How to Check My Home Fax Machine

Use a free faxing service or another fax machine to check your home fax machine.

A fax machine in your home allows you to send and receive documents without having to use the fax machine at your office or a commercial establishment. The machine uses your home's telephone or Internet connection, and keeps track of the documents you receive and send. Like other electrical devices, problems can arise, including your fax machine not receiving or sending documents, and not picking up calls. There are a variety of ways to check your fax machine to see whether it is functioning properly.

Things You'll Need

• Pen
• Fax cover sheet
• Internet connection
• Internet browser

Instructions

Using Hewlett-Packard's Test Fax Service

1. Write your name and telephone number on a fax cover sheet. Write the wording “Test Fax” in the cover sheet's “Comments” box.

2. Insert the cover sheet in your fax machine.

3. Send the cover sheet to [phone] begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              [phone]      end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              [phone]      end_of_the_skype_highlighting, HP Test Fax Service. Hewlett-Packard will send you a return fax within 5 minutes. The fax testing service works with both HP and non-HP fax machines.

Using My Fax

1. Open your computer's Internet browser. Click on the “My Fax” link in the Resources section to navigate to My Fax's free faxing service.

2. Enter your name and fax machine's telephone number in the boxes under the heading “1. To.” Enter your name and email address in the boxes under the heading “2. From.”

3. Enter “Test Fax” in the box under the wording, “Enter text message” under the heading “3. Fax Message.”

4. Click “Send Fax” to send your fax machine the test message.

Using Your Office/Friend or a Commercial Fax Service

1. Visit your office, a friend that has a fax machine or a mail/other store that lets you fax documents.

2. Write your name and telephone number on a fax cover sheet. Write the wording “Test Fax” in the cover sheet's “Comments” box.

3. Insert the cover sheet in your fax machine and send it to your home fax machine.

Using FaxZero

1. Open your computer's Internet browser. Click on the “FaxZero” link in the Resources section to navigate to FaxZero's free faxing service.

2. Enter your name, fax machine's telephone number and email address in the boxes under the heading “Sender Information:.” Enter your name and fax machine's telephone number in the boxes under the heading “Receiver Information:.”

3. Enter “Test Fax” in the box under the wording “Fax Information.” Enter the confirmation code displayed on the screen in the box next to the wording “Confirmation Code.”

4. Click “Send Free Fax Now” to send your fax machine the test message.

Tips & Warnings

• If your fax machine doesn't receive the test message(s), check the device's telephone cable, wall telephone jack and power cable to make sure that everything is connected and the fax machine is on. Then resend the fax test message.

References

• HP: Testing Your HP Fax Machine With The HP Fax Test Service
• ZeroPaid: Free Faxing Basics – Send a Fax and Free Fax Number

Resources

• My Fax: My Fax
• FaxZero: FaxZero