What would you like to see added in FreePBX 18?

FreePBX
,
17

You know what I want to see in FreePBX ? Basic things that clear up the constant irritations. AND, a bit more details to assist in troubleshooting. Free PBX is freggin awesome, but I sometimes get sooo irritated that the basic things are just overlooked.

We been using FreePBX since like version 14 or 15, and some of these have always been issues. When FreePBX is working, its great. But when we have to track down some issue, its stupid time consuming, even for basic problems and troubleshooting.

1) Sticking “remember” settings. I look at volumes of data and calls. Most screens revert to “10 rows” of data (Extensions, "Reports>Asterisk Info> Channels, Call Event Logging, Call Recording Reports, etc, etc) I am constantly changing it to view like 100 rows at a time or more. Have to leave the screen to go find and view something else, come back and I have to change that default from 10 back to 100. I want to set this 1 time in some setting someplace and never have to change that 10 default again, Its a constant time waster to have to constantly change that 10 value to something else that gives me a larger view.

2) More “complete” info in the screens. As mentioned above, having to leave one screen to go look at another. Right now to get basic info and do troubleshooting, we have to jump to sometimes 2, 3 or 4 different screens to get a view of basic things that are going on. Those 2, 3 and 4 screens essentially contain much of the same data, except 1 or 2 pieces are not present, and that is why we have to jump to another screen. Again, another time waster to have to constantly change from screen to screen

  • Extensions List - does not tell me if the extension is currently registered, that is a different screen under - Reports>Asterisk Info> Channels.
  • Reports>Asterisk Info> Channels does not tell me the name of the extension, only the extension number (resource)
  • Neither of those 2 screens shows me the last date and time it was registered, nor the IP address it was registered from.

In trying to troubleshoot why a particular person is not able to make calls and I have to use 4 different screens to find out, their extension (or list of multiple extensions they use), their name, if they are registered, when was the last time it was registered, and what IP address it registered from. That process, that info must be pretty universally needed. Build 1 screen with it or expand the existing ones to include it.

In several of those screens it would be helpful to be able to select additional fields that we want to look at, that are already contained in the data. :

  • Extensions List -
    • Show if the Voice Mail is turned on ? If so, Is the email address set up ?
    • When was the last date/time this Extension registered ?
    • What was the last IP Address it registered from ?
  • Include RING GROUPS as part of the extension listing, Its something I can dial, I want to see ring groups with the extensions as well because that is how I often group the ring groups and extensions.

3) Include REAL Help Info with those question marks, not just repeating what the field name is. Example :

4) Making a report of extension registrations :

  • Give me a list of extensions (screen already exists), is it currently registered or not and from what IP, let me CLICK on one of the extensions and then give me a historical view of every registration during a date range, and what IP address those registrations happened from. This would save some of us hours of hunting when we have a client that has an extension, but then installs a VoIP app on a new phone, or new device, and has multiple devices trying to register the same extension. Or why a certain clients keeps loosing their connections, oh beause their buildings IP Address keeps changing and its not whitelisted, or any other number of reasons why knowing what IP addresses they registered or failed registration from.

5) Show the systems current DATE and TIME on the screen or the menu bar at the top. All of these reports say when something happened, but if for any reason the systems time is off or set different - deliberately or otherwise - it makes it more cumbersome to figure out when something happened or why something happened. So far the only place I know of the see the systems date and time is in the “Time Groups” and “Time Conditions” configurations screens. We have several servers and some I have to keep on different time zones. Looking at a report and thinking “did this really happened 10 minutes ago or was that 5 hours ago ?” then having to jump to a different screen (again) to see the current time, is another waste of time.

6) Make a new report called “Call Path” Where you can go to the “Inbound Routes” click on a route and it shows you the full path of how a call can travel through the system. Yes, I know this can end up quite extensive.

Call Path Report :

  • DID : 808.xxx.xxxx > Announcements (Main Greeting) > IVR (HH Menu) (4) Options :
    • IVR Option 1 : Extension 125 (Sherry)
      • Voice Mail Enabled
      • FmFm Destination : Time Conditions
        • (True : Voice Mail)
        • (False : Extension 126 (Sherry’s Cell))
    • IVR Option 2 : Extension 150 (James)
    • IVR Option 3 : Announcements (Business Hours) (return)
    • IVR Option 4 : IVR (Support menu) (3 options) :

etc, etc, etc.

7) Make a new report, (or callable with credentials maybe) that can be launched and stay active that shows the BLF status of a listed / selected set of extensions and if they are online (registered) or not and if they are on an active call or not. This could be helpful for a switchboard operator or receptionist, and even for US when we have to reboot the system in the middle of the day for some goofy reason. I don’t want to kill off active calls, but again, I have to run to 2 different screens to find that info, and by the time I look it up some status may have changed.

Those are my first 7 off the top of my head. I have more, let me work on those. But the first 5 on this list would save me HOURS every month.