Needing help with PC faxing

[floridasun5]

Hi all....this is probably a stupid question, but Im not too literate on things like these, so please be kind :)

I am trying to figure out how to be able to fax through my PC to send and receive faxes. I currently have a wireless setup to a router and cable modem and also a wireless connection to a multi-function printer that is attached to a phone line where I manually send and receive faxes through. Due to increasing costs of the phone line for something I only use occassionally, I'm trying to figure out if there is anyway that I can get rid of the manual fax and phone line and fax through my PC somehow, using my cable modem?

So, my question is, do I absolutely have to have a landline phone hookup to be able to fax through my PC? I use a laptop and dont want to have to connect and disconnect a phone line to the back of it and I'd like to do away with my landline completely if I can. I know that my cable company also offers cable phone service, but its just as expensive as a regular landline through my phone company. Is there anyway to do this or am I just dreaming? LOL Thanks!

[cat5e]

If every one in the world would be set to fax through the Internet, then we would not need Fax machine at all.

However, this is not the case most places are Not set with Fax through the Internet.

Fax machines are built to work with pure Tel. line, thus there is No Fax per-se through the Internet.

So the people/office that you are Faxing to, have a Fax machine connected to the Telephone line. How your computer faxed material would jump in their office from the Internet to the Tel line?

There is an Internet Fax service. You send via the Internet your faxed material to the service and they have computers equipped with analog Tel. Modems that using the service's Tel. lines fax to the destination.

When using such a service you save on your own Tel. cost, but the service is not free.

Therefore, it is a matter off cost analysis. I.e. which way it cheaper.