The problem with Fax: Fax was designed at a time when modems were the predominant way of exchanging data directly between different devices. When the voice communication changed to packets, suddenly packets could drop which was not possible in the world of devices that were connected though wires.

The result: the image representation got screwed up and the recipient got a funny page.

The answer: T.38. With the T.38 standard, the modem signals are represented in a digital form, so that they are a lot less problems with the reception.

The Vodia PBX supports T.38 in two ways.

• First, it connects devices that are talking the T.38 standard. If you Fax machine is connected to analog terminal adapter (ATA) that supports T.38 and your PSTN gateway also supports T.38, then the PBX will attempt to pass the signals through. While there is no guarantee that this will work flawlessly, there is a reasonable chance that you will be able to continue printing out paper when someone on the other side wants you to do that.
• Second, the Vodia PBX mailbox can listen to the Fax tone. When it detects a Fax message, it starts to use the T.38 protocol and converts the incoming Fax into an email that is sent to the owner of the mailbox, just like it has just received a voicemail. Because the PBX may have a mailbox for each user, this may eliminate the step to sort incoming Fax messages and it avoids time when dealing with paper.