FAQs & Troubleshooting

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a type of phone system that uses an internet connection instead of a traditional phone line.
 

Although your Brother machine does not support the use of VoIP, the receiving problem you are experiencing may not be related to your VoIP service. You should check your telephone line connection, paper feeding process, and machine functionality before making any adjustments related to the VoIP service.

1. Press the HOOK key on the Brother machine and listen for a dial tone.

    

   • If there is a dial tone, go to STEP 4.
      
   • If there is no dial tone, go to STEP 2.
      
2. Make sure your telephone line connections are correct.
   
   One end of the telephone line must be connected to the jack on the Brother machine labeled LINE.
   
   When using VoIP, the other end of the telephone line may be connected to a modem, interface box, phone adapter, splitter, etc. This is determined by your VoIP provider.

    

   • If the line connection does not require any changes, go to STEP 3.
      
   • If the line connection required a correction, press the HOOK key after connecting the line cord correctly and listen for a dial tone.

      

     • If there is a dial tone, go to STEP 4.
        
     • If there is still no dial tone, go to STEP 3.

    

3. Verify the date and time are displayed on the LCD.

    

   • If the date and time are displayed on the LCD, contact your VoIP provider for assistance with your telephone line connections.
      
   • If the LCD displays an error message (for example, "Paper Jam") or status message (for example, "Toner Empty"), refer to the solution for that message.
      
   • If the LCD is blank:

      

     1. Verify the power cord is connected to the AC power outlet and the Brother machine. If the power cord is connected to a surge protector or power switch, remove the cord from that device and connect it directly to the outlet to determine whether the blank display is related to the device or the Brother machine.
   Brother strongly recommends you connect your machine to a surge protector to protect it against power surges and lightning. In particular we suggest you use a surge protector that is compatible with both standard AC power cords and telephone line cords. Surge protectors equipped with telephone jacks will assist in insulating your Brother machine from any power surge that might travel through a telephone line.
   1. 2. Make sure your Brother machine's power switch is in the "on" position.
         
         If the machine is off, its LCD will be blank.
          
      3. If your Brother machine's display is still blank, try a different known-working electrical outlet at your location.
          
      4. If the display is still blank after testing your Brother machine on another outlet, please contact Brother Customer Service from "Contact Us".

    

4. Select the correct Receive Mode.
   
   The Receive Mode you select should be determined by the devices and features that are on the same telephone line as your machine.

    

   • Will you be using a Distinctive Ring number for receiving faxes? Go to STEP 5.
      
   • Will your Brother machine be used on a dedicated fax line? (Fax Mode) Go to STEP 6.
      
   • Will you be using the Brother machine on the same line as your telephone? (Fax/Tel Mode) Go to STEP 7.
      
   • Will you be using a telephone answering machine on the same line as the Brother machine? (TAD Mode) Go to STEP 8.
      
   • Will you be using voice mail on the same line as your Brother machine? Go to STEP 9.

    

5. Using a Distinctive Ring number:
   
   Distinctive Ring is a function of your Brother machine that allows a person with one line to receive fax and voice calls through two different phone numbers on that one line.
   
   Brother uses the term "Distinctive Ring" to describe this service, but telephone companies market it under a variety of names, such as Smart Ring, Ring Master or Ident-a-Ring.
   
   This service establishes a second telephone number on the same line as your existing telephone number, and each number has its own ring pattern. Typically, the original number rings with the standard ring pattern and is used for receiving voice calls, and the second number rings with a different ring pattern and is used for receiving faxes.
   
   • You must pay for your telephone company's Distinctive Ring service before you program the machine to work with it.
      
   • Contact your telephone company for availability and rates.

    

   To program your Brother machine to receive faxes using a Distinctive Ring number, follow these steps:

    

   1. Press the MODE key until the lights labeled FAX and FAX/TEL are both off.
       
   2. Press MENU, 2 (Fax), 0 (Miscellaneous), 1 (Distinctive).
       
   3. Press the LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW key to select Distinctive: Set.
       
   4. Press the SET key.
       
   5. The Brother machine will begin to play a ring pattern.
      

      There are four ring patterns available, and you should press the LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW key to select the one that matches the Distinctive Ring pattern assigned by the telephone company. You will hear each pattern as you select it, which should help you make the correct choice.
       

      These ring patterns are as follows:

       

      • Long-Long (this ring pattern is often called Short-Short by phone companies)
         
      • Short-Long-Short
         
      • Short-Short-Long
         
      • Very Long (this is the standard telephone ring pattern)
         
   You can only select one of these ring patterns at a time. If the ring pattern assigned by your telephone company is not listed, call your telephone company and request that they assign one of the selectable ring patterns.
   
   If you do not know the ring pattern assigned by your telephone provider, we recommend selecting ring pattern 1, Long-Long. This is the most commonly used ring pattern. If your Brother machine does not recognize this ring pattern you will need to contact your telephone provider to verify which ring pattern they have assigned.

    

   6. Press the SET key.
       
   7. Press the STOP/EXIT key.
      
      Distinctive Ring is now on.
       
