ELI5: FreePBX
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I've always re-sold Ring Central to my clients if they were looking for a VOIP solution -- other than what their internet provider supplies -- and have been very happy with the service, though it does come at quite a cost per user.
In our own office we're using Ooma office as we've had it for years and it's been working "just fine", but without all the bells-and-whistles that Ring Central offers.
The feature that I really like with Ooma is that the Android app offers ring back in that, when we dial out, we don't have to use data as it dials us back via cell and then completes the call.
I have no experience with PBX but would like the make the plunge in office with the eventual goal of offering it as a solution to clients.
I've read all about DID, trunks, etc but am still quite lost. It's strange that I can pickup almost any technology very quickly and hit the ground running but that the whole PBX thing just goes right over my head.
Can anyone offer assistance in providing information as to what I'd require in order to get this going and whether I'd be able to utilize the same ring back functionality as Ooma offers? (I'd be porting our numbers out of Ooma (which I hear may be a bear)).
Cheers!
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FreePBX will do that I believe. But not a feature that I have ever configured.
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If I didn't pay $105 per issued cell for 2gb of data this wouldn't be an issue but... welcome to the CRTC and collusion betwixt carriers in Canada.
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@manxam said in ELI5: FreePBX:
If I didn't pay $105 per issued cell for 2gb of data this wouldn't be an issue but... welcome to the CRTC and collusion betwixt carriers in Canada.
I get unlimited data in Canada. Canadians like Americans more than they like each other. And I pay way less than that, too.
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We're basically limited to Bell, Rogers, and Telus here. There are others but they're just aliases for the "Big 3" offering more pay-as-you-go.
I have 3 techs on payroll aside from myself and to get unlimited calling Canada-wide, vm, text and a whopping 2gb of data I'm paying $101.73 per device.
I miss the "old days" when one got unlimited data for $40 a month all in. As the networks get faster here you get less and less data.
We had 6gb per device for $75 until about 3 months ago when Telus called and said they could no longer offer me that plan. Shopping around didn't net me anything better so I stuck with it.
Anyways, enough of the ranting: Need FreePBX advice!
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@manxam said in ELI5: FreePBX:
I have 3 techs on payroll aside from myself and to get unlimited calling Canada-wide, vm, text and a whopping 2gb of data I'm paying $101.73 per device.
We get all that in Canada for about $35 here
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@scottalanmiller said in ELI5: FreePBX:
@manxam said in ELI5: FreePBX:
I have 3 techs on payroll aside from myself and to get unlimited calling Canada-wide, vm, text and a whopping 2gb of data I'm paying $101.73 per device.
We get all that in Canada for about $35 here
No you don't. T-Mobile data roaming is not LTE speed.
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FreePBX supports DISA, but that is dialing in to FreePBX then dialing out.
The feature you are describing sounds like something you could easily do in Freeswitch using a common API and some light coding. If FreePBX has an API for a triggered call you would still have to make your own mobile app.
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@bigbear said in ELI5: FreePBX:
FreePBX supports DISA, but that is dialing in to FreePBX then dialing out.
The feature you are describing sounds like something you could easily do in Freeswitch using a common API and some light coding. If FreePBX has an API for a triggered call you would still have to make your own mobile app.
There are things people have for sale to do things like this.
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@jaredbusch I think he was saying mobile phone app though. Would be interested if such a thing exists for FreePBX.
I myself could use a chrome plugin to trigger freepbx calls.
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@bigbear said in ELI5: FreePBX:
@jaredbusch I think he was saying mobile phone app though. Would be interested if such a thing exists for FreePBX.
I myself could use a chrome plugin to trigger freepbx calls.
Ah, ok. I do not know of any apps. but it would not be hard to make something because the UCP already does this.
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Dialing into FreeBPX then dialing out doesn't sound like the end of the world though it's not quite as convenient as we have now. Can one configure "trusted" numbers to accept calls from that automatically allow dialing out again or does one have to authenticate via code first?
Aside from that, what all would I need to procure for 1 number, 4 extensions aside from SIP phones?
Is there a more simplistic setup wizard available that I can further customize later or will this all be text based configuration by me? -
@JaredBusch : I just wanted to say THANKS for posting all of that FreePBX how-to info. With it I was able to procure a DID, setup an IVR, configure routes, etc. I even managed to configure an inbound route set to go to a DISA (pin protected) for the cell phones!
Your notes were very detailed and a ton of help.
Again, thanks for posting that!
