Miscellaneous Archives - AllworxInstalls

Setting Up Your Allworx 6x As a Network Router

To set up your Allworx 6x as a network router, you’ll want to make sure some key settings are enabled. These settings are found in the admin control panel of your system. This quick tutorial will cover what key features you should enable on your system.

First, login to your Allworx’s admin portal. Once logged in, navigate to Network and then configuration. Once you are on the configuration page you’ll want to select modify to make changes to your network setup.

Allworx Network Mode

The Allworx Network Mode setting determines how your Allworx phone system will behave. You have five options with how the router should operate. When setting up the Allworx system as a router, you’ll want to look at either NAT/Firewall or Standard Router. If you’re using an external firewall, standard router is the appropriate choice, otherwise select NAT/Firewall.

LAN Configuration

The LAN IP address is the local address that will be programmed into your Allworx 48x phone system. This IP address sets the address local devices will use to connect to the system. You’re also given several options for several subnet mask options. Most small businesses run on a class C subnet mask (255.255.255.0)

WAN Configuration

If you use a static IP (which you should be if you use SIP trunks), you’ll want to select static settings and enter your IP address here. If using another method to connect to the WAN (such as a T1 on a 24x/48x) you’ll want to select that option now.

Firewall

Enter your firewall settings as needed to open up select ports in the Allworx’s firewall. Be careful when opening ports as it can expose you to security vulnerabilities. Several Allworx Services ports are already configured and open by default on your Allworx system.

When finished, select update to save your changes. You’ll need to reset your Allworx phone system to have the updates take effect.

Configuring an Analog Phone to Work On an Allworx 48x Phone System

For those of you who have an Allworx phone system, you might run into a situation where you want to add an analog phone or fax machine to your phone system. The reasons to hook up an analog phone to an Allworx phone system are numerous, including adding an analog Polycom SoundStation 2 conference phone, or backup phone in case a Power over Ethernet switch should fail.

Where to begin…

When setting up an analog phone with the Allworx 48x, the good news is that the switch is plug and play to get dial tone. Simply plug your analog phone into one of the system’s FXS ports using an RJ-11 cable (standard four pin analog phone line). The FXS ports are marked as “inside extensions” on the phone system.

Login to configure analog phone

To configure the phone for incoming phone calls, you’ll need to login to your Allworx phone system’s admin portal. The default IP address for an Allworx phone system is 192.168.2.254:8080. The default password is admin.

Allworx Phone System:

Default IP Address = 192.168.2.254:8080

Default Password = admin

Once logged in, you’ll want to navigate to Phone System > Handsets (see figure 1). When in the correct menu, you’ll see your list of available analog handsets at the top of the page. The ports run incrementally from left to right, and are also labeled on the system itself for your convenience. Select the handset that you wish to configure by clicking modify under actions.

Analog Handsets — **Figure 1** (Home > Phone System > Handsets)

Once in the modify handset page you’ll be able to assign an owner to the phone, an internal caller ID name as well as an external name when placing calls outside of your system and over the PSTN (see figure 2). You can assign an owner to the phone as well as configure the internal caller ID number.

Modify Handet — **Figure 2** (Home > Phone System > Handsets > Modify Handset)

Additional features are available such as auto off-hook dialing for use as a door phone, auto answer DTMF string for an intercom system, and caller ID display for showing caller ID on the analog phone’s display.

Enabling DID Blocks on an Allworx Phone System

The Allworx phone system has the ability to configure DID blocks, or Direct Inward Dial blocks, of phone numbers for modification and control. The Allworx 6x, 24x, and 48x can support blocks of numbers handed out for your Telco provider. To add your DID block to your phone system, you’ll need to log in to your Allworx phone system and navigate to Phone System > Outside Lines. Here you’ll see Direct Inward Dial Blocks as an option. Select ‘add new DID Block’ to set up the phone numbers your phone system will use.

Select the starting phone number that is a part of your DID block, and then add how many phone numbers are a part of the block. You can also select a routing plan if you have one created, or create a new routing plan now.

Editing the DID Routing Plan:

Once your DID block has been created, you’ll want to edit your DID routing plan. To do so, you’ll need to navigate to Phone System > Outside Lines if you’re not already there and select the routing plan you wish to edit. If you just created your first routing plan, you’ll want to modify Routing Plan 1.

