Phone Calls Are Interrupted by Fax Tones

If Auto Answer is enabled, the HP fax will answer all phone calls when the number of rings reaches the value specified by the Rings-to-Answer setting.

Therefore, if voice calls will be received on the same phone line as faxes, you should set the Rings-to-Answer setting to 6 (the maximum value available) to minimize the probability that the HP fax activates at the same time (or just after) you answered a voice call over the same phone line.

If you do not want the HP fax to automatically answer incoming calls, either turn off Auto Answer from the HP All-in-One front panel to receive faxes manually (this may result in lost faxes) or subscribe to a Distinctive Ring service (if available) from your telephone service provider.

NOTE: Check the documentation and manuals that came with your HP All-in-One printer or HP fax to learn how to turn off Auto Answer.

Follow the steps below to check or change the Rings-to-Answer configuration:

1. Depending on the model, press Menu or Setup or Fax Setup repeatedly until Basic Fax Setup appears in the display.

2. Press Enter (or Start or OK).

3. The number of rings before the HP fax product answers will be displayed.

   • If Rings-to-Answer is already set to an appropriate number of rings, press Cancel or Stop or Stop Fax to exit the menu.

   • If the current number of rings is not appropriate, press the arrow keys to select the most appropriate value and press Enter or Start or OK.

4. Try calling to the fax line; if the fax interrupts the call try a different phone device to confirm the issue.
   
   NOTE: If a Distinctive Ring service is enabled in the line, contact your local phone service provider to check if that service is correctly configured.

NOTE:  Not all HP All-in-One or Fax models allow configuring Silence Detect. Proceed to the next solution if your model does not.

The Silent Detect setting is intended for fax devices that receive faxes from older, silent fax machines. Older fax machines were designed to operate phone lines that may not always emit a fax tone.

Therefore you should keep Silent Detect disabled on your HP fax device unless you are expecting to receive a fax from a very old fax machine.

NOTE: Check the documentation and manuals that came with your HP fax to learn how to disable Silence Detect.

Phone cables come in two types: those with two wires and those with four wires. HP fax products must be connected using a two-wire phone cable such as the cable that shipped with the HP fax. Using a standard four-wire cable can cause interruption of voice calls..

Check the fax/phone cable connector and ensure that you are using a two-wire cable.


 
If the cable connector has four wires or you cannot determine how many wires are in the cable, replace the cable with a two-wire one.

If there are other devices on the phone line, the device answering the call may not be the HP fax. Devices such as credit card machines or computer-based fax programs can also answer calls with tones.

Follow the steps below to check for this condition if there are other devices on the same phone line as the HP fax device:

1. Disconnect the power cord from the HP fax but leave everything else connected. With the power turned off, the HP fax device will not answer the line.

2. Have someone call the fax line. If the issue is intermittent, repeat this process several times.

3. If the call is interrupted, start turning off devices until the device that is causing the problem is located. If the faxing software on a computer is interrupting the calls, disable it or change its settings to prevent it from answering.

   NOTE: If necessary, contact the other devices’ manufacturer for assistance.
   

HP fax devices are not intended for working along with Voice Mail services. Every time Voice Mail activates, the call is answered at the phone company office resulting in faxes being missed or Voice Mail not taking messages.

Subscribe to a Distinctive Ring service if you need to use Voice Mail on the same phone line as the HP fax device.

NOTE: Consult your local phone service provider for details about this service.