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Archives => 2008 => Topic started by: JoeDu on August 20, 2008, 10:06:24 AM

Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: JoeDu on August 20, 2008, 10:06:24 AM
I've been looking for a fax solution on my Mac, like fax thru internet (efax), FaxSTF, etc. But I know that the Mac has built-in fax drivers. I recall being able to fax out using a dedicated phone line plugged into the modem. Currently, a fax machine plugged directly into my G5 (which has no modem) would work, but it's not a practical solution.

What IS practical is the fact that my bluetooth-enabled Razr cell phone IS a dedicate phone line of sorts. I can connect to it from the Mac via bluetooth and it *almost* works but quits out on me.

So, I'm wondering if there's a Star-Trek-like recipe solution to this, or if it's just not possible. Any clues?
Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: gunug on August 20, 2008, 10:34:51 AM
I'm not sure this is your solution but it may apply:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?sto...8&lsrc=osxh

You don't say who your phone company is and I can tell you that trying to do this with a RAZ'R from Verizon might be very much more complicated; they have about everything they can locked down on their phones!
Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: JoeDu on August 20, 2008, 11:14:07 AM
Thanks for the link.  OSX 10.5 actually sets up the fax more automatically than the 10.4 steps. I had done that already, (phone connects as fax through bluetooth) but for some reason the connections dies during the "send" phase.

FYI, I'm with AT&T. I switched to AT&T for my future purchase of an iPhone. Waiting for a hefty stock gain first, so my phone will essentially be free wink.gif

The software for OSX "seems" to be set for this kind of thing. Any other clues?
Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: sandbox on August 21, 2008, 03:17:27 AM
QUOTE(JoeDu @ Aug 20 2008, 11:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I've been looking for a fax solution on my Mac, like fax thru internet (efax), FaxSTF, etc. But I know that the Mac has built-in fax drivers. I recall being able to fax out using a dedicated phone line plugged into the modem. Currently, a fax machine plugged directly into my G5 (which has no modem) would work, but it's not a practical solution.

What IS practical is the fact that my bluetooth-enabled Razr cell phone IS a dedicate phone line of sorts. I can connect to it from the Mac via bluetooth and it *almost* works but quits out on me.

So, I'm wondering if there's a Star-Trek-like recipe solution to this, or if it's just not possible. Any clues?


There's a few unknowns here....

Here's a link with instructions but you may find your service provider doesn't handle the fax.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301077

I can do it with my Blackberry, but it's better to use an email to fax service.

Are you using a twisted pair for your phone line...or are you on VOIP?
Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: Jack W on August 21, 2008, 08:26:15 AM
Fax's tend to be fairly large. Maybe the system is choking on that?

Try a small fax 1st and see if that works?
Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: JoeDu on August 21, 2008, 08:32:22 AM
QUOTE(sandbox @ Aug 21 2008, 08:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I can do it with my Blackberry, but it's better to use an email to fax service. Are you using a twisted pair for your phone line...or are you on VOIP?

The point was not to use a pay service for faxing. I've used eFax in the past, and they rocked. But, I'm already paying for a cell phone, so I'd like to use it as a fax, if it's possible.

I'm not on VOIP and there is no land line hooked into my computer. There IS a way in 10.5 to use the bluetooth network to recognize the Razr as a fax. It connects and all seems to go well, but the fax just never goes through. So, I'm wondering at which end there's a problem, in the phone or in 10.5. I'm guessing it's the phone/service.

We also have a regular fax machine (Brother MFC 8220) with a network card, so that it can be used as a network printer and scanner by any Mac on the network. But you can't fax through it from the Mac. Again, not sure why, but that's a separate issue over using a cell phone for a fax machine.

QUOTE(Jack W @ Aug 21 2008, 01:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Fax's tend to be fairly large. Maybe the system is choking on that?Try a small fax 1st and see if that works?

Yeah, that may be part of it. I'll try a post-it note.


EDIT: I'm thinking it's just not possible. Apparently AT&T phased out it's faxing capability. So even though the Mac can send a print file as a fax to the phone via bluetooth, it just doesn't know what to do with it. Damn. I'm sure that there's a hack that would make it happen (a fax call is still a phone call), but I'm not hopeful. Thanks anyway!
Title: Faxing through bluetooth cell phone
Post by: sandbox on August 21, 2008, 06:23:41 PM
Dump at&t, get a VOIP with T38 capability......set the baud rate to 9600, shut off error messaging and you should be able to fax over your IP. Like Jack has pointed out, faxes are heavy so I limit my out faxes to three pages at a time. Incoming faxes have no limits.

You should also be able to set the baud rate and error messaging on your printer. I use Brother 5-in-1s and they work for me.