   8. Go to STEP 10.
      
      After you have turned Distinctive Ring on, your Distinctive Ring number will receive faxes automatically. For Distinctive Ring to function correctly, you must keep the Brother machine in Manual Mode. This ensures the Brother machine will only answer the Distinctive Ring number and not interfere when someone calls your main telephone number.

    

6. Using a dedicated fax line. (Fax Mode)
   

   You should use Fax Mode if you have a dedicated fax line and want your Brother machine to automatically answer all incoming faxes. When using this mode, your Brother machine will automatically answer every incoming call with fax-receiving tones after a certain number of rings. In Fax Mode, you can make outgoing voice calls, but you cannot receive incoming voice calls unless you answer before the Brother machine does.
    

   You can use the Ring Delay setting to adjust the number of times your Brother machine rings before answering in Fax Mode. Your Brother machine's Ring Delay is set to 4 rings by default.
    

   To change your Brother machine's Ring Delay setting, follow these steps:

    

   1. Press MENU, 2 (Fax), 1 (Setup Receive), 1 (Ring Delay).
       
   2. Press the LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW key to select the number of times you want the line to ring before the Brother machine answers it.

       

      • You can choose 00, 01, 02, 03, or 04 rings.
         
      • If you choose 00, the line will not ring at all.
         
   3. Press the SET key.
       
   4. Press the STOP/EXIT key.
       
   Putting your Brother machine in Fax Mode:
   

   To put your Brother machine in Fax Mode, press the MODE key until only the light labeled FAX is on.
    

   Go to STEP 10.
    

7. Using a telephone on the same line as the Brother machine. (Fax/Tel Mode)
   
   You cannot receive voice messages on either voice mail or an answering machine when using Fax/Tel Mode. If you are using an answering machine on the same line as the Brother machine, go to STEP 8. If you are using voice mail service on the same line as the Brother machine, go to STEP 9.

    

   Use Fax/Tel Mode when your Brother machine shares a single line with your telephone. In Fax/Tel Mode, the Brother machine automatically answers every call upon completion of the Ring Delay unless you manually answer first. Ring Delay is the number of times the Brother machine and all telephones on the same line will ring before the Brother machine answers the call.
    

   • If the call is a fax, your Brother machine prints the fax.
      
   • If the call is a voice call, your Brother machine signals you to pick the calls with a double ring that is different from the phone company ring.

    

    

   You can control the amount of time your Brother machine produces the double ring through a setting called F/T Ring Time.
    

   • If you answer the call on an external telephone connected to the Brother machine's EXT jack and hear a beep every 3 seconds (automatic fax) or silence (manual fax), press the FAX START key on the Brother machine, wait to hear the machine respond (chirping sounds), and then hang up.
      
   • If you answer the call on an extension phone (telephone connected to a separate wall jack) and hear silence or a beep every 3 seconds, press *, 5, 1 on the telephone dial pad, wait to hear the Brother machine turn on, and then hang up.

    

    

   To change your Brother machine's Ring Delay setting, follow these steps:

    

   1. Press MENU, 2 (Fax), 1 (Setup Receive), 1 (Ring Delay).
       
   2. Press the LEFT OR RIGHT ARROW key to select the number of times you want the line to ring before the Brother machine answers it.

       

      • You can choose 00, 01, 02, 03, or 04 rings.
         
      • If you choose 00, the line will not ring at all.

       

   3. Press the SET key.
       
   4. Press the STOP/EXIT key.

    

   To set the F/T Ring Time, follow these steps:

    

   1. Press MENU, 2 (Fax), 1 (Setup Receive), 2 (F/T Ring Time).
       
   2. Press the UP OR DOWN ARROW key to select the amount of time you want the Brother machine to double ring.
      
      You can choose 20, 30, 40, or 70 seconds.
       
   3. Press the SET key.
       
   4. Press the STOP/EXIT key.

    

    

   Putting your Brother machine in Fax/Tel Mode:
   

   To put your Brother machine in Fax/Tel Mode, press the MODE key until only the light labeled FAX/TEL is on.

    

    

   Go to STEP 10.
    

8. Using an external answering machine. (TAD Mode)
   
   

   In TAD Mode, your Brother machine can share a single line with an external answering machine. Your answering machine automatically answers every incoming call, but your Brother machine "listens" for fax sending tones while your answering machine's outgoing message is playing. If your Brother machine detects fax-sending tones, then it will take over the line and receive the incoming fax. If your Brother machine does not detect fax-sending tones, then the caller can leave a message on your answering machine.
    

   For TAD Mode to work correctly with your answering machine, you must connect your external answering machine to a telephone jack on the same line as the Brother machine or to the Brother machine's EXT jack.
    

   Brother recommends you program your answering machine to answer within 4 rings. If you are having problems receiving faxes in TAD Mode, try programming your answering machine to answer within 2 or 3 rings.
    

   - We recommend this because when faxes are being sent, fax tones are transmitted for approximately 35 seconds. If it takes your answering machine too long to answer, the sending fax machine may disconnect before your Brother machine can detect and receive the fax.
   
