FAQ/Issues Related to Calls and Fax
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Important Note: Please be aware that, not all the V-Servers shown on the Phone Book can receive your call. Some of them simply are not connected to the Internet and some of them don't have telephone sets attached. For LAN connection, if you would like to make a call to another V-Server on the Internet, make sure your V-Server is using a real IP address and that is not behind a firewall. Also, check both units' codecs to make sure that they have at least one common active (preferred or allowed) codec. |
| Dialing Plan | Prefix | Phone Number to Dial after the Prefix |
| Port to Port on Same Unit | none | just the port number |
| DDA Calls | *1 | with all applicable prefix and country and area code |
| H.323 Gatekeeper Calls | *0 | just the port number |
| Direct Gateway Calls | *0 | with all applicable prefix and country and area code |
| CentreCom Calls | *0 | with all applicable prefix and country and area code |
| Direct PSTN Dialing | *9 | with all applicable prefix and country and area code |
| One-stage FXO Dialing | *2 | with all applicable prefix and country and area code |
| Two-stage FXO Dialing | Click link to see description | |
| Calls to H.323 Compliant Device, including NetMeeting | *0 | Just the device phone number |
Port to Port Calls on a Single Unit
Dial the phone number for the port directly, without any prefix and area code.
DDA Calls (or DDA Dialing Plan) means the calls you make using this dialing plan will be administered by the DDA. In order to use this dialing plan, you have to have a DDA configured on your unit and make sure your unit is registered to the DDA with correct group ID and password.
How to Dial:
Dial " *1 and the complete phone number" of the destination V-Server.
See the following table for the "complete phone number".
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If the call is: |
The "complete phone number" is: |
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A local call and the "Local Call Dialing Pattern" is " Just Local Number" |
Only the destination's V-Server phone number. |
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A local call and the "Local Call Dialing Pattern" is "Area Code + Local Number" |
Area Code + V-Server phone number |
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A local call and the "Local Call Dialing Pattern" is "Long Distance Prefix" + Area Code + Local Number" |
Long Distance Prefix + Area Code + V-Server phone number |
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A long distance call |
Long Distance Prefix + Area Code + V-Server phone number |
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An international call |
International Dialing Prefix + Country Code + Area Code + V-Server phone number |
H.323 Gatekeeper calls (or Gatekeeper Dialing Plan) means the calls you make using this dialing plan will be administered by a H.323 Gatekeeper. In order to use this dialing plan, you have to have a H.323 Gatekeeper configured on your unit and make sure your unit is registered to the Gatekeeper with correct authentication information.
How to Dial:
Dial " *0 and only the phone number" of the destination V-Server, without area code and long distance prefix.
Direct Gateway Calls will allow a V-Server user to configure a 3rd-party H.323 Gateway (Like Cisco) for the V-Server and send all the H.323 calls to the destination through the gateway. User should turn off the H.323 mode when they using the direct gateway feature.
How to Dial:
Dial " *0 and phone number" with proper prefix, country code and area code.
If you already configured a CentreCom Account on your unit, you can call any PSTN number by dialing that number with a *0 prefix. For example, if you are to call a PSTN number (301) 916-7600, you should dial *0-1-301-916-7600. "#" can be added to the end of the number to send the numbers right away. Click here to learn more about CentreCom account settings.
Direct PSTN Calls
Direct PSTN call (or Direct PSTN dialing) means user can reach any PSTN number from the phone connected to the FXS port through the other port on a single unit, if you configured it as a FXO port. The advantage of this dialing plan is that user can make regular phone call using the phone sets ands phone line connected to the V-Server.
How to dial:
Dial " *9 and the PSTN phone number" with proper long distance prefix and area code.
For example, you are in an emergency to call the 911, just pick up the phone connected to the FXS port and dial "*9 911". Note that you must have configured the other port to a FXO port and connected a PSTN line to it.
FXO Dialing (or known as One-stage dialing)
FXO Dialing means one can make a PSTN call from a V-Server via another V-Server directly (without dialing the PSTN number upon hearing a dial tone on the other V-Server).
To make a FXO Dialing, dial *2 (star 2) and the proper prefix area code and the PSTN phone number. Make sure the destination area code is listed on the "Accepted Area Code" list of at least one of the unit in the calling group* and make sure the unit has a port configured to FXO and a PSTN line is connected. For example, if you want to call TEK DigiTel (301.916-7600) through a unit with a FXO port, first you should add the area code 301 to your "Accepted Area Code" list on that unit, then dial "*2-1-301-428-9798" from the box or another box within the same calling group.
