NOTE: In previous versions of Switchvox, Converged Phones offered a similar, but slightly different feature from Manage Phones (introduced in 6.6).
The Manage Phones tool is used to assign one of Sangoma's phones to an extension. (3rd-party phones are not configured in the Manage Phones tool.) Sangoma's phones include:
Desk Phone (D-series, P-310, P-315)
Hot Desking (see Hot Desking with Switchvox)
Softphone: Desktop for Windows and macOS (Switchvox Phone app)
Softphone: Mobile for iOS and Android (Sangoma Connect app)
Note: The legacy Switchvox Mobile Softphone may also be available as a Phone Type, for those who have not yet transitioned to Connect. See Sunsetting Switchvox Mobile Softphone.
The Manage Phones tool is also used to give one person multiple phones for making and receiving calls. In Manage Phones, you can create an additional phone extension for someone, and assign a Sangoma phone to it.
IMPORTANT: when assigning phones to a SIP extension, it's important to understand the network considerations for that phone. Please see these related articles:
A person can have as many as 6 phones, including the Main phone.
IMPORTANT: When Additional Phones are used, all of the phones associated with a user will have the same outgoing caller ID. Caller ID is used for e911 call routing, so be aware of where those phones might be installed and how e911 calls will be handled.
Things to consider when using additional phones:
Additional phones do not have their own settings or permissions; an additional phone inherits the details of its Main extension. For example, an additional phone has the same Outgoing Call Rules for dialing and caller ID, and the same permissions to record or monitor another extension.
The personal Call Rules (Features > Call Rules) should be adjusted as appropriate for the Main phone extension, so that incoming calls ring the additional phones using the Ring All action. An additional phone only has one call rule: all calls are forwarded to the Main phone. (When the Main’s ring-all action is triggered, the additional phone’s forward action is ignored, and that phone rings and can answer the call.)
Phone-users always log into the Switchvox Extension Suite for the Main phone, not an additional phone.
To manage phones, the admin clicks the Manage Phones Action for an extension listed on the Manage Extensions page. This displays the Manage Phones page for that extension.
To create an additional phone extension, click Create Phone to create the extension and assign a Sangoma phone (a desktop Sangoma IP Phone or the Switchvox Softphone App). A person can have as many as 6 phones, including the Main phone.
Extension. Enter the extension number for the additional phone.
Phone. Select from the drop down menu the type of phone to add:
Desk Phone: you are prompted to enter a MAC Address of a Sangoma phone (D-series, P-310, P-315). If this is an Additional Phone extension, you can also set a SIP Transport option that is different than the Main extension's SIP Transport.
Hot Desking: this extension will be used to Log In to Hot Desking enabled phones. Please see Hot Desking with Switchvox.
Softphone - Mobile: a valid unique email address is required. Select YES to send an invitation email to the phone-user's email address. The Login Link in that email expires in 24 hours, but the user can request a new invitation via the app itself. If this is an Additional Phone extension, you can also set a SIP Transport option that is different than the Main extension's SIP Transport. Please see How to Set Up and Manage Switchvox for Sangoma Connect Mobile.
Softphone - Desktop: you can set Enable Opus to YES, for a higher quality, more resource-intensive audio codec. Using Opus will use more computing resources.
NOTE: The legacy Switchvox Mobile Softphone may also be available, for those who haven't yet transitioned to Connect. See Sunsetting Switchvox Mobile Softphone.
The remaining options relate to the InCall Menu. The InCall Menu lets you rapidly transfer an active call to any of your other phones:
Acknowledge Rapid Transfer. Select YES to indicate you want to accept the call before Switchvox completes a transfer. In such cases, when you use a Rapid Transfer option from the InCall Menu, Switchvox does not transfer the call until you have answered it and acknowledged it by pressing the number 1 on your keypad. Rapid Transfer is essentially "speed dial" for your InCall Menu. Select NO to indicate Switchvox should complete the rapid transfer as soon as the call is answered.
Label. Enter the name for this phone. This is a required entry.
Rapid Transfer Key. Select from the drop-down menu the number to press on your phone's keypad to complete this transfer. While on a call, you can use your phone's keypad to press ** then the rapid transfer key (e.g., **2).
You can also use the InCall Menu for other tasks. Press **# to put your call on hold, then follow the prompts:**# 1 transfers the call to any other Switchvox extension
**# 2 sends the call to your voicemail
**# 3 records the call
How Additional Phones Function
Additional phones do not have their own settings or permissions; an additional phone inherits the details of its Main extension. For example, an additional phone has the same Outgoing Call Rules for dialing and caller ID, and the same permissions to record or monitor another extension.
The personal Call Rules (see MAIN-FEATURES-CALL-RULES-6-6 ) should be adjusted as appropriate for the Main phone extension, so incoming calls ring the additional phones using the Ring All action. An additional phone only has one call rule: all calls are forwarded to the Main phone. (When the Main’s ring-all action is triggered, the additional phone’s forward action is ignored, and that phone rings and can answer the call.)
Phone-users always log into the Switchvox Extension Suite for the Main phone, not an additional phone.
The Switchvox voicemail messages and faxes all go to the Main phone's Switchvox mailbox. The Main extension is used for all voicemail activity: message indicator light, the Msgs button, and dialing the voicemail system extension.
The Status and phone-state is always that of the Main phone. To other Switchvox extensions, it appears that the Main phone is on a call, when any additional phone is being used. In another person's Switchboard, the Main phone appears busy if there is a call with any additional phone. With the correct permissions, call information is visible as the Main phone, and it can be recorded, monitored, whispered, or barged into. If Status is changed from anywhere (any phone or the Switchboard), that Status is set everywhere.
The outgoing caller ID is always that of the Main phone. If any additional phone places a call to a number outside of Switchvox, the Main phone's Outgoing Caller ID rules apply (see SETUP-CALL-ROUTING-OUTGOING-6-0).
The call logs are included in the Main phone's call logs.
In the Switchboard of the Main extension
My Calls include the calls for the additional phone. You can act on those calls as you normally do.
You can specify which phone you want to use. That way, when you click-to-call, the correct phone rings.
On Sangoma’s phones
The Main extension is used for these Apps: Contacts, Status, Queues.
The Main extension is used for parking a call (the call appears to be parked by the Main extension).
The Main extension is used to log into and out of a queue via a Status Indicator Rapid Dial Key.
Affected Version(s)
6.6.0.1