T44W picks up some config items from 3CX custom template but NOT the wifi settings

[caldwell]

On an Enterprise 3CX system, I have set a few custom config templates. In this instance, I have pointed a T44W phone to a custom template.

I know the T44W phone IS picking up the custom template, because I added a "screensaver" URL option, and the phone DID download the screensaver background and is currently displaying it. However, the phone will NOT load the WIFI configuration options.

To debug, I have gone into a T44W phone and saved the configuration file as a baseline. Then I only turned WIFI on (Enable) and saved the configuration. I then added a WIFI network and password and saved the configuration a third time. After running a Linux "diff" command, I see THESE as the only changes to the config file:

static.wifi.1.security_mode = WPA/WPA2 PSK
static.wifi.1.ssid = WMAPT-2270
static.wifi.enable = 1
static.wifi.1.password = [REDACTED]

If I add those lines to the custom 3CX template, factory reset the phone, let it reboot, and let it configure itself with the custom template, it appears to have ZERO effect. WIFI is NOT enabled, there is no SSID, and yet the custom screensaver IS loaded. So, again, I know that it is pointing to the custom template for its configuration.

I have even tried adding a "second" phone to the User account that points to the wifi MAC address of the Yealink. Still no change.

What am I missing or doing wrong here?

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Hi,

Since these are not settings that we support, it would probably be better to contact Yealink so they can advise.

They also have some documentation called the Yealink Administrator Guide V86.xx

However, do keep in mind that WiFi will never be as reliable as a wired connection (and router mode is not tested for WiFi) so avoid using it if you can find a way to keep it wired.

 

[caldwell]

Hi,

Since these are not settings that we support, it would probably be better to contact Yealink so they can advise.

They also have some documentation called the Yealink Administrator Guide V86.xx

However, do keep in mind that WiFi will never be as reliable as a wired connection (and router mode is not tested for WiFi) so avoid using it if you can find a way to keep it wired.

So after going through the Yealink support channels, opening a ticket, going back/forth, their official response is: "We don't think 3CX is passing those parameters to the phone."

I would have to concur at this point. I have created multiple custom templates. I've tried using those templates on a T44W, T54W, and (separate template) T58W. The settings below under the "WIFI" section of the SUPPLIED / MASTER template never get passed.

#######################################################################################
##                         Wifi                                                      ##       
#######################################################################################

static.network.wifi.preference = 0
static.network.wifi.static_dns_enable = 0
static.network.wifi.primary_dns=
static.network.wifi.secondary_dns=
static.wifi.1.cipher_type = CCMP
static.wifi.1.label = MainWifi
static.wifi.1.security_mode = WPA/WPA2 PSK
static.wifi.1.ssid = WIFI_SSID
static.wifi.enable = 1
static.wifi.1.password = ****

static.wifi.1.priority =
static.wifi.1.eap_type =
static.wifi.1.eap_user_name =
static.wifi.1.eap_password =
static.wifi.show_scan_prompt =
##V83 Add
static.wifi.function.enable =
##V84 SP4 ADD

wifi.enable = 1
wifi.1.label = Wifi_Nonstatic
wifi.1.ssid = Customer WiFi
wifi.1.security_mode = WPA/WPA2 PSK
wifi.1.cipher_type = CCMP
wifi.1.password = ***
wifi.1.priority = 2

Again, this is a section that already EXISTS in the template that comes with 3CX. I'm not creating anything new. The actual section at the end starting with "wifi.enable = 1" exists IN that supplied template.

But none of these phones ever (1) have wifi enabled or (2) even have a "saved" set of wifi networks to choose from that should be populated by these config items.

It seems that we need 3CX engineers or support to weigh in on this.

I'm not asking 3CX to debug a wifi network, I'm not stating that wifi is better than wired for VOIP, etc. etc. This customer has a need to have several phones that connect via WIFI due to their physical locations, and we simply need 3CX to PASS the supplied template parameters TO these phones so that they get configured automatically rather than having to physically touch each of them.

 

[caldwell]

Additional note: I've tried multiple variations of the wifi configs based on Yealink's master template configuration documentation. It's apparently acceptable to have

wifi.1.ssid = SSID1
wifi.2.ssid = SSID2
static.wifi.1.ssid = SSID1
static.wifi.2.ssid = SSID2

As noted, I've tried multiple variations trying to get it to work.

 

[caldwell]

As an update, there appear to be a swath of "sections" that are simply ignored/dropped/not included in the MAC_ADDRESS.cfg file which is created for each phone from the appropriate template. You can test this by downloading your phone's config at:
https://yoururl/provisioning/MAC_ADDRESS.cfg
where MAC_ADDRESS is the actual MAC of one of your current phones.

If you look at the generic yealinkT4x-*** template, it will contain a load of section which are encapsulated in the ### delimiters such as this:

#######################################################################################
##                         Wifi                                                      ##    
#######################################################################################

For some reason, 3CX does NOT pass all of those along into the actual MAC_ADDRESS.cfg.

