Configure an Allworx IP Phone to Work with Your Phone System

Allworx IP phones are plug and play with Allworx phone systems for the most part. Once your IP 9212 or 9224 phone is set up with a user configured, you can go ahead and configure the phone to use the programmable keys on the side of the phone.

The Allworx 9224 and 9212 are not easy phones to configure despite the rest of the phone being simple to set up. You’ll want to log into your Allworx phone system’s administrator portal and navigate to Phone System > Handsets. From here you’ll be able to select the Allworx phone you’ll want to configure.

The first choice you’ll have to make is whether to set up your phones to work as line appearance phones or call appearance. Line appearance calls ring specific lines that run into your phone system. They are useful when several people need access to the same lines such as in a retail environment.  All users receive a call on the same ‘line 1,’ and users can specify to each other “call on line one.”

Call appearance phones are a bit more complicated and powerful. Call appearance are most often seen in larger companies where a few lines are not enough for the number of phones in use. Instead, calls are routed to the correct users by extensions. The calls must be transferred between users as the calls are not tied to any specific line. This is useful in making sure the right user receives the call (such as in an office).

To configure which system you’ll want to use, scroll down to the bottom of the tab open. You’ll see “Handset Configuration Templates” available. Select for each phone you use whether you prefer to use (line) Key or PBX (call) options for your phone system.

Allworx IP Phone Call Appearance Settings

To edit the phone’s configuration, select “view configuration” from the phone you wish to edit. You’ll load up a secondary page which shows all available options for editing your phone’s programmable function keys.

To modify the PFKs, select the modify link and you’ll launch into the phone editor. From here you’ll be able to input several different options for what each key should do. On an Allworx 9224, you can edit what each side of the phone’s keys do.

Some available options for programming your Allworx phone include additional call appearance keys, line appearance, the ability to park and retrieve parked calls, functions such as redial, and busy lamp fields that show you the status of other phones and extensions on the system.

When you’re done making the changes you desire, select the Update button at the bottom of the screen, followed by reboot phone on the next page. When the phone boots up again, it will be fully operational with your changes made!

Programmable Function Keys

 

Allworx IP Phone Line Appearance Settings

Line Appearances work as mentioned earlier by tying a specific phone line to the button, so whenever that button is selected the call that came in on that line is answered. You can manually map the phone lines to your Allworx phone by taking advantage of PFKs. Line Appearance keys work almost exactly like call appearance keys, but work by specifying the line you want to ring for each button. In the example below two line appearance keys have been configured to ring for lines 1 or 2.

Programmable Function Keys blank

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.

Allworx 9212 vs 9212L difference

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.