Vonage fax issue with unconditional call-forwarding

[Interpage Network Services Inc.]

Hello,

While traveling, I forward my Vonage number to a landline when there is no
high-speed data service available. People may still reach me via dialing my
Vonage number directly, and thus not have to call multiple numbers,
cellphones and so forth to reach me.

At times, I need to receive a fax, and after speaking to a given caller,
will, on the same call, manually start a fax call at the same time that the
caller does (ie, we talk, and say "Hi, I am going to send you the fax now",
and then both press "SEND" and the fax goes through). I have been doing this
for years (with Vonage acting as the effective "long distance" carrier) and
it work fine.

Note that this is not via the VoIP modem from Vonage, but via
call-forwarding from the Vonage number to a landline.In other words, it is
NOT going through the Cisco ATA-186 (or other modems; I've tried a few; I
just mention the Cisco since that is the one I offhand know by name), but
instead a call comes into the Vonage number from a landline, Vonage rings
the Cisco once, no one answers (with unlike telco-based call forwarding you
can do on the single ring), and the call is then immediately
("unconditionally") forwarded to the destination number. (Thus, this is not
a "*99" issue or a poor quality.high-latency internet connection issue
problem, and so forth.)

Recently, however, within the past week or so (04/22/2007 and on), it seems
that we try to establish the fax connection, the first overhead message
containing the station ID is sent, and then right afterwards, when the
actual fax data commences, -Vonage- disconnects the line. It is NOT the
sending or receiving fax disconnecting (both sit there for some 30 seconds
or more trying to re-connect), but that Vonage for some reason recently
started disconnecting fax calls which are forwarded and not going over the
VoIP modem.

We did some tests, and these were the results:

1. Landline --> Vonage (fax connected to VoIP modem): Generally works fine
(other than the usual problems that sometimes occur with VoIP faxing)

2. Some other Vonage number --> my Vonage number --> forwarded to landline:
works fine, no sudden drops of any kind

3. Landline --> my Vonage number --> forwarding to Landline: Drops after
Station ID info is sent.

4. Landline --> Landline: Works fine

Thus, the only difference between 3 and 4 (the most relevant tests) is that
in 3 the call is sent through Vonage as the "long distance" carrier and 4 it
is sent via AT&T from work. (Our company does not use VoIP to send out
faxes, so I am sure that number 4 was done with a traditional
circuit-switched LD company).

This is NOT a problem for voice calls, only fax calls via forwarding.

After playing with this and replicating these results, Vonage was called,
the problem was escalated to Tier III (?) support, and no one has yet to
call back. (I am just SO surprised! ;) )

In the interim I tried something else: The lines from Interpage are via
trunks which do not display caller ID. I connected a fax just now here to a
regular Pac*Bell/ATT landline, made sure the caller ID was presented by
hitting *82, dialed the Vonage number, which forwarded to a fax down the
hall, and it worked fine!

After about 30 tests, with different faxes and different landlines, what
seems to be happening is that IF you have a Vonage number unconditionally
forward to a given fax destination, and someone calls it from a landline
that is "Private" or where the Caller ID is not shown, that call will
quickly fail during the fax transmission.

IF, however, the Caller ID is displayed or available, the call will work
fine and the fax will go through perfectly!

As I stated, this started about a week ago, and Vonage does not have a clue
about this. (Previously, it did not matter if the Caller ID privacy bit was
sent from the originating party or not; all faxes would work fine.)

Can anyone else replicate this? (I only have the one Vonage line for my
personal use)

Has anyone had a similar problem?

I plan to have someone call Vonage tomorrow to discuss this but was
wondering if anyone else noticed it as well.

Please post replies here; however, I may also be contacted by going to:

http://www.interpage.net/sub-contact.html and selecting the "Web Submit"
option, Attn: Bill.

Thanks in advance,

Bill

Bill DeBello
Interpage Network Services Inc.
[phone]
http://www.interpage.net

(The views expressed here are my own and do not reflect those of Interpage
NSI.)

[angelo Campanella]

Post by Interpage Network Services Inc.
IF, however, the Caller ID is displayed or available, the call will work
fine and the fax will go through perfectly!
As I stated, this started about a week ago, and Vonage does not have a clue
about this. (Previously, it did not matter if the Caller ID privacy bit was
sent from the originating party or not; all faxes would work fine.)

This sounds like a national security issue; terrorists are using all
communications modes available. The "filter" the feds may be using in
this case is whether caller ID is available. If someone is wanting to
avoid being identified as the sender (or receiver for that matter), then
this is a tip-off of their clandestine intentions, and worthy of defeat
(transmission halted by Vonnage) to comply with fed requests.

I don't want to appear as paranoid, but we are, after all in a shooting
war with persons that want to do us harm.

Such communications irregularities may well be transient... Vonnage may
work it out. One never knows.

In you case, the action of providing caller ID seems to be the safe
haven for you and your business.

I have another problem; I HATE to receive junk faxes since it consumes
paper (old fax paper machine). Consistently, those arriving from off
shore have no ID. I have shut off my business FAX, turning it on only
when I know a client is to send something. But this is not a good
business practice for sure. I have sent the FCC numerous bundles of such
printed faxes for cure by them if possible. The action you are
encountering sounds like it could possibly be one of the FCC's "cures".

I am willing to buy a newer fax, even one that uses plain paper at more
expense, but I want to be able to review them before printing. I know
that PC software is available for a PC to do this service, but this is
at the cost of continually operating my computer, and complexity far
above that needed.

There are FAXes with memories, but scant information on now this memory
is deployed and whether it will store all faxes for future review and
printing (like e-mail can do now) is available.

Comments?

Sincerely,

Angelo Campanella