You can get a dedicated fax line in just minutes, and without a phone line installation.
Fax lines are still used to send and receive documents securely. Luckily, you don't need a physical fax line anymore. As a matter of fact you don't even need a fax machine! Online integraion with faxing has made getting a dedicated fax line easier than ever before.
A dedicated fax line is a phone line set aside solely for fax transmissions. Traditionally, businesses would need this to ensure faxes could be sent and received without disrupting phone communications. The fax machine would use this line exclusively, ensuring no overlap with voice calls. This was particularly important in offices with high fax traffic.
Why Did You Need a Dedicated Fax Line?
Many businesses decide to install a dedicated fax line because of the amount of faxes they send and receive on a daily basis. Sure, they could use their common phone line, but since it's impossible to talk on the phone and fax at the same time, people can accidentally interrupt transmissions, which means having to transmit the documents all over again.
Also, if someone at the office is using the line for a phone call, you won't be able to receive faxes. Sharing a phone line between fax and voice calls often led to busy signals, disrupting both types of communication. With a dedicated line, the fax machine could operate smoothly without interference.
Businesses that relied heavily on faxing needed to ensure clients and partners could send faxes at any time. A dedicated line allowed around-the-clock accessibility.
How to Set Up a Dedicated Fax Line
To get a new dedicated fax landline you have to request your phone company an additional fax number in your home or office. It will take some days for your new line to be “usable” because you have to wait for its physical installation and activation. Follow these steps:
Choose a Service Provider: Contact your local telecom provider to install a separate phone line exclusively for faxing.
Set Up the Fax Machine: Once you have the line, connect your fax machine to it. Ensure it’s configured for 24/7 accessibility.
Consider a Hybrid Approach: If your business relies on faxes but also values mobility, consider using both a physical fax machine and an online fax service. This allows for flexibility while maintaining traditional faxing methods.
How much does it cost to get a dedicated fax number? Well, it varies depending on which fax line service provider (Vonage, Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc.) you are using, but in average it costs between $25 to $40 a month to install a dedicated line in homes, and more if you are installing it for a business.
Your company may also charge you a separate fee for installing the line, especially if you need to add phone jacks and wiring. Keep in mind that your new line will have the same fee-per-minute as a standard phone line.
A Better Solution: Virtual Dedicated Fax Lines
A regular dedicated fax line may work fine for faxing with a machine, but for modern offices it's not the smartest alternative. If your business handles a considerable volume of faxes, waiting for your line's installation and activation can feel like centuries.
There’s a fastest and easiest way to set up a new fax line in your office. It doesn’t need additional hardware, physical setups, reduces the cost of sending fax, and the best of all is that it’s active in just a matter of minutes.
It's called a virtual fax line.
Nowadays this is the best alternative to receive fax without a landline, even better than a cheap home fax line, and you only need a computer with an Internet connection.
Virtual fax lines are acquired through one of the various online fax services on the market. These are services that let you fax online through a monthly subscription, which includes your own Internet-based fax number.
Get a Dedicated Fax Line In Seconds
With eFax's solution you can start with a virtual fax line for free.
These virtual dedicated fax lines use FoIP (Fax Over IP) technology, so they don't need any type of physical installation or cables. Online fax providers already have at their disposition a wide variety of numbers that you can begin using right away.
In addition to helping reduce costs, this is a line that will never be busy. It will remain active 24/7 to receive incoming faxes, even when your computer is turned off.
Setting up your digital fax line is very easy, and you don’t need advanced tech skills. You just need to sign up with the online fax provider of your choice. At the moment of creating your account, you'll need to choose an online fax number (most fax services let you choose between local and toll-free numbers at no extra cost). You pick one, and that’s it, you are ready to receive fax on Gmail!
The cost of an online fax service is between $5 and $18 per month, depending on the service/plan you are using. This fee doesn't only include your virtual dedicated line, but also hundreds of pages you can send and receive each month. Since services don't work with contracts, you can also cancel at anytime for any reason.
How Does It Work?
For people sending you faxes, this new dedicated fax number is no different than a number issued by a traditional phone company. It contains the same number of digits, and it is compatible with both fax machines and computers. The difference is "behind the curtains": instead of using a landline, it takes advantage of Internet Protocol.
“Does this mean that I need to connect my computer/laptop/smartphone to the Internet at all times?”
No, because the number works with fax servers that are always online. Your number stays actives 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
But the real magic of this type of line is that it grabs all incoming faxes and automatically sends email to fax converted as PDF files that you can read on pretty much any computer or mobile device.
This hands-free process to receive faxes makes a big difference and ultimately frees up a lot of time that you can use on other tasks.
If you already own a landline, replacing it with a digital one is the best course of action. It will help to reduce the time you spend faxing by basically automating the whole process. Today’s top companies can transfer your current fax number to a digital line through a process known as “number porting.”
This process takes a couple of days. In the meantime, you get a temporary number that will help you send and receive faxes until the porting process is complete.
FAQs on Dedicated Fax Lines
Q: Can I share a dedicated phone line between my fax machine and phone?
A: Technically, yes, but this often leads to busy signals and missed faxes. A dedicated line ensures uninterrupted fax transmission.
Q: How does an online fax service work compared to a dedicated fax line?
A: An online fax service uses the internet to send and receive faxes, eliminating the need for a physical phone line. You can fax directly from your email or a mobile app, and documents are stored securely in the cloud.
Q: Is online faxing secure?
A: Yes, most online fax services use encryption to protect sensitive documents. In many cases, this makes online faxing even more secure than using a traditional fax machine.
Final Words
For most people and businesses, a dedicated fax line is no longer necessary thanks to the flexibility and convenience of online faxing services. Unless your industry mandates physical faxing for compliance reasons, switching to an online system will save you time, money, and resources.
If you’re ready to explore modern fax solutions, learn more about faxing with Gmail in our detailed guide here.