Grandstream HT801 FXS no longer accessible in GUI after V18->V20 upgrade

[nexusis]

I've put off upgrading from V18 to V20 for months now, as it hasn't imported my working V18 config properly and my phones and FXS ended up orphaned. However after the recent email, it seems I have no choice.

Fortunately with Version 20.0 Update 5 (Build 551) my Yealink T58 are at least transferring as active devices.

However my Grandstream HT801 FXS transfers as a inactive device that I cant access within the GUI. It shows under the Admin->Advanced->Fax config menu (which apparently in V20 is only for Professional and Enterprise license holders, though in V18 it could be used on the free license as well). This disables the Add, Edit and Delete buttons, and the selection checkboxes, so I have no way to remove/edit the device.

How do I reactivate my FXS without buying a $1K license for the 3 devices I have? The cost is just not justifiable. I dont need a FAX Server - I need the FXS support I had under V18.

 

[fxbastler]

Hello @nexusis,

You should still be able to create the FXS - the ATA - yourself in the 3CX Standard (formerly free) and manage it rudimentarily, e.g. assign and use users. You can no longer assign other system extensions, i.e. FXS lines. At least that's how it is with us.

3CX support ends there. Everything you do further is not supported and you do it at your own risk.

I can think of three ways to change this: the 3CX Configuration API (xapi), using Powershell on the 3CX itself or modifying a backup. I hope I don't get hit by 3CX support if I suggest something like that

Using xapi and also Powershell on the 3CX you can display existing system extensions with everything around them and I'm sure you can change them (I haven't tried it yet). Everything is then live immediately. I don't know whether you can create a new system extension like this. You can definitely do it by changing an existing backup.

Regardless, I don't know where you live, where you could get a 3CX license from, or what your exchange rate is - but here in ol MidEurope a 3CX Professional 4SC license costs far less than $1k a year.

 

[nexusis]

You should still be able to create the FXS - the ATA - yourself in the 3CX Standard (formerly free) and manage it rudimentarily, e.g. assign and use users. You can no longer assign other system extensions, i.e. FXS lines. At least that's how it is with us.

But the HT801 is already configured and showing in the "FAX" configuration pane - however I can't delete/edit it from there as the GUI wont let me do anything on that page. I'm willing to bet that if I try to add it again (where? I dont know - the HT801 does not show as an available Phone type to add...) 3CX will complain about a duplicate MAC address.

Secondly - small WTF moment... for an extension that has no user, just a FAX machine, are we now required to set up a dummy user? Or is this just part of the work around of adding a FXS ATA box? Seems I'm going to have to spend some time on YouTube learning the V20 way of life

I can think of three ways to change this: the 3CX Configuration API (xapi), using Powershell on the 3CX itself or modifying a backup. I hope I don't get hit by 3CX support if I suggest something like that

I'm using a fresh Debian 12 ISO install of 3CX, so no Powershell - though in looking at the rather limited xapi docs, it seems that a linux version of DotNET is available to run the xapi. Still, the documented endpoints dont show API calls that I would immediately associate with adding/deleting extensions.

If I'm going to go this route, I'm going to need some examples... webpages... videos.. something.

Regardless, I don't know where you live, where you could get a 3CX license from, or what your exchange rate is - but here in ol MidEurope a 3CX Professional 4SC license costs far less than $1k a year.

I'm in Canada. According to the 3cx website, a Pro license with 16 sim calls (default) shows as $1190. With 8 sim calls, it drops to $555. Below that, its no longer Pro.

My SIP provider is also a 3cx reseller, and also echoes those prices. I haven't looked further for better deals.

However my SIP trunk is only 4 sim calls, so I dont even need the 8 call support (which is why I went with the Free/Standard option) but any way around it, with only 2 physical devices, and 3 incoming numbers, the math just doesn't work for a Pro license at any level.

 

[fxbastler]

@nexusis
Before I continue writing and post possible solutions (yes, there are), please tell me if it looks like this for you too:



Yes, we use custom FQDN, but that shouldn't matter.

FXS are added under Admin / Voice & Chat / + Add DECT / FXS, nowhere else. I can still add and remove ATA in this 3CX (see above). I just can't create new fax extensions in the 3CX management console or assign them to a line in the ATA. But there are solutions for that. Please write first what your license looks like.

Regardless of that, I still don't understand your calculation. You should be able to get a 3CX 8 SC Pro immediately and anywhere. If you have a Free / Standard now, then it can do more than enough. I don't understand why you are calculating with a 16SC Pro instead.

Likewise: if you ask a partner / distributor properly, you will probably get a 4SC Pro or be able to convert the existing 4 Standard to a Pro. That would be a little cheaper (but not much). It's just not possible to do it directly with 3CX anymore. Just ask them.

8 SC pro for new customers in Europe:

 

[fortech]

Hi nexusis, can you please briefly comment, what is the use case/situation here? ie, you have an HT801 and it has an attached fax machine(?) which you are using for inbound and outbound fax transmission (?)

I know I have a client on 3cx.v20.4sc who have a custom-grandstream-ata-unsupported client device linked to their 3cx / and the ATA is plugged to an old MFP_FAX_Scanner_Printer HP so they can do physical paper-to-fax transmission in old-school way, or to accept inbound faxes to the thing. It is all kind of ~gross but it works. I didn't get 3cx to do 'anything' with FAX I believe rather the inbound DID calls just dump onto the EXT/ATA in question. (* actually now that I think closely about this, I might not have the ATA talking direct to 3cx at all - it might just bind directly to VoipMS as a vanilla DID<>SIP client and not talk to 3cx. oops. sigh.) (In theory 3cx<>ATA manual link config should be similar possible though if 'necessary')

my preferred route generally is to just get a SIP DID FAX# with preferred supported carrier (ie, VoipMS for example)
don't link it to 3cx in any way.
just use the voipMS email-to-fax gateway feature to allow users to send outbound faxes by email a PDF attachment (propery formatted email...) to the 'email gateway address' that VoipMS provide to you . / train users on the workflow / and this is easy good reliable
and then for inbound fax workflow -> have the voipMS fax-to-email config deal with the fuss of "Convert the FAX into a PDF and send the email to [email protected] etc etc.

ie, I kind of get the feelng 3cx begrudgingly support fax things sort of kind of (this is 100% my take, unofficial observation) and really maybe they possibly feel the same way as me, ie, "gosh fax is such modern amazing tech, welcome to 1990" ?

(ie, I am a big fan of trying to encourage clients to move away from FAX, or use cleaner workarounds when it is mandatory requirement).

anyhoo. I think you can get a generic ATA config in place to have a fax machine work against 3cx-latest, if you need that.
I'm not sure at all that this is your situation.

Tim

 

[JohnS_3CX]

1. In V20 the FXS and DECT devices now live under Admin Console > Voice and Chat


This above is the equivalent for the old V18 FXS/DECT page



2. The FAX extension creation (an entirely separate thing in and of itself) lives under
Admin Console > Advanced > Fax

Here you can create FAX extensions, that you assign on your HT801 via point 1. above.