Using FAX machine on 1 BT line household

RichRobin

Having just gone from BT Home Highway with 2 analogue lines to Broadband and 1 BT line for the house how do I keep my fax machine permanently plugged in and ready to receive. How does it know whether an incoming call is fax or voice. I often hear on an answerphone message when I ring someone who doesn't answer "please leave a message after the tone, if you are sending a fax please .............?"

To sum up...

I want either an answerphone message or a fax received if the phone rings and no one answers....or

If I answer the phone but it is an incoming fax I want the fax to take control without any input from me (I may be in another part of the house.

Any ideas anyone.

Sooler

See here ...
http://www.easypeasy.com/home/CallMinder/old/technical.html#tips


"Tip for Fax users
If you have CallMinder and a fax machine sharing the same line, you'll have been plagued by the problem of the two devices competing to answer the call, and the inability to recover a call once CallMinder has answered it. Inevitably you've spent hours hovering over your fax machine trying to predict and manually accept incoming faxes. BT have not yet developed a cost effective solution for the small home office worker.
However... If you own a modern BT fax (e.g. Image 350), and possibly some other manufacturer's (check your manual), your fax may respond to Distinctive Ringing. This service, marketed by BT as CallSign allows you to rent a second number on your existing phone line. When this alternative number is called, your phone rings with long single rings, rather than in bursts of two. If you set your fax to respond to this type of ringing only, you can use your CallSign number as your fax number, and now leave your fax to auto answer the call before CallMinder cuts in. Calls to your existing number will be left by the fax machine, and will be answered by CallMinder. Voice and Fax calls will now be separated.

If your line isn't too busy (i.e. you don't have a lot of fax and voice calls all coinciding) this solution works very well.
"