with other devices in the home.

http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=asterisknow

AsteriskNOW is a software appliance, a customized Linux distribution that includes Asterisk, the AsteriskGUI, and all other software needed for an Asterisk system. The world's leading open source telephony engine and toolkit, Asterisk can now be easily configured with a graphical interface. AsteriskNOW includes all the Linux components necessary to run, debug and build Asterisk. Since version 1.5, AsteriskNOW is based on CentOS (earlier versions were based on rPath Linux).

Originally posted by sonhouse
The model is a WRTU54-TM.

I couldn't find much documentation on that, but it appears it might not be a full SIP based voip router but instead communicates via the cell phone network.
Do you know if it is SIP capable?

Originally posted by sonhouse
The simplest thing to do if I really want fax then, is to get a cheapo AT&T hard wire line.

The simplest, certainly by far. It probably would be the cheapest too depending on the cost of the line.

VOIP is still young and the hardware is quite expensive. The server software is free but not necessarily that easy to use, and mostly Linux based (not sure what you run at home).
If you had the time and the skill you could probably do it all for a few hundred dollars, but it would probably take far more of your time than simply signing up for fax to email then printing out the faxes when they come. I don't know of any email to fax services, but most people would be OK with a scanned copy attached to an email.

Originally posted by twhitehead
I couldn't find much documentation on that, but it appears it might not be a full SIP based voip router but instead communicates via the cell phone network.
Do you know if it is SIP capable?

What is SIP?

Originally posted by sonhouse
What is SIP?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_Initiation_Protocol
http://www.sipcenter.com/sip.nsf/html/What+Is+SIP+Introduction

Basically it is the most popular protocol used for setting up voip conversations.
Almost all voip products are either skype based (Skype uses a proprietary protocol), or SIP based.
If you have a SIP capable device (you can get handsets, or simply a softphone program on your pc, or smartphone) and a broadband internet connection, you can sign up with one (or several) of any number of voip providers on the internet.
With most of them, pure voip calls are free. Receiving calls or making calls to a landline or cell phone is usually charged for, but often at lower rates than any other provider.
There are also some free services, for example with Google Voice you can make free calls anywhere in the US - though that applies even if you use a fixed or mobile line rather than a viop phone.
You can also get various free DIDs (a number that when called routes to your voip phone) in various countries. I have one in the UK provided by sipgate.