Trying to find a good fax modem that works with SBS, good luck!

The old Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List has now been replaced by this thing called the Microsoft Windows Server Catalog. Why should I care you say?

One of the biggest problems that many face in SBS 2003 is the fax service and the fax/modems to use with SBS. Well if you try and go to the Windows Catalog and see if you can find a good fax modem to use with SBS you are in for a rough day. Just try and search for "fax" in the product search under external modems and guess what you get? Yep, nothing. Microsoft has got to do a better job when it comes to this part of Windows Server and SBS.

So here's what works and our story of implementation. At a non profit that we did an install for recently we ordered a new Dell server and had an extra USB external fax/modem that we thought would do the trick for the SBS fax service. Well we were sure wrong. The fax service didn't even recognize the modem and wouldn't do anything for us. Strike 1 (you know the baseball playoffs are on right now, right?). So we then got a nice internal fax/modem card that we thought would surely do the trick....nope, nada. It was recognized by the fax service but would drop calls and wouldn't complete a fax transmission. Strike 2 (I feel a Sammy Sosa whiff coming on.) So then we go to our trusted advisors in the SBS newsgroups and of course the problem has appeared countless times. The solution...go to eBay and order a Courier v.Everything external or Multitech and use it as it just plain works. Well we were a little skeptical but long story short, the stupid things works like a charm. (Also as a side note, the renown Brooktrout modems, although pricey, are champs as well.)

Guess I'll be getting familiar with eBay again as we get more new installs in the future. This shouldn't be the case and it shouldn't be this hard to get a stupid fax transmission out the door. Just another reason why if you don't have a Microsoft partner or knowledgable support at your beck and call you could just end up getting frustrated and striking out.