Telephone and Fax Problems

Site Map

Home > Troubleshooting > If You Are Having Difficulty with Your Machine > Telephone and Fax Problems

FAQs, Manuals & More

Telephone and Fax Problems

Telephone Line or Connections

Handling Incoming Calls

Receiving Faxes

Sending Faxes

Telephone Line or Connections

Difficulties	Suggestions
Dialling does not work. (No dial tone)	Check all line cord connections. Make sure the telephone line cord is plugged into the telephone wall socket and the LINE socket of the machine. If you subscribe to DSL or VoIP services, contact your service provider for connection instructions. If you are using a VoIP system, try changing the VoIP setting to Basic (for VoIP). This will lower modem speed and turn off Error Correction Mode (ECM). See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.
	(Available only for some countries.) Change the Tone/Pulse setting. See Related Information: Set Tone or Pulse Dialling Mode.
	If there is no dial tone, connect a known working telephone and telephone line cord to the socket. Then lift the external telephone’s handset and listen for a dial tone. If there is still no dial tone, ask your telephone company to check the line and/or wall socket.
The machine does not answer when called.	Make sure the machine is in the correct receive mode for your setup. See Related Information: Choose the Correct Receive Mode. Check for a dial tone. If possible, call your machine to hear it answer. If there is still no answer, check that the telephone line cord is plugged into the telephone wall socket and the LINE socket of the machine. If there is no ringing when you call your machine, ask your telephone company to check the line.

Handling Incoming Calls

Difficulties	Suggestions
The machine ‘Hears’ a voice as a CNG Tone.	If Fax Detect is set to On, your machine is more sensitive to sounds. It may mistakenly interpret certain voices or music on the line as a fax machine calling and respond with fax receiving tones. Deactivate the machine by pressing . Try avoiding this problem by turning Fax Detect Off. See Related Information: Set Fax Detect.
Sending a Fax Call to the machine.	If you answered on an extension or external telephone, press your Remote Activation Code (the factory setting is *51). If you answered on the external telephone, press the Start button to receive the fax. When your machine answers, hang up.
Custom features on a single line.	If you have Call Waiting, Call Waiting/Caller ID, Caller ID, Voice Mail, an answering machine, an alarm system or other custom feature on a single telephone line with your machine, it may create a problem sending or receiving faxes. For Example: If you subscribe to Call Waiting or some other custom service and its signal comes through the line while your machine is sending or receiving a fax, the signal can temporarily interrupt or disrupt the faxes. Brother’s ECM (Error Correction Mode) feature should help overcome this problem. This condition is related to the telephone system industry and is common to all devices that send and receive information on a single, shared line with custom features. If avoiding a slight interruption is crucial to your business, we recommend using a separate telephone line with no custom features.

Difficulties

Suggestions

The machine ‘Hears’ a voice as a CNG Tone.

If Fax Detect is set to On, your machine is more sensitive to sounds. It may mistakenly interpret certain voices or music on the line as a fax machine calling and respond with fax receiving tones. Deactivate the machine by pressing . Try avoiding this problem by turning Fax Detect Off.

See Related Information: Set Fax Detect.

Sending a Fax Call to the machine.

If you answered on an extension or external telephone, press your Remote Activation Code (the factory setting is *51). If you answered on the external telephone, press the Start button to receive the fax.

When your machine answers, hang up.

Custom features on a single line.

If you have Call Waiting, Call Waiting/Caller ID, Caller ID, Voice Mail, an answering machine, an alarm system or other custom feature on a single telephone line with your machine, it may create a problem sending or receiving faxes.

For Example: If you subscribe to Call Waiting or some other custom service and its signal comes through the line while your machine is sending or receiving a fax, the signal can temporarily interrupt or disrupt the faxes. Brother’s ECM (Error Correction Mode) feature should help overcome this problem. This condition is related to the telephone system industry and is common to all devices that send and receive information on a single, shared line with custom features. If avoiding a slight interruption is crucial to your business, we recommend using a separate telephone line with no custom features.

