With the optional Brooktrout SR140 host based module or TE-SYSTEMS' XCAPI, GFI FaxMaker integrates with your existing IP PBX or with T.38 SIP providers to offer Fax over IP (FOIP) without any additional hardware requirements.
With FOIP you can easily send faxes over the Internet, integrating with the existing IP infrastructure. GFI FaxMaker's FOIP may also be used to implement Least Cost Routing (LCR), resulting in a cost-effective reduction in international calls dialled (calls are translated into a local call at the recipient's country).
As the name suggests, FoIP is a method of sending faxes over existing IP networks. Previously, faxes could only be sent using standalone fax machines that used standard phone lines or a physical fax server.
Fax over IP uses existing VoIP or standard IP networks to send the fax. GFI FaxMaker is a fax server that integrates into email clients such as MS Exchange and Lotus to send and receive fax transmissions. This allows for seamless faxing to and from a desktop email client.
The system works by “wrapping” the standard T30 fax data inside a T38 protocol, which works over IP networks. The fax can then be delivered to the destination using standard IP routing. Faxes can be transmitted through VoIP gateways too if you use them.
Once at the far end, the fax machine, or fax software unwraps the T38 wrapper and exposes the T30 fax data. This can then be processed as a standard fax.
As FoIP still makes use of traditional fax technology, the T30 protocol, even if the receiving end has a standard fax machine, the fax will still be delivered.
This technology uses existing infrastructures to bridge the gap between networks and standalone fax machines. It brings different networks together and makes them easier to use, cheaper, faster and more secure.