ADC - Analog-to-Digital converter
Address - The destination or origin of a message sent through/by an intelligent communication device.
Analog Transmission - A way of sending signal--voice, video, data,--in which the transmitted signal is analogous (similar to) to the original signal. A message is converted into electrical impulses that travel in the form of radio waves.
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) - A Standards-setting organization, which develops and publishes standards for "voluntary" use in the United States.
Application - A software program that carries out some useful task. Database managers, spreadsheets, graphics programs, word processors, and communication packages are all applications.
API (Application Program Interface) - This is a set of formalized software calls and routines that can be referenced by an application to access underlying network services.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information) - Plain, unformatted text files that can be understood by almost any computer.
Asynchronous Transmission - A method of data transmission which allows characters to be sent at irregular intervals by preceding each character with a start bit, and following it with a stop bit.It is the method used by most PCs to communicate with each other and when using modems. Asynchronous is used in lower speed transmission and by less expensive computer transmission systems. This is due to the fact of the drawbacks of asynchronous transmission. Two bits (the start and stop bits) must be added to every word. Also, there is no error checking. The user simply corrects his/her own errors. This is not impractical for larger more complex transmissions. Large systems and computer networks typically use more sophisticated methods of transmission such as Synchronous. See SYNCHRONOUS
AT Command Set (Also known as: Hayes Standard AT Command Set) - This is a language that enables PC communications software to get an asynchronous and "Hayes-compatible modem" to do what you want. It is the language that controls and configures your modem. It instructs your modem to perform a wide variety of tasks such as dialing when certain commands are entered. It is supposedly called AT because the commands get the ATtention of the modem.
Bain, Alexander - A Scottish inventor who patented the first successful fax machine in 1843. It was called a "Recording Telegraph" because it operated over the telegraph lines.
Bandwidth - The range of electrical frequencies a device can handle.
Bandwidth Compression - A technique to either reduce the amount of bandwidth needed to transmit a given amount of fax information or reduce the time needed to transmit a given amount of fax information in a given amount of bandwidth.
Baud Rate - The transmission speed of data over an analog phone line. Baud rate refers to the number of signals per second . It is often confused with bps, which is actually the number of bits per second (each signal can represent more than one bit of data). The bps is usually higher than the baud rate. For example, a 9,600 bps modem is, in reality, a 2,400 baud modem.
BBS - A central computer that callers can access via modem and read messages and download public domain software.
BFT (Binary File Transfer) - An approved standard method for transferring binary files (data files) via facsimile devices. In order to transmit Binary Files, the BFT protocol must be available on both ends of the transmission.
bps (Bits per Second) - A measure of the speed of fax or data transmission. The higher the bps the faster the transmission.
Call Group - A preprogrammed group of fax recipients entered into memory (possibly a phone book) for fax broadcasts.
Custom Cover Sheet/Page - The ability of some fax software to create your own customized fax cover sheet
Data Compression - A machine to machine type of shorthand that abbreviates long strings of bits of information that are all the same by substituting a predetermined code. The three types of data compression are Modified Huffman (MH), Modified Read (MR), and Modified Modified Read (MMR). Data compression results in a faster transmission time.
Dedicated Channel Routing (Multiple Telephone Numbers) - Faxes sent to one specific phone line (Line 1) are routed to one specific group (i.e. the marketing dept.) A second line might be routed to the sales department.
Delayed Transmission - A fax device feature that allows a document to be sent at a specific time (such as late at night when phone line rates are cheaper).
DID (Direct Inward Dialing) Routing - The ability for a caller outside a company to reach an internal extension without having to pass through an operator. Faxes can reach an end user's PC without anybody having to manually route the fax to them.
Digital Transmission - In analog transmission, the signal, along with all the other garbage it picked, is simply amplified. In digital transmission, the signal is first regenerated . the signal is reconstructed to what it was, identically. Then it is amplified and sent on its way. So digital transmission is much cleaner than analog transmission. The second major benefit of digital transmission is that the electronic circuitry to handle digital is getting cheaper and more powerful while analog transmission equipment, less and less, lends itself to the technical breakthroughs of recent years in digital.
Distortion - Irregularities in a received fax document due to problems occurring during the transmission of the fax. Most distortion problems are corrected with the use of the ECM in the fax device.
DNIS (Dialed Number Identification Service) - DNIS is digital DID.
DTMF (Dual Tone Modulated Frequency) - The sender enters the recipient's fax extension number after dialing the standard fax telephone number.
Electronic Mail (E-mail) Gateway - A gateway that allows e-mail programs to be integrated with fax software; allowing faxes to be sent straight from the network e-mail program, or received directly into it.
ECM (Error Correction Mode) - Encapsulated Data that provides the receiver with an opportunity to check for, and request retransmission of garbled data.
Fax (abbreviation for Facsimile) - The sending and receiving of exact duplicates of documents from one fax device to another through the switched telephone system.
Fax Board - A circuit board that is attached to a personal computer or workstation and is designed to transmit and receive facsimile documents.
Fax Broadcast - A fax feature that allows automatic transmission of a single document to several locations/recipients at one time.
Fax Mailbox - A fax mailbox is like voicemail for faxes. It is ability of a fax device to store a document into memory so that a caller can fax a document and have it stored in the memory for later retrieval by the owner of the mailbox.
Fax Modem - A combination facsimile machine/modem. It is a device that handles the conversion and transmission of information between a computer and a fax machine over the telephones lines.
Fax-On-Demand (also known as Fax Back) - The ability to have users dial into a computer and using just the touch pad on their telephone request specific documents be faxed to them.