From the Routing Plan information tab, you can see the default description of the plan, the default extension the lines will ring, and the default DNIS that the line can show instead of the incoming caller ID.

To edit each DID to ring a specific extension, you’ll need to add the phone numbers to the phone number to extension mapping. Select ‘Add number to table’ to modify which incoming number dialed will be directed to what extension. This is done with a simple drop-down. A DNIS name can be entered here as well to be used as a caller ID substitution.

Edit all the phone numbers in the block you want directed to specific extensions. When you are finished you’ll now have all of your DID numbers set up and pointing to the correct phone extension, automated attendant, or voicemail.

Disabling or Changing the DHCP Server On Your Allworx Phone System

By default, the Allworx phone system ships with a DHCP server enabled. The Allworx phone system can be configured to disable DHCP if you have another router handing out IP addresses.

To disable the DHCP server, you’ll need to:

Log into your phone system’s admin panel
Navigate to Servers > DHCP Server

Here you’ll see your active leases as well as known hosts on your currently active DHCP server.

Click the modify key under ‘Action’

This is where you’ll be able to disable your DHCP server.

Additionally, you can specify the dynamic address range of addresses your Allworx system gives out to lease. Your DHCP address reservations can also be configured and managed from this page.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to restart your system after updating these settings in order for your changes to take affect!

Allworx Phone System Feature Keys / Licensing Explained

Allworx phone systems are IP phone systems that provide many great features to users standard such as CO line connectivity and SIP trunking. Additional features can be unlocked by purchasing Allworx ‘Feature Keys’ also known as Licensing. These feature keys come in several different variations that enable various extra features to work on the Allworx 6x, 24x, and 48x.

The following features / licensing are currently available for Allworx phone systems:

Allworx Reach: Allworx Reach enables full Allworx PBX connectivity from your Apple iPhone or Android device. Reach is an app that works on both cellular data networks and Wi-Fi for connectivity across the world. Allworx Reach works on Allworx phones systems with software versions 7.5 or higher. One Reach license comes with your system, and additional licenses may be purchased.

Advanced Multi-Site Software: Allworx advanced multi-site software enables users to connect phones between multiple sites seamlessly between the main phone system and each branch site. The software enables entries to appear in global call routes and the global directory from both sites. Advanced multi-site software also allows handsets from other sites to work through busy lamp fields. Multi-site software is sold as a onetime purchase for each location it will be used.

Automatic Call Distribution: Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) is Allworx’s system for distributing calls in a call center environment. The Allworx automatic call distribution enables different queuing of calls including linear priority, round robin, longest idle, and ring all. The feature supports up to 10 call queues with 16 calls per queue and up to 32 total calls at once with an Allworx 24x. When using an Allworx 6x is used, the system can support up to 10 queues with 8 calls per queue and a total of 16 simultaneous calls in a queue. Automatic Call Distribution is sold as a onetime license fee.

Call Assistant: Call Assistant is an add-on tool for Allworx phone systems that enable PC-based answering position and call management. Call assistant is designed for small and medium businesses and enables features such as centralized call management and a built in GUI. Call Assistant supports drag and drop features for transferring calls and works with all Allworx phones and can work with either SIP trunks or CO lines. Call Assistant is a onetime license fee to enable unlimited uses of the feature.

Conference Center: Conference Center is a feature key that provides access to a GUI based system that easily allows users to schedule and manage conference calls. The conference center feature enables ID and password protection for conference calls. The feature is sold as a onetime license fee.

Dual Language Support: Allworx Dual Language Support is a feature key that enables companies to have two separate language prompts when users call in. Dual language support is available in Castilian Spanish, French Canadian, and English. Dual Language Support is sold as a onetime license fee and supports unlimited users.

Allworx Interact: Allworx Interact is a PC based GUI that provides additional control and access to your IP phone. Interact enables phone users to control presence management, parked calls, contacts, and call history from a single screen. Interact enables one touch recording of phone calls. The program connects to Microsoft Outlook and enables one touch dialing from your address book. Allworx Interact requires software versions 7.5 or higher and requires an individual license for acitivation.