To use this feature, make sure the unit from which you place the call has the FXO Dialing option turned on. The default option is "On". You can issue "get dialplan" from the command line to view if the option is on or not.
To enable/disable FXO dialing, issue following commands from the command line:
set fxodial on/off (hit Enter key)
save profile 1 (hit Enter key)
reset (hit Enter key)
* Calling Group: a calling group means all the units that registered to a same DDA with same Group ID and password.
FXO two-stage dialing means dialing into another V-Server's FXO port and dial a PSTN phone number after hearing a dial tone.
To make a two-stage dialing, using the DDA call method (*1) to call the remote V-Server's FXO port and dial the desired PSTN number upon hearing a dial tone.
To use this feature, make sure the unit from which you place the PSTN call (the remote unit) has the two-stage dialing option turned on. The default option is "On". You can issue "get dialplan" from the command line to view if the option is on or not.
To enable/disable two-stage dialing, issue following commands from the command line:
set fxo2dial on/off (hit Enter key)
save profile 1 (hit Enter key)
reset (hit Enter key)
Important Note: Turn off the two-stage dialing option if you want to keep unwanted caller from using your FXO port (PSTN line ) to make calls. If the two-stage dialing option is on, people can make any calls, including international calls, via your PSTN line and you have to pay for it.
Calls to and from a H.323 Compliant Device, Like NetMeeting or a Third-party Gateway
If you are making a call to a H.323 Compliant Device (Like NetMeeting) or a third party Gateway that is listed under the H.323 Compliant Device List in the V-Express:
Dial " *0 " and the device's phone number you assigned in the H.323 Compliant Device List under the Phone Numbering Plan in V-Express. .
If you are calling from a H.323 Compliant Device or third party gateway that is listed under the H.323 Compliant Device list on a V-Server (V-Express):
Dial the V-Server's Phone Port Number (without prefixes and area code).
Some times user may want to restrict the calls one can make through his/her FXO port to certain areas defined by their PSTN Area code. V-Server allows user to have this option, only thing the user will do is enter a list of 'Accepted Area Code" in the "Accepted Areacode List" sub-folder under the "Phone Numbering Plan" in the V-Express.
An example of the "Accepted Area Code" in the work:
Assume your area code is 301and others can use their V-Server to make calls to 301 area all the time, if you have a FXO port with PSTN line connected. Now, you wish others to be able to make calls to area code 202 and 703 as well. So just add 202, 703 area codes to the "Accepted Area Code List" on your V-Server. After this, others can dial *2-1-202-(PSTN phone number) or *2-1-703-(PSTN phone number) from their V-Server to make any PSTN numbers in the areas of 202 and 703 through your FXO port ( assume the 2 units are in same country).
Note: In this case, you may want to turn off the FXO two-stage dialing option. Otherwise one still can make unrestricted PSTN calls through your FXO port using the two-stage dialing method.
PLAR (Private Line Automatic Ring-down)
PLAR feature allows the V-Server to automatically dial a pre-configured number (PLAR Number) when a off-hook is detected either on a FXS or FXO port.
Port 1 or port 2 can be configured independently with the PLAR feature. To configure the PLAR, go to Group 2 Subfolder of Phone1 or Phone 2 folder in the V-Express, turn on the PLAR setting and enter the PLAR number into the PLAR field with proper prefix and area code. The PLAR number should end with a "#" sign.
Please click here to learn more details as well as current limitations of the PLAR feature.
How to Configure Phone Ports to FXO Loop Start?
These command will change the phone port protocol to FXO Loop Start.
To change back to FXS Loop Start, choose the "Phone" option for the "Signaling Protocol".
There is No Entry on the Phone Book in V-Express
Try the following:
Check the DDA configuration. You must have a valid DDA configured on your V-Server with proper Group ID and Password to get the phonebook. You can enter "stats reg" from the Command Line to check the registration status of your unit.
Check your Network connection. You should be able to "PING" the DDA.
Try to make a DDA call (*1-(phone number) ) anyway. Then try to list the phone book, no matter what is the result of the call.
Check to see if your phone port numbers are used by other units in your group. The easy way is to enter "get alarmlog" from the command line and check to see if there is any entry that saying "Duplicated V-Num". If so, change the phone number and try again.
How to Configure the Dialing Plan if My Country has no Area Code (like Hong Kong and Singapore)?
How Can I Adjust the Voice Volume of the Phone Port?
