Newsgroups: comp.dcom.fax
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!mintaka!bloom-picayune.mit.edu!athena.mit.edu!caserta
From: caserta@athena.mit.edu (Francesco Caserta)
Subject: Re: fax/phone switches ?
Message-ID: <1991Jun4.225358.3684@athena.mit.edu>
Sender: news@athena.mit.edu (News system)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
References:  <1991Jun4.193711.22400@uwasa.fi>
Date: Tue, 4 Jun 91 22:53:58 GMT
Lines: 39

In article <1991Jun4.193711.22400@uwasa.fi>, hv@uwasa.fi (Harri Valkama) writes:
|> Who   can recommend me   an automatic   fax/phone switch  that  has  a
|> reasonable price. Let's say under $100.  It should sniff  the incoming
|> call and  whether  it is  a phone  call or a  fax call direct it to my
|> telephone or fax modem.  Here in Finland they are  overlypriced; local
|> telephone company tried to sell me one that  cost 1500FIM (about $350)
|> !!!
|> 
|> Also  fax number for the company  that sells these  is very welcome. I
|> guess  this  device should work the  same whether it is  used in US or
|> Europe or  what.   Power supply  is perhaps different   but not a real
|> problem. I mean that it should work with phone  and fax signals or are
|> there any differences concerning this kind of scheme.
|> 
|> -- 
|> == Harri Valkama, University of Vaasa, Finland ============================
|>  P.O. Box 700, 65101 VAASA, Finland (tel:+358 61 248426 fax:+358 61 248465)
|>  Anon ftp garbo.uwasa.fi (128.214.12.37) & nic.funet.fi (128.214.6.100)
|>  hv@uwasa.fi hv@finfiles.bitnet /s=hv/o=uwasa/prdm=inet/amdm=fumail/c=fi

Well, you want it at a reasonable price, I would like it of very good quality and loaded with features. Precisely, I'm looking for a modem/fax/phone switch. 

So, we might take this opportunity to see if we can get some more information on these devices. My advice is to read first the manual and than buy the machine.
There are often many hidden bad surprises.

Although at home I have some more info, here in the office I have the catalog 
of Hello Direct, 140 Great Oaks Blvd., San Jose, CA 95119-1347, 1-800-444-3556, (408)972-1990, Fax (408)972-8155. Not the place for bargains, but the quality is not bad. They have two products: the Crosspoint Autoswitcher I ($229) and the Crosspoint Autoswitcher II ($129). The latter switches only between voice and fax.

Has anyone used these ones? Any other other modem/fax/phone switch?


Thanks a lot!

Francesco Caserta




P.S. Don't forget that you will also need a power transformer. Do you use modular jacks in Finland? Any problem problem to import it (customs)?