How to fax without a phone line

Last Update: August 9th, 2021

There are three ways to fax without a landline phone line:

1. An online fax service (a virtual fax machine accessed through the internet).
2. An enterprise fax server
3. Find a store that has a fax machine you can use.

Option 1 – Online fax service

An online fax service is a dedicated fax number that is hosted by a service provider.

Compared with fax software (or a fax machine), an online fax service offers the ability to fax directly from the Internet without a dedicated landline phone line in your house, as well as the ability to access or manage fax communications from anywhere you can access the internet.

Interfaces are very similar to a web-based email account (with the exception that you can send and receive faxes), and features such as faxing through email, the web, and integration with popular programs such as the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) are available.

Online fax services can also be combined with other devices – for example faxing to and from another computer, a tablet, or a smartphone through the same account.

For full details on online fax services, see our page on Online Faxing.

 

Option 2 – Enterprise fax server

An enterprise fax server is very similar to an online fax service. Instead of being hosted by a separate provider, it is hosted by an organization for use of its employees.

Enterprise fax servers are usually set up and managed by an IT department, even if an outside provider operates the fax server. They will still need central landlines to handle the fax traffic, however, this means that landlines can be routed to a central area instead of every floor of an office building.

Option 3 – Find a store that has a fax machine you can use

Many stores such as copy/print stores have fax machines that can be used by the public on a charge basis. We keep a list of places that commonly have fax machines on our page “where can I send a fax“