There are 2 ways to adjust the voice volume of a phone port:
Adjusting the QSLAC Rx Loss and Tx Gain
Adjusting the phone port Tx and Rx Gains (see below)
You may adjust the Tx and Rx Gains (transmit and receive gains) in the Group 2 field of Phone 1 or Phone 2 in V-Express.
Currently, the default values are both -1DB. You may set them to 0 or even 1 (max value is 3) and save the configuration, reset the unit and try the call again. But this will also increase the noise. The Tx and Rx gain will apply to both FXS and FXO.
Note: If you increase the Tx, Rx gains or QSLAC Tx Gain, your V-Server may have difficulty detecting DTMF tones - can't accept the phone number from the telephone keypad.
Check the to see if the T.38 Fax option is "on" on the Phone1 or Phone2 port folder in the V-Express. Make sure the option for the 2-end is the same. We recommend to use the T.38 option.
Further, if you have a limited bandwidth (like a modem connection), try the following in the T.38 folder under the configuration profile:
1, Set the High-speed rate to 40ms and/or
2, Set the T.38 High-speed mode to 0
If user enables the T.38 option under the Phone 1 or Phone 2 folder, fax is sent over the Internet using the T.38 protocol. T.38 is the standard protocol for sending fax over the internet. But turning off the T.38 option doesn't mean turning off the whole fax function. Instead, Fax will be sent using the T.30 protocol.
We recommend using the T.38. 2 end must use the same option.
How to Configure the FXO port so that the port answers the call after a certain number of rings?
Note that this will work only in software version 2.8 or higher
Go to the phone port you wish to configure on the V-Express. Click on the "FXO Loop Start" and enter the number of rings in the "Answer after (rings):" field. Save the configuration back to the node.
This will make the port answer the calls after the specified number of rings. This is useful, if you have connected other device, like an answer machine, to the same phone line.
Can I Make a Call Using My Phone Line When the V-Server is Turned off?
Yes. When the V-Server is turned off, user will be able to make a regular PSTN call using the phone line connected to the LINE1 port by dialing the number from a phone set connected to the PHONE1 port. When the V-Server is powered off, an internal relay will connect the PHONE1 and the LINE1 port. The phone port 2 doesn't have this feature.
Please check the followings if the V-Server have trouble detecting the DTMF tone from the touch tone phone key pad:
Check the Tx and Rx gains under the phone 1 and phone 2 folders in the V-Express. They should be less than 3 db. If the values are 3 or more than 3, the V-Server has difficulty detecting the DTMF. We recommend user to keep the default value -1 db for both the Tx and Rx gains.
Check to see if your country's PSTN is using the standard DTMF table. The standard DTMF table is:
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697 Hz |
1 |
2 |
3 |
A |
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770 Hz |
4 |
5 |
6 |
B |
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852 Hz |
7 |
8 |
9 |
C |
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941 Hz |
* |
0 |
# |
D |
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1209 Hz |
1336 Hz |
1477 Hz |
1633 Hz |
By default (dtmfrelay on), V-Server will not relay the out-of-band DTMF tone from one unit to another after a voice connection is established. Instead, it will send DTMF messages to the destination unit and the destination unit will generate DTMF tone locally from the DTMF messages and send to the FXS or FXO.
It is possible to configure the V-Server so that it relay the DTMF tone as voice to the destination, but the tone will be distorted and the level of distortion is depend on the voice codec the conversation is using. G.729 will bring less distortion than G.723. G.711 will not distort the tone, but will need 64K bandwidth.
Make a Call on the Second Phone Port Terminates the First Phone Port Conversation
Please check the Phone 1 and Phone 2 port Preferred Codecs and make sure they are the same. Current V-Server software can't support 2 different DSP images at the same time. If the preferred codecs on the 2 phone ports are different, attempting to make a concurrent call on the both phone ports will cause the V-Server to malfunction.
Do You Detect Both Battery Reverse and Disconnect Tone on the FXO Port?
Yes, we detect both battery reverse and disconnect tone from the Central Office. Disconnect tone parameters are also configurable in the V-Server software to detect different frequencies in different countries. Following commands are used to configure the disconnect tone:
set disctone <min_on> <max_on> <min_off> <max_off>
where:
ON range is between min_on to max_on in msec. default is 200 -- 350
OFF range is between min_off to max_off in msec. default is 200 -- 350
Do You Generate Battery Reverse on the FXS Port for the Local Telephone Set?
Current version of the product does not generate battery reverse, but future versions will.
The V-Server will use the 2 ports alternatively - first call will use the first port and 2nd call will use the 2nd port then, 3rd call will use the first port, ...