HP OFFICEJET PRO 8600 FAX phone cord

[MakanaK]

I am trying to setup the fax capability on my HP Officejet Pro 8600 all in one printer.  

I have digital phone service and my phone cord runs from my internet modem.

I did the setup and the test failed due to 'Phone Cord COnnected to Correct Port on Fax: FAIL'
Test Report advises to put active phone cord in in the '1-line' port and then run the printer supplied cord in the other port ('2-ext') and connect that to the phone base. When I do this I do not get a dial tone.
If I switch the cords (put the active phone cord in '2-ext' port and HP cord in '1-line' port and to the phone base) I get a dial tone but the printer fails my fax setup test saying 'port not connect to correct port'

HELP ?

[Charles001]

Check with your internet provider if fax is supported on that line, fax is done over analog phone lines, so if that line is truly digital, it will not work. If that line is VoIP, fax may still work. So contact your service provider first.

[MakanaK]

Thanks for the information Charles001, it was helpful  to have something to eliminate as the problem.  I confirmed with my internet service provider that my phone line does support fax and after going some troubleshooting steps with their support tech I still have not solved my problem.  For some reason, there is no dial tone when the cables are in the ports they are supposed to be in.  The only thing the phone tech could offer was to try different cable(s).  Sigh ....

[Simple1234]

I don't know if this applies to your modem, on mine, I had to add an ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter), then fax worked. Also, I had to dial down the fax baud rate to have stable fax. I got my info from this hp page: http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/support-topics/faxing/setting-up-the-fax-with-voice-over-ip-phone-line.html

hopefully your modem fits one of the scenario mentioned there.

[MakanaK]

Thanks 20YearsHPUser for this possible solution! Right now I am going to just snail mail the documents I need to send. I don't have the need to send fax very often so don't want to incur the additional expenses. It just so happened that I had 2 companies saying they do not accept scanned and email documents, they had to be faxed or original mailed. Not sure why that is?
Again thank you very much, and if I give in and try your solution I will be sure to post if it solves the issue.

[Simple1234]

If you just need fax once in a while, and you already have a scanner to scan any document into digital form. You might want try a *free* internet fax service, like fax.com, they send your document to a fax machine, and even receiving faxes goes to your email.

[MakanaK]

Wow, thanks Simple1234 for that suggestion! I checked out the website and it looks like a great solution.

[rerodriguez89]

I had the same exact issue. I solved it by buying a single-line duplex adapter with built-in DSL filter. Use this even if you don't have a DSL connection. The filtering helps the HP fax mechanism to operate as envisioned.

[cat33342005]

Hi Makanak!

I came to this forum to find out how to set up the same all -in-one printer HP Pro 8600.  I read about your problems with a digital line and had no success with setting it up. My setup passed everything when I just used the outlet in the back of my Router/Modem phoneline. If, like me you don't send them that often and your not expecting any phone calls, just use the line 1, unplug your phone and plug in your faxline and see if that works, my fax passed all test when I did this and recieved an OK that it went through. Now just waiting on confirmation that it was recieved. Wish me luck and  Good Luck to you!