Push Problem

[Discovery87]

Afternoon all!

Haven't needed to post in a while so I guess that's a good thing? We have a chain of care homes where we are having problems. First we installed Yealink W73H's, they complained that they didn't cover every square meter of the properties. So we agreed to swap all of these out with Blackview BV5200 smartphones instead. These are all enrolled to Zoho MDM and all they can access is the 3CX Android app in kiosk mode (locked down). The care homes have decent wi-fi throughout.

They have complained that they are missing tonnes of calls, the logs back this up. Mon-Fri when the manager is in (using a Fanvil X4Uv2) then she picks up calls fine. However come the weekend when it is just the care staff (using the Blackviews) they are missing nearly every call. We thought it was just a few staff who we're ignoring their phones (have seen this before).

However upon further investigation, we have found that the incoming calls are intermittent. Both phones could be in the same room, on the same wi-fi and 1 will not ring. I have tried the following:

- Turned of 'battery manager' for 3CX
- Set 3CX from optimised to unrestricted.
- System Maintenance - App Manager - Autostart 3CX
- System Maintenance - AutoClean - excluded 3CX

I have also followed the 3CX Android Push Notifications troubleshooting article. Is there anything else we can do to get to the bottom of this? Why do the phones only ring now and then? Can anyone recommend either:

1. A better DECT option which uses multiple base stations (with roaming supported)
2. A better low-end smartphone they have used with 3CX and had a good experience.

Thanks!

 

[JohnS_3CX]

You definitely want DECT then - it's a very reliable solution if sized and deployed correctly, but the W73H is not really made to cover every square meter. It sounds like you need a professional DECT multi-cell solution where you can deploy multiple bases to cover the entire property.

You should probably look into Yealink's W90 Series which works with a main W90DM base that handles the traffic, and a bunch of satellite W90B units that are spread out to form a DECT radio multicell depending on how large or small you want the coverage to be. They all need to be networked into LAN, no wireless meshing around so keep that in mind. Same goes for the Snom M900 series and Gigaset N870. You can look into the manufacturer documentation to learn more.

 

[ThomB_3CX]

Have you tried temporarily using the app on the android devices whilst not in kiosk mode?
Kiosk mode can limit device functionalities, as well as background processes

 

[Discovery87]

You definitely want DECT then - it's a very reliable solution if sized and deployed correctly, but the W73H is not really made to cover every square meter. It sounds like you need a professional DECT multi-cell solution where you can deploy multiple bases to cover the entire property.

You should probably look into Yealink's W90 Series which works with a main W90DM base that handles the traffic, and a bunch of satellite W90B units that are spread out to form a DECT radio multicell depending on how large or small you want the coverage to be. They all need to be networked into LAN, no wireless meshing around so keep that in mind. Same goes for the Snom M900 series and Gigaset N870. You can look into the manufacturer documentation to learn more.

John, thanks for this, I was looking at this, the obvious hurdle being it is going to cost around 5 times more than a standard DECT package. We probably can't suggest using these for this particular situation as the client isn't likely to be willing to pay for it. However we are probably going to be insisting on this setup for all other care homes going forward in order to avoid the situation we are in now.

One question, the W90DM base that handles the traffic, does it also do the job of a W90B? e.g. if I need 2 base stations to cover the premises, could that be 1 x W90DM and 1 x W90B? Or do I need 2 x W90B?

Cheers

 

[Discovery87]

Have you tried temporarily using the app on the android devices whilst not in kiosk mode?
Kiosk mode can limit device functionalities, as well as background processes

No we haven't tried that actually, I am hol now but will pass this on to the team to try out. Thanks.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

The W90DM does not use any radio signals, the W90B bases do all the work when it comes to transmission.

With Snom M900 you can use a single base as I have used it standalone before and can confirm it works.

Best to look into the manufacturer documentation though, we don't really get deep into the multicell stuff so there could be a few "gotchas".

