Control DEE trunk access

[jmorgan121]

I have a customer with 12 loop start trunks. He wants to use DEE for his sales department but wants to limit the number of trunks that can be used by DEE. He understands that each call will occupy 2 of his trunks and is concerned about tying up all the lines.
Running 6.2.3.53
I've looked all through the database and can't figure out how to assign trunk group access to DEE or the voice processor. So then I tried twinning the desk phone with a phantom. Set outgoing extension on the phantom and forward all to a cell phone. This didn't work either.
Any help and ideas would be greatly appreciated

[acejavelin]

This is a really, really bad idea... you will almost certainly get trunks tied together and they won't drop. Every customer we have had that has tried to do DEE with analog lines seems to get their lines "hung" in the system and a reset is required to clear them.

I believe DEE uses ARS.

I would strongly recommend using a PRI or SIP if you are doing DEE.

[jmorgan121]

Trust me, I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, the carrier wants an outrageous price to bring fiber into the building.

[acejavelin]

Trust me, I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, the carrier wants an outrageous price to bring fiber into the building.

Go SIP then... just need a decent broadband connection. We have seen places where companies would want $$$ just to bring in facilities for a PRI, but companies like Broadband.com or Clearfly Communications can provide SIP trunks really cheaply (just examples, not necessarily recommendations) anywhere in the US, some even will include a local SBC (specialized SIP router) at no charge, just add a dedicated internet connection for $50 to even $100 a month just for the SIP traffic, and you will likely still save hundreds over a dozen copper lines.

Interesting how local companies are willing to cut their price if you're ready to port out too sometimes.

Or even test it, get 4 SIP concurrent call sessions and use their existing internet pipe and just try them out.

SIP is the future, like it or not, and it is as reliable as any internet based service... We probably do more SIP than copper and PRI combined.

[jmorgan121]

The only experience I've had with a reseller has been a bad one. We inherited a customer from another Telecom company who installed Grandstream. Grandstream's version of a Session Border Controller was a POS router that converted SIP sessions into copper. (hashtag# line appearances are overrated) Callers would hear 5-10 rings on their end before ring voltage was induced to the copper trunks. Once their Telecom company finally threw their hands up in the air, they called us. Hard to convince a customer to sign a contract with different company, when they're already under contract with another company that can't deliver.

[acejavelin]

The only experience I've had with a reseller has been a bad one. We inherited a customer from another Telecom company who installed Grandstream. Grandstream's version of a Session Border Controller was a POS router that converted SIP sessions into copper. (hashtag# line appearances are overrated) Callers would hear 5-10 rings on their end before ring voltage was induced to the copper trunks. Once their Telecom company finally threw their hands up in the air, they called us. Hard to convince a customer to sign a contract with different company, when they're already under contract with another company that can't deliver.

Fair enough... just make absolutely sure Positive Disconnect is working on the LS trunks or you will be doing a reset 3 times a week.

As far as limiting the trunks, the only way would be to put say 4 trunks in a group and put those in ARS and then put the rest in another trunk group, set the Outbound Access on all the phones to the second trunk group. This will not give you any overflow though, it would dedicate 4 trunks to DEE for OUTBOUND use. This is a limitation of DEE, you can't really control it except by manually policing users for the most part.

[dwayneg]

Are all the DXX users in the same area code as phone system?  If so, you could trick the PBX into limiting available trunks by the following magic:
1. Enter all the DXX numbers as going to area code 555 instead of the real one (we'll say your real AC is 123 for these instructions).
2. Divide your trunks into two groups, A & B, with B having the number of trunks you want to  allow for DXX, and those trunks being at the top of the group.
3. Modify your ARS Local facility group to include A, then B.  This will mean if A is busy regular outbound will roll to B as long as DXX isn't already using.
4. Create a new ARS facilities group called DXX, with dial rules "ADD 123 (local AC)" and "ECHO LOCAL NUMBER".
5. Create a new ARS route group called DXX, with pattern 555+
6. Choose the new DXX facilities group as the one used by the DXX route group.
So what happens is any time ARS sees AC555 it's going to use the limited trunks in TG B if available, strip off the 555 and replace with 123 and send the call. No trunks available in B group = blocked call.

Haven't built it, but have used similar trick for things like adding *67  to block outbound caller ID.

If DXX users have various area codes all is not lost, it just gets more complicated.

[dwayneg]

Also, of course, remember that route groups search top-down for a match so after you create the DXX route group drag it to the top of the list.

[jmorgan121]

Excellent idea. Thanks