HOWEVER, I decided to bypass using the "appropriate section" and simply put my WiFi parameters in the "## Network ##" section of the template because that section IS in the MAC_ADDRESS.cfg file for each phone.

Lo, and behold, the Wifi settings themselves WERE passed to the phone, the phone had Wifi enabled (since that was a parameter I passed), and it was connected to the Wifi network I was trying to connect to on the customer's network.

So, it's not that 3CX cannot pass these parameters AT ALL. It's that they are being dropped/ignored if they are in certain delimited sections, The "## Wifi ##" section being one of them.

I would suggest that this is a bug. If the 3CX supplied Yealink template contains, say, 50 delimited sections, then each of those sections should be passed to the phone's MAC_ADDRESS.cfg. Period. It's up to us to make sure we understand what the parameters do (check), not ask 3CX to SUPPORT our customizations (check), or complain if something goes awry (also, check). But NOT passing those sections along is problematic and should be fixed.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

Alas, you did not take my hint to read the Yealink Admin guide (and probably the support person at Yealink didn't either ).

Hint number 2: we generate 2 kinds of config files for Yealink phones.

The admin guide refers to them as <y0000000000xx>.cfg which appears first, and as <MAC>.cfg which you already know. The Admin Guide is the one ring to rule them all.

Bug claim rejected, back to the drawing board (and back to Yealink Support )

 

[caldwell]

I'm not sure which particular *part* of the guide you're referring to.

I'm familiar with the y00* files and have used them as "master templates" for an entire installation. I'm also familiar with MAC_ADDRESS.cfg files and have used them along with the y00* files since back in the Elastix days--over a decade ago.

What you didn't answer is why 3CX would ignore passing along items in the sections I noted which are part of the 3CX supplied Yealink template for the T4X series and T5X series phones. If you know, please just simply state that. No need to be cryptic. I think we're trying to share knowledge here, not hoard it.

As to "back to Yealink support," I'm not sure what you expect them to do. The Yealink phone will only pick up what is in EITHER the y00* file or the MAC_ADDRESS.cfg file. They're rightly out of the picture at this point since those parameters aren't being written to the MAC_ADDRESS.cfg file from a custom template that was created by editing the 3CX supplied template.

Help me out here. I'm obviously missing something from your perspective.

I've burned a 3CX support ticket on this and haven't gotten any more details from either direction. If there's super secret sauce for this burger, I'd like to know what it is, even if it's in plain sight and I'm just missing it.

 

[JohnS_3CX]

What you didn't answer is why 3CX would ignore passing along items in the sections I noted which are part of the 3CX supplied Yealink template for the T4X series and T5X series phones.

I don't think 3CX ignored those values, it's just that some stuff Yealink wants in the y-file and some in the cfg-file.

Purely as an example, here is my template edit, typed some arbitrary values there:


Generated a y000000000095.cfg for T53 now and it contained them:


If the phone understands them it will apply them (based on the Yealink Admin Guide)

The cfg file does not contain them, as they are outside the section of the cfg so they end up in the y-file.

Hope this makes more sense, not much more left to share.

 

[caldwell]

Thanks for the reply. Please note that I put those WIFI values in the custom template UNDER the "## Network ##" section, and they were written to the MAC_ADDRESS.cfg file where they should be.

The problem with putting them in the y00* config is that, IIRC, that is like the uber-config for the whole network (similar to the sip.cfg entries). These handsets are a small percentage of phones that will be in random places. Not every phone (high %) need to even see or know about the WIFI network for obvious reasons.

And, yes, 3CX -is- ignoring certain sections from the 3CX supplied Yealink template because...those sections just don't exist. It could be that 3CX is intelligently ditching anything that is in a section header ("## Name ##") which has null entries / no changes. But that doesn't explain why it just drops/dumps the "## Wifi ##" section which does NOT contain null items. And, as a reminder, it WILL include those same wifi custom entries if they are placed into the "## Network ##" section. According to the Yealink config--supplied by 3CX--that's not where the wifi settings are intended to go.

Has anyone who programs 3CX looked at this yet, either from my forum post or the ticket? It would be nice for one of those people to weigh in. At this point, I have a workaround by putting items that get ditched into another section, but that is problematic for all the right reasons.

 

[caldwell]

I don't think 3CX ignored those values, it's just that some stuff Yealink wants in the y-file and some in the cfg-file.

Purely as an example, here is my template edit, typed some arbitrary values there:
View attachment 45525

Generated a y000000000095.cfg for T53 now and it contained them:
View attachment 45524

If the phone understands them it will apply them (based on the Yealink Admin Guide)

The cfg file does not contain them, as they are outside the section of the cfg so they end up in the y-file.

Hope this makes more sense, not much more left to share.

Follow up question on this part where you said "generated a y000... config." How are you generating that config file? Manually?

I don't see 3CX generating that file.