Fax technology has lived many lives, evolving continuously since its inception in the 1840s to adapt to businesses’ changing needs. In the age of the internet, however, online faxing through protocols like fax-over-IP (FoIP) has become a cornerstone of secure business communication.
Two leading methods for sending faxes over IP stand out: the T.38 protocol and the G.711 codec. Each offers unique advantages and challenges, making it crucial for businesses to understand which technology best suits their needs.
What is T.38 Fax?
T.38 is an innovative ITU-T standard protocol that revolutionizes the way we handle traditional faxes by enabling their transmission over IP-based phone systems and networks. By facilitating real-time support for Group 3 fax through modern VoIP technology, T.38 ensures that faxes can be seamlessly sent and received, effectively bridging the gap between old-school fax communication and cutting-edge telephony.
To send T.38 faxes over IP, the fax information is wrapped in UDP or TCP packets, while session initiation and management are conducted through SIP or H.323 signaling protocols.
What Are the Benefits of Using T.38 Fax?
- Smooth Fax Transmissibility: T.38 fax allows for the same fax transmissibility over internet protocol as traditional telephone networks, albeit with more advanced features.
- Reliability: It’s considered more reliable than PSTN faxing as it incorporates a backup, or redundancy, in addition to error correction and fax retransmission capabilities.
- Reduced Costs: This form of faxing is more cost-effective than sending faxes over traditional analog phone lines.
- Compatibility: T.38 fax also maintains compatibility with existing fax machines while being able to leverage the advantages of IP packet networks.
What is G.711 Fax?
G.711 is a standard set by the ITU-T for Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) of voice frequencies. It is known for its use of an uncompressed format that requires about 64 kbps of bandwidth. In the context of fax over IP (FoIP), digital fax data is converted into a PCM audio stream and transmitted as G.711 Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) packets.
When G.711 is employed, a FoIP device sends and receives these RTP packets, while the telecommunications provider (Telco) uses G.711 pass-through to manage the packet transmission. This pass-through method ensures that fax traffic is carried between gateways using the same uncompressed format as the G.711 codec, maintaining high fidelity and reliability in fax communication.
What Are the Benefits of Using G.711 Fax?
- Simplified Approach to Fax: G.711 offers a comparatively more simplified approach to fax than T.38, meaning interoperability issues are less common.
- More Cost Effective: The cost associated with a G.711 fax may also be lower than T.38 due to its ability to leverage voice data infrastructure.
Fax T.38 vs. G.711
When comparing Fax over IP using T.38 vs G.711, several key differences stand out. T.38 offers more advanced features and higher reliability due to its error correction and redundancy capabilities. It is ideal for businesses that prioritize fax accuracy and reliability.
On the other hand, G.711 provides a more straightforward and potentially more cost-effective solution, leveraging existing voice data infrastructure and offering fewer interoperability issues. Businesses that are already heavily invested in voice data infrastructure may find G.711 to be the better choice.
Faxination Offers Both T.38 & G.711 Fax Protocols
Faxination supports both T.38 and G.711 fax protocols with our FoIP devices. Our devices are designed to use G.711 as a fallback method when T.38 isn’t possible, while other fax devices can be configured to use G.711 as the preferred protocol, like Bfax and xCapi.
Faxination: The Next Generation of Fax
Overall, choosing between T.38 and G.711 fax protocols ultimately depends on your business’s specific needs and infrastructure. T.38 excels in reliability and advanced features, making it suitable for those who require precise communication. At the same time, G.711 offers simplicity and cost-effectiveness for businesses that can optimize their existing voice data systems. Understanding these differences will enable more empowered decision making when it comes to your business’s fax technology.
Get in touch with the Fenestrae team and learn more about Faxination’s various fax products and how they can streamline your business communication.
