VoIP newbie needs guidance

[Philip Ellis]

Hi

I'm new to VoIP and looking for some guidance, if you can help.
If it helps, I'm UK-based.

I currently have a single, normal telephone line coming into my house. I've created a 3CX system with their Debian ISO file and created a couple of extensions for test purposes. Rudimentary checks with the iPhone app show that these are working fine (with the limited configuration that I've done, so far).

My idea is that I use VoIP within my house and any external calls go over my existing line with its number presented as it does now. All calls coming into the house will use my existing number and ring on VoIP phones that I've yet to purchase.

Without spending thousands, I'm looking for recommendations/experiences that others have.

I think I need the following:

1) A box to interface 3CX with the outside world. From what I've read, I think a device with a single FXO port will do the trick.
2) A number of handsets - I have an office where a "normal" phone would be fine. i.e. it sits on the desk and stays there. For other handsets, I want to have them wireless so that they can be used anywhere in the house. If possible, I want all the handsets to be able to share a contact list which is stored in 3CX. Even better would be the ability to sync contacts with a MS Office 365 account but I think that's probably only available on the paid-for version of 3CX.

Is it possible to use kit that isn't on the 3CX hardware lists?

Can you help, please?

Many, many thanks in advance.

Philip

 

[Cjay]

Welcome to the world of VoIP, it's been keeping me entertained for a good time now.

It sounds like what you are trying to achieve it pretty much what I have implemented. My objectives were to implement VoIP throughout the house, but to make it look as much as possible like a standard BT line/phone (so as to keep the wife-friendly factor as high as possible). In my case the reasons for going VoIP rather using BT for outgoing calls were to minimize the outgoing calls costs by careful choice of outgoing routes (outbound rules) using Internet based SIP trunk providers. Doing this it is possible to get either free or low cost calls without the caller being aware of the 'behind the scenes' technology in use.

So to answer your immediate questions:
1) Yes - you need a PSTN gateway device with a FXO port. I use the Linksys/Cisco SPA-3102, but this is discontinued and not officially supported by 3CX (but that doesn't mean it can't be made to work reliably). There are other devices available that can work equally well, but if you want an official 3CX supported device then you are probably looking at something a little more expensive.
2) There's a fair choice of IP desk phones, your choice somewhat again depends on whether you want an officially supported device that can be directly provisioned by 3CX or if you are prepared to configure via the phones web interface (in which case almost any SIP phone can be made to work). The same is true for whether or not contacts are synced with the 3CX phonebook (I have 2 phones that will and 2 that won't!). As regards wireless handsets, there are a variety of devices - I have opted for a Gigaset DECT (rather than WiFi) based approach which again integrates pretty seamlessly but does provide a fallback to fixed PSTN if something goes wrong (something that a pure SIP based WiFi wireless device doesn't).

You can use any SIP compliant device if you are prepared to get your hands dirty and delve into the device web page configuration, for example only one of my devices will provision directly from 3CX!

One caveat, you must be using V15 if you downloaded the Debian version - I believe this is limited to only one Gateway/SIP trunk in the free version which regrettably makes V15 useless for me. Instead I am still using the Windows based V14 SP3 which does not have this restriction (but is instead limited to 2 simultaneous calls which is not a problem for me).

Hope this helps,
Chris

 

[Philip Ellis]

Hi Chris

Thanks for your words of wisdom and quick response!

Yes, I'm using v15 - I've no plans for multiple simultaneous calls so am happy with the Debian solution which I've got it running on a virtual machine inside my NAS device.

A couple of further questions, if you don't mind:

1) I guess that you're happy with the quality of the SPA-3102, otherwise you'd have found an alternative. Am I right? A quick Google reveals that some SPA-3102's are available and I'm keen to set off with tried and tested products, if possible.

2) I don't mind getting my hands dirty at all - I'm a techie, at heart, so
- can you elaborate on the phone models that you are using, please?
- which are the ones that integrate with the 3CX phonebook?
- which is the one that can be provisioned from within 3CX?

Thanks.

Philip

 

[Cjay]

Philip,

No complaints with SPA-3102, been using it for years without problem. However it is now discontinued so you might want to try and source a more recent device (unless you can find a working SPA3102 at a very attractive price!)

