Information Systems:VoIP Phone Configuration

Overview

This article discusses the user-facing side of the phone system including deskphones, cordless phones, and headsets.

Administration

Initial Setup

Deskphone Setup (Yealink)

• The first step when configuring a new phone desk phone is to unbox and label the phone to its extension.
• The second step is to determine what port it will be plugged into , meaning which port on which switch it plugs into.
• Tag The port switch port
• Plug the phone into the local port
• Log into 3cx
• Under the phones tab find the new phone by extension
• Hit assign extension
• Use Lan at the office
• Use Interface 192.168.44.2
• Log into the phone interface and set the phone with a static IP? (maybe)

Cordless (DECT) Base and Phone Setup

web link to general setup https://www.3cx.com/sip-phones/manually-provision-yealink-dect/

• unbox the base and handset
• plug the base into switch
• navigate to the 3cx management page
• under the advanced tab select FXS/DECT
• add the base using the mac address to the list of bases already present.
• use the interface 192.168.44.2
• copy the provisioning link provided here in the general tab
• define the extensions in the extensions tab
• navigate to the ip address of the wireless base
• navigate to settings and auto configuration , use the provisioning link copied before in the space for server URL
• confirm, auto provision now.
• to add a phone to a base, press and hold the wifi button on the base until the top light starts to flash, then on the handset select register and they will find each other.

DECT Repeater Setup

• Setting up a repeater requires a dect base, handset that is paired to that base and the repeater itself.
• from a paired handset navigate to settings and put it into repeater mode, choosing the type of repeater.
• the base will automatically reset when the paired handset is put into repeater mode, wait for the base to come online
• connect the repeater to power
• hold down the pairing button on the base until the phone light starts to flash
• press the pairing button on the repeater.
• the dect light should go from red to orange when it finds the base.

There is one repeater in the recieving mezzannine, and one in large down

Firmware updates

The Yealink deskphones and DECT bases require firmware updates. The firmware for the deskphones can and should only be updated through 3CX. This is because there is specific, 3CX-certified firmware which is different (and often lags behind) what Yealink generally releases. The firmware is auto-downloaded into the 3CX system as a part of its auto-updater. Once newer firmware is auto-downloaded into the repository, the system displays a warning for applicable phones that are now out of date. The firmware can be pushed from the 3CX console. This will reboot the phone and reset any user customizations that are not managed through 3CX. For example, the ringtone is manageable through 3CX, but the Display Clock within Screensaver, is not.

Supported user configurations

This section discusses the different configurations being used across the company. Originally there were only 2 standard configurations (office and warehouse employees), but the situation has evolved due to COVID/WFH. In particular, the softphones and web client have become part of standard usage, in some cases replacing the use of deskphones entirely e.g. Customer Service.

General office (in-office)

Components (original): Yealink deskphone, EPOS wireless headset via USB (connected to deskphone) Components (certain staff): 3CX Web Client, EPOS wireless headset via USB (connected to computer)

WFH

Components: 3CX Web Client and 3CX App (mobile) When working from home, the web client and mobile app are used by office staff that are not in Customer Service. Theoretically, the web client is more performant through the WAN compared to the softphone as it uses WebRTC rather than SIP/RTP (I think...). Being browser-accessible, it is also simpler to deploy and maintain than the Windows client, especially considering the inconsistent/alternating WFH schedules seen across the departments.

Customer service

Components: 3CX for Windows softphone, EPOS Connect, 3CX Plugin for EPOS.

The 3CX for Windows softphone (a.k.a. desktop client) is the preferred deployment for Customer Service. The client communicates to the server via the main LAN, which is different from the deskphones that communicate on the VoIP VLAN.

For historical reference, the original deployment for CS agents involved a deskphone (including a sidecar attachment for the receptionist), and a wireless headset connected to the deskphone via USB. The deskphone introduced another vendor into the equation - Yealink, which in turn presented limitations due to only a subset of features on the deskphone being interoperable with 3CX. For example, the deskphone neither displays call queue information nor Away status for other users.