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

[Steven Critchfield]

On Sun, 2003-12-14 at 19:04, John Breeden wrote:
> How is Vonage doing it?
> 
> http://www.vonage.com/features_fax.php

unreliable, bandwidth hogging, inefficient ulaw. The point here is, if
we are to make something, why make the same old crap when we can utilize
our knowledge of the network to not bring old technology to the new.

> 
> > -----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
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Asterisk-Users mailing list
> > Asterisk-Users at lists.digium.com
> > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
> > 
> _______________________________________________
> Asterisk-Users mailing list
> Asterisk-Users at lists.digium.com
> http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
-- 
Steven Critchfield <critch at basesys.com>