Fax through router?

[HocusFocus]

I bought a Dlink 704 router with a look toward DSL, for the present, however, I'm using a Supra Express 56k dialup modem. I have two questions: 1)Is it possible to send a fax 2)Can I access any modem features through the router (if I had a call waiting modem). My operating system is Windows XP Home. If you have the answers I would appreciate explicit instructions or diretions to step by step instructions. I emailed dlink to no avail and local tech support would be glad to help me for about 3 or 4 hundred dollars. I think I could buy a stand alone fax for that kind of money. Also, I have a VisionTech OneTouch USB 7600 I use to scan for faxing.
TIA,
HF

 

[ivwshane]

What do you mean by access modem features through the router? Since the fax goes through the phone line your modem shouldn't even be touching the router, so yes you will be able to fax.

 

[HocusFocus]

I thought that I had made it clear that the modem was attached to the router as in I don't have broadband but I have an external serial port modem connected to the router. Modems have features such as call waiting, caller id, fax, speakerphone. I would like to be able to access these features from my computer, going through my router into my modem and onto a phone line. Step by step or directions to somewhere that does have step by step.
TIA,
HF

 

[HocusFocus]

Maybe this can't be done. What if I access the modem through a browser window, put in the fax # I want to fax, delete the login and password for the isp and let er rip? Not a very elegant solution but maybe easier than unplugging the modem from the router and plugging it into the computer then after sending the fax hook the modem back up to the router. What a pita this turned out to be.
HF

 

[ojai00]

My router (SMC Barricade) also has an external modem connection but I use my internal modem for faxing 😛 If you can query your modem and it returns values, then I'm pretty sure you can still use it to send faxes because Windows can talk to it. If we don't have any solutions for you, you can always just give it a shot and see if it works. Hope this helps.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I think your only solution is to get a second modem. Like ojai00 said, an internal modem would bypass the router/modem and give you a direct line. The modem and router would have to be specifically configured probably to somehow switch off since the router is probably always listening to the line for internet requests. A second modem should be next to nothing. You can probably go into a computer store and buy a 14,400 fax/modem for $5 or so. That's the highest those things ever transfer using fax protocols anyhow. So it's a $5 fix rather than spending $60-150 on a fax machine or having to swap out your Supra everytime you wanna send a fax. Good luck.

 

[ojai00]

Or you could just plug the modem back into a free port on your computer. 🙂

 

[HocusFocus]

Thanks alot for the replies, guys. How do I query my modem? By the way, both my com ports on the computer are being used. I've got a Palm sync wire on one and an APC Backups on the other. Maybe the internal modem is the way to go.
HF

 

[ojai00]

Just go to your modem properties and then click on the diagnostics tab and click query modem

 

[HocusFocus]

The modem doesn't show up anywhere on my computer, just my nic. Look at my third post to this thread. This may be posible? I think Dlink has the answer but they don't respond to my emails. Maybe because if they told me, they'd have to kill me? 8P

 

[HocusFocus]

No other way except to get a cheap PCI fax modem? I guess I could disable it in the hardware manager until I needed it. It just seems that there ought to be a way to do this with what I have.
Thanks for the answers,
HF

 

[HocusFocus]

One more shot!
HF

 

[MulLa]

I think faxing throught a router must be supported by the router itself. So unless your Dlink704 have the feature you'd be out of luck. The other day I was doing some casual browsing through Cisco's router catalog and learnt that actually. Then again I could be wrong.