Phone Locations were introduced in Switchvox version 7.8. Their use is generally optional, but required in order to make use of Hot Desking. This article provides information on how to create a Phone Location, and how a Phone Location assignment affects phone behavior.
Sangoma phones (any D-Series and the new P31X phones) may be assigned to a Phone Location by a Switchvox Administrator. Creating or modifying a Phone Location requires Read/Write permission to “Phones > Phone Locations.”
When a phone is assigned to a Phone Location, that Location’s Outgoing Caller ID Number is used for all emergency calls placed from the phone. The phone no longer uses the extension’s outgoing caller ID rules when it is assigned to a Location. This enables deskphones that are assigned as an Additional Phone to present a caller ID number when placing an emergency call that is different from that of the user’s main phone assignment. Users who have multiple desk phones can have unique caller ID (e911) numbers for each, by using Phone Locations.
An example of the Phone Locations interface is shown here:
Creating a Phone Location
Switchvox does not limit the number of Phone Locations which can be created. Administrators may choose the level of granularity that they wish to employ for their business. For example, you may need to have one Location for a given office site; or may elect to define a Location for each floor in a building; or any other subdivision deemed appropriate, even down to individual rooms.
Access the Admin Web Suite and navigate to “Setup > Phones > Phone Locations” in the top menu.
Click the “Create Location” button. Alternatively, if modifying an existing Location, click the “Edit” button for the desired row.
Provide the necessary information:
An example of a Phone Location creation window is shown below.
Name: A unique name for this Location. This name is displayed in logs and on assigned phones when logged out. The name DOES NOT get sent to emergency services; it is not an e911 address.
Outgoing Caller ID Number: This is the caller id number that is used by all phones assigned to this Location when an emergency call is placed.
Emergency Call Rules: A list is provided of all Outgoing Call Rules which are flagged as an Emergency Calling Rule. One or more rules must be selected to be used at this Location. Select Calling Rules which are not applicable to the Phone Location, and click the Deny button. Confirm that all expected Emergency Calling Rules are present and set to Allow, with green check mark. If an expected rule is not listed, then it likely needs to have its configuration updated to set it as an Emergency Calling Rule.
Click the “Create/Edit Location” button at the bottom to save the Phone Location.
Note: Any changes made to an existing Location will send configuration updates to its assigned phones, which will be applied once they are in an idle state.
Once the Location has been created, it is necessary to assign phones to it, so that they will inherit that Phone Location’s Emergency Outgoing Call Rules and Emergency Caller ID Number. This is done using either the Quick-Create Desk Phone Assignments tool, or in the Hot Desking section.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m not using Hot Desking. Should I still use Phone Locations?
Maybe. If you have users with an Additional Phone assignment for a Sangoma desk phone that physically resides in a separate location from their main phone, then using a Phone Location would enable you to configure a different emergency caller ID number for use by the additional phone.
What if I don’t use Phone Locations?
Switchvox will continue to function as normal. Phone Locations are not required, except when configuring phones for Hot Desking.
How do I change the e911 address for a Phone Location?
Switchvox does not convey address information to emergency services. Switchvox presents the caller ID number which is configured, and the Provider converts that number to an e911 address. To differentiate Phone Locations, different emergency caller ID numbers should be used. Contact your Provider to update the address for a given Location’s caller ID number. This can be done directly at http://sipstation.com if you are a SIPStation customer, or in Back Office if you are using VoIP Innovations.
What phones can be assigned to a Location?
Sangoma/Digium IP phone models in the D-Series (D4x, D50, D6x, D70, D80) and the P310 & P315 phones can be assigned to Phone Locations. These phones can all take advantage of differentiated emergency dialing via their Phone Location assignment. However, please note that only the D60, D62, D65, P310, P315, P320, P325, and P330 are capable of Logging In/Out for Hot Desking.
What happens to my Phone Locations if my Switchvox Subscription expires?
Phone Locations will continue to function as normal. New Locations can be created. Existing Locations may be modified or deleted. However, please note that Hot Desking will not function without an active subscription.
Why can’t I delete a Location? The “Delete” action button is greyed out.
A Phone Location assignment is necessary for a phone to be enabled for Hot Desking. This ensures that the phone can still place emergency calls when it is Logged Out. Consequently, a Phone Location may not be deleted if it has a Hot Desking enabled phone assigned to it. The Location can be deleted by either disabling Hot Desking on all of the phones which are assigned to that Location, or by changing the Location assignment of the phones which had been assigned to the Location which you wish to delete.