Remote access to Voxalot

[ataboy]

I have an SPA-3102 on which I have Voxalot registered as Line 1. The phone connected to it has full access to all Voxalot functions, which work perfectly.

I also have a PAP2 on which I have registered my Sipgate account, and have fed the FXO port into the SPA-3102 as its PSTN line, with a PSTN-VoIP gateway set up. I registered Voxalot a second time on the SPA-3102 (on one of its 4 gateways) so that I can call the Sipgate DID from the PSTN, enter a PIN and dial out using Voxalot. That also works well.

What I would really like to be able to do is to call a Sipbroker PSTN number and then dial the * code for Sipgate to be able to perform the same trick. But because Sipgate doesn't accept SIP inbounds this is an impossibility.

I have tried to do this with other VSPs, Orbtalk for instance, but for some reason it double-dials any digits I send to Voxalot. I also tried to set up a second Voxalot account and use this as an incoming PSTN line on my SPA-3102. It rings OK, answers the call and connects me to my main Voxalot account but when I attempt any of its functions (dialplan, speed dial etc.) - the call just hangs on dead air.

The objective of the exercise of course is access to Voxalot from anywhere in the world by using local Sipbroker PSTN numbers. Has anyone successfully got this working?

ataboy

[emoci]

If I understand your setup correctly, then mine compares like this:

Where you have SIPGate setup, I am using a second VoXBasic Account

Sometimes, it helps to add a # at the end when you are done dialing the number you want through the CallThru

(The other difference is I have been using PBXes rather than a SPA3102)

See: Placing VoIP Calls from any Old Regular PSTN Phone

Replace putting in various outgoing Providers with just putting in your VoXPremium Account as a Provider (as per that guide)....

It's been working quite nice

[ataboy]

Thanks emoci,

It's good to know that it can be done successfully and that I'm on the right track. Since I wrote, I tried replacing Sipgate with FWD and with SIPphone, but when I got access to Voxalot I couldn't clear the dial tone. So near yet so far away!

I'll keep persevering with tweaking the settings and I'll also try your PBXes approach. Here goes!

ataboy

[ataboy]

emoci - to follow up, your PBXes method was a bit of a learning curve for me but I managed to get to grips with it and once I'd set it up it worked very well. Now for some heavy-duty testing and playing with dialplans!

I appreciate your help.

ataboy

[emoci]

Originally Posted by ataboy

emoci - to follow up, your PBXes method was a bit of a learning curve for me but I managed to get to grips with it and once I'd set it up it worked very well. Now for some heavy-duty testing and playing with dialplans!

I appreciate your help.

ataboy

Do you like the Dial Plans you currently have on VoXalot?

In that case, add VoXalot as a Trunk, outgoing only (the VoX account where you have already configured dial plans), and create an outbound route using it (Dial Plan X. should suffice on PBXes)... Then just use all your VoXalot Dial plans as they are

As you may have already realized, the VoXalot account that points to the CallThru, and the VoXalot account you are using for day-to-day should not be the same

BTW, any pointers on the guide, what was hard to understand....anything that can be put in simpler terms (if you have time)

[ataboy]

Originally Posted by emoci

Do you like the Dial Plans you currently have on VoXalot?

In that case, add VoXalot as a Trunk, outgoing only (the VoX account where you have already configured dial plans), and create an outbound route using it (Dial Plan X. should suffice on PBXes)... Then just use all your VoXalot Dial plans as they are

Yes, I had already figured that out; it was the icing on the cake as far as I am concerned.

Originally Posted by emoci

As you may have already realized, the VoXalot account that points to the CallThru, and the VoXalot account you are using for day-to-day should not be the same

I had; it was that realisation that made me think of setting up my main Voxalot account as an outbound trunk.

Originally Posted by emoci

BTW, any pointers on the guide, what was hard to understand....anything that can be put in simpler terms (if you have time)

It was probably me just thinking in Voxalot terms rather than in PBXes mode, but I'll certainly re-read through it.

ataboy

[ataboy]

emoci,

I haven't used the PBXes callthrough for a while but as I'm about to go travelling I thought I'd check it out. I haven't changed anything, but now when I dial a Sipbroker PSTN number then enter my Voxalot basic account number (*010 voxbasic #) I just get a delay then a fast busy tone - as if PBXes doesn't recognise it as an inbound route.

I've re-read your notes and I can't see anything wrong with my setup. Any ideas what might have happened?

ataboy

[emoci]

Originally Posted by ataboy

emoci,

I haven't used the PBXes callthrough for a while but as I'm about to go travelling I thought I'd check it out. I haven't changed anything, but now when I dial a Sipbroker PSTN number then enter my Voxalot basic account number (*010 voxbasic #) I just get a delay then a fast busy tone - as if PBXes doesn't recognise it as an inbound route.

I've re-read your notes and I can't see anything wrong with my setup. Any ideas what might have happened?

ataboy

In PBXes there is a status tab, click to see if the VoXalot trunk is still up (if it is grayed out, it's down). There have been a few things that have happened with VoXalot servers over the last little while...

If it is indeed down: Just click on the trunk for VoXalot (the special incoming account), under Trunks and simply Save Settings and remember to click that red bar at the top....

Also check Call Monitor to see if that call you tried reached PBXes at all...

Hopefully it is something simple like a downed trunk....

[ataboy]

Thanks for the information; it didn't help unfortunately - the trunk is up (nice green symbol).

Call Monitor is interesting. Nothing at all has been hitting PBXes.

Incidentally I notice that I've got a warning on my Voxalot SIP trunk: "This trunk is not used by any routes! This trunk will not be able to be used for outbound calls until a route is setup that uses it. Click on Outbound Routes to setup routing."

I guess that's irrelevant though because I'm only using it as an inbound trunk, with my main Premium Voxalot account being used as an outbound route.

ataboy

[emoci]

Originally Posted by ataboy

Incidentally I notice that I've got a warning on my Voxalot SIP trunk: "This trunk is not used by any routes! This trunk will not be able to be used for outbound calls until a route is setup that uses it. Click on Outbound Routes to setup routing."

I guess that's irrelevant though because I'm only using it as an inbound trunk, with my main Premium Voxalot account being used as an outbound route.

ataboy

You are correct for that part....

The SipBroker access number you are using, does it seem to work fine when you call your VoXPremium acct?

I would do a reset on that incoming VoXalot trunk anyway (you know: click on Trunk, Save Settings, Confirm Changes by clicking red bar procedure)....If that doesn't seem to do anything turn the trunk to just outbound calls, then re-register it for both incoming and outgoing

BTW, the host you are using for voxalot there is of the form xx.voxalot.com (xx= us or eu or au) not just voxalot.com right (since voxalot.com has been removed as a valid registrar adress)

Also if you are using the eu server (there were some problems yesterday) try using us or au instead (but make sure whatever you are using there, and the cluster in your VoXalot member page match)

Finally if all fails, erase the trunk, give it some time and add it again....

Just confirmed and my CallThru setup is working. This is one of those VoIP oddities where nothing seems to explain what's happening

BTW, try calling SipBroker from a PSTN not a VoIP line and see if anything changes....