I have an HP 2510 printer. I cannot use it to fax because once I plug the phone jack into the printer I get a busy signal. If I plug the jack into a phone, it works fine. How do I get the printer to hang up the phone line

Hi irwinbadin,

HP fax products are designed so that other telephone equipment can be connected on the same line as the fax. The unit must be connected first using a two-conductor fax/phone cable like the one that shipped with the HP product. Using a four-conductor telephone cable may cause problems receiving faxes or calls.

There are two different types of phone cables. There are two-conductor phone cables like what originally shipped with the HP fax product and there are four-conductor cables. HP fax products are designed to work with a two-conductor phone cable. Look at the end of the cable and verify that it has only two copper leads or wires. Replace any four-conductor cables with a two-conductor cable. Only two-conductor phone cables should be used to connect the all-in-one to the phone line.

Figure 1: The difference between a two-conductor phone cable and a four-conductor phone cable



Step one: Connect the phone line to the fax
The fax will have two or three sockets (or jacks) for phone lines. Some of these may have a removable plastic plug in them. These sockets will be labeled with text, To Wall Jack , or with a graphic of the wall jack. See Figure 1 below.

Plug the two-conductor telephone cable that came with the HP product into the telephone wall jack. Then, plug it into this socket as shown below.




In areas with above ground telephone lines and electrical storms (lightning), it is a good idea to purchase a telephone line surge suppressor and connect it between the telephone wall jack and the fax. This will help prevent damage to the fax from a lightning-caused power surge on the phone line.

Step two: Add other phone-line devices
To connect other telephone devices, use the other socket (or sockets) on the fax. These are identified by text or with a graphic of a telephone and/or computer.

Connect a caller ID unit between the fax and the telephone.
Use the information below that matches the devices you need to connect.

Fax and telephone
Connect a single-line telephone to one of the added sockets on the fax. The telephone will share the same phone line as the fax. See the illustration below.




Fax, answering machine, and telephone
When a telephone answering machine and telephone are connected, connect the answering machine to the fax and then connect the telephone to the answering machine as shown below.


Fax and computer modem
To use a fax and a computer modem on the same phone line, connect the fax to the computer modem. The modem socket on the computer may be labeled LI have an HP 2510 - reyjoshua07_9.jpg.




Fax, computer modem, and telephone
To use a computer modem and a telephone with the fax, connect the computer modem to the fax. Then, connect the telephone into the second phone line connector on the computer modem or the third fax socket (if it is available). The image below shows how to connect a computer and aI have an HP 2510 - reyjoshua07_10.jpgx with two sockets.




Fax, modem, answering machine, and telephone
The image below shows how to connect a computer modem, answering machine, and telephone to a fax. Connect the computer modem to the fax, then connect the answering machine to the computer, and finally, connect the telephone to the answering machine.
If the fax has three phone line sockets instead of two, some of the devicI have an HP 2510 - reyjoshua07_11.jpgd to the other phone socket on the fax.




Hope it helps.

Thank you for using FixYa.