Phone line vs Digital Fax?

[Restrain]

I use efax. Delivers all faxes by e-mail, either scan docs through MFP unit or print direct from the desktop to send. Love it. Never go back to old-style faxes.

 

[Couch Potato]

I'm a big proponent of going digital. However, I would not depend solely on my internet connection for everything. Since some clients just fax over an order I would suggest keeping your fax and at least one phone line copper. Use a fax server and IP PBX to wrap both digital and analog capabilities into a seamless system. The PBX will make the determination to make your long distance calls over your ip phone accounts and your local calls over either analog or ip. Same thing with the fax.

That is unless you can also afford a backup internet connection through a different service provider. But then, we're appraisers. That would just be silly to expect we'd be able to afford that kind of set up.

My backup provider is located a quarter mile away. It's called "CupAJoe." Other backup providers I use regularly are Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Starbucks.

All VOIP providers allow forwarding to cell phone as additional back up. Anyone paying for a old fashioned analog copper line for phone or fax is throwing away money, unless they are in an area unserved by broadband internet.

 

[Ray Miller]

I am hard copper all the way. We are so far out in the sticks that I have got to share the Mux with others, got to dial nine to get out. Have two computer lines, two voice lines and one fax line. That is boys and girls no more lines at the mux down the road about 9 miles.

New neighbor wants me to give up one of my lines so he has phone service when he builds his new house this fall. No I am not going to give up one of my phone lines. He should have checked before he bought. Verizon wants him to pay for the new system. Said it would cost him $120K +/- for them to bring a new line in form Reedsburg or Lyndon Station. They figure that no more homes will be built now that all the land is sold around us. So it just not cost effective for them to bring new cable and a system to the area. Public land all around us.

No cell service in the area, no cable in the area. Pie in the sky only works when the sun is shining or the moon is out.

 

[Eli Weiss]

How about MaxEmail for $24 annually? I did my research a year ago, and they were by far the cheapest....
Signed up for digital when the brokers started sending me 40 page contracts...

http://www.maxemail.com/max/lite.html

 

[CANative]

Ray... Why don't you just get a satellite connection like Hughesnet or Wild Blue? $89 a month. You could get rid of at least two copper lines and almost as fast as other high speed connections (for appraisal purposes anyway).

Get your neighbor to pay for the install in return for giving up some lines for him to use.

 

[Couch Potato]

Greg is right Ray. You could cut a deal with your neighbor and come out way ahead.

 

[c w d]

My backup provider is located a quarter mile away. It's called "CupAJoe." Other backup providers I use regularly are Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Starbucks.

All VOIP providers allow forwarding to cell phone as additional back up. Anyone paying for a old fashioned analog copper line for phone or fax is throwing away money, unless they are in an area unserved by broadband internet.

Must be a pain to get that file you completed two months ago that the lender needs additional comps for when you're Panera. Almost a big of a pain as losing your place in line at Panera to go get your file.

Sending and receiving faxes with your cell phone must also be a real pain. Or do you carry around a printer and scanner to Panera as well?

I was approaching this from a best practices perspective. The best practice is not to rely on a single internet connection for your research, phone and faxes for your business. After all, communication is your life's blood. In fact you can use freePBX (it's absolutely free) to handle all your calls and receive all your faxes digitally with the added bonus of having an analog backup. It even has nice, professional voice menus like the ones you hear when you call a major corporation.

 

[Ray Miller]

Ray... Why don't you just get a satellite connection like Hughesnet or Wild Blue? $89 a month. You could get rid of at least two copper lines and almost as fast as other high speed connections (for appraisal purposes anyway).

Get your neighbor to pay for the install in return for giving up some lines for him to use.

Had Hughesnet once and it was a royal pain in the butt. Did not work if the weather was bad at all, even if the rain was not hitting the ground. Lighting in the clouds has a large effect on they system. Then add snow in the winter. Then there tect support is off shore and it is always your system.

I called Wild Blue and the nearest tect is Wasaua or the Rapids and they did not want to service a system out this far. Neither did Madison dealer. So that leaves me out in the cold with out the bird in the sky system.

 

[Couch Potato]

20th century mind set in a 21st century world.

Must be a pain to get that file you completed two months ago that the lender needs additional comps for when you're Panera. Almost a big of a pain as losing your place in line at Panera to go get your file.

Go where? It's on the hard drive of my laptop.

Sending and receiving faxes with your cell phone must also be a real pain. Or do you carry around a printer and scanner to Panera as well?

Why would I need a printer or scanner to send or receive a fax?

I was approaching this from a best practices perspective. The best practice is not to rely on a single internet connection for your research, phone and faxes for your business. After all, communication is your life's blood. In fact you can use freePBX (it's absolutely free) to handle all your calls and receive all your faxes digitally with the added bonus of having an analog backup. It even has nice, professional voice menus like the ones you hear when you call a major corporation.

So was I. In today's market one cannot afford to waste money on unnecessary, outmoded expenses.

Nice voice menus? When is the last time you heard someone comment on being happy to hear one of those annoying voice systems? If you want to impress people, just answer the phone.

 

[c w d]

Go where? It's on the hard drive of my laptop.

Why would I need a printer or scanner to send or receive a fax?

So was I. In today's market one cannot afford to waste money on unnecessary, outmoded expenses.

Nice voice menus? When is the last time you heard someone comment on being happy to hear one of those annoying voice systems? If you want to impress people, just answer the phone.

If you think redundancy for the purposes of conducting your business is a 20th century ideal then there is nothing I can do to convince you otherwise. Having been in IT I know better than to rely on a single line of communications. But, be happy.....at least until you run into problems. If paying $400/year for an analog line vs the potential loss of income or worse client is too much for you to justify then so be it.