I have a Canon MX870. I can send faxes, but can not receive them. How do I receive faxes. Can I have a distinctive ring or do I need a dedicated line? I have Comcast Xfinity phone. I used to have a distinctive ring with my other fax machine when I had Verizon. The comast tech says they don't have distinctive ring and can only put in a dedicated line? The comcast tech is here now so I would like to avoid paying all year for a dedicated line just to receive faxes if I don't need one.
Already Tried: going to Canon.com and looking at their pdf "Selecting the Best phone line configuration to receive faxes". The diagrams make no sense.
Hi, I'm Matthew and I'd be glad to assist you.
You don't necessarily need a dedicated fax line. You can run the fax on an existing phone line with the right settings.
There are 3 reception settings on the machine: Telephone priority, fax priority and fax only. The first 2 are designed for a shared line. If the machine is set to telephone priority, however, you have to manually receive a fax... It won't on its own. Fax priority will automatically receive faxes but will take priority over the phone line. But you can change the ring to answer settings on the machine to adjust how soon the fax picks up.
There is a distinctive ring setting on the machine, as well... But the distinctive ring would have to be setup through the phone company.
A very helpful link is http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/printers_multifunction/office_all_in_one_inkjet_printers/pixma_mx870#Fax_Help
If you click "fax help", then select "help me choose the right setup mode and connection method." I hope this isn't the same link you've looked at, but it will walk you throught the setup procedure step-by-step.
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I have a cordless phone in the same room as the MX870. My base phone and answering machine can not be in the same room as my fax machine. My fax machine is directly connected to the phone jack in the wall. It looks like I need to also have a corded phone connected to the MX870 in the same room. Is this correct? So the connection would be: MX870 connected to phone jack in wall-----phone with cord connected to MX870?Comcast says that they can not give me distinctive ring number only a designated line. Why is that? I used to have one with Verizon.
Well, if you have a dedicated fax line you would not need a phone connected to the MX870. You can just plug the machine into the wall jack and set the fax on "fax only." Are you getting a dedicated line? I don't think you'll necessarily have to have a phone connected to the machine at all unless you want to set the machine to "Telephone priority."
Well, It might just be a matter of Comcast not offering the distinctive ring service. The machine is capable of using a distinctive ring.
I guess what I am trying to ask is: I have the MX870 connected to a wall jack only and can send but not receive faxes. What do I need to do to receive faxes. I do not want to spend $12/month for a dedicated line to receive a few faxes per year. From looking at the link on the Canon web site it looks as though I need to also connect a phone to the fax machine to be able to receive faxes. Is this correct? Is this all I need to do?
Yes... Connect a phone to the fax machine. Then, confirm the machine is set to "Tel Priority". To do so, follow these steps.
(1) Press the FAX button.
The fax standby screen will appear.
Confirm the current receive mode (A).
(2) Press the center Function button.
The Receive mode settings screen will appear.
(3) Select a receive mode, and press the OK button.
To receive a fax when in "Tel Priority mode" when the light is flashing:
You can set the machine to "Fax Priority Mode" as well... The machine will then automatically receive faxes but could possibly interfere with the phone line. Follow the same steps as above to select this setting.
If this information is helpful, please click the "accept button, as this is the only way the expert receives credit. Thanks.
Matt, Thank-you One more question--You said "you must pick up the handset on a phone that is connected to the multifunction" What is the "multifunction"?
I'm sorry about that... The "multifunction" is the MX870. To receive the fax when in "Tel priority mode" you have to use the phone directly connected to the machine. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be glad to help you. And please click the "accept" button if the info I gave you was helpful. We will still be able to communicate through this Q&A even after the answer is accepted so I can help you at any time. I hope this gets you up and running. Thank you.
Experience: Copier Service Technician