Internet fax uses the internet to receive and send faxes.
Internet faxing (or "online faxing") is a general term which refers to sending a document facsimile using the Internet, rather than using only phone networks (traditional faxing).
Depending on the specific method/implementation (see below), advantages of using the internet can include:
-no extra telephone required for the fax
-paperless communication, integrated with email
-send and receive multiple faxes simultaneously
-reduction in phone costs
Traditional faxThe traditio
nal method for sending faxes over phone line
Fax machine → Phone line → Fax machine
A fax machine is an electronic instrument composed of a scanner, a modem, and a printer. It transmits data in the form of pulses via a telephone line to a recipient, usually another fax machine, which then transforms these impulses into images, and prints them on paper.
The traditional method requires a phone line, and only one fax can be connected to send or receive at a time.
Internet Fax
Internet Fax achieves a dramatic reduction in communication costs especially when long faxes are frequently exchanged with overseas or distant offices.
Since there is no telephone connection charge when sending a fax over the Internet, the cost of sending faxes is covered entirely by the fixed line Internet connection fee. The recipient machine must also be compatible with Internet Fax.
Hardcopy is converted to TIFF or PDF data and attached to an e-mail in MIME format. Then, taking advantage of a connection to the office LAN, data is sent via TCP/IP directly to any Internet Fax on the intranet or Internet. Because they make use of TCP/IP, Internet Faxes do not incur long-distance transmission costs and reception is verifiable.
IP Fax and IP Address Relay
IP Fax transmits data over an office intranet from a networked multifunctional device to the IP address of another. Taking advantage of an established LAN / WAN infrastructure, IP Fax eliminates costly connection and transmission fees.
Also, IP Fax does not require a dedicated server or make use of the office mail server