[Asterisk-Users] Multi-line help

[Sean Garland]

Thank you all for your responses.  Since I was a phone installer
(previous life) and installed Lucent Partner and Merlin systems, I was
on the key system mode of thinking.  On the Polycom phones each line
button is a registration, so I wonder how I could program a SIP
registration to speed dial a number? Would that be done through
exten.conf like:

[button2]
Exten => 1,dial(zap/g1/5551212) 

???

So then, carrying over to key system terms, I would basically be setting
up line pool buttons...  Basically with my small office (2 phones, and
one * box with 2 x100p cards) I would just use the first button (or
whatever) for my registration with my * and call it good...

I am thinking of proposing this system to my partner corp which would
entail around 13 extensions and 6 lines...  How would I give someone
upstairs the ability to view if each user was on the phone or not?  <--
should probably be a new thread....  Currently they have 18 button
phones that are programmed with the incomming lines, then the users
(LED's glow when user is on).  

This is so much fun!  (no really!)
Sean

-----Original Message-----
From: Rich Adamson [mailto:radamson at routers.com] 
Sent: Monday, January 05, 2004 6:55 PM
To: asterisk-users at lists.digium.com
Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] Multi-line help

Sean,

> Basically I guess I am thinking of the traditional key systems 
> approach which is to have the CO lines appear on the phone.  The 
> problem it appears with SIP (not really *) and the particular phones, 
> is to have the reporting.  I guess what I was looking for was to have 
> the buttons not only represent the incoming lines, but to also show 
> their status (busy, hold, etc...).

As you've already mentioned, what you've described is a key system, and
not a pbx. (There might be an open source key system out there
somewhere.)
 
> On that note, what (typically with SIP/*) are the multiple line phone 
> buttons used for?  I know you have to have at least one for access to 
> the asterisk system, but what is the point of the multiple 
> registrations?

Several reasons depending upon the actual requirements...

1. Small office, Customer Service appears on line 1, President on line
2.
Answering line 2 with an appropriate messages (when he's not around) is
different then answering line 1 as a Customer Service person.

2. Shared tenant service: five different businesses in the same small
complex. The receptionist has all five lines on her phone, and answers
with an appropriate message for each business when their lines are
unanswered.

3. Home-boy (no asterisk) subscribes to two different VoIP providers
with two different rate plans. Line 1 registers with provider 1, and
line 2 with provider 2. You choose which service you want based on your
knowledge of what your trying to accomplish (not necessarily
programmable if an * system was included).

4. On the Cisco 7960, I have one of the line buttons programmed as a
speed dial to a certain extn as I'm calling it often.

5. Remote intercom: place a speaker phone by the front door and
configure it for auto answer. When the doorbell rings, push one of your
preprogrammed buttons to speak to who's at the door.

6. You could probably program * to open the garage door with one of the
buttons. ;)

As Steve pointed out earlier today, there are many ways to accompish the
same function within asterisk, therefore some of the items listed above
might be done a different way. That's fine.

Rich


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