Setting up faxing (Poly OBi series ATA) in zoom

Using the Poly OBi series analog telephone adapter (OBi302 or OBi508) and a fax machine connected to the OBi series analog telephone adapter, you can setup faxing support. There is also a recommendation in this article as to how to optimize the fax machine’s transmission speed.

This article covers:

• Limitations of fax over Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

• How to confirm ATA settings in the Zoom web portal

• How to set up faxing in the OBi ATA web interface

• Recommended fax machine settings

Prerequisites for setting up faxing on a Poly OBi series ATA (analog telephone device)

• Ownership or admin rights for the account

• The license for Zoom Phone can be found here

• OBi302 or OBi508 analog telephone adapter which has been provisioned with a Poly OBi series analog telephone driver for use with fax machines
  

    Note: For more information, please refer to the Poly assisted provisioning guide.

• It is recommended that an ATA be assigned to a particular phone user or common area phone that has a direct phone number and a calling package

• ATAs are equipped with handsets/dial pads (similar to analog telephones) for connecting to the ATA
  

  Note: There is a possibility that there may be a device, such as a multi-functional copier, that is connected to the ATA but does not have a handset/dial pad. There are some devices that cannot be used to access the ATA’s web interface through its web browser. 

• Desk phone settings can be configured to enable the Web Interface at the account level

Limitations of fax over Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

A fax over VoIP service has certain limitations that need to be taken into consideration when implementing faxing. In terms of technology, these limitations are widespread across the industry and are based on technology. Several VoIP companies, including Zoom, use the G.711 standard to send faxes over the Internet through their VoIP services. It is important to note that even though those standards are regarded as reliable, they are still subject to interpretation by the different providers, and cannot be maintained on an end-to-end basis.

The Zoom fax over VoIP service allows you to connect a traditional fax machine to the Internet via an analog terminal adapter (ATA) connected to your computer via a network. There is no doubt that these best-effort fax services serve the needs of many of our business customers who frequently need to send faxes, as they are cost-effective and more than adequate for their needs. The best way to determine what is the best faxing solution for your business is to determine what your faxing needs are.

It is Zoom’s priority to make sure you receive quality services that meet the needs of your business. You should maintain an analog line as well as a traditional fax machine if your business relies heavily on the faxing of large, multi-page documents on a regular basis. This will enable you to maintain reliable and consistent fax performance.

How to confirm ATA settings in the Zoom web portal

There are a few settings that need to be confirmed before you set up faxing using the Zoom web portal using the ATA’s web interface.

1. You will need to sign into the Zoom website to get started.

2. Select Phone System Management from the navigation menu and then click Users & Rooms to open the Users & Rooms section.

3. You might want to click the Common Area Phones tab if you have assigned the ATA to a common area phone.

4. You will be able to click on the name of the phone user or the common area phone display name that has a Poly OBi ATA assigned to it.

5. Make sure that you turn off Voicemail by clicking the Policy tab on the left hand side of the screen.

6. The User Settings tab can be found by clicking the button below.

7. There is an option called Receive Call Queue Calls that you can disable if you scroll down to the Membership section.

8. When you get to the Desk Phone section, scroll down until you find the Keys & Positions section and click View & Edit.

9. There needs to be a dedicated line assigned to the ATA so that it is not interrupted.

How to set up faxing in the OBi ATA web interface

1. Press 1 to obtain the IP address from the analog phone connected to the ATA.

2. Enter the IP address of the ATA into a web browser and then open the web browser.
   [su_note note_color=”#edfef7″] Note: Default settings in Zoom Phone prevent provisioned devices from being able to access the web interface. It is very important that you enable Web Interface in the account-level desk phone settings if you are having difficulties accessing your phone’s web interface.  [/su_note]

3. Please sign in as an administrator for the username and use the admin password that has been configured in the Zoom web portal to sign in.

4. In the Codecs section, choose Codec Profile A/B and click on it.

5. It is important that you set the following parameters under Codec Settings:

   • T38Enable=Disabled

   • FaxPassThroughCodec=G711U (default for North America) or G711A

6. You will need to navigate to Voice Services, followed by SP1 Service.

7. The following parameter should be set in the Calling Features section:

   • MaxSessions=1

8. The next step is to navigate to the Physical Interfaces section, then to the PHONEx Port section,

9. It is important to set the following parameters in the section called Calling Features:

   • CallWaitingEnable: Disabled

   • ConferenceCallEnable: Disabled

   • UseForFaxOnly: Enabled

   • DetectFaxPageBreak: Enabled

Fax machine settings

Here is a list of recommended settings for your fax machine. There are a number of different settings you can choose depending on the model and vendor of your fax machine. You can find more details about these settings in the documentation provided by your fax machine vendor.

• Make sure that you are using a lower fax transmission speed or Baud rate (the lowest speed/rate that you can use is 9600bps).

• Disable the Error Correction Mode (ECM).

• Disable the Compression mode
.

• Set the Receive/Transmit Buffer to low.

All content and images credit goes to https://support.zoom.us