Remote access — dial from any phone, with the business number

What is remote access

You call the business number that leads to remote access. The PBX identifies the caller in one of two ways:

• By the phone number they are calling from — without typing anything.
• By an account number and PIN that they type.

After entry, according to what is set in the account, the caller gets a dialing menu — hears a dial tone and types where to dial, and the call goes out from the PBX — or is transferred directly to a fixed destination.

The screen is in the side menu, in the Advanced group, named Remote access. Each card on it is one access account.

Where to call to get in

At the top of the screen there is a Where to call to get in row, with the numbers and codes that lead to remote access. Clicking one of them opens its settings.

If it says "No number leads to remote access yet" — callers have nowhere to call. On the System Numbers screen (or in routing codes), choose the destination type Remote access.

What the card of an access account shows

• Status — Active, Locked or Expired.
• Identified by phone and the phone number, or Account and the account number.
• Type — dialing menu or fixed destination. For a fixed destination it also says After entry, transferred to.
• PIN — hidden as dots; Show reveals it and Hide hides it again. In an account identified by phone it says "By the caller's number, no PIN".
• Identified when dialing out as... — which number the person receiving the call sees (when a number other than the default was chosen).
• Concurrent calls, expiry if set, and Last use — when and from which number ("Not yet" if it hasn't been used).

On the card: Edit (or Details without edit permission) and Delete.

Creating an access account

On the last card, New access account, click Create access account. In the window, first choose the identification method:

By the phone number they call from

• The caller's phone number (required) — digits only, 7 to 15. When this number calls the access number, the caller gets in without typing anything.
• Name — whom the number belongs to, for example "Rabbi Cohen".

By account number and PIN

• Name (required) and Description.
• Account number (required) — digits. This is what the caller types first, and it is unique across the whole PBX.
• PIN — digits, typed after the account number. Empty = no PIN, and then anyone who knows the account number gets in.

What happens after entry

In the What happens after entry field you choose:

• Dialing menu — the caller hears a dial tone and types where to dial, like with a calling card. The call goes out from the PBX.
• Fixed destination — the caller is transferred immediately to the destination chosen in Destination type and Destination, without a menu. A fixed destination requires a PIN (or an authorized IP address).

Two more fields in this part:

• Concurrent calls — how many calls at once are allowed from the account. ‎-1‎ = no limit.
• Lock the account — a locked account doesn't allow entry, without deleting it. A locked / open switch.

Additional settings

The More settings button opens a few more fields:

• Valid until — after the date the account doesn't allow entry. Empty = no expiry. Suits a temporary employee or a trip.
• Caller ID for outgoing calls — which number the person receiving the call that goes out through the PBX will see. You can choose only a number of the account, or "PBX default".
• Menu language — by the number, Hebrew or English.
• Authorized IP address (advanced) — a single IP address on the network (not a phone number), for example when the entry is from a SIP connection. No lists and no ranges. Usually left empty.
• Allow the caller to change the PIN from the phone — yes / no.
• Play the balance on entry — relevant to prepaid accounts.

At the end click Create the access account (or Save changes when editing).

How to dial in practice

1. From your mobile, call the access number (the number shown under "Where to call to get in").
2. In an account by phone — the PBX identifies you on its own. In an account by account number — type the account number and the PIN.
3. In a dialing menu — you hear a dial tone, and type the number you want to reach.
4. The call goes out from the PBX, and the other side sees the number chosen in "Caller ID for outgoing calls".

Protecting the account

An access account lets people dial out at the business's expense, so it's worth protecting:

• A PIN for every account-number account, and not an easy number like 1234.
• Limit concurrent calls — usually one or two calls are enough for one person.
• An expiry date for a temporary account, and locking right away when a phone is lost or an employee leaves.
• Last use on the card — if you see unfamiliar use, lock the account and check.
• Identification by phone number is convenient, but a caller's number can be spoofed. For an account that dials abroad or to expensive destinations, an account number and PIN is better.

About the danger of dialing at the business's expense — in the Knowledge Center: toll fraud.

Deleting an access account

On the card click Delete, type the phone number (or the account number) to confirm, and click Delete permanently. Whoever used the account can no longer get in, and deletion cannot be undone.

Permissions

Viewing the screen requires the remote access view permission. Creating, changing and deleting are separate permissions; someone without the "Remote access edit" permission sees the window as read-only. To get a permission, contact us.