[WiMAXATL] Getting CLEAR Voice (VoIP) service to work with Fax and CreditCard...

[William Higgins]

If you use the CLEAR Voice service you may have run into issues with getting an older fax machine to work properly. Also, small business owners may also be having an issue with getting their CreditCard machines to work as well. Here is some detailed troubleshooting information to help you to get things working right.

Configuring Faxing
CLEAR supports faxing over your Clear Voice phone service. You do not need to make any changes to your CLEAR account for this feature to work. You should plug in your fax machine between the Clear Voice Adapter and your telephone, or use a splitter to connect both devices directly to the Adapter. You may have to adjust some settings on your fax machine in order for it to work properly with your Clear Voice Service.

For maximum success:

• Dial *99 before dialing the fax number. It is also a good idea to include a “pause” or comma after the *99. Some machines will let you program this prefix to automatically dial.

• Set the “Baud Rate” to 9600. If the Machine does not have Manual Baud rate settings, it most likely makes Baud adjustments automatically.

• Turn on the “International Mode” to allow the machine to negotiate the transmission speed automatically

• Turn off “Error Correction Mode” to improve the success rate when sending faxes

• For machines that have both phone and fax capabilities, set the machine to “Fax Only”. This will enable your fax machine to automatically receive a fax. You will still be able to make and receive phone calls.

• Set the resolution to “Standard” (lower resolution)
  

For more information about these settings, please see your fax machine manual.

Configuring a Credit Card Machine
Most credit card machines are compatible with Clear Voice. These devices either have Ethernet ports for use over the Clear Home or Business Internet connection, or can be programmed to work over the Clear Voice connection. The best configuration is to plug the device into the Ethernet port of your computer or router. This configuration will give you the best transaction speed and reliability. If you do not have this option on your machine, you may want to contact your credit card machine vendor to see if they will upgrade the device to one that has an Ethernet port.

Credit card machines with an Ethernet port (IP based):

• If you are not using a computer or router, you can plug the credit card machine’s Ethernet cable directly into Ethernet port (yellow) on the Clear Voice Adapter.

• If you are using a computer or router, you can plug the credit card machine’s Ethernet cable into Ethernet port on your computer or router.

If the credit card machine does not have an Ethernet port:

• Plug the credit card machine into the Phone 1 port.

• Plug the phone into the credit card machine

• Program the credit card machine to dial *99 before each dial. You may want to consult your credit card machine manual or call the vendor to walk through the process. If you cannot program the device to include the *99 dialing prefix, you will have to dial *99 before each transaction.

Troubleshooting Hints

• The voicemail waiting indicator can cause interference with faxes and credit card transactions. You should pick up the phone and listen for the stutter dial tone. If you hear this tone, you should listen to your voicemail before sending a fax or processing the credit card.

• Outbound faxing to electronic fax services may not be compatible with Clear Voice.

• Because there are so many versions and variations, CLEAR will not publish instructions or a list of supported devices. For additional help and troubleshooting, check your fax or credit card machine manual or contact the manufacturer. You can also contact CLEAR Customer Care at 888-888-3113 and a dedicated Clear Voice representative can walk you through setting up your Clear Voice Service with your fax or credit card machine.

Feel free to leave a comment on any other tricks you may have found that could help someone else out with a problem with Fax or CreditCard machines.

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Posted By William Higgins to WiMAXATL at 1/14/2010 07:51:00 PM