 

[Discovery87]

Have you tried temporarily using the app on the android devices whilst not in kiosk mode?
Kiosk mode can limit device functionalities, as well as background processes

@ThomB_3CX we have tried this for the last week and it didn't help. Thanks for trying though, we think it is an issue with this particular model 'Blackview BV5200'. We all use the 3CX Android app internally and have never had this issue.

Thanks @John C they have now accepted that a multi-cell is the way to go, so I now need to quote this. I would really appreciate any input from anyone re which multi-cells they have worked with and any pros/cons etc. These care homes are awkwardly shaped and laid out.

Cheers

 

[SweetAction]

@ThomB_3CX we have tried this for the last week and it didn't help. Thanks for trying though, we think it is an issue with this particular model 'Blackview BV5200'. We all use the 3CX Android app internally and have never had this issue.


Cheers

Try using the "Keep Alive" function of the Android App

 

[Discovery87]

Try using the "Keep Alive" function of the Android App

Hi Pal

Thanks for contributing but we tried this as well. This wouldn't be a viable solution anyway as you have to press this button every time the app re-starts. Bit of a point-less feature really.

 

[SweetAction]

Hi Pal

Thanks for contributing but we tried this as well. This wouldn't be a viable solution anyway as you have to press this button every time the app re-starts. Bit of a point-less feature really.

It helps you rule out Push Notifications as the issue.

It's possible this device doesn't have working push, in which case the app doesn't get woken up when a new call is happening. This keeps a constant open connection to the PBX.

If this causes the issue to disappear you now know the root cause of the problem. If it doesn't, you can rule out one more thing.

 

[Discovery87]

It helps you rule out Push Notifications as the issue.

It's possible this device doesn't have working push, in which case the app doesn't get woken up when a new call is happening. This keeps a constant open connection to the PBX.

If this causes the issue to disappear you now know the root cause of the problem. If it doesn't, you can rule out one more thing.

Totally agree with you pal. It would have been great if they just worked but we have now lost faith in these Blackview phones as an alternative to DECT. We are now quoting Yealink W90DM + W90B's instead.

 

[SweetAction]

Yealink W90DM + W90B's instead.

I mean this is the better option by far - DECT for wireless in a fixed area is always going to work better.

 

[Discovery87]

@SweetAction @JohnS_3CX by any chance wouldn't this be a better option as the client already has a robust full-covering wi-fi network? https://www.fanvil.com/linkvil/info/id/119.html

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Those are not currently supported, so haven't tested before.

I think DECT will be more robust though. The lower frequencies should in theory provide better coverage than WiFi

 

[Discovery87]

Those are not currently supported, so haven't tested before.

I think DECT will be more robust though. The lower frequencies should in theory provide better coverage than WiFi

I totally agree that the lower freq will go further but if somebody has already gone OTT with a top-end wi-fi network leaving no blackspots it would be much more cost effective (for us and the client) to use this existing kit rather than buy additional devices.

I imagine these wi-fi phones could be a game-changer going forward, we have to fit wi-fi anyway for all customers, would be great if one network could take care of the phones as well, rather than doubling up on radio signals/devices.

Are there any plans to get these tested/supported?

 

[JohnS_3CX]

May be evaluated at a later stage

 

[SweetAction]

I totally agree that the lower freq will go further but if somebody has already gone OTT with a top-end wi-fi network leaving no blackspots it would be much more cost effective (for us and the client) to use this existing kit rather than buy additional devices.

I imagine these wi-fi phones could be a game-changer going forward, we have to fit wi-fi anyway for all customers, would be great if one network could take care of the phones as well, rather than doubling up on radio signals/devices.

Are there any plans to get these tested/supported?

Obviously I am not 3CX, but 3CX won't even support Yealink T5x's that use the WiFi or DECT addon's (they do support them as a hardwired device) so it's probably unlikely they will support a pure WiFi phone