Receiving Faxes

Difficulties	Suggestions
Cannot receive a fax.	Check all line cord connections. Make sure the telephone line cord is plugged into the telephone wall socket and the LINE socket of the machine. If you subscribe to DSL or VoIP services, contact your service provider for connection instructions. If you are using a VoIP system, try changing the VoIP setting to Basic (for VoIP). This will lower modem speed and turn off Error Correction Mode (ECM). See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.
Make sure the machine is in the correct Receive Mode. This is determined by the external devices and telephone subscriber services you have on the same line as the Brother machine. See Related Information: Choose the Correct Receive Mode. If you have a dedicated fax line and want your Brother machine to automatically answer all incoming faxes, you should select Fax Only mode. If your Brother machine shares a line with an external answering machine, you should select the External TAD mode. In External TAD mode, your Brother machine will receive incoming faxes automatically and voice callers will be able to leave a message on your answering machine. If your Brother machine shares a line with other telephones and you want it to automatically answer all incoming faxes, you should select the Fax/Tel mode. In Fax/Tel mode, your Brother machine will receive faxes automatically and produce a pseudo/double-ring to alert you to answer voice calls. If you do not want your Brother machine to answer any incoming faxes automatically, you should select the Manual mode. In Manual mode, you must answer every incoming call and activate the machine to receive faxes.
Another device or service at your location may be answering the call before your Brother machine answers. To test this, lower the Ring Delay setting: If the Receive Mode is set to Fax Only or Fax/Tel, reduce the Ring Delay to the lowest ring greater than 0. See Related Information: Set the Number of Rings Before the Machine Answers (Ring Delay). If the Receive Mode is set to External TAD, reduce the number of rings programmed on your answering machine to two. If the Receive Mode is set to Manual, DO NOT adjust the Ring Delay setting.
Have someone send you a test fax: If you received the test fax successfully, your machine is operating correctly. Remember to reset your Ring Delay or answering machine setting back to your original setting. If receiving problems recur after resetting the Ring Delay, then a person, device, or subscriber service is answering the fax call before the machine has a chance to answer. If you were not able to receive the fax, then another device or subscriber service may be interfering with your fax reception or there may be a problem with your fax line.
If you are using a telephone answering machine (External TAD mode) on the same line as the Brother machine, make sure your answering machine is set up correctly. See Related Information: Connect an External TAD. Connect the external TAD as shown in the following topic: See Related Information: External TAD (Telephone Answering Device). Set your answering machine to answer in one or two rings. Record the outgoing message on your answering machine. Record five seconds of silence at the beginning of your outgoing message. Limit your speaking to 20 seconds. End your outgoing message with your Remote Activation Code for people sending manual faxes. For example: “After the beep, leave a message or press 51 and Start to send a fax.” Set your answering machine to answer calls. Set your Brother machine’s Receive Mode to External TAD. See Related Information: Choose the Correct Receive Mode*.
Make sure your Brother machine’s Fax Detect feature is turned On. Fax Detect is a feature that allows you to receive a fax even if you answered the call on an external or extension telephone. See Related Information: Set Fax Detect.
If you often get transmission errors due to possible interference on the telephone line or if you are using a VoIP system, try changing the Compatibility setting to Basic (for VoIP). See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.
	If you connect your machine to a PBX or ISDN line, set the menu setting of Telephone Line Type to your telephone line type. See Related Information: Set the Telephone Line Type.

Difficulties

Suggestions

Cannot receive a fax.

Check all line cord connections. Make sure the telephone line cord is plugged into the telephone wall socket and the LINE socket of the machine. If you subscribe to DSL or VoIP services, contact your service provider for connection instructions. If you are using a VoIP system, try changing the VoIP setting to Basic (for VoIP). This will lower modem speed and turn off Error Correction Mode (ECM).

See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.

Make sure the machine is in the correct Receive Mode. This is determined by the external devices and telephone subscriber services you have on the same line as the Brother machine.

See Related Information: Choose the Correct Receive Mode.

If you have a dedicated fax line and want your Brother machine to automatically answer all incoming faxes, you should select Fax Only mode.
If your Brother machine shares a line with an external answering machine, you should select the External TAD mode. In External TAD mode, your Brother machine will receive incoming faxes automatically and voice callers will be able to leave a message on your answering machine.
If your Brother machine shares a line with other telephones and you want it to automatically answer all incoming faxes, you should select the Fax/Tel mode. In Fax/Tel mode, your Brother machine will receive faxes automatically and produce a pseudo/double-ring to alert you to answer voice calls.
If you do not want your Brother machine to answer any incoming faxes automatically, you should select the Manual mode. In Manual mode, you must answer every incoming call and activate the machine to receive faxes.