Allworx TAPI: TAPI is an add-on module that works in conjunction with Call Distribution. TAPI works with Windows PCs for managing the phone directly from the PC. TAPI is free with a Call Assistant License Key.

Allworx View: Allworx View is a data management tool that provides data from phone calls. Allworx View can handle both real time and historical data trends. The tool provides statistics for agents as well as call volume. Allworx View requires system version 7.7 or higher. Licensing is sold per server.

What’s the difference between the Allworx 9212 and 9212L IP Phones?

A common question we face from Allworx users is “What’s the difference between the Allworx 9212 and 9212L”. This is a great question since the two phones look very similar, so allow me to explain.

The volume control buttons are different…

If you were to look at both the 9212 and 9212L phones side by side, you would notice that the volume control buttons are a bit different. This is a quick and easy way to distinguish between the two phones without powering them on, or turning them over to look at the part number.

The two major differences…

The two major differences between the Allworx 9212 and 9212L phones are that the 9212L has a backlit display and requires a software version of 7.3 or higher. Other than that, both phones are virtually the same. They are both PoE and feature 12 program buttons, speakerphone, Ethernet switch, handset port, and the list goes on.

Overview…

The point of this post is to point out the differences, or lack thereof, and to clarify that the 9212 is still a quality phone. I will admit, the backlit display is a major selling point for me since reading the screen gets difficult in a dark office however it’s not a necessity. As for the software version, this will pretty much dictate which phone you buy for your office.

Adding a New User to Your Allworx Phone System

If you’re looking to add a new employee to your Allworx phone system, you might have many questions about how to do so. Before you pay hundreds of dollars to have a phone technician come out for a simple task, try following our guide to adding users to your system:

The method we will use for configuring Allworx users is through the Web GUI, the interactive webpage of your Allworx phone system. By default, the IP address of the admin login is: 192.168.2.254:8080. The default password for an Allworx phone system is admin. If either of these values have changed you’ll need to use your provided details.

Once you have logged in, you’ll want to use the navigation menu on the left to go to Business > Users. Once you are at the correct users page, you’ll want to select add new user. This is located just above the search bar on the page.

Identification and Phone Assignment

The most important parts, and only parts required to make your new phone operate, are the first two sections: Identification and Phone Assignment. Fill out the user’s information including desired login name and password. We generally recommend using the next available extension when selecting the primary extension. For phone assignment, you’ll want to match the MAC address of the phone you’re setting up with the drop-down list provided.

System Features

For System Features, the configuration becomes a bit trickier. If the user should have Voicemail, you’ll want to make sure this feature is enabled. The default settings for voicemail works fine unless your company has changed to use different settings. If using Call Assistant you’ll want to make sure recording calls is allowed.

Hot Desking

Hot Desking is enabling a user to log into a phone they do not normally use and make it behave as if it was theirs. The Caller ID Name and Number are what should appear when this user makes a call not from their normal Allworx IP phone.

Auto Attendant

If your company uses Auto Attendant, you’ll want to make sure the phone can be reached by a dial-by-name directory. This setting should be disabled for executives who do not wish to receive phone calls from the public.

These are all the basic settings to configure a new user. New users can easily be configured without costing your company time or money. To find out how to program the new user’s phone, please check out Programming Line Keys for an Allworx 9224.

Creating a Call Queue For an Allworx 24X

The Allworx 24X phone system is capable of supporting call queues for extensions that are busy. To use call queues with the Allworx system, you’ll need to have the Automatic Call Distribution feature key installed on your system. Contact your Allworx dealer for this feature.

Assuming you have installed the feature key, you can set up call queues by logging into your admin portal at 192.168.2.254:8080. Once logged in, go to Phone System > Call Queue in the navigation menu. You’ll want to select modify of the queue that you are editing.

If this is your first time editing a queue, select Queue 0 and click modify. You’ll end up on a Call Queue page. The page has several settings you can use to set up the queue.

The first setting you’ll want to change is the description of the queue. Give it a name that is descriptive and tells you what it is. In our example, we’ll call it ‘Tech Support.’ Next, choose the distribution mode of the calls and how they should go to the phones that are part of the queue. There are four options: all ring, fairness – longest idle, linear idle, and sequential round robin. Each is explained below.

