How to Set Up a Fax Machine & Phone Line for a Distinctive Ring

You can make your phone ring differently than your fax machine to avoid confusion.

If you allow your telephone and fax machine to reside on the same line, you may accidentally pick up the phone when a fax transmission is in process. Even if you hang right up, this could interfere with the transmission. The best setup to avoid this problem is to add a distinctive ring to your phone service to accommodate the fax machine and clearly separate it from the telephone.

Things You'll Need

• Telephone jack splitter (two lines or more)
• Two telephone cords (one for fax, one for telephone)

Instructions

1. Call your telephone provider and ask to add a distinctive ring to your phone service. This costs about $5 to $10 extra per month (varies by service). The representative will assign you a new phone line, which is, from that point on, integrated with your regular service.

2. Insert a phone splitter into your phone jack. Connect one telephone cord from the splitter to your fax machine and the other cord to your phone.

3. Turn on your fax machine and select "Fax Receiving Options" or a similar option. Find the setting that asks if there is a distinctive ring service on the phone line and select "Yes." You may have to consult your fax machine documentation for the exact location of this option.

4. Give all of your contacts the distinctive ring number as your fax number from now on. When someone sends a fax to that number, your fax machine will now recognize the distinctive ring (usually two quick rings) and automatically start receiving the fax. You will also know that a fax transmission is coming through when you hear the special ring.

References

• Fax Switch: About Distinctive Ring