Polycom VVX500 won't provision, the URLs 3CX makes say 404 not found

[checkinyyz]

Hi everyone,

I can't get my Polycom VVX500 to provision at all. We have 3CX running on AWS using the PBX Express. Basically the issue I have is I go to my extension, then Phone Provisioning. I press Add and select the Polycom VVX 500 and enter the MAC address.

Under IP Phone, it has provisioning method: Local LAN (in the office) as the only option in the drop down. Obviously we aren't in the office, as this is running on AWS. Then there's a drop down "Select interface" which has our internal AWS IP 172.31 selected, and then makes the provisioning link http://172.31.X.X/provisioning/g02qz5blnlw9nz with X's to hide the actual IP. If I use this on the Polycom it just times out, and if you try to access that even in a browser it does the same thing. If I change select interface to our 3CX hosted FQDN, it changes the provisioning server to http://company.3cx.miami/provisioning/g02qz5blnlw9nz. If I use that, the phone says 404 not found as does a web browser.

Also all our websites are HTTPS not HTTP so not sure why the provisioning link is just HTTP or if that matters. I can't get this to work at all, am I missing something? Why can't I choose out of the office under Provisioning Method?

 

[eddv123]

Hi checkinyyz,

Polycoms are not supported for use with cloud systems, the method (STUN & SBC) won't work/provision the phones.

The only option you have would be to setup a VPN connection to your instance (as this is now supported on the platforms) and use DHCP option 66. I would not recommend trying any manual setup options.

https://www.3cx.com/sip-phones/dhcp-option-66/

It covers Polycom, you're only other option albeit un-supported is to get an SBC and set the phones up manually pointing their SIP registrar as the SBC itself.

 

[checkinyyz]

Thanks, I wish the PBX Express had actually said that when setting it up, as it is a bit strange to promote a cloud based PBX that doesn't actually work with phones! We used these first with RingCentral, then Rogers Unison which is Broadsoft, and then Iristel which is Broadsoft, all of which are cloud based systems. So seems more like it's 3CX it doesn't work with since they all worked great.

I already VPN into AWS but it's to another VPC. When using the PBX Express it never let me pick what VPC to use so it put it into the default VPC and doesn't seem like it can be moved.

Quick question you might know. When I set this phone up manually, any time someone calls it but you answer on the 3CX softphone, the Polycom just keeps ringing forever. We only use 3CX softphone but we have a Trio 8800 that won't work with 3CX, it does the same thing mentioned above and then drops calls all the time. So I was hoping to let the VVX500 auto provision and then check out its settings, but could this possibly be due to this?

Edit: I installed our VPN just in the default VPC as well and now it does work, the phone provisioned using the local IP as expected. Thanks!

 

[eddv123]

Hi Checkinyyz,

3CX does state that Polycoms have a limited feature-set here:
https://www.3cx.com/sip-phones/

Polycom and Broadsoft have the same sort of relationship as 3CX do with "preferred" handsets like Yealink, snom etc which is why you have this sort of experience with these phones and Broadsoft.

In answer to your question: the behavior you require for the phone and soft-client to work together in this way is CTI mode. The issue is that you need to have a "preferred" phone model for this to work.

With the Polycoms if setup via the provisioning file from 3CX then what you can get is a limited "make call" functionality. This would mean that the the soft-client would call the Polycom and you would then have to push a button to "Make" the call. You can still control the call from the client once connected.

 

[checkinyyz]

It's back to not working again unfortunately, it did provision but there's no audio which I always have happen when trying to access 3CX over VPN as 3CX see's my softphone IP as the VPN server's IP address. Will keep messing with it though.

To clarify, I don't want to be able to answer calls on the 3CX client and do anything on the Polycom. For my one user, the Polycom is provisioned as their IP phone, but they also have 3CX on their laptop. If a call comes in, both devices ring as expected, but if you answer it on the 3CX client, the Polycom just rings for 2-3 minutes before finally stopping. If I answer on 3CX then the Polycom should stop ringing. Whatever I did last night though seemed to stop that. I didn't really change anything which is weird but it seems like it is working again, so we'll see.

 

[eddv123]

If you are getting no audio have you tried enabling PBX delivers audio on the extensions? Does this solve It?

Go to Extensions - Options.

 

[checkinyyz]

Just tried it, same issue. It's weird as 3CX client works fine over the VPN it's just the Polycom VVX 500's that don't. They connect and provision and show presence and everything, but there's just no audio at all on any call. If I call my Polycom from my cell phone and then put myself on hold from the Polycom then I hear the hold music just fine on the cell phone.

Not sure if this helps narrow it down but to test it, what I did was on 3CX client I set the internal IP and external IP to our 172.31 IP address to force calls to connect locally over the VPN. Traffic shows it is going over the VPN as expected. However if I uncheck the "Use 3cx tunnel when out of office" option, then I get no audio. So that makes me think that even though 3CX is accessible via its local IP over the VPN, the 3CX client for whatever reason is still considering it "out of office" due to the fact that changing the "use 3cx tunnel when out of office" is either making audio work or not. If it was considering the connection inside the office, then changing the 3cx tunnel for out of office settings I feel like should have no impact on anything?

Is it possible to set the Polycom VVX500 to use the 3CX tunnel as well then if that seems to solve things?