email to fax

[mbogersr]

I am using fusionpbx ver 5.2 and am trying to get email to fax working. I have the fax server set up to extension 7000 and am using the same email server credentials as is in the default settings under FAX. The email passes test when sending from email queue. I have outbound authorized email set and the subject [send fax] in the fax server under advanced.
If i send an email I am sending 7000@domainname.com with subject [send fax] 1xxxxxxxxxx. I set up a cron job and enabled it and activated it. I basically set up everything as is described in the documents but I cannot make it work. It works from the GUI and I can fax from a physical fax machine into it. I just can't get the email to fax to work. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[pbxgeek]

Hello @mbogersr,
Could you please clarify whether your inquiry pertains to FS PBX or FusionPBX? In FS PBX, we manage faxing in a distinct manner. After identifying several issues and limitations with the original FusionPBX faxing method, we redesigned our email-to-fax process in FS PBX. Rather than continuously polling the SMTP server for new faxes, which can be resource-intensive, we now rely on a push notification from the email server (currently integrated with Postmark) to initiate fax processing. This streamlined approach enables us to efficiently handle tens of thousands of faxes monthly.

 

[mbogersr]

pbxgeek, I didn't have FSPBX loaded and have never used it. I need to allow a customer to send and receive faxes. I don't particularly want them using the GUI in the PBX hence the need for email to fax. Do you have any step by step instructions or an example on how to set it up in FSPBX?

 

[pbxgeek]

It's very simple, actually. In your Postmark account you go to Servers->YourServername->Default Inbound Stream

There you need to set up inbound webhook to point to your FS PBX URL in this format:

https://your.fspbx.com/webhook/postmark

And then set up an inbound domain that will receive faxes. I recommend using a subdomain, for example,

fax.yourdomain.com

Postmark has a tutorial on how to set your MX records for the fax domain to forward to their servers. It's as easy as adding a few DNS variables. After that, any email sent to ANYTHING@fax.yourdomain.com will be forwarded to Postmark, and Postmark will send webhook requests to FS PBX.

Users will then send their outbound faxes to DESTINATION@fax.yourdomain.com (for example, 3101235050@fax.yourdomain.com). FS PBX will receive this email from Postmark and send the fax out using your fax dialplan and trunks.

 

[mbogersr]

It's very simple, actually. In your Postmark account you go to Servers->YourServername->Default Inbound Stream

There you need to set up inbound webhook to point to your FS PBX URL in this format:

https://your.fspbx.com/webhook/postmark

And then set up an inbound domain that will receive faxes. I recommend using a subdomain, for example,

fax.yourdomain.com

Postmark has a tutorial on how to set your MX records for the fax domain to forward to their servers. It's as easy as adding a few DNS variables. After that, any email sent to ANYTHING@fax.yourdomain.com will be forwarded to Postmark, and Postmark will send webhook requests to FS PBX.

Users will then send their outbound faxes to DESTINATION@fax.yourdomain.com (for example, 3101235050@fax.yourdomain.com). FS PBX will receive this email from Postmark and send the fax out using your fax dialplan and trunks.


View attachment 4594

Is it possible to use postal instead of postmark? I'm not needing a large volume of faxes for the test setup and postal is free.

Never mind...I see where Postmark has a free trial. Thanks

 

[pbxgeek]

I heard from other clients that the Postmark price recently increased significantly. You used to be able to get a $10/mo plan, and now it's a lot more. I'm looking for an alternative hosted solution. So far, I have found Mailjet, and I was thinking about implementing it.

I had never heard of Postal before, but it looks very promising. It does look like you have to self-host it, so it adds a bit of overhead. Nonetheless, some may be interested in doing it. If you have a working postal server, send me a private message. We can discuss adding it.