Fax Server - A relatively high powered server that sits on a LAN, allowing for shared fax resources, and has one or more PC fax boards in its slots. The server allows for computer files to be transmitted as faxes to any fax device in the world. It also allows faxes from any fax device to be received and routed via some mechanism to an individual, department, or workgroup on the LAN. Faxes may also be routed for automatic printing.
Group 1 Facsimile - An analog facsimile device that transmits at a speed of about six minutes per document. It is the classification for early machines developed in the 1960's to the early 1970's.
Group 2 Facsimile - An analog facsimile device that transmits at a speed of about three minutes per document. It is the the classification for machines developed in the 1970's.
Group 3 Facsimile - The most common fax in the world today. This standard is supported by almost all of the current fax machines and fax devices and is continuously being updated.
Group 4 Facsimile - A standard for facsimile communications over digital telephone networks. This standard is more commonly used in Europe and Japan than in the United States.
Handshake - A method used by telecommunications and computer equipment to "introduce" two systems to each other. With fax, two fax devices use a handshaking protocol to identify the Group of each unit, speed, functions to be performed, and other transmission related information.
Hunt Group - A series of telephone lines organized in such a way that if the first line is busy the next line is hunted and so on until a free line is found.
Inbound Routing (also known as Received Fax Routing) - The method used to determine who should be the recipient for an incoming fax. Such methods include DID, DTMF, Cover Page routing, Dedicated Channel, CSID, DNIS, and OCR.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) - An all-digital switched public telephone network gradually being implemented by the U.S.and in other countries worldwide as an advanced alternative to the current analog telephone network. It enables the transmission of voice, data, and certain images over telephone lines through end-to-end circuits.
IVR (Interactive Voice Response) - A voice system that uses prompted remote touch tone signals and uses a digitized synthesized voice to "read" information to the caller such as in a fax-on-demand system.
LAN (Local Area Network) - A system that links computers together to form a network, usually with a wiring-based cable scheme. LANs connect PCs and electronic office equipment, enabling users to communicate, share resources such as data storage and printers, and access remote hosts or other networks.
Least Cost Routing - A feature that automatically chooses the "least cost" long distance line to the fax destination.
Modem - Acronym for MOdulator/DEModulator. It is equipment that converts digital signals to analog signals for transmission along media that carry analog signal. (i.e. POTS) and converts them back into digital for use by the computer. With the advent of digital lines came the digital modem, which doesn't actually modulate or demodulate signals but is merely responsible for their transmission over digital lines.
Modified Huffman (MH) - A Group 3 data compression method. The least efficient method of the three (MH/MR/MMR). It's a one dimensional data compression scheme that compresses data in a horizontal direction only. Allows no transmission of redundant data.
Modified Read (MR) - A Group 3 data compression method. MR can reduce transmission time by up to 33%. It's a two dimensional coding scheme for facsimile devices that handles the data compression of the vertical line and that concentrates on space between the lines and within given characters.
Modified Modified Read (MMR) - A Group 3 data compression method. MMR can reduce transmission time by up 50%. It allows faster image transmission through additional data compression.
Multi-tasking - Enables a user to receive a fax transmission, even if the fax device is copying, sending, or receiving a document.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Routing - A routing technique that scans the cover sheet for specific information and routes the fax accordingly.
PANS (Pretty Amazing New Stuff) - A term used to describe ISDN capabilities eventually to replace POTS
Queuing - A feature that allows users to to schedule faxes to be sent at a designated time such as late at night when phone calls are cheaper. Some fax devices have the capability to prioritize faxes which allows the user the ability to jump in line with an urgent fax.
Synchronous Transmissions - Transmission in which the data characters and bits are transmitted at a fixed rate with the transmitter and receiver synchronized. Synchronous transmission eliminates the need for start and stop bits.
T1 - A digital transmission link with capacity of 1.544 Mbps (1,544,000 bits per second). T1s can normally handle 24 lines, each digitized at 64 Kbps. T1 is a standard for digital transmission in the United States.
T.30 - This is the handshake protocol that describes the overall procedure for establishing and managing communication between two fax devices. There are five phases of operation covered: Phases A-E, which include call setup, pre message procedure (selecting the communication mode), message transmission (including phasing and synchronization), post message procedure (end of message and confirmation) and call release (disconnection).
T.30 Sub addressing - An automatic routing technique added to the T.30 protocol which allows fax devices to indicate the intended recipient of the fax during the handshaking process.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) - TIFF provides a way of storing and exchanging digital image data. Major scanner vendors developed TIFF to help link scanned images with the popular desktop publishing applications. It is now used for many different types of software applications including fax modem data transfers.
TAPI (Telephony Applications Programming Interface) - Intel's and Microsoft's method of integrating telephone services and computers, so that computers can control telephones. It supports such features as controlling dialing the telephone, transferring calls and displaying caller ID (and any info the computer associates with it such as a customers address or previous purchases.)
Transmission Speed - Defined by the number of bits per second. Most fax units on the market today support 14.4Kbps or 9600 bps transmission. The higher the number the faster the transmission will be sent. Units that support higher transmission speeds, will also support lower speeds. For example, units that support 9600 bps will also support 7200 bps, 4,800 bps, and 2,400 bps.
Transmission Time - The time for faxing a single page. The elapsed time between the start of picture signals to the end-of-message signal by the receiving fax device.
WAN (Wide Area Network) - Two or more LANs in separate geographic locations connected by a remote link.
Wink Start - A signal between two telecommunications devices (i.e. a PBX and the fax server) as a part of a handshaking protocol. It is a momentary interruption in SF (Signal Frequency) tone, indicating an incoming message (i.e. an incoming fax).