Four Call Queue Ring Options

All Ring: All phones assigned to the queue will ring when the call comes in
Fairness – longest idle: The user whose phone has not been used in the longest time will receive the call.
Linear Priority: The phones will ring in a specified order of priority. The phones will ring in the same pattern every time.
Sequential Round Robin: The queue will rotate through the list of phones to ring, with a different phone ringing first each time.

Pick the distribution mode that best suits your company’s needs. You’ll want to skip relay status message if you’re new to Allworx. You can change the maximum wait time allowed, but 1800 is generally considered an acceptable number. For those with long wait times, consider changing this value to ‘0’ which is indefinite.

You can choose to have queue prompts play or just have a ring back tone played to the caller. Alarm systems are built into the phones that alert users to too many calls being in the queue. Users can specify the alarm to go off anywhere between 1 and 16 callers. Both an amber and red alarm can be configured in this way. Alarms can also be configured by wait time.

Those with music on hold (MOH) can select what source to play the music from, or simply play no music. Maximum rings sets how many times an agent’s phone should ring before being removed from the queue. The next settings should be left by new users first creating a call queue. Changing these defaults might result in a call being left in limbo by the phone system.

The last settings have to do with callers wishing to leave the queue. If you already have your default auto attendant set up, you can leave these as the default option 400. Alternatively, you can have a call transfer to an operator, a voicemail, extension, another call queue, or even hang the call up!

Following these instructions, you should now have a call queue set up on your Allworx phone system! As with other parts of Allworx configuration, the system is easy to understand and set up yourself.

How to Create Ring Groups and Linear Hunt Groups for Allworx Systems

Ring Groups and Linear Hunt Groups are two common methods phone system managers use to direct call traffic to the appropriate parties. These groups help to determine whom the caller should reach when a number is dialed.

Ring Groups

Ring Groups allow multiple phones to ring at the same time. This is useful when you have a sales staff that should all have access to a call or in a retail environment where assistants might be in different areas but need to take a call throughout the store.

To create a ring group, you’ll want to go to Phone System > Extensions. From there you’ll select Add new Extension located directly above the search function. You’ll see a menu allowing you to choose the extension number, a description, and the schedule. Choose the system extension you’ll want to have people dial into or select from an auto attendant prompt to reach the ring group. Write a description to help remind you of what the group is. In our example we selected ring group, but you might want to choose something more descriptive like Sales.

The Call Route section is where you’ll configure which phones ring and for how long. You’ll need to select add a connection attempt. Select the phone you wish to ring and for how long. To add more users to the ring group, select add a destination. This will open up a second dropdown menu where you can add a second user to ring. Once you’ve added all the users desired, you’ll want to select what to do in the event no one answers. You can hang up, transfer the call to an attendant, the operator, an outside line, or to voicemail.

Linear Hunt Groups

Linear Hunt Groups work by ringing one extension at a time until the call is answered. This is useful in cases where someone is ringing an executive, but they are not available. The call will next go to an assistant who can answer. Alternatively, it can be used to send customers to a general sales queue if a specific salesperson does not answer.

To create a linear hunt group, you’ll want to go to Phone System > Extensions. From there you’ll select Add new Extension located directly above the search function. You’ll see a menu allowing you to choose the extension number, a description, and the schedule. Choose the system extension you’ll want to have people dial into or select from an auto attendant prompt to reach the hunt group. Write a description to help remind you of what the group is. In our example we selected linear hunt, but you might want to choose something more descriptive like IT Admin.

The Call Route section is where you’ll configure which phones ring and for how long. You’ll need to select add a connection attempt. Select the phone you wish to ring and for how long. To add a users to dial next, select add another connection attempt. This will open up a second dropdown menu where you can add a second user to ring if the first does not answer. Once you’ve added all the connection attempts desired, you’ll want to select what to do in the event no one answers. You can hang up, transfer the call to an attendant, the operator, an outside line, or to voicemail.

Ring groups and linear hunt groups can also be combined together with Allworx Phone Systems. You could have a situation where a phone call would first ring a whole team (Engineering), and then forward it to an operator if there was no answer after a certain amount of time. That would be a common example of combining Hunt and Ring groups.