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How does Fax over IP Work?

This white paper briefly describes the T.30 and T.38 protocols, which enable fax to be sent over an IP network. The T.30 fax protocol was designed to be implemented over a network that provides relatively smooth and uninterrupted data flows, and the T.38 was created to describe the process for sending and receiving faxes in real-time over a VoIP network — an environment that can cause the T.30 to fail.

This background paves the way for a discussion of how the protocols work in a Fax over IP (FoIP) implementation by comparing traditional fax technology — that is, plain old fax, which is a fax device that is not connected to an all-IP enabled fax server — with the more advanced fax option of sending faxes over an IP infrastructure, which also has more security features.

This white paper also provides examples of the Dialogic® Brooktrout® T.30 and T.38 Stacks used in Dialogic® Brooktrout® fax products, followed by notable benefits of these enhanced protocols in Brooktrout fax products.

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