Ok so i did take a 5312 apart and wire up into the speaker and tested in a page group. Two things
Currently the Paging port on the back of the controller sends two signals, one to activate the PA and one to broadcast on the PA. Hence my need to use both the paging port and a paging group.
Secondly if i find a way to eliminate the need for the paging port, when i *5 to the paging port, the audio delay is less than 1 second. If i take the paging port out of the question and make *5 the paging group code, the delay is 2 to 3 seconds. It seems to be waiting for more digits to be dialed before timing out.
Thoughts on both?
I think it depends on your setup. Are you using "Direct Page" feature code? For my set up this is what I get, it may be different if you have different Mitel hardware or software version:
For Direct Page if I page a group it sounds and takes as long as "Loudspeaker Paging." I just hear a tone and I"m on the speakers of all the extensions in that group. But if I direct page the extension
alone, it takes a bit longer, because there is a ring on that extension, then it puts me on the speaker of that extension I'm paging. You can direct page any extension by using "Direct Page" feature code + extension.
Side note, remember paging COS must be set/enable, mine was enabled by default for all extensions. If paging is disabled on an extension you can not page it.
If I were you, I would leave *5 as my feature code for "Loudspeaker Paging." Find your feature code for "Direct Page." make it what ever you want (example #5). Go to Page Group form and make a page group (example 4000). Add your 5312 phone extension, the one that you just hacked into the speaker, put/add this extension into Page Group 4000. You can have only one extension in a page group, that's no problem.
Now dial feature code + page group, so from the example above it would be #54000. Bang you are on that speaker. Remember hide this phone and don't let anyone use it, this phone has now become a "paging only" phone. I put mine next to the amplifier. Add more extensions into the group to page more phones. Create more page groups one for each different zones of your business/ building/ department. Using the feature code and page group, I've eliminated the "Loudspeaker Paging" on the back of our 3300 altogether.
Another trick that you may want to know is System Speed Calls. This is how I put paging buttons on a user's desk phone. When the user press this button they are on the paging system. Add system speed call number (example 1101), make the actual number (#54000). Put this system speed call number on the user's phone speed dial buttons.