Direct SIP outgoing

[Spidge]

I'm looking at setting up our servers to handle direct SIP, more for a test than anything really at the moment.

The server seems to be set up correctly - in the Network,FQDN section, 'allow calls to/from external sip URIs' is enabled, and the domain name added. All users were set up with a SIP ID, just in case.
I can make an incoming call (I'm testing with a 3rd party SIP client) to the windows or android client, though it doesn't ring at all in the web client.
None of the 3CX clients will allow me to make an outgoing call. Both the windows, web and Android clients all strip '@' and '.' from the address and just give the recorded message 'called number does not exist'.

It seems odd to have the feature on the server but not in the client, but that seems to be the conclusion at the moment. Am I missing something, or is this not possible?

 

[leejor]

While a set may have the ability (feature) to place direct SIP calls, I'm not certain that natively, 3CX can. You might be able to use the outbound rules, over a trunk, to one destination (IP).
You are not the first to attempt this and someone else may come forward with ideas.

https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/outbound-direct-sip-calls-fail.65492/

 

[Spidge]

That's what's weird, there's a whole instruction page about it here https://www.3cx.com/docs/direct-sip/ but it seems to be only half supported at best.

The second point says that it will send outgoing calls:

1. Enable the “Allow calls from/to external SIP URIs” checkbox – this is sufficient to allow a registered extension to make a call to some external SIP address through the PBX.

and then there's a whole lot of details about incoming calls and setting them up, which is a lot more involved, but does work really simply when I tried it.

I guess I'd need to try a different client to see if the server allows outgoing at all, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort to be honest.

 

[MHedish]

We've been trying to do the same but it just isn't supported. There are no issues receiving a direct SIP call. That works great. The problem is the anything other than 0-9 and a-z gets stripped. There's no way to have 3CX make an outgoing SIP call.

It does seem odd that direct SIP dialing is not only acknowledged but has documentation for incoming as well as the configuration for each extension yet it can't dial out.

 

[leejor]

If there were a limited number of destinations of direct SIP call you may be able to set this up in the outbound rules using a method much the same as speed-dial calls. I did something similar when using the now defunct 3CX Skype gateway. Since you could not dial a name, I just created a 3 digit speed call number to dial the name, that was in the outbound rules. I used 1XX as i don't have extensions beginning with 1. If you had a number of destinations at one, or several IPs, you should be able to create new generic trunks to those IPs. Don't require registration, it's obviously not going to work. I have not tried this myself, but you are simply telling 3CX to send a name, or number to an IP, in the rules. It is not going to work for everyone as you have to create a trunk for each IP you want to send calls to.

 

[Spidge]

Fortunately, we don't actually have a need for this at the moment. I don't think I'll even bother trying it out - it all sounds entirely believable, but there's no way it's going to work for anything practically.

Just turn it off and pretend it never happened, I think.

Thanks anyway.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Hi,

I think the article introduction makes it clear but here's the short version, for phones registered to the PBX:

• Webclient: No support for Direct SIP currently
• Windows Client: Only Incoming Calls Supported
• Mobile Client: Only Incoming Calls Supported
• Deskphones: Incoming and Outgoing Supported, if the phone itself can send the appropriate invite

 

[Spidge]

If the windows/mobile clients support it and the web client doesn't, does that mean that part of the traffic is avoiding the server for direct SIP calls? That would explain why it doesn't appear on the active call lists.

I wouldn't say the article is clear - it's implied information, but it could still be read either way even if you're actively looking for it. From this side of the answer, that part looks more like it's written to cover yourself against complaints than to be genuinely informative.
If the system advertises this as a feature, I think it's a fairly natural assumption that it's own clients support it.

It would certainly be very helpful to put the list you have above into the article directly, better to be clear up front.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

If the system advertises this as a feature, I think it's a fairly natural assumption that it's own clients support it.

I noticed you made the assumption, and hence provided clarification publicly about what the clients do and don't support to hopefully help clear the matter up

But I do agree, the article is a bit old now so it does not make things explicit for specific clients. If you have further questions I will try to assist!

 

[MHedish]

Hi,

I think the article introduction makes it clear but here's the short version, for phones registered to the PBX:

• Webclient: No support for Direct SIP currently
• Windows Client: Only Incoming Calls Supported
• Mobile Client: Only Incoming Calls Supported
• Deskphones: Incoming and Outgoing Supported, if the phone itself can send the appropriate invite

Yes, I concur the behavior you enumerate here is exactly the behavior I see. Apologies for not specifying that outbound SIP calls do, in fact, work from our Yealink desk phones. It's just that with CRM integration and now SMS, most find themselves in the Webclient and Windows client so, effectively, the feature is not there.

Clearly the backend has no issue processing the calls, in or out. Is there some reason this isn't on a roadmap for phones that aren't desk phones?

 

[JohnS_3CX]

I'm not aware of any particular reason to be honest and it may very well be on a future roadmap

 

[leejor]

If it is that important, to call random devices on the internet, bypassing 3CX, then I would certainly consider a phone, that is capable of doing this on it's own.
If the numbers you are calling are also a part of a VoIP network, but also happen to be accessible directly, then you might want to look into establishing a trunk to sipbroker.com. That would allow calling to many numbers, without incurring charges.