How do I connect my fax machine to work with my Home Phone service?

Your fax machine can be plugged directly into a wall phone jack or into the telephone connection at the back of your Home Phone modem, or MTA (Multimedia Terminal Adapter).

To install your fax machine directly from the wall phone jack:

1. Plug in the fax machine.
2. Connect one phone line from the wall phone jack to the port on the fax machine labeled Line.
3. Connect a second phone line from the port on the fax machine labeled Ext or Tel to the phone.

To connect your fax machine directly to your Home Phone modem, or MTA:

1. Plug in the fax machine.
2. Connect one phone line from the port on the fax machine labeled Line or Line In to the MTA's Telephone port. If you have one Home Phone line, use the port for Line 1. If you have two lines, use the port for Line 1 or Line 2, depending on your preference.
3. Connect a second phone line from the port on the fax machine labeled Ext or Tel to the phone.

   

• Different fax machines may have different names for telephone ports. Check your manual or contact your fax machine manufacturer for additional setup details.
• For best performance, place your fax machine between your MTA and wall phone jack. Connect an extra phone line from the MTA to your fax machine and another from the fax machine to the wall phone jack.
• There are two types of phone cables. Most fax machine systems come with a two-conductor phone line, and some come with a four-conductor phone line. To determine which you have, look at the end of the cable. The image on the left below shows what a two-conductor phone line looks like, and the image on the right below shows what a four-conductor phone line looks like.

  

Troubleshooting Tips

If you have difficulty using a fax machine on your Home Phone line, try these troubleshooting tips:

• Ensure the fax machine has a dial tone.
  • Check the fax machine's handset (if applicable).
  • Plug a phone into the extension port on the fax machine (if applicable).
• If you are having trouble sending a fax, listen to and delete any unheard voice mail messages. Then try to send or receive your fax again.
• If the fax machine is not connected directly to the MTA, try connecting it directly to the MTA to check for issues with your in-home wiring.
• If you have a phone splitter, it can cause the connectivity test to fail and reject the fax transmission.
• Ensure that the baud rate on the fax machine is set to a maximum of 9600.
• If your fax machine is equipped with an Error Correction Mode (ECM) feature, disable it. If you do not know how to do so, check the manual provided with your machine, or contact the fax machine manufacturer for assistance.
• If your fax machine still does not work with your Home Phone, Contact Us.

Did You Know?

Bright House Networks does not offer a distinctive ring, so there is no service provided that alerts you to incoming faxes. You either must have a fax machine that is able to detect this on its own or some other device that can do this. Contact the manufacturer of your fax machine for assistance.