Phones

phones are fun! we all love phones. this is the phone place. put the phone shit here. yay, phones!

• for reference, the overall software / hardware stack looks something like this:
• SIP trunk [cloud] --> Issabel PBX [on-prem] --> Grandstream ATA [on-prem]

in a hurry? here are the links to each tool's software config page. 👇 ask the maintainers below for creds if you don't have them.

SIP trunk config page: https://portal.telnyx.com/
Issabel PBX config page: https://10.213.0.103/index.php?menu=pbxadmin (vpn only)
Grandstream ATA config page: http://10.213.0.137/cgi-bin/config_a1 (vpn only)

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inbound and outbound calls are currently managed by Telnyx. learn more about them here: https://telnyx.com/

• explanation: all internal /dev/hack phone conversations stay internal. for example, if you call the foundry from the kitchen using the foundry's extension, that call is handled by Issabel and nothing else. if you were to call a number outside of /dev/hack, however, that call must be routed externally using a SIP trunk.
  • learn more about SIP trunking here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIP_trunking
• coming soon™: we plan to switch SIP providers in the near-ish future due to cost and the difficulty in managing the current platform. we'll build out the strategy once the docs are more complete. :P

⚠️ note: outbound calls are supported to the US and Canada ONLY. other countries will be declined by the upstream provider. feel free to ask for more countries to be added (if you've got a purpose :P).

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Issabel is an open-source unified communications PBX software. learn more about it here: https://www.issabel.org/

• explanation: we use Issabel for call tree/extension management, as the primary controller for all digital (VoIP) phones, as well as the upstream provider for the Grandstream ATA to provide services to POTS phones.
  • learn more about IP-PBX here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_PBX
• coming soon™: someday, we'd like to switch from Issabel to freePBX due to its far easier management interface and more reliable call routing. this would be a massive change, however, so no planning has begun on this.

common config option locations (expand to view 👇):

item	description	location (PBX)
inbound routes	calls from external	Connectivity --> Inbound Routes
outbound routes	calls to external	Connectivity --> Outbound Routes
trunks	external SIP provider	Connectivity --> Trunks
extensions	internal phone numbers	Applications --> Extensions
call tree menu	external greeting	Applications --> IVR
ring groups	ring a bunch of phones at once	Applications --> Ring Groups
conference rooms	password dial-in	Applications --> Conference

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Grandstream's Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA) to runs the POTS lines. learn more about them here: https://www.grandstream.com/products/gateways-and-atas/analog-telephone-adaptors

• explanation: old phones use analog signaling over RJ-14 connectors. this is fundamentally incompatible with a modern IP-PBX like Issabel. we use Grandstream's ATA (with Issabel as an upstream provider) to provide analog service to the old phones, the payphone, and the fax machine.
  • learn more about ATAs here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_telephone_adapter
• coming soon™: eh, this ATA is probably fine for the moment.
• ethernet: server room (switch) --> unmanaged switch (next to 3d printers) --> unmanaged switch (under printer shelves) --> Grandstream ATA

the hardware and software stacks behind each phone depend on their capabilities. while both digital and analog phones eventually get routed to Issabel for PBX functions, the routing layers can look different based on the technologies and models. this section attempts to document the physical hardware in the space.

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there are ~15 ip phones connected to the Issabel PBX vm in Proxmox. here are the details:

name (PBX)	location	ext.	state	brand	model #	notes
Hub Phone	the hub	302	❌			can't find, no ring
Sun Room Polycom	sunroom	306	❌			can't find, no ring
Server Room	server room	310	✅	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	works!
Foundry	focus foundry	311	✅	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	works!
Hub	the hub	312	⚠️	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	dials out, no dial in
Lounge	hacker lounge	313	❌	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	has "out of order" sign
Sunroom	sunroom	314	❌			can't find, no ring
Colab	SCN collab	315	❌	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	found, not plugged in
Hallway	hallway	316	❌	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	found, not plugged in
Utility Closet	utility closet	317	❌	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	found, not plugged in
Kitchen 1	kitchen	318	❌	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	found, not plugged in
Kitchen 2	kitchen	319	❌	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	found, not plugged in
Meeting Room	meeting room	320	❌	RingCentral	SoundPoint IP 335	found, not plugged in
Entryway	hallway	321	⚠️	RingCentral	SoundPoint IP 335	dials out, no dial in
Front Door	entry	322	⚠️	Polycom	SoundPoint IP 335	dials out, no dial in

for more about polycom-specific things: Polycom Phones

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there are ~3 POTS phones connected to the Grandstream ATA in the Focus Foundry. here are the details:

name (PBX)	location	ext.	state	brand	model #	notes
Payphone	the hub	303	⚠️	Nortel	?	working? more testing needed
nc red phone	focus foundry	305	✅			works!
Fax USE THIS ONE	hacker lounge	401	✅	Brother	IntelliFAX2840	has dial tone

reach out on the chat room or dm us on matrix! 👇

https://matrix.to/#/#telephony:devhack.net

• amber: hmu on matrix: @tracert:devhack.net or visit my site: https://tracert.me