By: Kurtis | Last updated March 20, 2020 
While it may seem surprising for some that a technology as old as faxing is still used in this day and age, the truth is that faxing is still needed. A lot of legal documents are still sent via fax. The only thing that’s changed, and drastically we may add, is the technology used to send/receive faxes.
Traditional faxing, based on telephony, is pretty much outdated. It is costly, fax machines are moody, they constantly need maintenance and fixing, you have to replace consumables on a regular basis and so on. But the internet has made it possible for another type of faxing technology to be developed. It is referred to in a number of ways: internet faxing, digital faxing, cloud faxing, web faxing, online faxing, virtual faxing, e-faxing and more. All these terms though describe the same thing: the technology of sending and receiving faxes over the internet, instead of using the PSTN.
Internet faxing explained. How does it work?
The beauty of internet faxing is that it works with or without a fax machine, which is why it is so widely popular. You can send/receive online faxes between computers, computers and a fax machine or between fax machines alone.
The first thing you have to do when you want to send faxes through internet is to sign up for an online fax service and receive your fax number that you’re going to use for sending/receiving the faxes.
Sending an internet fax is very similar to sending an e-mail. You go to your e-mail account, compose a new e-mail, but instead of typing the e-mail address of the recipient, you type in the fax number of the recipient. The format will be something like: [email protected]. Most online fax services accept all the common file types, including DOC, PDF, RTF, JPEG, PNG and more.
Benefits of internet faxing
- It is cheaper than traditional faxing
- You don’t necessarily require a fax machine to use online faxing
- It is easier to use than traditional faxing
- It doesn’t require as much maintenance as traditional faxing
- It is more flexible, you can send internet faxes from anywhere in the world where there’s an available internet connection
- It saves up space in your office because you don’t need to store bulky fax machines, paper folders and so on
- It is better for the environment because you save trees from getting cut for paper
RingCentral - one of the best internet fax services to consider
RingCentral is an internet fax service developed by a company in California. This is one of the most affordable services on the market and it is rich in features. It operates in 49 states and the district of Columbia.
Price. There are four plans to choose from: Fax750, Fax1500, Fax2500 and Fax Unlimited.
FAX 750 - the most basic plan, priced at $12.99/month. It includes 750 pages per month and web support. Phone support is not available with this plan, only with the other three.
FAX 1500 - it is priced at $17.99/month and includes 1500 pages per month and phone support.
FAX 2500 - it is priced at $49.99/month and includes 2500 pages per month
FAX UNLIMITED - this is their most expensive plan and it will cost you from $39.99 per month. However, you have to contact RingCentral’s sales team to get a customized offer. There is no limit in the number of pages you can send and this plan is the only one that includes 2 shared fax numbers instead of just 1, as it is the case with the rest of the plans.
RingCentral includes unlimited storage for up to 200 faxes, plenty of integrations, phone alerts for incoming faxes and and much more.