I have a random mix 'n match of phones reflecting the last 9 years of VoIP. The only phone I have that seems to provision properly is a Yealink T26P [Didn't specifically choose this model, just happened to be available @ £29.99, so I couldn't resist...!!]. Also running a GS GXP-2200, Gigaset SL450 cordless [1 base, 2 handsets], Linksys SPA941 & a totally unbranded el-cheapo phone. The Yealink & GS are HD audio which does make a difference and they can also use the 3CX phonebook [but GS is very unsupported...].

My setup is budget limited, so uses mostly what was the most cost effective at the time of purchase - because I too am a techie I am not at all phased by using web interfaces rather relying on provisioning (but then it is a small domestic system so it's not a problem). My biggest problem is deciding where to go next: the new v15 free trial license doesn't offer what I need and there is no suitable paid-for licence appropriate for my type of use.

Chris

 

[leejor]

If I'm not mistaken, version 15 only allows for one SIP trunk, I've taken that to mean, NOT one gateway trunk. You may want to confirm.

...and yes, the 3102 works great, (on something other than the "free" version of 3CX Ver 15), even if, sadly, no longer supported.

 

[Sopock]

Apparently not
https://www.3cx.com/community/threads/spa-3102-not-showing-as-registered-in-v15.45626/

 

[Philip Ellis]

Despite my best efforts, I've been unable to find an SPA-3102.
I have a Grandstream HT-503 being delivered today so I'll be playing with that tonight.

Thanks for all the advice so far!

Philip

 

[leejor]

Keep an eye on Craiglist (and the like), as well as Flea markets. I picked up a 3102 for $3 at a market in Hawaii last year, surprisingly, it worked.

 

[Philip Ellis]

So...I've received my Grandstream HT-503 and have tried to set it up. It is at firmware version 1.0.12.1
To recap, I've got v15 of 3CX running on Debian and the HT-503. Phone-wise, I've just got the app installed on two iPhones, so far.

My issue is that the trunk is showing as not registered. I've checked my settings but must have missed something.
This is where I've got to:

3CX

Has an IP address of 192.168.132.9.

I've gone into "SIP Trunks" and clicked "Add gateway". The details are:

Trunk Details:
- Registrar/Server/Gateway Hostname or IP = 192.168.131.10 with a port number of 5062
- Tone Set Selection = No tonesets available
Number of SIM calls = 1
Number of Physical PSTN Ports on device = 1

Authentication:
Type of Authentication = Register/Account based
Authentication ID (aka SIP User ID) = 10000
Authentication Password = <the password selected by 3CX>

Routing of calls to Main Number:
Main Trunk No = <my phone number without spaces>
Destination for calls during office hours = "Extension" with a value of 80
Destination for calls outside office hours = "Extension" with a value of 80

I've created a ring group for extension 80 that contains the two iPhone extensions

HT-503

"BASIC SETTINGS" page:
Time Zone = GMT (London, Great Britain)
LAN DHCP Base IP = 192.168.131.10
Unconditional Call Forward to VOIP: 80 @ 192.168.132 : 5060

"FXO PORT" page:
Primary SIP Server = 192.168.132.9
SIP Transport = UDP
SIP User ID = 10000
Authenticate ID = 10000
Authenticate Password = <the password selected by 3CX - same as above>
Local SIP port = 5062
AC Termination Model = Country-base and set to "UK"

There are some other settings but I don't think they're related to registration so I'll not list them here.

Is it the HT-503 that looks for and registers with the 3CX system? i.e. it is the "active" partner
Or, does the 3CX system seek out the gateway?

In 3CX, under "SIP Trunks" there's a red dot against the entry for the HT-503. The columns for "Register Sent", "Register OK" and "Last Failed Register" are all blank.

Any ideas what I've done wrong?

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

I can see that the gateway and the PBX are on different subnets. Is there a static route between them? I know in some gateways you need to manually set the default gateway in the network settings for it to work.

