what is phone answering device?

I have an Epson CX9400fax.

I'm planning to put it and my phones on one line.

Does this unit have some "smart" kind of thing which tells it to answer if
the incoming call is fax? One of those deals where, if the phone rings
several times, it's a call......

If not, then I can put a ComSwitch on my line.

"rb" <> wrote in news:eAA7l.69621$:

> I have an Epson CX9400fax.
>
> I'm planning to put it and my phones on one line.
>
> Does this unit have some "smart" kind of thing which tells it to
> answer if the incoming call is fax? One of those deals where, if the
> phone rings several times, it's a call......
>
> If not, then I can put a ComSwitch on my line.
>
>
>

I haven't messed with phone circuitry in a long time. I'll blather that
which I think is close to the truth and someone will probably post a
follow up to fix anthing wrong:

Don't remember exactly, but, in the U.S.A., I think phones have a 48v a/c
potential at rest. We'd call this "on hook." This drops to less than
that when you answer the phone. We'd call that "off hook." I think it
drops to something like 30v a/c.

I presume that each device that goes "off hook" further reduces the
voltage potential. So, I think the idea is that a fax machine will
maintain 30v a/c potential yet still "listen" to signals on the line. If
the fax machine detects fax beep tones, then the fax machine takes the
line "off hook" and receives the fax. It could receive the fax without
taking the line "off hook" but that would mean you'd have to avoid
hanging up until the entire fax was received. So, the fax answers and
hangs up when it's done so you can hang up anytime you want.

So, basically, some fax machines are always "listening" on the line. If
it hears fax tones in the first 90 seconds or so, it will pick up (take
the line "off hook"). 90 seconds is an example. Much depends on how the
Epson people make their machines.

Some machines, like my Brother Multi-Function Center (MFC)machine, is
always listening whenever any phone is in use. In that way, at any time
at all, if I hit *51, the machine will pick up a fax. I presume your
Epson will do likewise.

Some multi-function machines also will accomodate an answering machine.
I don't know if your Epson will do that. Maybe it will. Some fax
machines suggest that you must plug the answering machine directly into a
port on the multi-function (fax) machine.

My Brother MFC works with an answering machine anywhere on my phone
network. In other words, the answering machine is in another room.
According to the owner's manual, it's not supposed to work this way but
it has been 100% reliable in this mode. The answering machine announces
and takes messages but if there's a fax coming through, the answering
machine shuts down and the MFC (fax machine) takes over. Never fails as
long as the sender hasn't fiddled with some of the standardized settings
for handshake and transmission on their machine. (Let's skip the
settings details for now).

So, you should have no troubles if Epson has implemented the technology
properly. I've heard some cordless phones don't work well but ours do.
I don't know which cordless phones cause problems.

ComSwitch? Are they still in business? You shouldn't need one if the
Epson is built to do the job. ComSwitch first became known to me in the
days before fax machines had built-in circuitry to handle the switching.

The only ComSwitch device I ever owned is in my storage room now. It
didn't work as designed. I didn't bother returning it. The ComSwitch
device I have is supposed to allow you to turn off the ringers in your
house so you can sleep. You hook the ComSwitch to one phone, like, near
your bed. People call but the phones won't bother you unless they know
the code to punch in that will activate the ComSwitch device so that it
will then ring the phone. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn't I
was a day sleeper at the time and I needed a way to let my kids call from
school to wake me if an emergency arose, like, I'm sick will you come and
get me. I couldn't depend on it. I had to arrange other means so they
could reach me (additional unlisted private phone line) .

Moral to my little story? If ComSwitch is still in business and if you
must buy one, be sure you buy from a company that will allow you to
return it for credit if it doesn't work. Chances are, I think, it will
fail more than function if it's like the ComSwitch device that I own.

--meander