E911 Service

This wiki explains how to set up and manage E911 service on a "Master DID" as well as other DIDs in a SIPStation account. For information on configuring emergency outbound routes in FreePBX, please see our "Outbound Routes Module " FreePBX wiki.

What is E911?

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

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a complete guide to VoIP and E911 here:
https://www.fcc.gov/guides/voip-and-911-service  

SIPStation E911 Service Overview

E911 service is automatically included at no extra charge for one DID in a SIPStation location (sub-account). This DID is called the "Master" E911 DID. You need to enter an E911 address for your master DID.

You may wish to set up E911 service on additional DIDs, especially if your numbers are associated with different physical locations (even floor, suite or room variants). There is a monthly fee associated with E911 service on additional DIDs.

If you make a call to 911 and pass a Caller ID (CID) that does not match either your Master E911 DID or an additional E911 DID, we will replace the CID with the CID of the master DID. This would be considered problematic if the caller is in a different location from the address set for the Master DID.

You can use either the SIPStation Store or the SIPSTATION module within FreePBX to set up and manage your E911 services. We strongly encourage you to keep your E911 address information up-to-date and to test it as described later in this wiki.

Initial Setup of the Master E911 DID

When you make your first purchase of one or more SIPStation DIDs, we designate one of those DIDs as the Master E911 DID. You must enter address information for this DID (including floor, suite and room number, as applicable). You can designate a different DID as the master, and can set up additional addresses as described later in this wiki, but you must enter address information for at least the master DID.

If you do not set up this information, you will see a warning message in SIPStation:

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To Set Up an E911 Address on the Master DID:

1. Log in to SIPStation at http://www.sipstation.com, and choose a location if applicable.
    

2. Click My Account.
   
   

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3. If there is no address set up for this SIPStation location's Master E911 DID, you will see a warning message toward the right side of the screen. Click the Configure E911 button.
   
   
   

    

4. A Master e911 Address window will pop up. Enter the contact person's name and address. The address must be a valid physical street address and cannot be a P.O. box. Specify floor, suite room number, as applicable.
   
   
   

    

5. Click the Save Address button. The window will close.

6. Now, when viewing the My Account section, you should no longer see any warning message. Instead, toward the left side, you should see a Master E911 Summary section showing the name and address on file.
   
   
   

    

Managing E911 Services via the SIPStation Store

Remember, address information must be set up on your Master E911 DID. Your account needs to have a designated Master E911 DID at all times. You can set up E911 addresses for additional DIDs at any time.

You can designate a different DID as the new Master E911 DID. This is a two-step process with an optional third step. First, you would need to set up a different DID as an "Additional E911 DID" with address information. Then, you would need to designate that DID as the new master. Optionally, you could then remove E911 service from the former master if desired.

You can remove E911 service at any time, for any DID except the master. To edit more than one number at a time, see the mass operations section below.

1. Log in to the SIPStation Store at http://www.sipstation.com and select a location if applicable.
   
     

2. Click on the DIDs option at the top of the page.
   
   
   

3. You will now see a list of all the DIDs that you have with this SIPStation location.

   1. Master E911 Number: The DID that is set up as the Master E911 DID will be at the top, and you will see an Update option.

   2. Additional E911 Numbers: A list of DIDs that have their own E911 addresses set up. You will see an Update option.

   3. Other Numbers: Any DIDs with no E911 service. You will see an Add option.
      
      In our example, we have one DID in each category.
      
      
      

4. To modify or cancel E911 service on any DID, click on the Update or Add option next to the DID. A window will pop up showing text fields and drop-down menus for the E911 DID Address. The available buttons at the bottom of the window will vary depending upon whether E911 service has already been set up for the DID.
   
   Depending upon which buttons you see, your options are: 

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   1. Click Save to add or change an E911 address. If you are adding new E911 service to a DID, you will also be asked to agree to the monthly charges.

   2. Click Set as master e911 to designate the DID as your new Master E911 Number.

      1. Click Delete e911 Address to remove E911 service from the DID. This will also cancel the monthly charge for E911 on that DID.

Updating Info for an Additional E911 DID, or Designating a New Master: This is what the window looks like if you click Update next to an Additional E911 DID. Your options are Save, Set as master e911, and Delete e911 Address. To update the address, enter new information and click Save.

Mass Operations

You'll find some Mass Operations buttons at the bottom of the DID list that can speed the process of changing information for multiple DIDs.

• To edit the E911 information for more than one DID at a time, click the E911 button.
  
  
  

• Your DIDs will be shown at the left, divided into two categories: those that do not have an E911 address assigned, and those that do. (Your Master E911 DID is not included and cannot be edited here).
  In this example we have two DIDs, one with a E911 address assigned and one that does not yet have an E911 address.
  
  

• Select the DID(s) you would like to edit as a group. The estimated charges for E911 service will be shown below the DIDs.
  In our example we are selecting both DIDs.
  
  

   

• Enter or update the Contact Person and Address. This information will be applied to all of the DIDs you just selected. Check the box to agree to the additional monthly charges, and click the Add/Update Addresses button. Be sure to include a floor, suite or room number, as applicable.
  
  
  

   

Managing E911 Addresses via the FreePBX SIPSTATION Module

Updating Info for the Master E911 DID: Under SIPStation Settings / E911 Information you'll see the option to Edit E911 Information.   Selecting this option will open a window to update you existing E911 address, see below.   To update the address, enter new information (including floor, suite and room number, as applicable) and click the Save Changes button.

Updating Info for an Additional E911 DID: This is what the window looks like if you click Modify next to an Additional E911 DID. Your options are Update, Set as Master E911, and Delete E911 for DID. To update the address, enter new information (including floor, suite and room number, as applicable) and click the Update button. You need to check the box to agree to the additional charges.

Adding E911 Service to a DID: This is what the window looks like if you click Set next to a DID that does not already have E911 information. To add E911 information to the DID, enter the address (including floor, suite and room number, as applicable), check the box to agree to the monthly charges, and click the Add button.

Testing Your E911 Setup

You can test your E911 setup by dialing 933 to reach our address verification service. Make sure "933" is included as a recognized dial pattern in your emergency outbound route(s). When you call 933, you will hear a playback of the 911 caller ID received by the center, as well as the address on file associated with that DID.

This is a useful service for testing various scenarios, such as calling from different extensions/phones. Remember, within FreePBX, Caller ID can be set at several different points such as extensions, routes, and trunks. Also, if an outbound route is set as an "emergency" route, it can change Caller ID behavior. It is important to understand which CIDs will override others set in the call path, and when the SIPStation Master E911 DID's caller ID will override everything. Ultimately, the "final" outbound CID chosen by the system will determine which address information is sent to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Calling 933 to test your setup is a great way to ensure that emergency authorities will receive the information you expect.

 If you have any questions about E911 service in SIPStation, please feel free to reach out to our SIPStation Support team by opening up a ticket at http://support.schmoozecom.com.