How to connect a fax machine?

Connecting a fax machine is pretty straightforward, however, some guidelines might come in handy. Two situations can appear: connecting a fax machine directly to the wall phone jack or connecting a fax machine to a home phone modem.

In order to connect a fax machine to the wall phone jack, three steps should be followed:

- Plug the fax into the mains power source;

- Connect one phone line to the fax machine port usually called Line, to the wall jack;

- Connect another phone line to the phone, from the port on the fax machine usually called Tel or Ext.

In order to connect a fax machine to a home phone modem, you also only need to follow three steps:

- Plug the fax into the mains power source;

- Connect one phone line from the modem’s MTA telephone port to the  fax machine port usually called Line, either Line1 or Line2, as long as you a two-conductor phone line is used;

- Connect another phone line to the phone, from the port on the fax machine usually called Tel or Ext.

The following troubleshooting tips can be useful in case you think you have failed to properly connect the fax machine:

- You can check if the fax machine has a dial tone either by using the machine’s handset, or by plugging a phone into the fax machine’s extension port;

- You can try and delete all voice mail messages in case you can’t send faxes;

- You can make sure he maximum baud rate of the machine is at 9600;

- You can disable the Error Correction Mode of the machine;

- Phone splitters can cause problems.