Phone ring is not coming through on my phone for the fax machine

There is excellent support here on basic fax setups. You have what is known as "Distinctive Ringing Service". There are pros and cons to the various setups. I assume you recognize the rings and answer only when the ring for the landline talk comes on. The fax will pick up the faxes, and the answering machine will pick up the voice.

Need model number of your fax - google that!

Service manual for your phone.

http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/KXTG7841-MUL.PDF
This link shows various configurations of setting up your phone/fax/answering machine or using an answering service.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&docname=c00059780#Dist_ring
Distinctive Ringing Service setup While it is not available everywhere, a distinctive ringing service can be purchased from most telephone companies. With this service, more than one phone number is assigned to the same phone line. Each phone number will ring differently. The main number will ring with a normal single ring and the additional number will ring with a distinctive ring pattern assigned by the phone company.
When a distinctive ringing service is used, set the Rings to Answer to 2 and then follow the steps below to set the distinctive ringing pattern:

1. Press Setup , press 4 , and then press 1 to enter the Answer Ring Pattern setup of the Advanced Fax settings.
2. Use the Right Arrow to scroll through the available settings. When the ring pattern assigned by the phone company displays (double or triple rings), press OK .

it's most likely the compression on the phone line or you need to set up your fax machine for proper receive mode.
Contact your phone service provider to see if they support faxes.
(Faxes cannot handle nearly as much compression as standard voice)

Distinctive Ring basicsDistinctive Ring service is an optional service available from many telephone companies. The Distinctive Ring service permits you to assign more than one telephone number to the same telephone line. Distinctive Ring allows you to use a single phone line for both voice and fax calls. You can assign a unique phone number and ring pattern for incoming fax calls. When a fax comes in, each telephone number makes a distinctive ringing sound, such as a single ring, double ring, or triple ring.
NOTE: The Distinctive Ring Service is the name HP and others use to describe this feature. Distinctive Ring is also known as:

• Call Sign
• Custom Ring
• Ident-a-Call
• Ident-a-Ring
• Ident-a-Ring
• Multi Ring
• Personalized Ringing
• Ringmaster
• Smart Ring
• Teen-Ring

The Distinctive Ring Service allows the HP product to work similarly to a dedicated fax line. If you connect an HP fax product and a telephone to one telephone line, you can assign one telephone number for fax calls and another for voice calls.
NOTE: You cannot send or receive faxes when the phone line is in use. Even if the HP fax product has a separate telephone number, it is still sharing the same phone line. Set the Distinctive Ring Service Using the menus on the product control panel, follow these steps to set a distinctive ring pattern. Step one: Turn on Auto Answer Turn on Auto Answer by pressing the Auto Answer button on the control panel. The button light indicates when Auto Answer is on.If the button light is already on, you do not need to press the button. Step two: Set the distinctive ring patternFollow these steps to change the answer ring pattern.

1. Press the Setup button ( ) on the product control panel.
2. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select Advanced Fax Setup , and then press the OK button.
3. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select Distinctive Ring , and then press the OK button.
4. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select one of the following options:
   • All Rings
   • Single Rings
   • Double Rings
   • Triple Rings
   • Double & Triple Rings
5. Press the OK button to select the option.
6. Press the Back button ( ) to return to the main menu.

Now if you have anymore problems copy the link from below and paste it in your address bar and it will help you further with a document. Follow all the settings in the document and your fax should be setup,keep in MIND THAT THE RINGS TO ANSWER SHOULD BE 2,SO YOU CAN RECEIVE FAXES AFTER TWO RINGS

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01647469&tmp_task=solveCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3795406

Do you have a distinctive ring tone? Distinctive ringtones tell your phone that the call is for your fax machine. You can call your phone service provider and get more details on the services they offer specific to faxing.

Good Luck,

Jesse

Did you get DSL service? You don't need anything except an ANALOG phone line.

You have to have either a dedicated phone line just for the fax --or-- pay your phone company approximately $2 a month for a service called Distinctive Ringtone. This service will ring a certain way when you have an incoming fax. You will then configure your fax machine to pick up when this distinctive rington is heard. The ringtone is usually two or three quick rings. Your fax machine's settings will have this setting.

Unfortunately, you can't just plug your fax machine into your phone line and start sending/receiving faxes. Look through your fax machine's manual regarding the distinctive ring service. Good luck!!

Thank you for specifing your connection>

When you have a shared fax line it is import to have a Distinctive Ring Pattern which will differenciate the type of ring patter to recieve voice calls and Fax message.
All You need to do is get a distinctive ring pattern from your telephone service provider (AT&T) and setup your fax machine as per the ring pattern provided by your service provider.

All you need to do is set your rings to answer in youe phone to Rings 4 in your Phone.

Then in the All-In-One Go to menu / Setup> Press the right arrow key and locate basic fax setup> Press Ok and set the Ring Pattern to Number 5 or 6> Press Ok and cancell to come to the main menu
Then in the All-In-One Go to menu / Setup> Press the right arrow key and locate Advance Fax Setup> Locate Distinctive ring pattern and set it to the ring pattern which your Telephone service provider has alloted i.e Single Ring, Double Ring or or Triple Ring (Whichever is applicable)> Nd press Ok and cancell to come to the main menu.

Then you will be able to receive fax message voice cals and voicemail without any interuption.

Good Luck

How to Set the Receive Mode (MF4140/MF4150)
1. Press [Additional Functions]. 2. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select [FAX SETTINGS], then press [OK]. 3. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select [RX SETTINGS], then press [OK]. 4. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select [RX MODE], then press [OK]. 5. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select the receive mode, then press [OK]. [FaxOnly]: Answers all calls as faxes and disconnects voice calls. [AnsMode]: Receives faxes automatically and records voice messages. [NET SWITCH]: Distinguishes between fax and voice calls. [FaxTel]: Switches between fax and voice calls automatically. [MANUAL]: Does not answer any calls. You have to manually receive faxes. NOTE: a. For [FaxTel] or [MANUAL], make sure the optional handset or an external telephone is connected to the machine. b. For [AnsMode], make sure an answering machine is connected to the machine. c. The [NET SWITCH] mode is available for certain countries only and requires subscription to a network switch service. 6. Press [Stop/Reset] to return to the standby mode.

here is the manual look for chapter 6 page 104

http://www.retrevo.com/search/v2/jsp/downloadPage.jsp?doc=ab7afe965f3f13c1eb17fc47e69d8294&q=Brother+FAX-2820