2 Grandstream gateways

[longhairr]

We have currently have 8 pstn lines going into a Grandstream 4108. I would like to add one more Grandstream 4108 to add another 8 lines for a total of 16 pstn connections. In testing I can get the second Gateway to receive calls to the correct phone but I can not get the dial plan to call out the correct gateway. I can set it to call out one of the current lines on gateway 1, but it will show the name of whatever port I have it call out, but at least it works. What I need to do is to get it to call out from gateway 2 so I can get it to go out the right port. So i guess the first question is....can you use 2 gateways? I have been searching and haven't found anything on this. I would think that tgis is possible. Hopefully I am missing something simple. Thanks!

 

[leejor]

You would have to add the second gateway as a completely different trunk group. Give it a different IP, but you can use the same port range (per trunk) as the first. In your outbound rules, you would add the second gateway as a second route option. To balance calls between the two, you may want to split calls locally by areacode, or even prefix, with the original gateway becoming the second choice route for some calls.

 

[longhairr]

It seems to be a outbound issue. But it doesn't seem to be an outbound rule. It's almost like the outside Dial Plan is the problem. I have tried to change that many different ways but still does not work correctly. I can receive calls on it (second Gateway) just fine. But when I call out it doesn't follow the dial plan as far as I can tell. if I set the dial plan for the phone to the other gateway (G1) it will dial out fine but shows up as whatever ext I used on the first gateway. I am using the "dial plan prefix" aspect to make this work. the default on Grandstream is 99 so each phones dial plan is 991,992,993 etc. so that it uses port 1 the 2 and so on. But when I get to port"9" it won't go there.

 

[leejor]

It's probably going to be 991, 992...again, but to the other (new) trunk group. Unless the prefix can be changed in the second gateway. would it allow 9910, 9911, 9912, etc? If so, it still has to "point" to the second gateway.

Try this..

If, for example gateway 1 is called GW1 and gateway 2 is called GW2. Each gateway should be set-up in an identical manner, the only difference should be the IP of the devices.

Some gateways allow (require?) you to select the particular line (trunk) that you wish the call to go out on with a prefix (that sounds like yours), some allow for "round robin" calling, using the next available trunk. If that is available, then, unless there is a reason not to use it, you may want to go to that method.

In the current outbound rule that uses GW1, change the route to GW2. Are you still able to place outgoing calls? They should be routing out over the second gateway. If that works, then change the first route to GW1 and the second route to GW2. Once all of the lines on GW1 are busy, the calls should then start using GW2. If your incoming calls are via a hunt group from your provider and the calls come in on trunks connected to GW1 first, then make GW1 the second choice in the outbound rules. That will leave those trunks available for incoming calls until GW2 is all busy.

Or, as I said earlier, you can create additional rules to "load balance" the two gateways based on areacodes or prefixes.