How to use DID to call extension as well as DISA without going through Digital Receptionist

hi there, l am quite new to asterisk, I startedlast year with NV *@home 123 and now use his PIAF1.2 with *1.4 & FPBX 2.4.0

I got my first DID and set it up to ring my extension (I set it up on SIP trunk) and now I would also want to have DISA when I myself call in while I am outside in town (my * is @ home :slight_smile: )

currently I would ring my extension which wouldn’t be answered and in the end the call would go to my voicemail, I would like to preserve the simplicity when other people call in on DID my extension would start ringing but when I do call in I would like to have the ability to call other extensions and make calls terminated on POTS (I got trunks setup for that)

from exploring here, it looks as what I want is digital receptionist but it is hard for me to understand how to set it up and second I wouldn’t want to bother all the other people with extensions on my pbx to always have to go through IVR before being able to call other extensions and even if that would get in the way only for people who call in from outside using DID that still would be onerous, I talk about home setting where it would be too officious to be behind IVR

thank for help, I am not sure what to search for even if most likely I am not the first here to ask such question

When you call in with a constant callerid, e.g. from your cellphone, you could use “ex-girlfriend logic” in your dialplan.

e.g.
exten => 1111111/2222222,1,Goto(‘vandivx-special’,1111111,1)

Where 111111 should be replaced by your DID and 2222222 by the callerid of your cellphone

thanks, I will have to think about it and better even sleep on it, however it seems like those would be some lines to add to extension_custom.cfg (or what are those config files called) by direct editing them or what (as opposed using FPBX), that goes over my head, seems I don’t even pass exgirlfriend logic test LOL


I have just spent some time after posting tinkering with the followme and it now looks as if I don’t understand what DISA means

I thought ‘Direct Invard System Access’ means it puts outside line ‘caller in’ into a position as if one was on LAN where asterisk resides and picked up an extension - then he could dial another extension or make outside call over trunk, whatever

however in the FollowMe setup if I select to switch to another ‘followed’ extension after ringing the original extension for 15 seconds (which would give me chance to answer it if I am around) it rings that second extension for preset time and then because no one pick it up, it goes to => Destination If No Answer: where I selected the radio button next to DISA - this choice has roll down menu and my DID provider is only selection there and that puzzles me

I mean not that there is only one selection, I did make only this one DISA but what puzzles me is that DISA forces one into one choice, be it extension or a trunk, while I was hoping it would open up * and I could dial anything I please same as if I was at home where * and extensions are

to test it I use third extension to ring my own main one which I don’t answer, Followme then correctly passes the call to second extension which is set to ring only few seconds (or if is not registered at all, ie dummy extension, then it goes directly to fallback Destination if no answer) and then when nobody answers it, the Follow me goes to -> ‘Destination if no answer’ where I selected DISA and I get some dial tone and it asks me to ‘enter password followed by the pound key’

ok, I input the PIN that I have setup in DISA for that DID provider (seems like that is something illogical I did there, DID is number to call IN, not out…) followed by pound sign and get told that is not valid response of something like that

basically the problem is that in the Followme option Destination if no Answer: DISA again one gets to choose only one destination in that drop down menu and not FULL System Access which is what I thought DISA gives one, I could setup DISA for each of my extensions and trunks but then still I could only select one to use while I want to be in position to dial local extension or a number that will go to outside on trunk, whatever…

bottom line is I don’t know what DISA does, there shouldn’t be any DISAs to setup the way I understand it BUT there are, makes no sense to me, I mean System access means system wide access, not access to one extension at a time or a trunk etc.

I assume you have already made an inbound route for your DID number, which routes the call to your extension and voicemail.

Now create an IVR that lets a caller select DISA, or your extension, or even to pick up your voicemail (see http://www.freepbx.org/support/documentation/howtos/how-to-make-voicemail-accessible-from-an-outside-line ).

Then create a new inbound route, using the same DID as in your original route, but giving the Caller ID as your cell phone CID. Send it to your newly-created IVR. If you have additional numbers you call in from you can create an additional inbound route from each.

Now when someone calls your DID, if they are not calling from one of “your” numbers they will go right to your extension as they do now. However, when YOU call from your cell, FreePBX will recognize the Caller ID and route the call to your IVR, where you can select the DISA, or to check your voicemail (without waiting for several rings!), or whatever else you want to do.

Also, if you have particular system destinations you wish to get to, you can add them to the IVR menu as well. Not quite the same as being able to dial them internally, but you can make it very similar. Also remember that in an IVR you are not limited to single digit numbers, if you want to have 20 or 30 options you can number them 10 through 39 or whatever. But those options would normally be accessed through an IVR menu, not a DISA. A DISA is for making calls outside the system, so that if (for example) you use a VoIP provider that gives you really low rates to a certain area, while your cell phone provider gouges you on those same calls, you can dial into your FreePBX box and then use the DISA to make the call out using the VoIP provider you have chosen.

looks like I will have to wrestle with IVR after all, in theory is seems not difficult but opening the page in FPBX is different experience altogether, one doesn’t have a clue how to work it

I found around here this nice description of DISA which dovetails with what thought it is:

[quote] http://www.freepbx.org/support/documentation/module-documentation/extensions
DISA:
Direct Inward System Access
Used in PSTN to VoIP gateways
Allows you to dial in from outside to the Asterisk switch (PBX) to obtain an internal system dial tone. You can place calls form it as if they were placed from within the system. Normally this is accomplished by digital receptionist and enter the unannounced option number known only to selected callers. The callers enters the password followed by a ‘#’ sign, if it is correct he gets the system dial tone for an external call.
Do use DISA click on the DISA module and enter the following information in the new window.
DISA Name: PSTNtoVoIP
PIN: Password
Response Timeout: 10sec
Digit Timeout: 5sec
Caller ID:
Context: From Internal
Keep the rest of modules as default for simplicity.
DISA will work properly if you have setup your digital receptionist. You can enter the password followed by a ‘#’ sign and the number you wish to dial without waiting for the dial tone.[/quote]

I dislike sentences like this one "DISA will work properly if you have setup your digital receptionist. "

does that mean it won’t work properly without IVR being set up? kind of ambiguous piece of text, just what us beginers need, another ambiguity is that you can read into it that one can make calls not just via trunks to outside as you say, but any calls on the system which would include local extensions…

anyway, yes I have the inbound route and setting up DISA is very simple as far as that goes, its the IVR that I will have to study now, I hope there is way to get by without having to record in some voice prompts as I am not good at it