Setting up telephone interconnection for SmartPTT software

Answers to most required questions about SmartPTT telephone interconnection you can find in the Installation and Configuration Guide

SmartPTT Enterprise 9.7.1 Installation and Configuration Guide section 6 page 205.

 

Introduction

This is step by step guide for setting up interconnection between software PBX and SmartPTT software. It covers most questions about basic settings of both systems. 3CX phone system is taken as an example of software PBX. Following settings allow stable and simple organization of phone calls between all participants of system: Abstract phone user, abstract radio user, Dispatcher.

Free edition of 3CX system is available for free download at http://www.3cx.com/ip-pbx/ after filling in registration form. 3CX Softphone for windows is available via direct link http://www.3cx.com/downloads/3CXPhoneforWindows12.msi.

Task

Goal of this example:

Organize telephone interconnection between SmartPTT software and 3CX software PBX running on different PC connected by LAN Ethernet network, protocol IPv4. Dispatcher and radioserver are running the same PC. 3CX softphone is installed on the same PC with 3CX phone system.

IP of Software PBX - 192.168.1.100

IP of Dispatcher and Radioserver - 192.168.1.50

MOTOTRBO network - IP Site Connect, both slots must utilize telephone interconnection. ID of radioserver is 500. (Radioserver ID = Peer ID)

Testing Radio ID - 250

Testing 3CX softphone extension – 150

Phone number for dispatcher software – 350

Fleet development

In this system there are five different ways that phone call can go:

1. Call from softphone to dispatcher
2. Call from softphone to radio subscriber (private phone call)
3. Call from softphone to radio talkgroup (group phone call)
4. Call from radionetwork to softphone
5. Call from dispatcher to softphone

No integration with external PSTN lines or other PBX systems is assumed, so prefixes are needed only for calls outgoing from Phone system. Let's assume calls for dispatcher be prefixed with 77, and to radio subscribers - with 88. All other calls will be incoming for phone system and will be handled independent of call originator.

CPS settings

Proper organization of telephone interconnection begins with programming subscriber radios via CPS.

1. Signaling systems – phone system. Phone system must be created and properly configured.

1. Gateway ID. Must be equal to ID of radioserver that provides telephone interconnection. In this case – 500.
2. Access and deaccess codes. System wide option. Sets DTMF codes, which will be used by handset to get access to phone system and to end the phone call. It is recommended to use codes at least to symbols long, containing at least one special symbol (“*” or “#”). In this case we will be using “*1” as access code and “#1” as deaccess code.

 

 2. Channels – Zone # – Channel #. Phone system must be selected on per channel basis for every channel that will be using telephone interconnection. 

 

Radioserver settings

SmartPTT radioserver is flexible and powerful unit that can be adapted to number of existing PBX systems. Telephone interconnection settings are listed on four different pages here. From top to bottom:

1. Telephone interconnect.

1. Set Active checkbox to allow usage of telephone interconnect. Interface must be interface of PC that is connected to PBX. In this case it is 192.168.1.50.
2. SIP port – port used to receive incoming calls. Here it will be left default 5060, but this will use port, and dispatcher later will be forced to use another one.
3. RTP ports can be left default, just make sure these ports are open at firewall.
4. Transport type is recommended to be UDP. TCP must be used only in case of very unstable and bad quality network.

 

2. Incoming calls

1. Private call mask and Group call mask – internal prefixes for radioserver, which will be used to differentiate incoming group and private calls. It is recommended to use Group call mask =0 and leave private call mask empty. This way, every incoming call beginning with 0 will be handled as group, and all others would be processed as private calls. In this case, with a prefix to call to radio network, number to call Radio ID 250 will evolve to 88250. To call group 10 phone user will have to call 88010.
2. Private call confirmation and Group call confirmation are settings of how incoming call will be processed in radio network. If Confirmation is set, Radio user must press PTT to confirm call, before this, phone user will not be able to speak, hearing “calling” tone. For group calls, any radio belonging to called group must confirm call. If confirmation is not set, phone user will talk immediately into the air, without knowing if he is heard or not. It is recommended to use confirmed private calls and unconfirmed group calls.

 

3. Outgoing Calls

1. Allow calls to default VoIP gateway must be set to allow radio users to use PBX.
2. Interface is IP address of PBX. In this case – 192.168.1.100
3. SIP port – is port used by PBX to accept incoming calls. In this case we can use 5060, as 3CX is running on dedicated PC.

 

4. Telephone Interconnect Settings

1. Access code and deaccess code must be set here to match codes in CPS of subscribers radio. In this case, “*1” and “#1”.

Except telephone system settings, it is also obligatory to select, which Slots and Control Stations will be able to use phone system. In this case, both slots of IP Site Connect system must be configured to use telephone interconnection.

5. In IP Site Connect select each Slot and Allow telephone interconnect for it.

 

 Dispatcher settings

Settings for dispatcher software are made under Settings – Telephone Settings menu. These settings are somewhat similar to settings of radioserver.

