PnP Phones
Introduction
PnP (Plug and Play) Phones refers to phones that reside within the same network as a 3CX PBX or SBC and their presence is automatically detected by the PBX, leading to a very simple and streamlined setup.
Note: If you are deploying a number of these devices at once you should create a table listing the devices' MAC addresses and the intended extension assignments, to ensure you can quickly map them correctly.
Discover and Assign Phones with PnP
Once a PnP phone is plugged into your network and powered on, it should soon generate an entry in Admin > Phones > PnP Phones. Each discovered device is listed with its:
- Vendor: The manufacturer of the phone.
- Model: The phone's model name and number.
- Fw Version: The phone's current firmware version.
- MAC: The MAC address of the phone's network interface.
- When: The time since the device was first seen by the PBX - typically this is the time since the last phone reboot.
- IP: The current network address of the phone - a device connected through an SBC also shows its SBC path in the IP column.
If the device is not showing up:
- Check network reachability and if it has an existing configuration; if in doubt, perform a factory reset.
- Note that once you assign a phone to an extension, it will be removed from the PnP Phones page.
Assign a discovered phone
- Select a supported phone in the list and click Assign.
- The dialog shows the detected model, firmware, IP address and, when applicable, the SBC path.
- The Assign button is enabled when a compatible phone is selected; otherwise it remains disabled.
- Choose an existing user and click OK to assign the phone to that extension.
- Click Cancel to close the dialog without saving.
To remove a device from the discovery list, select it and click Delete. The row action menu also provides a link to the Device Web Console when the option is available.
See also
Last Updated
This document was last updated on 11 September 2026
https://www.3cx.com/docs/pnp-phones/