Can I connect fax machine to cell phone?

To most of us, sending an online fax from a fax machine doesn’t make much sense anymore.  With wireless faxing, anyone can easily send a fax from a computer, tablet device, or even connect a fax machine to a cell phone.

Or so you think.

Can I connect a fax machine to a cell phone? Or not?

Contrary to a lot popular advice, it actually is possible to connect a fax machine to a cell phone or smartphone. But it’s not practical for most of us, since It’s a very difficult process, and requires expensive specialized equipment.  Instead of trying to connect a fax machine to a cell phone, you’re better off with other easier, faster and cheaper ways to scan and fax that work with iPhone and android mobile devices.

If you have a frequent need to send a fax or you’re not sure how to fax wirelessly, this is the perfect guide for you. Can you connect a fax machine to a cell phone? If not, what other methods are there for you to send an online fax, with or without a fax machine?

And if you don’t already know, we’ll also let you in on a scan and fax solution you can immediately use to scan and fax from your iPhone for free.

Read on to find out.

Why is it difficult to connect fax machines to cell phones?

Fax machines are pretty dated – the first one existed back in 1843 -- and unfortunately, there’s no real fix for how to connect a fax machine to a cell phone.

To do their job, fax machines send a fax by matching recognition and “handshaking” tones to connect with another fax machine on the receiving end. This is only possible on analog connections, which are constant and smooth

But cell phones operate on digital signal technology which can’t support or transmit these tones that fax machines need. Unlike analog signals, digital signals have multiple separate and distinct levels of output. This means that there is a lot more “noise” in the digital connections that cell phones rely on, and this “noise” is so much it overwhelms even the latest analog-dependent fax machines.

There is a way to send a fax using a fax machine connected to a cell phone . Special fax adapters sometimes called “HTTPS fax adapters” can translate analog fax formats into an encrypted digital format and then send the converted encrypted digital fax to a digital fax server.

Some examples of these specialized fax machine accessories are:

• FaxBack/AudioCodes MP-202B HTTPS Enabled Fax ATA, Model: MP202B/S2/SIP/HTTPSFAX, Stock #: GGWV00426
• Scrypt/Axacore FaxBridge FXB21

If this confuses you, what it does is to simply make it readable on a cellular connection.

Since the encrypted faxes have to pass through a digital server, these fax adapters need to be used together with a Fax over Internet Protocol provider (FoIP). The adapters themselves do not come cheap, and getting a fax line with FoIP providers is just as pricey.

If you’re just looking for a way to scan and fax from an iPhone or Android mobile device, and then have the document sent to a fax recipient, there’s no need to splurge so much on an online faxing method like this.

So, the short answer to whether you can connect a fax machine to a cell phone is yes, but it’s not going to be worth your time and money.

Thankfully, most of us won’t ever need fancy fax adapters for our everyday fax needs. They’re just not practical.

In fact, you don’t even need a fax machine at all. To scan and fax cheap wireless faxes, all you really need is just a mobile fax app on your iPhone.

How to scan and fax wireless for free with mobile fax apps

You could just get a fax machine and a dedicated fax line to send a fax and receive incoming ones the traditional way.  Or you could pay a visit to your local print shop whenever you need to have something scanned and faxed.

But being able to send a wireless fax anytime, anywhere makes sending and receiving faxes on cell phones is obviously a way better solution.

And you absolutely don’t have to splurge on fancy adapters or expensive digital fax services. All you really need are mobile fax apps like Zap Fax.

Mobile fax apps pack all the functionalities of fax machines you need and want right into the convenience and niftiness of your cell phone. Most mobile fax apps are free to download off the Apple and Google Play Store. They work like wireless fax machines, and allow you to send an online fax wirelessly without a physical, clunky fax machine.

Scanning and faxing out a mobile fax using a mobile fax app has lots of advantages.

A fax machine and dedicated fax line is going to cost you a bomb, but our very own Zap Fax mobile fax app allows you to scan and fax from iPhones at just 0.40 USD a page.

A fax machine only scans and faxes. With Zap Fax mobile fax app, share and email your scans and faxes on the go wirelessly.

Zap Fax mobile fax app uses your phone’s in-built camera to create high-quality faxes. Cell phone cameras are getting better, so you can expect to send wireless faxes at even higher resolutions than most fax machines.

Connect a fax machine to a cell phone? Zap Fax puts the fax right into your cell phone instead.

Scan and fax from iPhone for free with Zap Fax

Zap Fax mobile fax app costs you nothing to get started. Our rates start at an affordable 0.40 USD a page. We also support international faxes with dedicated fax numbers from more than 35 countries around the world.

Cheap scans and faxes anytime and anywhere, all in the convenience of your iPhone. Get Zap Fax mobile fax app for your wireless faxes today!