[Asterisk-Users] FAX, IAX and *....Maybe I'm dreaming...:-)

[John Breeden]

How is Vonage doing it?

http://www.vonage.com/features_fax.php

John Breeden
Hawaii

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-admin at lists.digium.com
> [mailto:asterisk-users-admin at lists.digium.com]On Behalf Of Steve
> Underwood
> Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 2:24 PM
> To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] FAX, IAX and *....Maybe I'm dreaming...:-)
> 
> 
> ProvoCityPower wrote:
> 
> > The question asked here, "why on earth you want to push fax data over 
> > a VoIP link at
> > all. Fax compression isn't very efficient." may speak volumes about 
> > the future role of VOIP. My plans are to role out a VOIP connection to 
> > thousands of Customers. Many have legacy fax equipment. Am I to assume 
> > that they will toss out their fax equipment and join the PC based 
> > faxing crowd? I don't think I can control this. If I am going to offer 
> > an aternative to the legacy wire providers then I have to offer a 
> > comparable service. One that for example allows a customer to use a 
> > legacy fax machine in the same way.
> >  
> > If this thought sidetracks the intent of this thread, you have my 
> > apologies, but I do think that legacy fax functionality is essential.
> 
> Legacy FAX will be very important for years. The last people to abandon 
> it are the most senior managers. Therefore, apart from anything else, 
> their buyin to a change to VoIP depends on keeping their olde worlde FAX 
> facilities alive. However, I think this has nothing to do with the 
> original poster's intent.
> 
> Sending FAXes over IP as audio is dumb. Its troublesome, error prone, 
> and consumes too much bandwidth. The right way is to use a FAX modem to 
> translate between audio and the digital data stream of the image itself. 
> Then the compact image data can be conveyed reliably. If the far end is 
> not using IP, another modem can be used to return the FAX to its 
> analogue form for delivery. If you wish to interwork traditional 
> analogue FAX machines, with newer IP capable FAX machines you *have* to 
> do this. This is what the H323 protocols do. T.38 is the relevant FAX 
> over IP protocol. I don't know if there is a similar SIP standard, but 
> there should be. FAX to e-mail and e-mail to FAX is the other inportant 
> way to blend the old with the new.
> 
> Regards,
> Steve
> 
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