1. Allow calls to telephone subscribers checkbox must be set to allow dispatcher to call phone subscribers.
2. Interface is IP address of PC running dispatcher software. In this case it is the same as for radioserver 192.168.1.50.
3. SIP port is port used to receive incoming calls. This must be different from port used by radioserver. In this case it can be 5061.
4. Phone number is number that will be used to call dispatcher from phone system. In this case 350
5. Displayed subscriber name will be shown on display of SIP phone that will receive the call.
6. Default VoIP gateway address is IP of PBX, in this case 192.168.1.100
7. SIP port is port used by PBX to receive incoming calls. In this case 5060

 

Phone system settings

Total setup process from installation till placing calls is described here. Only major settings are mentioned, everything except mentioned is meant to be left default.

1. Install 3CX phone system. Upon completion of installation process, configuration wizard will pop-up:

 

Proceed with Next.

2. Default local IP. In this case it is IP of PC running the 3CX system. 192.168.1.100

 

Proceed with Next to Administrator login. All other settings can be left default.

3. Specify username and password for administrator of 3CX phone system.

 

Proceed with Next.

4. Extensions. Click Add button, Add user extension window will appear. Softphone extension is 150. That is why fields are filled in such way:

1. Extension number – 150
2. Authentication ID – 150 (Can be any but for demo purposes simple ID is used)
3. Authentication password – 150 (Can be any but for demo purposes simple password is used)
4. Select interface – 192.168.1.100 (Softphone will use this IP to connect to PBX)

 

Proceed with Next

5. Region. Select the region for your 3CX System. It is affecting only settings for international calls.

 

Proceed with Next to VoIP Provider.

6. Select Generic SIP Trunk from the list, enter Radioserver as name of provider and proceed with Next.

 

7. Enter 192.168.1.50 as SIP server IP. This is the IP of PC that is running radioserver.

 

Proceed with Next.

8. Select external number to be associated with radioserver. In this case we will use 10000. Authentication ID can also be set to 10000 without password, for demo purposes. Maximum simultaneous calls are set to 5.

 

Proceed with Next.

9. Outbound call rule defines prefix that will be used to call radioserver from inside 3CX system. It was defined earlier that to call radio subscriber user must call 88 and ID of radio. Thus, we define that Calls to numbers starting with (Prefix) = 88 will be routed here.

 

Proceed with Next.

10. Wait for setup process to complete, click Next. Skip registration and Finish installation.

11. Run 3CX Phone System Management Console via Start – Programs - 3CX Phone System – Windows Management Console. Enter user name and password that you have set up in paragraph 3.

 

12. Select VoIP providers option, and click Add provider button on top of the window.

 

13. VoIP provider wizard will open.
Specify name of provider – Dispatcher.
Country – Generic.
Provider – Generic SIP Trunk.
Click Next. (Note: Can be hidden behind left side of the window, use scroll bar in the bottom of the window to find it)

 

14. Enter IP of dispatcher and SIP port that it is using. In this case, 192.168.1.50 and 5061.
Proceed with Next.

 

15. Next screen can be skipped by clicking Next again.

16. It was mentioned that prefix for calls to dispatcher must be 77. Therefore, Calls to numbers starting with prefix must be set to 77. Strip digits must be 2, to cut out the prefix and not transmit it to dispatcher itself. Proceed with Finish.

 

17. Select Outbound rules – Rule for Radioserver and change Strip digits to 2. Save this setting with Apply.

 

18. To allow calls from radioserver and dispatcher reach their destination within 3CX system, DID should be configured. Select Dispatcher in the list to the left under VoIP providers group. Go to the DID tab. Enter ID of phone (150 in this case) in the text field and press < Add button. Confirm with Apply button.

 

19. Switch to Source ID tab, put a check in a checkbox Source identification by DID. Click Add mask button. Enter “*” (asterisk) as a mask to accept each and any DID. Click OK. Confirm with Apply. 
NOTE: 3CX Phone System 12 will not allow usage of * as a mask, so, you will need to setup mask as 1*, and use numbers beginning with 1, or set up 10 masks for 0*, 1*, 2*, 3*, etc.

 

20. Go to Inbound rules – 150. Enter 150 as Inbound rule name. Specify an extension to connect this call to in Connect to extension dropbox. Confirm with Apply.

 

21. Repeat steps 18-20 for Radioserver as well. Inbound rules tab should look like this when finished.

 

3CX Phone settings

To configure 3CX phone to connect to your system, do the following:

1. On first run 3CX phone will prompt user to create new profile to connect to phone system. Click Create profile button.

 

2. Click New button, fill in account details as were set in extension 150 in 3CX phone system. Credentials – 150 for all fields. I am in the office – local IP must be IP of PBX – 192.168.1.100. Finish with OK. Confirm settings with OK.

 

3. Upon confirmation, main window of 3CX softphone should mention On Hook. It means that softphone successfully connected to PBX and ready to make and receive calls.

 

Functionality check

To make sure system is functioning properly, turn on the radio, start software, make sure it is connected and make following calls to see if there is no flaw in connection:

1. Call 77350 from 3CX softphone. Dispatcher must ring.
2. Call 88250 from 3CX softphone. Radio 250 must ring.
3. Call 8801 from 3CX softphone. There should be call to group 1 in the system.
4. Call 150 from dispatcher. Softphone must ring.
5. Call 150 from radio. Softphone must ring.

If any of these fail, recheck settings, make sure there are no port or IP conflicts, and make sure all software is running properly. Also, refer to FAQ section of this portal.