asterisk users - Mar 2015 - Understanding the right way to get started with multiple trunks/extensions

Background: I dabbled with asterisk years ago, and more recently have
more-or-less functioning IncrediblePBX systems for experimenting, but
I want to understand more so I'm now working with distro packages
(Ubuntu) and hand edited configurations files.

I have three SIP "trunks", each providing me with a UK telephone
number. They are for my home (1), my wife's home-based bookkeeping
business (2), and for taking support calls on from work (3). For
"handsets" I only really have mobile phones running SIP/IAX clients,
although I might put a "real" desktop handset on my wife's desk at
some point.

The objective is that my wife picks up calls to (1) or (2), I pick up
calls to (2) or (3), and maybe a colleague might also pick up calls to
(3).

I can see how to do this with call groups, but I would like to be able
to see at the handset which trunk the call has come in on, which I
don't think I can do that way?

Or I could just set up multiple connections in the SIP/IAX client, so
each trunk has its own extension and we each connect to multiple
extensions as required. That has the added advantage of making the
voicemail relate to which trunk the call comes in on, which is also
more appropriate here.

However, the latter option "feels" wrong somehow and I haven't
found
any examples suggesting it's the right way to do things.

Also, I am keen to minimise battery overhead on the mobile phones - is
linking to multiple accounts is less efficient?

PS: Although I only really care about inbound calls at the moment, I
daresay I will want to handle internal calls at some point too,
although nothing stops me having dedicated per-user extensions as well
as per incoming trunk.

Mark
-- 
Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450
Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER

If you would like to set things up via the GUI on your incredible PBX, you
could use queues instead of call groups (making your SIP clients agents of
the appropriate queues), and in the queues configuration page there is an CID
Name Prefix option, which allows you to add a label that will show up as
part of the caller ID - so you will see it as the call comes in.

If, on the other hand, you want to achieve your aim through native
configuration files, you could add a line like:
exten => *home-number*,1,Set(CALLERID(name)=Home)
exten => *home-number*,n,*continue handling call as you were before*

This way, you will be setting the caller ID with a name label that can be
observed on the SIP client before answering.

All the best,

David



On 4 March 2015 at 11:53, Mark Rogers <mark at more-solutions.co.uk>
wrote:
> Background: I dabbled with asterisk years ago, and more recently have
> more-or-less functioning IncrediblePBX systems for experimenting, but
> I want to understand more so I'm now working with distro packages
> (Ubuntu) and hand edited configurations files.
>
> I have three SIP "trunks", each providing me with a UK telephone
> number. They are for my home (1), my wife's home-based bookkeeping
> business (2), and for taking support calls on from work (3). For
> "handsets" I only really have mobile phones running SIP/IAX
clients,
> although I might put a "real" desktop handset on my wife's
desk at
> some point.
>
> The objective is that my wife picks up calls to (1) or (2), I pick up
> calls to (2) or (3), and maybe a colleague might also pick up calls to
> (3).
>
> I can see how to do this with call groups, but I would like to be able
> to see at the handset which trunk the call has come in on, which I
> don't think I can do that way?
>
> Or I could just set up multiple connections in the SIP/IAX client, so
> each trunk has its own extension and we each connect to multiple
> extensions as required. That has the added advantage of making the
> voicemail relate to which trunk the call comes in on, which is also
> more appropriate here.
>
> However, the latter option "feels" wrong somehow and I
haven't found
> any examples suggesting it's the right way to do things.
>
> Also, I am keen to minimise battery overhead on the mobile phones - is
> linking to multiple accounts is less efficient?
>
> PS: Although I only really care about inbound calls at the moment, I
> daresay I will want to handle internal calls at some point too,
> although nothing stops me having dedicated per-user extensions as well
> as per incoming trunk.
>
> Mark
> --
> Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450
> Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER
>
> --
> _____________________________________________________________________
> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --
> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:
>                http://www.asterisk.org/hello
>
> asterisk-users mailing list
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
>    http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
>


-- 
[image: Digium logo]
*David Duffett*
Digium, Inc. ? Director, Worldwide Asterisk Community
6 Landscape Close ? Weston on the Green ? Bicester ? Oxfordshire OX25 3SX ?
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For some reason I didn't see David's reply by email, and have
copy/pasted the following from the list archives to make my reply,
sorry if that messes up anyone's threading.

