Home > Technical Articles > Basic setup for sending and receiving faxes
After installing EssentialFax, follow these steps to get ready for sending and receiving faxes:
Start EssentialFax and click the Settings button. (same as File > Set Preferences)
Choosing your modem
At the Preferences screen, go to item # 1 to select your modem. You can use either method to select the modem, either selecting the communications port directly, or selecting the modem from Windows modem list. After selecting your modem, click the "Optimize settings for the selected modem" button.
That's it! This sets up the EssentialFax modem for sending and receiving. If you need to tweak the modem settings further, use the manual methods below.
Manual method to set up for fax sending
If you find you need to adjust your modem settings further for fax sending, go to the Sending section, part 1.
- For item # 4 to set the fax class for sending faxes. Unless you have a specific reason otherwise, you should choose Fax Class 1.
- For item # 5, we advise using a transfer rate of 9600.
- At item # 6, click the Help with Init Strings button and let EssentialFax assist you to choose your Modem Initialization String for sending.
Manual method to set up for fax receiving
If you find you need to adjust your modem settings further for fax receiving, go to the Receiving section, part 2.
- For item # 15 to set the fax class. Unless you have a specific reason otherwise, you should choose Fax Class 1.
- For Item # 16, we advise using a transfer rate of 9600.
Note: For certain USB modems made by Conexant or DELL, it may be necessary to use a transfer rate of 4800. If the modem answers incoming calls, but fails to establish a fax session and ends with a Fatal Timeout Error - then try using a transfer rate of 4800 for Item # 16. - At item # 17, click the Help with Init Strings button and let EssentialFax assist you to choose your Modem Initialization String for receiving. This should almost always be the same as item # 6 (fax sending).
The above should be all you need to get started with sending and receiving faxes. If you need further help with setting up your modem, please contact technical support and they will be pleased to assist.