If you want to fax with ease, try an external modem

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How many times have you tried to fax something, but didn’t have access to a fax machine? Your answer may lie in purchasing an external modem. External modems have become extremely popular these days with the advent of faster and faster broadband; in fact, just about every cable modem produced is considered an “external” modem. Most computers don’t have internal broadband modems because of the fact that these modems are usually provided by the ISP; they’re proprietary and usually connect to that one ISP. Normal laptops have network interface cards (NICs), either wired or wireless, that interface with the external cable modem. It’s a system that’s worked quite well for years.

But, let’s say that you need to fax off your newest project straight from your computer at 2am. Kinko’s is closed, your office is closed, and so you don’t have access to an actual fax machine. Are you out of luck? No, absolutely not. You can still pick up an external dial up modem with fax capability to do this job. Yes, dial up is still alive and kicking! Luckily for you if you just want to send a fax, you don’t actually need to have a dial up internet connection; all you really need is a phone line.

So how does this all work? If you have a phone line at your house (some don’t with cell phones being so prevalent), you can simply connect your phone line straight into your fax modem and there you have it. At the software level you’ll find options that will allow you to fax your documents straight to a real fax machine. You don’t actually need a fax machine of your own; your laptop in this case actually becomes one. Pretty neat, huh? This could really save your bacon for that important presentation.

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So how much is a USB external modem such as this? They are very cheap, so don’t worry. Depending on the robustness of the application (home vs. large business), you can find these for between $20-$80 USD. That’s really not much considering how much an actual fax machine can cost (a few hundred or more). You can find these just about anywhere, as well. Check out the usual stores such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart for these. If you need to find a specific type, check out Tiger Direct or any number of the online stores for exactly what you need. You can’t go wrong here to be honest.

Anyway, check it out. Don’t be bothered than a 56k external modem is 56k; you’ll get used to it again. ;)

Shopping:

zoom 56K V.92/V.90 Modem (USB Mini External) Model 3095
US Robotics V.92 External 56K Faxmodem USR5686E
Small Compact Lightweight Modem Ideal for Users Who Need To Connect To A Dial Up
Hiro Lucent V.92 56K External Usb Data Fax Voice Modem Retail Box
TRENDnet 56K External Data/Fax/TAM Modem TFM-560X (Blue)

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One Response to “If you want to fax with ease, try an external modem”

  1. Ethernet Cord on November 30th, 2009 5:50 pm

    [...] ethernet cords connect computers and their components to the network; that is, into either an external modem or a switch. These are the most  common, and are the easiest to find at the store. Just go in and [...]

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