Another device or service at your location may be answering the call before your Brother machine answers. To test this, lower the Ring Delay setting:

If the Receive Mode is set to Fax Only or Fax/Tel, reduce the Ring Delay to the lowest ring greater than 0.
See Related Information: Set the Number of Rings Before the Machine Answers (Ring Delay).
If the Receive Mode is set to External TAD, reduce the number of rings programmed on your answering machine to two.
If the Receive Mode is set to Manual, DO NOT adjust the Ring Delay setting.

Have someone send you a test fax:

If you received the test fax successfully, your machine is operating correctly. Remember to reset your Ring Delay or answering machine setting back to your original setting. If receiving problems recur after resetting the Ring Delay, then a person, device, or subscriber service is answering the fax call before the machine has a chance to answer.
If you were not able to receive the fax, then another device or subscriber service may be interfering with your fax reception or there may be a problem with your fax line.

If you are using a telephone answering machine (External TAD mode) on the same line as the Brother machine, make sure your answering machine is set up correctly.

See Related Information: Connect an External TAD.

Connect the external TAD as shown in the following topic:
See Related Information: External TAD (Telephone Answering Device).
Set your answering machine to answer in one or two rings.
Record the outgoing message on your answering machine.
- Record five seconds of silence at the beginning of your outgoing message.
- Limit your speaking to 20 seconds.
- End your outgoing message with your Remote Activation Code for people sending manual faxes. For example: “After the beep, leave a message or press *51 and Start to send a fax.”
Set your answering machine to answer calls.
Set your Brother machine’s Receive Mode to External TAD.
See Related Information: Choose the Correct Receive Mode.

Make sure your Brother machine’s Fax Detect feature is turned On. Fax Detect is a feature that allows you to receive a fax even if you answered the call on an external or extension telephone.

See Related Information: Set Fax Detect.

If you often get transmission errors due to possible interference on the telephone line or if you are using a VoIP system, try changing the Compatibility setting to Basic (for VoIP).

See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.

If you connect your machine to a PBX or ISDN line, set the menu setting of Telephone Line Type to your telephone line type.

See Related Information: Set the Telephone Line Type.

Sending Faxes

Difficulties	Suggestions
Cannot send a fax.	Check all line cord connections. Make sure the telephone line cord is plugged into the telephone wall socket and the LINE socket of the machine. If you subscribe to DSL or VoIP services, contact your service provider for connection instructions. If you are using a VoIP system, try changing the VoIP setting to Basic (for VoIP). This will lower modem speed and turn off Error Correction Mode (ECM). See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.
	Print the Transmission Verification Report and check for an error. See Related Information: Print Reports.
	Contact your administrator to check your Secure Function Lock settings.
	Ask the other party to check that the receiving machine has paper.
Poor quality of sent faxes.	Try changing your resolution to Fine or S.Fine. Make a copy to check your machine’s scanner operation. If the copy quality is poor, clean the scanner. See Related Information: Clean the Scanner.
Transmission Verification Report says RESULT:NG.	There is probably temporary noise or static on the line. Try sending the fax again. If you are sending a PC-Fax message and get RESULT:NG on the Transmission Verification Report, your machine may be out of memory. To free up extra memory, you can turn off Fax Storage, print fax messages in memory or cancel a delayed fax. If the problem continues, ask the telephone company to check your telephone line. See Related Information: Turn Off Memory Receive. See Related Information: Print a Fax Stored in the Machine's Memory. See Related Information: Cancel a Fax in Progress. See Related Information: Check and Cancel a Pending Fax.
	If you connect your machine to a PBX or ISDN line, set the menu setting of Telephone Line Type to your telephone line type. See Related Information: Set the Telephone Line Type.
	If you often get transmission errors due to possible interference on the telephone line or if you are using a VoIP system, try changing the Compatibility setting to Basic (for VoIP). See Related Information: Telephone Line Interference/VoIP.
Sent faxes are blank.	Make sure you are loading the document correctly. See Related Information: Load Documents in the Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). See Related Information: Load Documents on the Scanner Glass.
Size of the sent fax is different from the document size.	The machine may not detect the document size correctly for some documents, such as dark-colour documents and transparencies. Select the correct document size option according to the size of your document.
	The ADF document sensor may detect the wrong document size. Clean the ADF document sensor. See Related Information: Clean the ADF Document Sensor.
Vertical black lines when sending a fax.	Black vertical lines on faxes you send are typically caused by dirt or correction fluid on the glass strip. Clean the glass strip. See Related Information: Clean the Scanner.

Did you find the information you needed?