Is It Possible to Fax Over a WiFi Connection?

​The development of WiFi technology and modern computers allowed us to communicate online without the need of cables, paving the way to mobile and smartphone technology.

But can WiFi connections be used for faxing?  The short answer is YES. Here’ you’ll learn how.

Using an Online Fax Service with a Wi-Fi Connection

To send fax using WiFi, you need to use an online fax service.  These services let you fax over Internet using any connection at your disposal, and this includes all types of WiFi connections.  You see, online faxing doesn’t work through a physical line and it doesn’t even need a machine other than your computer, tablet or phone.  We recommend eFax, with ​this excellent service you can ​start faxing with a ​14 day free trial account and then choose to keep your number after that.

A service basically gives you an online fax number that is in charge of receiving faxes automatically.  This number works over the Internet, so it doesn’t need any type of physical installation.  All incoming fax is forwarded to the email account of your preference (although as you can see, we recommend ​receiving fax to Gmail!), from where you can read it, print it or download it as you see fit.  The choice is entirely yours, you can choose to save paper if you lie to.

Sending a fax is very easy, you can use your email, download a mobile fax app or use your service’s members area for the job. The files that you want to convert and send as fax are pulled from your computer or optimized after taking a photo of a document.

Benefits of Faxing Over WiFi

Portability.  Being free of cables and machines means that we can use our phones to fax from anywhere in the planet, and receive fax without having to stay at the office forever.

Speed.  Your line is always ready to send and receive faxes, no more waiting to turn on the machine and configure your line.

Helps the Planet.  Since you can pick which documents you need to print, you can save a lot of paper, helping not only the economy but also the Earth.

What About WiFi Fax Machines?

WiFi fax machines and multi-function printers don’t really connect to a virtual fax line, they still need a cable and a dedicated line to work.

Here’s how it works: the fax machine or fax-enabled printer is connected to a phone line using a cable, then it communicates wirelessly with your computer or laptop. You can say that it works similarly to a remote printer, but it won’t work without a landline connection.

Many people believe that these machines are able to connect to a phone line wirelessly, but that’s impossible. True WiFi faxing is online possible though an online fax service.  These machines are great for saving space and use your laptop for faxing though, although this method is not nearly as convenient as faxing online.

Do I Need a Special Type of WiFi?

Not at all, any type of active connection to the Internet will do, so you can use WiFi a, b, g, or other without any issue.

Because of the nature of faxing, we wouldn’t advise to use a public network, for security reasons.  These WiFi connections are open to interceptions and you could compromise your login details.  But any other secure network will do the job nicely.