Fax to email

[nupton]

Has anyone managed to get this to work without a patton gateway?

We're trying to get it working with either a linksys PAP2 and or a GS-505, and have had no luck.

We originally tried to configure an inbound SIP trunk to connect to the Special FAX Extension Number, but it failed.
We then configured the inbound SIP to connect to an ATA which in-turn was connected via it's phone jack to another ATA configured in 3cx as a DID (PSTN) this gave us what we thouht to be the nearest results to success without really succeeding.
We can connect to the ATA configured as the PSTN-DID, and it's status shows off-hook, but we never get the faxed email. It's hard to say if the ATA actually ever produced a carrier signal to respond to the inbound fax as there is no speaker on the ATA and all we ever hear is our FAX machine's carrier request. The call does get routed through the defined extension, but the second ATA when it goes off-hook never answers the call. We've tried changing the Fax Tone Detection Mode and t.38 mode on both the FXO and FXS ports with the same results.

Anyone have any ideas.

 

[Halea]

Have you been able to receive faxes through your SIP provider via an FXS port onto your fax machine? (VOIP>FXS>FAX MACHINE). Which codec negotiated the call and what was the status of T.38?
Halea

 

[nupton]

Yes we have been recieving FAXes via our SIP provider to our Fax machine connected to the FXS port on our linksys PAP-2.
Would we find the codec negotiation and T.38 condition in the server log (verbose)? We don't see it in the mid level.
We just went into production yesterday morning so we're limited to the times we can restart the server which is required to get to verbose mode on the log I think.

Thanks

 

[N_G]

The fax feature has ONLY been tested with Patton, Grandstream and Audiocodes gateways. Its only supported in combination with these devices. Not with any of the devices you specified.

 

[nupton]

Thanks for the reply Nick; The first ATA we tried was the Grandstream 505..referred to as GS-505 in the opriginal post.

 

[archie]

Just to clarify: we work with T.38 capable gateways, and those Nick mentioned are tested and is supported. You're mentioning ATAs which are NOT gateways. We do NOT guarantee (and noone does as far as I know) proper delivery of fax thru ATA. It is so because of encoding-decoding of audio to/from digital form using codecs. There's no loseless codecs, all of them lose some information during encode-decode process which makes difficult for analog devices to properly decifer fax data. In contrast T.38 is digital representation of fax data, so if hardware is able to convert audio fax data to T.38 digital representation it eliminates transcoding errors. Hope I've described it clear enough :roll:

 

[nupton]

Thanks Archie; That really clears it up for me. We'll get a Gateway not an ATA.

 

[nupton]

Well..We got a Grandstream 4104 gateway, and have tried all of the configuration possibilities we could think of, but we still can't seem to get an inbound fax to email. We thought it should be as simple as configuring the Gateway as the 888 extension, but that didn't work. We have our fax machine working well with a linksys ata, and we can connect our other fax machine to an outbound sip line and fax to our main fax also without error, so we're pretty sure it isn't a SIP trunk thing.
Is there something glaringly missing in our logic?

 

[nb]

Things to do:

1) Check 3cx website - there is a configuration guide for Grandstream Gateway. Make sure you have correct T38 setting in the gateway. http: //www.3cx.com/voip-gateways/Grandstream-GXW-41044108/ NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NEW LINK: http://www.3cx.com/support/

2) Confirm you have the latest firmware in the Grandstream. This is very important because the latest firmware update Grandstream released contained important fixes concerning FOIP.
GXW4104_GXW4108 1.0.1.2 // 1.0.1.2 -- available on -

3) Make sure you have the latest 3CX pbx version available on the 3CX website. http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-links/ - version 4510

4) Confirm that the PBX can send emails to the email under question. Add an extension for example and tick on the "Notify user when extension is added". If you receive an email then email connectivity is ok from PBX side. (You can also check the Fax folder in C:\Program Files\3CX PhoneSystemem\Data\Fax\Faxes to see whether there are Pending, failed faxes. Are faxes generated and failing on Delivery? This could also be the case. )

5) Restart 3cx Fax service before you start testing to be on the safe side and do this after you have confirmed all the above. 3CX faxing with the Grandstream works and has prooved to be very reliable when all the conditions in this post are met.

6) Note: Do not forget to set "all calls" to forward to the default fax extension in the line setting of the Grandstream Gateway you want to dedicate to Fax.

 

[nupton]

Things to do:

1) Check 3cx website - there is a configuration guide for Grandstream Gateway. Make sure you have correct T38 setting in the gateway. http: //www.3cx.com/voip-gateways/Grandstream-GXW-41044108/ NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NEW LINK http://www.3cx.com/support/

Yes we confirmed this setting.

2) Confirm you have the latest firmware in the Grandstream. This is very important because the latest firmware update Grandstream released contained important fixes concerning FOIP.
GXW4104_GXW4108 1.0.1.2 // 1.0.1.2 -- available on -

Did it

3) Make sure you have the latest 3CX pbx version available on the 3CX website. http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-links/ - version 4510

Yes

4) Confirm that the PBX can send emails to the email under question. Add an extension for example and tick on the "Notify user when extension is added". If you receive an email then email connectivity is ok from PBX side. (You can also check the Fax folder in C:\Program Files\3CX PhoneSystemem\Data\Fax\Faxes to see whether there are Pending, failed faxes. Are faxes generated and failing on Delivery? This could also be the case. )

Yes our voice mails to email work well

5) Restart 3cx Fax service before you start testing to be on the safe side and do this after you have confirmed all the above. 3CX faxing with the Grandstream works and has prooved to be very reliable when all the conditions in this post are met.

We have never had trouble faxing in or out of 3cx regardless of the device we used...ATA or Gateway. We still cannot get inbound fax to email working with the prescribed configuration.