 

[Philip Ellis]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that they are on the same network as the mask for all of the devices is 255.255.0.0

 

[Sopock]

Is it the HT-503 that looks for and registers with the 3CX system? i.e. it is the "active" partner

At least (unused?) FXS part will register to 3CX?

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

except from the fact that you are missing a digit here:
"HT-503

"BASIC SETTINGS" page:
Time Zone = GMT (London, Great Britain)
LAN DHCP Base IP = 192.168.131.10
Unconditional Call Forward to VOIP: 80 @ 192.168.132 : 5060
"


i can not see anything obvious. If you are familiar with wireshark start a capture on the server and wait for a registration attempt. You should be able to see the reason why the registration fails.
Use the sip filter

 

[Philip Ellis]

Ah yes, a type there! It does say "192.168.132.9" on the screen.
I'll have a look at the Wireshark option. Is it the gateway that communicates with the 3CX server or vice versa?

Thanks for your help!

 

[YiannisH_3CX]

The gateway communicates with the PBX. On that note make sure the gateways IP is not blacklisted

 

[Philip Ellis]

At least (unused?) FXS part will register to 3CX?

I've currently got the FXS port disabled. I can try to enable it for testing purposes.

 

[leejor]

Did you confirm that a gateway will actually work with the "free" version of 15?

In operation, the gateway will register with the PBX in the same manner as an ATA, or VoIP set. The difference is that the IP of the gateway (and correct port) need to be in the trunk settings (of 3CX) as a registration alone is not enough to allow 3CX to send a call to the gateway.

Check the 3Cx activity log to see if there is an entry showing a registration attempt. If not, there the gateway is not reaching the PBX...which may mean a network, or other configuration error. You might want to simplify the installation settings, putting that gateway on the same subnet to confirm that it is working, then make changes.

 

[Cjay]

Just another thought to add to the mix...
My Debian V15 install running on a VM has defaulted the eth0 interface to a 255.255.255.0 mask - so I'm wondering if you have direct IP connectivity between HT503 and server? Can you test ping on another .131.x device to verify connectivity?

 

[Philip Ellis]

Did you confirm that a gateway will actually work with the "free" version of 15?

In operation, the gateway will register with the PBX in the same manner as an ATA, or VoIP set. The difference is that the IP of the gateway (and correct port) need to be in the trunk settings (of 3CX) as a registration alone is not enough to allow 3CX to send a call to the gateway.

Check the 3Cx activity log to see if there is an entry showing a registration attempt. If not, there the gateway is not reaching the PBX...which may mean a network, or other configuration error. You might want to simplify the installation settings, putting that gateway on the same subnet to confirm that it is working, then make changes.

I didn't confirm, as such. I just chose a cheap gateway that I'd seen others using for my initial foray into VoIP-land.
Maybe I need to revise my view and get an officially supported device but they all seem to have capabilities beyond what I need. e.g. multiple FXO ports vs. just the one that I need.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to look at the logs last night. A job for tonight, hopefully!

 

[Philip Ellis]

Just another thought to add to the mix...
My Debian V15 install running on a VM has defaulted the eth0 interface to a 255.255.255.0 mask - so I'm wondering if you have direct IP connectivity between HT503 and server? Can you test ping on another .131.x device to verify connectivity?

I've definitely got direct connectivity between the devices. All of my network is on a 255.255.0.0 mask and I changed the network in Debian to a static IP with that mask.
To exclude any weirdness in the HT-503, I have changed its IP to 192.168.132.10 to complement the 3CX IP of 192.168.132.9 but it still doesn't work. I'm assuming that the HT-503 is not upset with having a mask other than 255.255.255.0

The one nagging thing I have with the network settings is that Debian was set to DHCP initially and picked up a different address to what it is set to now. Once I manually changed the settings I did go through the 3CX process that configures the PBX i.e. the "sudo /usr/bin/3CXWizard --cleanup" command. I have toyed with the idea of starting from scratch just to exclude this is a potential problem. That said, everything else seems OK. e.g. the iPhones that I'm using for testing happily connect, etc.
The other thing, although not the biggest problem, is that I fear that I won't be able to reconnect with the FQDN (xxx.3cx.co.uk) that I selected when I first installed the system.