Hi there,
We currently have a FreePBX.
Most of our users are at one location, while others are at a remote location, which isn’t a problem with this setup.
The issue is that we have some users that are on the road and they also sit in office. While on the road they have a smartphone, and they need to be able to make and receive phone calls. On the receive side it isn’t a problem because I just forward their current extension with follow-me or something and it works great, problem starts on the dial out side, the user wants the caller ID to be his direct number or maybe the company main number, which we currently do with DISA, but it isn’t that comfortable cuz they need to be able to dial a number + password, then wait and then dial the actual number they want to dial.
I know there are some VOIP apps out there for Android and IPhones, but I don’t find it very useful because it requires a very good data connection which the user doesn’t always have.
Now the question begins… Is there a way to generate a call from a web browser remotely, or some type of app? Maybe a Google Voice type app (which generates the call)?
Generating a call back to the cell phone with the API is very simple. I have always wondered why someone doesn’t write the app. It would require a “listener” on the FreePBX and a small app on the phone to send the number on the listeners port.
It doesn’t exist that I am aware of, you would have to build it. As I mentioned Asterisk has a simple API called AGI. As you said a web page would work too, that would be even easier. There are AGI libraries for PHP and Pearl and I am sure others.
If you wanted to be sleazy the web page could just right an Asterisk call file out
What you are talking about is a variation of a web ‘click to dial’ which are common. There is a decent project here:
All of the dial stuff is in the /possa folder. Once AJAM has been enabled and user(s) configured on the PBX, and the sample config has been edited and renamed to possa/config.php you can initiate dialing from extension 100 to external number 555-1212 with:
http://<ip_address/path/dial.php?IN=sip/100&OUT=5551212
All that’s missing is the web form and security/authentication.
Thanks SkykingOH, > Where do I start searching for documentation on this?
And lgaetz, Is this something free?
Also, there is one Asterisk dialer app out there, but for some reason it doesn’t connect to the PBX, using AMI port 5038, where do I add the user in order to access AMI?
;
; AMI - Asterisk Manager interface
;
; FreePBX needs this to be enabled. Note that if you enable it on a different IP, you need
; to assure that this can’t be reached from un-authorized hosts with the ACL settings (permit/deny).
; Also, remember to configure non-default port or IP-addresses in amportal.conf.
;
; The AMI connection is used both by the portal and the operator’s panel in FreePBX.
;
; FreePBX assumes an AMI connection to localhost:5038 by default.
;
[general]
enabled = yes
port = 5038
bindaddr = 0.0.0.0
displayconnects=yes
[admin]
secret = amp111
deny=0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0
permit=10.1.128.0/255.255.255.0
permit=127.0.0.1/255.255.255.0
read = all
write = all
writetimeout = 1000
Oh, Before I forget, I did NOT create nor endorse that app. It does work great though!
Now, here’s my next question:
I see that I have to create permissions at manager.conf for the IP address i’m coming from, and as I said the users are coming from cell phones which don’t have a static IP, does anyone have a idea how to allow their specific phone and not unblocking a whole block at the same time?
I created an android app in just a few minutes using the MIT Android App Inventor http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/ , and pasted the HTML generated by the Schmooze Web Call Back module. I can then type in a number, click, and the call will be connected with my extension.