Airport Extreme Base Station with Modem -> fax?

[skid_boy_99]

Can the Airport Extreme Base Station equipped with a modem handle faxes sent wirelessly from connected machines?

If not, is there any third-party software that can provide the functionality?

[skid_boy_99]

I presume twelve days without a response is a definitive no.

Isn't the topic worth discussion? Surely someone else must want to send faxes wirelessly through the Airport's modem?! Doesn't anyone else think it'd be/it is a pretty cool feature?

[_Ω_]

I did find this

http://forums.macosxhints.com/archive/index.php/t-19353

Not sure what you are really trying to do, but just so you know someone is reading your posts ;)

Also cudaboy_71 floats around here as well so he might see this "bump" and be able to help

:)

[skid_boy_99]

Thanks - I guess the answer lies in how the modem in the Airport appears.

If it appears as a normal modem to authorised machines that are wirelessly attached then faxing should be okay...

If the modem is managed internally by the Airport's own interface and is invisible to client machines then faxing would have to be via third party software or an OS X facility.

[curiousuburb]

According to this Apple Doc (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25609), 10.3 allows sharing of printers and faxes.

But from the majority of comments in the Search for Airport & Fax (http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?127@73.EdrvaSbZwVI.0@.3bbe0955) the answer looks to be No.

From here (http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?14@73.EdrvaSbZwVI.3@.689a538d)

The dialup modem built into the Airport Base Station can *not* be used as a "network fax server". You simply can not "somehow use it to fax through utilizing 10.3's faxing features".

If you want to fax something from a wireless computer you have three options:
- walk over to a telephone outlet and cable the computer's modem port to the telephone jack
- use the fax sharing features of OS X to send a fax via your wireless network to a Mac that has a fax modem and is cabled to a telephone jack
- pay to use a commercial service which allows you to send faxes via the internet

[El Guardo]

The answer is a definitive "no".

The telephone port on the Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS) is for internet use only - both inward and outward - in so far as you can use it to connect to your dial-up ISP. And, if you have a cable/broadband connection and are offsite, you can dial into the AEBS and then use your cable/broadband connection to access the internet - hence effectively making your AEBS a quasi-service provider.

Faxing can only be done through the telephone port on the Apple computers themselves.

[Paul]

bummer... this would have been a cool feature...

looking forward to future telephony advances in the OS tho... would like to be able to use the computer as a phone for caller ID and call management tho... you think it could (theoretically) handle a 2 line telephone line?

I hope some advances in this area creep over to the AEBS as well...

[curiousuburb]

Well there are some advantages to the AEBS if you wanted to piggyback VOIP wirelessly. But if you've got iSights and iChat AV at both ends, why bother with commercial 'free long distance services' or commercial webfax services. Just hold your document up close to the iSight. :p

[El Guardo]

looking forward to future telephony advances in the OS tho... would like to be able to use the computer as a phone for caller ID and call management tho... you think it could (theoretically) handle a 2 line telephone line?.

There is already software available to achieve this - can't remember the name of the package but it is extremely comprehensive to the point (from memory) of being illegal here in australia due to privacy laws and anti-tapping provisions. It does the caller ID and management you are seeking, and then some...

[skid_boy_99]

Thanks for all the information. The modem is a handy feature anyway, it's a shame Apple didn't completely exploit its potential.

[Ramona1234]

Well folks, we work at a school in the Fax Machine which is a Panasonic PANAFAX- UB-490 fax machine and it cannot receive or send faxes we have talked to North Avenue and everything how do we fix this it sent a fax 4 hours ago but will not send one. Please help me with your helpful knowledge. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[atomicbartbeans]

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