6) Note: Do not forget to set "all calls" to forward to the default fax extension in the line setting of the Grandstream Gateway you want to dedicate to Fax.

Yep did this too.

 

[SWB]

Since calls to that fax number are being handled as all are faxes, and connect to the default fax extension (888), would you use 888 as the login info. in the grandstream gateway settings? So under FXO Lines tab, for the Unconditional Call Forward to VOIP, User ID would be "ch1-4:888+;", and under Channels tab Sip User ID, Authenticate ID, and Authen Password for Channel 1 would be the 888 login info (exactly what's entered in 3CX)? I'm just going off configuration settings for the gateway provided by 3CX.

 

[Kevin Attard Compagno]

Hi there

some clarification...

The Gateway receives an incoming call (PSTN-to-SIP), detects its a fax call (by listening in on the audio on the PSTN side), and decides to forward it to the PBX as a SIP Call with T38-encoded media, instead of GSM or G711. The PBX will forward the call according to its inbound rules (destinations during office and out-of-office hours as configured on the line, or on the DID), and if the destination of the receiving entity is defined as the FAX Server (extension 888 default in a 3-digit install), then the 3CX FAX Server will receive T38 data from the Gateway and receive the fax.

So:

1. Gateway receives a PSTN-to-SIP call
2. Gateway identifies call as FAX
3. sends a SIP/SDP Invite to the PBX Server with T38 in the media specifications
4. The PBX Server matches the call to a DID or Line
5. The PBX Server delivers the call according to the destination on the matched entity.
a. If the destination is the 3CX FAX Server, the FAX Server will receive the call and decode the T38 data
b. If the destination is some other entity, then this entity will receive the call. At this stage how this entity handles the call depends on the entity's capabilities and/or configuration.

Please be aware that 3CX Phone System has been tested for inbound Faxes to the 3CX Fax Server only. Inbound Faxes to some other destination are not tested and therefore not supported.

Hope this clears things up a bit.

Regards

Kevin

 

[Kevin Attard Compagno]

Reply to SWB's post:

This is not necessary. The Grandstream config need not be changed for correct functionality, assuming you have followed the FAQ:

http: //www.3cx.com/voip-gateways/Grandstream-GXW-41044108/ NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NEW LINK http://www.3cx.com/support/

Regards

Kevin

 

[SWB]

Reply to SWB's post:

This is not necessary. The Grandstream config need not be changed for correct functionality, assuming you have followed the FAQ:

http: //www.3cx.com/voip-gateways/Grandstream-GXW-41044108/ NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NEW LINK http://www.3cx.com/support/

Regards

Kevin

Thanks for the help Kevin. In the article it advises me to enter settings in the config. For example:

b. The “SIP User ID” field should match the Internal Line Number field of the line created for this PSTN line in the 3CX Phone System Management Console.
c. In the “Authenticate ID” and “Authentication Password” fields enter the ID and Password that you entered for the line in the 3CX Phone System Management Console. These fields must match the ID and password set for that line in the 3CX Phone System Management Console.

It's in here where I maybe confused. Is the Sip User ID and Authenticate ID suppose to be the default fax extension, in this case 888 as setup in 3CX Management, General Settings under Fax?

 

[Kevin Attard Compagno]

Hi there

The FIRST line of the FAQ says:

Ensure that you have created the PSTN lines in 3CX Phone System first. Take note of the Authentication ID field and the Authentication password that you have entered for each line connected to the VOIP Gateway.

Please create the gateway and its lines first by following the instructions in chapter 4:

http: //www.3cx.com/manual/3CXPhoneSystemManual5/phone-system29/ NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NEW LINK http://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/

Regards

Kevin

 

[SWB]

Ok sorry. I created the PSTN and entered that login info. into the gateway. I currently have the fax as a DID running through an ATA. That is working fine. Now that I have this new Grandstream gateway how would I integrate it into my environment? Would I swap the ATA out for the gateway? I've tried numerous different setups without luck.

Sorry if this feature seems so basic, and I'm probably making this more complicated than it should be. I have the 3CX phone system running flawlessly w/ fax, it's just this fax to email I'm having difficulty with . Appreciate all your help.

 

[nb]

Imagine 888 to be a virtual extension in the PBX. This communicates with the PBX directly and internally.

The '888' is the Fax service "extension" that Registers between the 3CX Phonesystem service and the 3CX Fax service. It does not have anything to do with the Grandstream nor does it need to register with the gateway. Therefore create the lines as in the grandstream that register with the PBX.

Then decide which number you want on the grandstream to dedicate for Fax. Let us say it is number 123456, which is connected to FXO 1. Let us also assume that the virtual line in 3CX is 10000 for this FXO port. Then go in the Lines configuration of 10000 and specify <Route Fax Calls> - // - ALL CALLS - // - Default Fax Extension i.e. 888.

 

[nupton]

Thanks Nicky; I think the problem we have is that anyone that has successfully implemented this fax to email solution has done so by feeding the gateway with a PSTN POTS line. I'm not sure why that would work and not an inbound SIP line via an ATA, but that seems to be where it stands. We'll keep banging away at it. Our main problem is that we can't test with a POTS line post porting our #s to the SIP trunk provider.

 

[N_G]

If you are using an ATA, then thats a totally different thing. Its is possible to route fax calls to an ATA suitable for connection to a fax machine. This however totally bypasses the fax feature though. Not that this is a problem, but these are different things. You will have to check the manual of the gateway/sip trunk and the ATA in this case.

 

[SWB]

Here's a general question. If you have the fax to email successfully working, and you dial the fax number from your phone, what will you hear? Will you hear the 'modem' sounds like you would when you dial a normal fax machine?