A-Series FAQ

Overview

The purpose of this wiki page is to provide a series of commonly asked questions and answers about the capabilities of the A-Series Telephones

What I/O ports do the A-Series phones offer?

The A-Series phones offer the following I/O jacks:

• LAN port

• PC port

• Headset port 

• Handset port

The A30 model has a currently un-utilized USB port.

Can I plug a headset into the handset I/O port or vice versa?

No.  The A-Series support headsets in the headset port and handsets in the handset port only.

Do the A-Series use a different handset from Sangoma's D-Series phones?

Yes.  The A-Series models use a different handset than Sangoma's other models of telephones.  All D6x and D80 model telephones utilize a common handset.  All D40, D45, D50 and D70 model telephones utilize a common handset.  The A20, A22 and A25 utilize a common handset.  The A30 utilizes its own handset.

Do the A-Series use a different desk stand from Sangoma's other phones?

Yes.  Each A-Series model utilizes its own model-specific desk-stand.

Do the A-Series use a different wall mount bracket from Sangoma's other phones?

Yes.  Each A-Series model utilizes is desk stand as a wall-mount bracket.

What LEDs are provided on the A-Series?

All models have a single-color (Red) MWI indicator.

The A20 and A22 have LEDs on the L1 and L2 keys to indicate line registration status.

The A25 has bi-color LEDs on its Rapid Dial keys.

The A30 has bi-color LEDs on its Rapid Dial keys and indicators under the Mute and Headset keys.

What are the specs of the LCDs?

The A20, A22 and A25 main screen is a full-color 2.8" display.

The A25 BLF screen is a full-color 2.4" display.

The A30 main screen is a full-color 480x272 4.3" display.

Does the LCD remain on indefinitely?

No. The LCD can be configured to go into low power or sleep mode after a period of time.

What firmware is on my A-Series?

The current firmware can be checked by using the System>Information screen of the phone's web UI or by using the Menu>Status screen of the phone's built-in UI.

What version of Asterisk do I need to use an A-Series?

Sangoma tests and supports the use of A-Series phones only with the currently supported versions of Asterisk, as per - https://wiki.asterisk.org/wiki/display/AST/Asterisk+Versions

Are the A-Series phones compatible with DPMA?

No. The A-Series phones are not compatible with DPMA.

Can I attach a A-Series to something other than Asterisk?

The A-Series phones are not tested against anything other than Asterisk, FreePBX, and PBXact.  This includes Switchvox.

Can the A-Series retrieve a provisioning file from a Boot66 directive?

Yes.

Do the A-Series allow manual SIP Account entry?

Yes.

Do the A-Series include a built-in web-interface for configuration?

Yes.

Do the A-Series allow a user to manually configure QoS, VLAN settings, or Ethernet Port modes?

Yes.

Do the A-Series support 802.1X authentication?

Yes.  Basic 802.1X authentication is supported.

Can a user or administrator take a screenshot from the A-Series screen buffer?

Yes.  Screenshots may be obtained by logging into the phone's web UI and browsing to System > Tools.

How many SIP registrations do the A-Series support?

The A20 and A22 support 2 SIP registrations.  The A25 supports 4 SIP registrations.  The A30 supports 6 SIP registrations.

Do the A-Series support more than one concurrent call?

Yes.  The A-Series support many concurrent calls, but no more than two active audio paths - only when in a local three-way conference call.  Generally, only one call is active at any given time.

Do the A-Series support other locales?

Yes.  The A20, 22 and 25 support Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.  The A30 supports English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.

Can users change the timezone offset of the phone, from the phone?

Yes.

Can users set a 24-hour clock from the phone?

Yes.

Does the Mute function work before the phone is off-hook?

If activated before the phone is off-hook, the mute function will mute the ringing of the phone.

Do the A-Series provision like Sangoma's D-Series of phones?

No.  The A-Series telephones do not use multicast discovery to find Asterisk and cannot retrieve their provisioning directly from it, as D-Series do with DPMA.  A-Series phones are provisioned via retrieved configuration files or configured via the phone's web or local UIs.

Do the A-Series offer integrated applications like Sangoma's D-Series of phones?

No.  The A-Series telephones do not offer applications or tight integration with Asterisk like Sangoma's D-Series of phones.  They do not have an advanced Status/Presence application, nor Visual Voicemail, nor Parking lot viewing, or Queues applications.

Do the A-Series allow for side-loading custom applications like Sangoma's D-Series of phones?

No.  The A-Series telephones do not allow side-loading of custom applications like Sangoma's D-Series of phones.

An application or menu item is greyed out on my phone, why?

The functionality, other than not-currently-implemented Bootconfig items, has likely been disabled by your System Administrator.  Please contact them.

How can I determine my IP address?

The IP address of the phone, along with the phone's firmware version, MAC address, and more may be obtained by viewing the Menu > Status screen from the phone's UI.

What controls the status bar text?

The status bar text is controlled by the phone's Greeting words.

Do the A-Series support remote contacts?

Yes.  The A-Series can load in remote contacts via cURLed in XML files, like Sangoma's D-Series telephones.  However, the formatting of the XML file for the contacts is different.

What codecs do the A-Series support?

All models support G.711 u-law and a-law, G.726, G.729a, and G.722.  The A30 also supports iLBC and Opus.

Do the A-Series support TCP or TLS as transport types?

Yes.

Do the A-Series support SDES SRTP?

Yes.

Do the A-Series support Multicast RTP plaback?

Yes.

Are the A-Series supported for use with Switchvox?

No.  Sangoma does not provide support for the use of the A-Series phones with Switchvox.  They do not provision like Sangoma's D-Series phones.  They do not offer Switchvox-integrated applications like Sangoma's D-Series phones.  They do not receive their Directory or Contacts from Switchvox.  Their Rapid Dial keys cannot be controlled by Switchvox.  Their firmware is not managed by Switchvox.

Do the A-Series use the same EHS cable as Sangoma's D-Series?

No.  The A-Series use the Plantronics APD-80 cable.

What headsets are supported?

A list of supported headsets is available at Sangoma Support

Can the A30 power supply, 1TELA001LF, be used with any other model of telephone?

No.  All models of D and A-Series, except the A30, are 5V phones.  The A30 utilizes its own 12V power supply, 1TELA001LF.

What power supply should I use with an A-Series phone?

A20, A22, A25 - 1TELD007LF or 1TELD008LF
A30 - 1TELA001LF

Does 1TELA001LF feature the same USB-like modular power supply plug as 1TELD007LF and 1TELD008LF?

No.  1TELA001LF does not feature a modular cable assembly.

I have a contact named "Ella" in my A30 phonebook; why doesn't she show up in a search?

The A30 contacts search is case-sensitive.  Make sure to search for "Ella" not "ella."