On 4 March 2015 at 12:15, David Duffett wrote:
> If you would like to set things up via the GUI on your incredible PBX,
> [...]
I'm trying to avoid a GUI for now so that I learn something, but
knowing how to do it that way is appreciated, thanks.
> If, on the other hand, you want to achieve your aim through native
> configuration files, you could add a line like:
> exten => *home-number*,1,Set(CALLERID(name)=Home)
> exten => *home-number*,n,*continue handling call as you were before*
I haven't got my head round the syntax yet; will this retain the real
caller ID but add something to it, or will I lose the real ID?
>From your answers I take it that it is "better" if all users have
their own extension and I route calls to the relevant extensions as
required, rather than having users monitor multiple extensions. It's
what I expected but can I ask why? Is it a scalability or performance
issue, do I lose something by not doing it this way, or is it just
about doing things "right"?

With the above, what's the best way to handle voicemail? I would
expect anyone who could have taken the call to be able to access the
voicemail, and once one person has "dealt with" a message it's no
longer a new message to anyone else.

Mark
-- 
Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450
Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER

In the 'home-number' example that was provided the caller ID was being
replaced with the string 'Home'

It's easy to prepend the caller ID instead however.

Set(CALLERID(name)=Home-${CALLERID(name)})

You could even get fancy and set it based on what number was called, This
would prepend the CallerID with the last 4 digits of the incoming number
assuming that your calls come in to an extension that way:

Set(CALLERID(name)=${CDR(firstext):-4}-${CALLERID(name)})

There is no 'Best' or 'Better' way to handle extension and
voicemail
routing, It's all down to your preference as a programmer and your users.

Try things, Find what works best for you, The only thing you have to loose
is your free time and if you are like me you will have fun during the
process.

On Thu, Mar 5, 2015 at 5:54 AM, Mark Rogers <mark at more-solutions.co.uk>
wrote:
> For some reason I didn't see David's reply by email, and have
> copy/pasted the following from the list archives to make my reply,
> sorry if that messes up anyone's threading.
>
> On 4 March 2015 at 12:15, David Duffett wrote:
> > If you would like to set things up via the GUI on your incredible PBX,
> > [...]
>
> I'm trying to avoid a GUI for now so that I learn something, but
> knowing how to do it that way is appreciated, thanks.
>
> > If, on the other hand, you want to achieve your aim through native
> > configuration files, you could add a line like:
> > exten => *home-number*,1,Set(CALLERID(name)=Home)
> > exten => *home-number*,n,*continue handling call as you were
before*
>
> I haven't got my head round the syntax yet; will this retain the real
> caller ID but add something to it, or will I lose the real ID?
>
> From your answers I take it that it is "better" if all users have
> their own extension and I route calls to the relevant extensions as
> required, rather than having users monitor multiple extensions. It's
> what I expected but can I ask why? Is it a scalability or performance
> issue, do I lose something by not doing it this way, or is it just
> about doing things "right"?
>
> With the above, what's the best way to handle voicemail? I would
> expect anyone who could have taken the call to be able to access the
> voicemail, and once one person has "dealt with" a message
it's no
> longer a new message to anyone else.
>
> Mark
> --
> Mark Rogers // More Solutions Ltd (Peterborough Office) // 0844 251 1450
> Registered in England (0456 0902) 21 Drakes Mews, Milton Keynes, MK8 0ER
>
> --
> _____________________________________________________________________
> -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com --
> New to Asterisk? Join us for a live introductory webinar every Thurs:
>                http://www.asterisk.org/hello
>
> asterisk-users mailing list
> To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:
>    http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
>


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program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
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