Troubleshooting Internet Fax
Table of Contents
Prerequisites Before You Resend Error Message Reference Common Scenarios The recipient uses an internet phone line The fax number has changed or is out of service The fax line goes through a phone menu Fax keeps failing with no clear reasonPrerequisites
You must have an Internet Fax account. Internet Fax is a multi-user intended solution to send and receive faxes from within an email or web-based management system at faxlogin.ca
If a fax you sent through your Internet Fax account does not go through, you will see an error message in your fax history at faxlogin.ca. The system automatically retries 4 times before marking a fax as failed.
This section explains what each error means and what steps you can take to resolve it.
| 💡 Most fax failures are caused by issues at the destination, not your account. A quick check of the recipient's fax number and machine status will resolve the majority of errors. |
Before You Resend
Run through this quick checklist before looking up your error message:
- Confirm the fax number is correct, including the area code
- Make sure the recipient's fax machine is on and has paper loaded
- Check that your file is in a supported format (PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, TIF, and many others are accepted)
- Confirm the fax is within your plan's page limit (Internet Fax supports up to 500 pages per month)
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📞 Not sure if the number is active? Try calling it from a regular phone. If it rings through to a fax tone, the number and machine are working. |
Error Message Reference
Find the error shown in your fax details and follow the steps in the right column.
| Error Message | What It Means | What To Do |
| Line Busy / Busy (TP) | The recipient's fax line was busy. The system retried 6 times and could not get through. | Wait a few minutes and resend. Contact the recipient to confirm their fax line is available. |
| No Answer | The fax number rang but nothing picked up. The fax machine may be off or out of paper. | Contact the recipient to make sure their fax machine is on, plugged in, and has paper loaded. |
| No Remote Fax Device | The number answered but gave no fax tone. It may be set to voice mode rather than fax mode. | Ask the recipient to switch their line to fax-receive mode, then resend. |
| Remote Fax Aborted | A connection started but the receiving fax disconnected before the transmission completed. This often happens when the destination uses a VoIP phone line. | Ask if the recipient's fax machine is on a VoIP line. If so, request a traditional landline fax number and resend. |
| Special Information: No Circuit | The phone exchange returned an error when the number was dialed. The number format may be incorrect. | Double-check the number and resubmit. Try calling it from a regular phone to see if it connects. |
| Special Information: Intercept | A fast busy signal was received, indicating the number is likely no longer in service. | Verify the fax number with the recipient. It may have changed or been disconnected. |
| Failed Hangup: No Loop Current | Dead air was received when the number was dialed. No ring tone and no answer. | Call the number from a regular phone to confirm it is active. |
| Recorded Answer | An automated voice system answered. Fax cannot connect through a phone menu or auto-attendant. | Ask the recipient for a direct fax line that does not route through a phone menu. |
| Ringing, No Answer (T.30 Timeout) | The number rang but was never answered. | Confirm the recipient's fax machine is on and try again at a different time. |
| Failed Alerting: No Answer | Same as above. The number rang but no connection was established. | Retry or contact the recipient to confirm their machine is ready to receive. |
| Unknown Country Code | The country code in the number is not recognized. | Check the number format. Canadian and US numbers require a +1 or 1 prefix when dialing internationally. |
| Special Information: Vacant Code | The number is no longer in service. | Confirm the current fax number with the recipient before resending. |
| Failed Hangup: T.30 T1 Timeout | The number rang but was never answered. | Retry at a different time or contact the recipient to check availability. |
| Network Error | The number appears to be invalid. | Review the number for extra digits or formatting issues, then resubmit. |
| Unallocated Number | The number is out of service or cannot be reached due to a routing issue. | Confirm the number with the recipient. It may have been reassigned or deactivated. |
| Toll Free Restricted Area | The toll-free number being called restricts calls from certain regions. | Ask the recipient for their direct landline fax number as an alternative. |
| Unspecified | The system could not identify a specific failure reason. | Retry the fax. If it fails again, contact UnitedCloud support with the fax reference number and the date/time of the attempt. |
Common Scenarios
The recipient uses an internet phone line
If the destination fax machine is connected to an internet phone line rather than a traditional landline, faxes frequently fail or disconnect partway through. This shows up as a Remote Fax Aborted error.
Ask the recipient for a traditional landline fax number. If that is not available, their IT team can check whether their Hosted Voice provider supports T.38 fax protocol, which significantly improves reliability.
The fax number has changed or is out of service
Vacant Code, Special Information: Intercept, and Unallocated Number errors all indicate the number you dialled is no longer active. This is common when a business has moved or changed phone providers.
Contact the recipient directly to get their current fax number before resending.
The fax line goes through a phone menu
A Recorded Answer error means an automated system picked up instead of a fax machine. Fax transmissions require a direct line.
Ask the recipient for a dedicated fax number that does not route through an auto-attendant or receptionist system.
Fax keeps failing with no clear reason
If repeated attempts fail or you receive an Unspecified error, the issue may need further investigation.
When you contact support, please have the following ready to speed up the process:
- The fax reference number from your faxlogin.ca history
- The destination fax number
- The date and approximate time of the failed attempt
- The error message shown in your fax details
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📋 You can view your full fax history, including sent, received, and failed faxes, by logging in to your account at faxlogin.ca. |