   

   Brother also recommends the answering machine's outgoing message be a maximum of 20 seconds with a 5-second pause before the message starts. End your outgoing message by giving your Fax Receive Code for people sending manual faxes. For example, "After the beep, please leave a message or send a fax by pressing *51 and Start."
    

   - We recommend beginning your outgoing message with 5 seconds of silence because your Brother machine cannot detect fax-sending tones over a resonant or loud voice. You can try omitting this 5-second pause, but if your Brother machine has trouble receiving, you should re-record your outgoing message with the pause included.
    

   Putting your Brother machine in TAD Mode:
   
   

   To put your Brother machine in TAD Mode, press the MODE key until the lights labeled FAX and FAX/TEL are both on.
    

   Go to STEP 10.
    

9. Using voice mail on the same line as the Brother machine.
   
   

   If you have voice mail on the same telephone line as your Brother machine, there is a strong possibility that voice mail and the Brother machine will conflict with each other when receiving incoming calls.
    

   For example, if your voice mail is set to answer after 4 rings and your Brother machine is set to answer after 2 rings, then your Brother machine will answer first. This will prevent callers from being able to leave a message in your voice mail.
    

   Similarly, if your Brother machine is set to answer after 4 rings and your voice mail is set to answer after 2 rings, then your voice mail will answer first. This will prevent your Brother machine from being able to receive an incoming fax, as voice mail cannot transfer the incoming fax back to the Brother machine.
    

   In order to avoid conflicts between your Brother machine and voice mail service, do one of the following:
    

   • Get Distinctive Ring service from your telephone company.
     
     

     Distinctive Ring is a service offered by telephone companies that allows you to have two different telephone numbers on a single telephone line. Your Brother machine has a Distinctive Ring feature that allows you to take full advantage of your telephone company's Distinctive Ring service. By setting up your Brother machine's Distinctive Ring feature, you can choose to use one of your two telephone numbers specifically for receiving faxes.
      

     Brother uses the term "Distinctive Ring" to describe this service, but telephone companies market it under a variety of names, such as Smart Ring, Ring Master, or Ident-a-Ring.
      

     For additional information regarding the Distinctive Ring feature, refer to STEP 5.
      
   • Put your Brother machine in Manual Mode.
     
     

     Manual Mode requires you to answer every incoming call in order to receive a fax. If the incoming call is a telephone call, then complete the call as you normally would. If you hear fax-sending tones you must transfer the call to the Brother machine by pressing *, 5, 1 on the telephone's dial pad. Unanswered fax and voice calls will go to your voice mail.
      

   Putting your Brother machine in Manual Mode:
   
   

   To put your Brother machine in Manual Mode, press the MODE key until the lights labeled FAX and FAX/TEL are both off.
   
   Go to STEP 10.
    

10. Do one of the following:

     

    • If you did not change your Brother machine's Receive Mode, go to STEP 11.
       
    • If you changed your Brother machine's Receive Mode, have someone send a fax to your Brother machine or have Brother's automated Fax Test Sheet and Product Registration system send you a test fax by following these steps:

       

      1. Do one of the following:

          

         • If you have registered your Brother machine's warranty, fax a piece of paper with the word TEST printed on it to 1-877-268-9575. Brother's automated Fax Test Sheet and Product Registration system will automatically fax you a confirmation sheet upon receiving your test fax.
      Make sure your Station ID information is programmed into your Brother machine before you send the test fax.

       

      2. • If you have not completed the Product Registration and Fax Test Sheet provided with your Brother machine's documentation and faxes it to Brother, go to STEP b.
            
      2. Fill out the warranty registration information and fax it to 1-877-268-9575. Brother's automated Fax Test Sheet and Product Registration system will fax you a confirmation sheet upon receiving your test fax.
         
         Brother's automated Fax Test Sheet and Product Registration system will automatically fax you a confirmation sheet upon receiving your warranty registration sheet.

          

         • If you receive the test fax, then your Brother machine is functioning properly.
            
         • If you do not receive the test fax, go to STEP 11.

     

11. Your Brother machine does not support the use of VoIP, and there are many environmental parameters that can affect fax reception over VoIP:

     

    1. Verify no other applications or computers are downloading files.
       
       While VoIP operates separately from the computer and they do not normally interfere with each other, the amount of data that can be transmitted from all devices on the system at one time is limited. If a fax is being sent or received and a computer begins downloading, it will consume bandwidth and could prevent the fax from going through.
        
    2. Do one of the following:

        

       • Have someone send another fax to your Brother machine.
          
       • Fax a piece of paper with the word TEST printed on it to 1-877-268-9575 to have Brother's automated Fax Test Sheet and Product Registration system send you another test fax.

        

    3. If you do not receive the fax, try receiving the fax at an "off peak" time.
       
       Faxing over VoIP is an internet application.
       
       If you have ever noticed a website that typically loads quickly taking a long time to load, then you have experienced network congestion. This can happen when you try to fax over VoIP. Data packets may get delayed, and since fax machines are time-sensitive, the transmission may time out. You may be able to avoid this by resending a fax later.
        
    4. Contact your VoIP provider and ask if they can optimize the network settings for fax transmission.