If you have AT&T DSL, you can get it to do four things at once. You can put your DSL line to work to feed a phone, a fax, an answering machine, an Internet connection, and even a credit card reader.

Here's why: Your DSL line is a phone line, too - like it or not. The DSL and the phone line are one. So, if you've got that phone line, you might as well put it to use. At home, if you already have a landline and you're not putting your DSL phone line to use, consider cancelling your existing line and porting (moving) the number to your DSL line.

But if you have a business you can do even more with this line. I was standing at Denny's the other day and noticed a fax machine and a phone and a credit card reader all in the same place. I thought, "If they're using DSL for their Internet, they should be using the associated phone line for the fax and credit card machine."

It's sad. I do this. Other guys are looking at the menu or the waitresses and I'm thinking about telecom efficiency. The DSM probably has a name for this affliction but it's unpronouncable. Like phonelinefficiencemiophobesia.

Daisy Chain
The nice thing about stuff like a fax machine or modem is they have an input AND an output. You can daisy chain something else like a credit card reader/printer to the output. And you can even connect something to ITS output - maybe a phone. When any of these items are functioning they discnnect whatever's on the output. So you have be careful that you don't, say, start sending a fax while someone's using the phone. If all these items are next to each other there's little chance of that since you can see all the units.

Inbound calls are less of a problem. A credit card reader probably doesn't take inbound calls so only the fax machine is actually going to automatically answer the line. If you expect inbound voice calls then you'll need to program the fax machine to not auto-answer.

Automating the Process
I love tech gadgets. One simple, cool one, lets you connect a fax machine and a phone and an answering machine to the same line but,in this case, they're all in parallel rather than series. When a call comes in, the unit answers. It listens for a fax tone. If it hears one, it rings the fax machine which does its thing. If it doesn't, it rings the phone. Cool. Examples:

http://express-press-release.net/14/Line%20Sharing%20Saves%20You%20Money.php
http://www.uscurrencyauctions.com/b00004z7h5_command-communications-comswitch-5500-3port-phonefax-modem.html

Some fax machines have this coolness built in. They answer the line and if there's a fax tone they just do their thing. If not, they ring the phone (etc).

Be Phone Ephicient and Double-up That DSL
Your DSL can easily pack a triple or quadruple punch by working as a fax, a phone, and if you are a business, even as a credit card reader. If you're already paying for DSL, put it fully to use!