Voice and Fax over Internet Protocol (V/FoIP)

 Organizations around the world seek to reduce rising communications costs. The consolidation of separate voice, fax, and data resources offers an opportunity for significant savings. Accordingly, the challenge of integrating voice, fax, and data is becoming a rising priority for many network managers. Organizations are pursuing solutions that will enable them to take advantage of excess capacity on broadband networks for voice, fax, and data transmission, as well as utilize the Internet and company Intranets as alternatives to costlier mediums. This tutorial discusses the principles related to implementing real-time voice- and fax-over-packet networks. An overview of the embedded software architecture is presented, and a system is described for sending voice, fax image, data, and signaling information over the packet network. Benefits to designers and manufacturers of this embedded approach are lower cost of goods sold, faster time to market, and lower development costs. Customers can gain a considerable advantage in time to market in building their communication systems. This tutorial references a general class of packet networks, as the modular software objects allow networks such as asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), frame relay, and Internet/intranet (Internet protocol [IP]) to transport voice and fax. Currently, the Frame Relay Forum and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have defined protocols for transmission of fax over a packet network. However, the principles described are equally applicable to ATM networks.

Chilli

 No more separate fax lines, paper jams or busy signals with Chilli Fax-To-Email serviceThe Chilli Fax-To-Email service (also known as Unified Messaging Service (UMS)) that allows you to receive faxes sent from anywhere in the world via your email as a highly compressed PDF or TIF attachment. Voicemail is another feature that converts messages to .WAV files.  

No need to buy fax machine, extra hardware or install your own expense fax software – this internet fax service is easy to use and quick to setup.

• Save $35/month on a separate fax line
• Save money on paper and fax tone
• Easily receive, store and redistribute faxes as soft copies

 

Would you also like to be able to send faxes via your email?With Chilli Email-to-Fax service you can send faxes to anywhere in the world through your existing email application. No need to download special software. Simple to use this service:

• Extracts attachments from emails (file types supported: .doc, .html, .pdf, .xls, .jpg, .tif, .rtf, .gif, .txt) that you send to a special Chilli Email-to-Fax email address
• Converts them into a fax and
• Sends it to the fax number you specify in Chilli Email-to-Fax email address.

Advantages of using fax services

 Sending faxes through a fax service offers time-saving benefits. The following features are provided to enhance your faxing experience: 

• Mixed recipient   You can send your fax to an e-mail address or a standard fax machine, and to as many recipients as you want.
• Multiple documents    You can attach multiple documents that include a large number of pages and send the fax as one package.
• Electronic faxes   Some fax providers offer a fax phone number for your use, which enables the delivery of the fax to your Inbox as a TIFF attachment. When you receive a fax, you can view, print, or add comments to it. The MODI program opens the online fax and provides the editing capabilities. You can also send the fax to someone else or back to the original party.
• Offline scenario   You can compose a fax and send it when disconnected. Similar to e-mail, the fax will be stored in the Outbox and will be sent when you connect to the network.
• Archives   Sent faxes are stored in the Outlook Sent Items folder or in a place specified by Outlook rules.

Internet fax services are quickly replacing the traditional fax machine found in businesses and in homes throughout the
United States and even the world. Wherever there is a computer with an Internet connection, online faxing is available. There are agencies on the Web that provide faxing services and some of these agencies even offer free Internet fax services. The technology and conveniences that the World Wide Web are introducing to society today are allowing business owners, salesmen, work from home moms, students, and anyone wanting to forward information or documents to another source, wonderful options, increasing their ability to be more constructive and productive. Today’s business climates require acute time management capabilities and online faxing can speed up the process of getting important documents into the hands of those that need to see them. Costs can vary depending upon which service is utilized and will depend largely upon the monthly volume faxed and the locations faxed to. Browsing the Internet can give those who want to utilize online faxing a good idea of what is involved and what can be expected in payment. 

Conventional fax machines have always been an important part of most businesses’ hardware. As a matter of fact, when they were first introduced to the market, the faxing machines were phenomenal machines that allowed businesses, primarily, to forward important documents without the need for a courier or expensive overnight delivery service. And, before long a faxing machine was found in many homes. Now, with Internet fax services, the once needed faxing machine is being replaced by a more expedient and cost-effective service. The efax utilizes email to send and receive the important documents that businesses need to share with their clients and one another. The Web is introducing many new capabilities and increasing the ability to send and receive information from all over the world, and within just a few moments of time.  

Online faxing has many benefits that can be considered when comparing this new technology with the traditional machines found throughout offices and in homes. When utilizing Internet fax services, clients will avoid the frustrations that have historically accompanied the fax machine. With online faxing there are no paper jams, interrupted phone lines, separate phone lines, or toner cartridges. And when free Internet fax services are utilized, there are no costs involved. But, the speed at which these transactions are accomplished are perhaps the biggest advantage to using the World Wide Web as the source for forwarding important data. Online faxing transactions can forward documents to many different recipients without having to dial up several telephone numbers. 

The agencies online that offer free Internet fax services generally require that customers download software from an online web source. This method of faxing can be used when utilizing documents already located within the files on a computer. Of course when there is no charge associated with the service, faxing is quite cost effective, obviously. However, the free Internet fax services are limited in function because they cannot provide faxing from outside sources with no fax-to-IP gateway capabilities. To send hard copy, a scanning device would be needed. There are also online agencies that use the software techniques for a charge, and companies or individuals that send and receive a lot of faxes will need to consider paying for the service. 

Alternatives to these types of Internet fax services are programs that require adding a bit of hardware to a computer system. Traditional machines are utilized, but routed through the computer that then forwards documents to recipients. With these type of Internet fax services, hard copy documents can be transferred to email content and then faxed to a number of recipients simultaneously.  

When researching ways to increase productivity with expediency, be sure and keep a healthy perspective of all business transactions. It is true that God ordained mankind to work, but He also clearly explains through His Word that the first priority in life is to be a devotion to Him. That is what we were created for! “Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:2-4) Our life, work, and pleasure time are all to be conducted with God’s future plans in mind. 

It may be wise to spend more time online, researching the different agencies and the faxing services that they offer. Price comparisons should be based on the amount of documents that are projected to fax in a month. Many agencies charge monthly fees while others charge by the document. Most free Internet fax services will offer a limited number of faxing options, including the monthly quantities. Businesses and individuals will want to take advantage of this amazing technology to streamline their sending and receiving capabilities. 

For more information: http://www.christianet.com/internetservices