I have four analog lines I need to keep for a little while. I want those analog lines to show up on the Sangoma phone as “Line 1, Line 2, etc”. I can’t seem to figure out how to do that. I’m not sure what to set the inbound route to from the vega, tried a vExtension and a normal extension route with a BLF on the sangoma but that didnt work. I know it can be done i’m just not selecting the correct inbound route or not selecting the correct button on the sangoma or both.
I’m not specifically familiar with Sangoma phones, but the general idea is to set up the programmable keys as line keys, each with a different extension number on FreePBX. There would be a separate Incoming Route for each line, sending the call to the corresponding extension. For outgoing, you would have a separate Outbound Route per line that matches the extension’s caller ID and sends it to the proper trunk.
However, your request is very unusual. Please describe your application. Do these lines represent different companies, departments or staff members, so it’s important to know which has been called? Do you need to select a specific outgoing line so the correct caller ID is sent?
Also, you only mention one phone. How are these calls handled (receptionist answers all calls and transfers them, ring group, queue, etc.)?
Im guessing you are looking for key system look alike features for your dahdi lines, if so, that’s not really feasible within the FreePBX ecosystem alone but see
http://www.asteriskdocs.org/en/3rd_Edition/asterisk-book-html-chunk/SLA.html
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Why do you want to do this? If the answer is ‘so I can tell what line the incoming call is using’, there are other ways to achieve the end result.
To require as little re-training as possible. Our current phone system is old not even voicemail enabled. So to limit the anxiety I’m trying to mimic how our current phones work. I don’t really care what line they come in but everyone needs to see the lines on their phone, pickup calls on “Line 1 or 2 or whatever” that are on hold. Answer lines when they ring, etc.
When I find myself in this type of cognitive space, I usually explain that the new system is much more efficient that the old one. Instead of people having to communicate which line or what button, we’re letting the new PBX handle all of that. Now, instead of having to know exactly what button goes with what number, the PBX does that for you and simply presents the calls using the simplest interface possible. It’s like going from running your own switch board to having an “Easy” button, where the phones work as the simplest expression of what we are trying to do.
If the old system, the people were the PBX (they answered the calls and routed them through a series of shouted commands and running around to tell people what was happening). In the new system, the PBX answers every call and helps to direct the call to specific people and specific applications to make the PBX work for them instead of them working for the PBX.
I understand that change can be scary, but this is one of those cases where doing it the hard way simply because it’s the way we used to do things defeats the huge advantages we are getting from the new system.
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This sounds exactly like what I’m trying to accomplish, sadly seems overly complicated and maybe not quite worth it. Even though I have not tested it I believe this would ultimately resolve my issue and I am going to mark it as such in case anybody else has the same crazy idea. Thanks.
Take a closer look to see what you are getting into. First, the linked article was written for analog lines connected through DAHDI, while yours are connected via a Vega FXO gateway. Next, it was written for plain Asterisk, while you have a FreePBX system. While you can of course write any dialplan code you like, if you also want integration with the FreePBX features, that’s a steep learning curve.
What kind of business is this (office, retail store, warehouse, etc.)? If the users are almost always at their desks, just set up BLF keys, which with one touch will transfer the call to the intended recipient. If they are away from their desks and you need to page (or yell) to tell them they have a call, program one or more BLFs as Park keys. The person answering can press a green Park button, which will put the call on hold and turn red. The recipient is paged and gets the call by simply pressing the red button. If you have enough traffic such that more than one call is parked at the same time, you may have to yell “Hey, Joe, Jane is calling on Park 2.”
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Oh I hear you loud and clear. If it was something easier and I was just missing it in FreePBX then that’s one thing, this solution looks like it would work but I agree it’s not worth going down that path.
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