Fax keeps disconnecting my calls

[jennifer80030]

I have a new HP M283cdw all in one, that replaced my HP CM1312nfi all in one.  I have Xfinity voice (Basically Comcast VoIP and have had for 15+ years).  My setup has always been Modem -> Printer Line in -> Printer Line out -> Panasonic Answering Machine with multiple handsets.  I am using the HP two wire silver phone cable.  Xfinity voice also comes with voicemail, but my answering machine picks up before Xfinity does, so the only time I end up with a voicemail there is if I'm on a live call and a second call comes in (a few times a year). 

I've had the Panasonic Answering Machine set up to answer after 4 rings and the Fax to answer after 6 rings.  This always worked perfectly for the 14 years I used my CM1312nfi.  I decided to replace it with the M283cdw (it was still working, but I had scan software issues since it was so old).  Now when I get a call and answer, I'll be talking for 30-60 seconds to the person and all of a sudden I hear the printer click, it disconnects my call, and prints a sheet that says fax not detected.  Why is it picking up when I have already answered the phone and am talking?  Also, sometimes when I pick up the phone to make a call, same thing, I hear the printer click and I have no dial tone.

I've read all the things that say to get a distinctive ring, but I've spent over an hour on the phone with two people at Xfinity and they have no idea what that is or how to add it to my account.  They checked and reinitialized my modem, checked for outages and all my services and everything is good on their end.  This was never an issue for 14 years, until I bought the new printer several months ago.  Now I basically can't take any incoming calls because they just get disconnected in under a minute.  I have searched over and over for a solution and none seem to address the issue that has to be the printer itself.

Since I'm sure I will be asked this as well, my Panasonic Answering Machine is set to answer after 4 rings.  I had the printer set to 6, but just changed it to 8.  I have the Xfinity voice set to 9 (so basically everything else will answer before it does because I don't want to use it).

Any ideas on what is different about the new printer that this suddenly does not work like it always has?  How do I get it to stop disconnecting my calls?  How do I get it to not take over the phone line when I pick up my phone to make a call?  I do not want to have to pay for another dedicated phone line for my fax machine when I never had to before.

[Kumar0307]

@jennifer80030, Welcome to the HP Support Community! I’m here to help.

I understand the printer is disconnecting the calls. Have you tried printing a Fax test page?

Run a fax test from the printer control panel to identify issues with the printer, phone line connection, or fax settings.

1. On the printer control panel, select Run Fax Test or Fax Test Report in the Fax or Setup menu.

2. Review the report for any tests that failed and follow any instructions to resolve the issue.

Resolve fax tones interrupting voice calls or messages on a shared telephone line.

Fax settings are in the Fax or Setup menus on the printer control panel.

• Use a different ring pattern. If a distinctive ringing service is available from your phone service provider, use a separate ring for faxes. The service assigns a second phone number to the same line that rings with a different pattern than the primary number.

• Turn Auto Answer on. If this feature is not enabled, you must manually answer incoming fax calls. If you are using a distinctive ringing service, set the fax to automatically answer only the distinctive ring pattern.

• Set the number of rings to answer incoming faxes. If you have an answering machine, allow it to answer all calls first so the printer can detect the fax tones after the machine answers the call. Change the Rings to Answer setting to a higher number of rings than the answering machine is set for.

• Use the fax cord that shipped with your printer. HP fax-capable printers ship with a two-wire phone cord. If you are using a different cord, confirm the connector does not have four wires. Shorter, higher quality cords work better than longer cords of lesser quality.

  

• Remove other devices from the phone line. Devices such as answering machines, modems, or other telephones might cause faxing issues.

• Disable computer-based fax software. Fax software can interrupt fax calls to your printer or fax machine.

Check the connection and fax settings if you are experiencing issues faxing over a VoIP phone connection.

Fax settings are in the Fax or Setup menus on the printer control panel.

• Lower the fax speed: Using the slow or standard setting can improve sending success.

• Turn on Error Correction Mode: If Error Correction Mode is off, turn it on to increase the chance of a successful transmission. The fax might take longer to complete.

• Check the connection: The phone cord that came with the printer should be plugged into the 1-LINE port on the back of the printer and into the VoIP gateway.

• Reduce internet traffic: Using a computer or a device to stream content or game over the web can interfere with VoIP faxing.

• Restart the router and modem: Restarting can clear internet service issues.

Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes. 

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