Hello FreePBX Gurus and Users,
I’m attempting to use FreePBX with Asterisk 1.8.13, both compiled from source on Ubuntu 11.10 x64 with a 1000hz kernel. I’ve also added the Endpoint Manager to FreePBX to help with configuring the phones themselves. The hardware we’re using is Polycom IP550 phones. The server is an AWS EC2 instance running in the free tier. I can post more on that if you guys like, just ask
I would like to use FreePBX along with some SIP trunks to effectively replace the service that we’re currently getting from a VoIP telephony provider, and one of the biggest requirements we have for the functionality of our phones is Shared Call Appearance. As it stands, I’ve read up on what I could about SCA from the various threads I’ve found in the forums, particularly this one. I’ve switched FreePBX from the default Extensions mode into Device and User mode, but upon rebooting the phones, I’m still having the problem where the last-registered device is the only one receiving calls to the extension (or user, I believe) that both phones have been assigned. I think it is worthwhile to add that the configuration files they’re using were generated before I made the switch from extension to deviceanduser mode.
Anyway, what I’m trying to get is a set of line appearances on the phones that looks like the following:
>> Main
>> Main
>> Main
>> 101
Where “Main” is a line/user that receives all of our incoming calls that are our published numbers, and “101” is a way to reach that particular phone for the purpose of transferring calls or dialing from one desk to another.
Using endpoint manager’s LineKeys setting inside of a template, I can get this particular layout to show up on the phones I’m testing with, but I can’t seem to get both of the phones to ring when Line1 is assigned to that “Main” user. Both phones can make calls as that user by dialing against the proper line appearance, but only the last-registered one will ring.
As much as I’d like to eschew the SCA model and move to something more-likely to work, such as using Ring Groups, we need to be able to forward the “Main” line over to a cell phone or something by using *72 from any of the phones, and also be able to disable call forwarding of that line from any other phone (not just the one that forwarded calls in the first place). In order to meet those requirements back when we had our hosted system set up, SCA was the only solution they could come up with, and reading here, it’s the only one I can come up with too. Furthermore, while SLA would theoretically work, I can’t put the phones into a situation where one person being on their own phone will “tie up” line appearances for other people… I’ve gathered from reading here that the majority of you seem to think that’s pretty dumb anyway
So! Can anyone attest to whether or not I can get this to work with FreePBX and Endpoint Manager? Do I need to write configuration files for the phones myself? Is it possible I’m doing something wrong? I’ll continue to tinker at this over the coming days, but any help offered would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Andrew Bobulsky