Frequently Asked Questions

Do you provide Enhanced 911 (E911)?

Yes. Each regular SIPStation account has a single Master E911 DID and Address included with the service at no extra charge.

"Enhanced 911" or "E911" is a service that automatically sends a caller's telephone number and address to the receiver of an emergency call. This helps emergency service providers quickly determine your location.

Please see our E911 Service wiki for complete information.

Can I have different E911 addresses for different DIDs in the same SIPStation location?

Yes. By default we include E911 for one DID free of charge. We call this your Master DID. You can set up E911 information for additional DIDs in your account. There is a monthly fee for each additional E911 DID.

If you send us a 911 call with a Caller ID that is not either your Master E911 DID or an additional E911 DID, we will replace the Caller ID with your Master DID's Caller ID for 911 calls only. You can set up and change E911 information via the SIPStation Store or the FreePBX SIPSTATION module. Please see our E911 Service wiki for instructions on how to set up E911 on additional numbers.

How do I verify the caller ID (CID) and address being sent by SIPStation for 911 calls?

You can test your E911 setup using our address verification service. You do this by dialing 933, making sure 933 is added alongside 911 in your emergency outbound route(s). When you dial 933, you will hear a playback of the caller ID received by the center, and the address on file associated with that DID.

Where can I find more information on how E911 works with VoIP?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maintains a web page with information on interconnected VoIP service and 911.

"VoIP and 911 Service" - FCC.gov

What is Caller ID Name (CNAM)?

CNAM is the calling party's name that may be displayed along with the phone number, to help users easily identify a caller.

Do you provide Caller ID Name (CNAM) service?

Yes, our inbound DIDs are delivered with CNAM service.

Can I set my own caller ID (CID) when making outbound calls?

Yes, you can (and must) set your own CID with our service. You can set your CID to any legal CID. The only exception is when you call E911 emergency services. We will force your CID to be the number you selected when you set up E911 information.

Why isn't my CNAM being seen at the receiving end of my outbound calls?

Setting Caller ID Name (CNAM) on your PBX has no effect in the U.S. and most other countries. Only the CID number is transmitted to the terminating carrier. The terminating carrier then does a lookup in the Line Information Database (LIDB) to determine the name associated with the number. Some carriers only look to free databases, because there is a cost to the carrier to do a lookup on a number each time. Many carriers cache the data for an extended period of time so they do not have to look up the name associated with a number for future calls.

Your CNAM information may need to be updated. For more information on updating the CNAM associated with any of your numbers, please see our wiki "LIDB Updating."