3CX phones system, multiple access points, no voice

[Angelos]

Hello All,

I am trying to use the 3CX phones system over local wifi system ( no internet ), I am using the Ubiquiti APs, when I tested it, when the phones are connected to the same AP, the phones rings and the voice quality is very good, no delay.

When the phones are connected to different APs the phones ring but no voice, sometimes i hear voice one way but there is a huge delay, even though the reception quality is very high.

thank you very much for your help.

 

[leejor]

Does the network use a single DHCP server, single router, or do the AP's take on some of this? Sorry, I'm not familiar with the Ubiquiti offerings.

 

[Angelos]

Hello Leejor, It is a single router connected to a swtich, the switch is also connected to multiple Ubiquiti APs, thank you very much

 

[leejor]

In theory, an/or multiple access point(s) on a network would behave in the same way as multiple ports on a router, only wirelessly, of course. They should have no affect on the data itself. Unless the APs have settings/options that introduce a problem, or (perhaps) are in such close proximity as to be causing some sort of issue when moving from one to another, then, they should not be the cause of a problem

Are you using the same SSID on all APs? Are they close enough that a device could be connecting with one AP then moving over to another without you being aware of that? Is each AP hard-wired back to a central router/switch, or are they connected to each other wirelessly, daisy-chained?

As I say, I'm not familiar with the Ubiquity product and what it is capable of. I have used multiple APs at one location but these were simply "dumb" units that were all wired back to a router. Each was assigned a different SSID so that users knew exactly which AP they were connected to.

 

[Angelos]

thank you very much Leejor, the APs are not in close proximity, It is the same SSID, no internet, this is a closed net workall APs are connected to the switch, the switch is also connected to a router and a computer, the computer is running the PBX server and the UniFi software ( the software which controls the APs) I think i am missing something in the 3cx PBX setting, since the voice quality and is excellent when they are connected to the same AP, but only the control channel ( sip, or ringing ) works when they are not connected to the same AP.

Thank you very much for your help I really appreciate it and i really need it.

 

[NickD_3CX]

Hi there, just so that we can get a better feel for the network setup you have and how you want to get it to work, you have the PBX at one location connected to a switch which also has an AP on it. The APs at the other locations are they meant to:
- Form a Wireless Bridge, meaning that at the remote locations you have desk phones connected to a switch and the AP?
or
- Work as Wireless Repeaters and the extensions will be registered on e.g. a laptop and running 3CX Phone client?

In either case, try enabling for all extensions the "PBX Delivers Audio" option, which is found in the Extensions Settings -> "Other" tab.

If still you can get the phones to ring but don't get/send audio it would be good to run a packet trace (like Wireshark) at both the PBX and remote location side to see if the RTP packets are being sent and received.

Also as you didn't clearly explain before, please confirm if the router yo mentioned is acting as a DHCP server for any device connected through any of the APs.

 

[leejor]

the computer is running the PBX server and the UniFi software ( the software which controls the APs)

I'm thinking that an incompatibility, with the current settings in the UniFi software, and how 3CX currently routes audio, is causing the issue. Hopefully Nicks suggestion works for you. I'm going to assume (perhaps wrongly) that UniFi facilitates the "handoff" as active uses move from one AP to another.

 

[Angelos]

I have a router, connected to the switch, from the switch there are 4 wired connections, 3 to APs ( each running to a separate location in the building ) and one connection running to the computer, the computer is running the 3CX server and the UniFi software which controls the APs, All APs have the same SSID. they don't form a wireless bridges nor repeaters just normal AP, the idea is to have WiFi covering the whole building with the same SSID, so that people with the 3cx app installed ( android ) will be able to call each other ( if this works we might buy the 4 line version of 3cx ).

when the phones are connected to the same AP it works fine, if different APs, with the same SSID, only rings but no voice.

I will try your fix and let you know

Thank you very much

 

[Angelos]

Hello all,

I contacted Ubiquiti customer service, and they were very helpful, what I did was, I checked an option called "Zero Hand off" this makes all the APs look like a single AP, you have to choose a single channel.

Now the system works, the voice is clear and there is no delay.

I have another question, is there a way to refresh the app once the mobile phone connects to the wifi, right now I am using an app called tasker, i made refresh the app once the cell phone connects to a wifi.

Thank you very much for your help and comments.

 

[leejor]

I have another question, is there a way to refresh the app once the mobile phone connects to the wifi, right now I am using an app called tasker, i made refresh the app once the cell phone connects to a wifi.

Are you using the Android App? If so, you will have to explain, in more detail, what you are trying to achieve (what's not working now). I had a quick look at the App you mention but fail to understand how you would use it with the 3CX phone, at least, I'm not certain that I would have a use for it..

 

[Angelos]

Basically, you have a regular android phone, you download the 3CX app from the "Play Store", then in the app you enter the user credentials ( Extension number, IP address, password , ...etc ), since the phone is connected to the WiFi to which the computer running the 3cx server is connected, now everything works, but, if I go out of range from the wifi for a while, then get into range again, the app doesn't refresh by itself.

 

[leejor]

if I go out of range from the wifi for a while, then get into range again, the app doesn't refresh by itself.

I have seen this happen, but there have also been times where I've walked out of a restaurant where I was using their wifi with 3CX connected, gone home, or to another location, and found 3CX to be connected there. (I do not normally make a habit of leaving wifi, or data for that matter, turned on when I'm not using it, if I remember.) So, there may be a couple of factors... whether or not the phones wifi is automatically re-connecting with the network, and, perhaps, the re-registration time, that is set in 3CX. You don't want the phone re-registering every couple of minutes, but you probably don't want it to wait for 30 minutes. The keep-alive option may play a role here as well.

If you find an App that works for you, then great, I'm just not yet convinced that it is needed, but, then again,I may be wrong.

Perhaps some other forum members can share their experience when moving between hotspots.