Route 911 calls out a specific trunk based on extension

[Ramblin]

Any ideas how I can force 911 calls from a particular extension to use a specific Outbound Route?

I have seen a proposed solution for this request in a 2009 posting, but it is not working so I am posting here to see if something new is available (or if I am just screwing something up)

I have Piaf 1.7.5.5 with Asterisk 1.6 and FreePBX 2.7 (and I love it)

I have 3 locations with phones connected to the Asterisk server
1 where the Server is located
1 in the same city but different address
1 in another city

I have a trunk provisioned for each of the 2 remote locations and multiple trunks for the local server location.

I currently have 911 calls being captured and sent out, but all 911 calls go out the standard Outbound Route, meaning the 911 operator will see the CID as the same regardless of who / where is calling.

I want to have a 911 call (without using special prefixes, ...) automatically select the appropriate Outbound Route / Trunk based on the extension that originated the 911 call. That way the 911 Operator will see the correct CID come up when the call is received.

Previous posts have said to Create a unique Outbound Route for each remote extension and use the Dial Plan in the Outbound Route with 911/ext (ie add a "/" after the 911 and put the extension number after the "/". Put these special routes first in the Outbound Route. This is supposed to make that Outbound Route apply only for that extension.

It kind of works, but not quite.

When I do this (I am testing with another number, not 911 to see if this works before implementing with 911) the Call Detail Reports do show that the "dst channel" is forced to the one I want, but I get a fast busy every time I try to dial. And the number I am dialing is NOT busy since I dial it from other extensions before and after the test - multiple times.

Any ideas how I can force 911 calls from a particular extension to use a specific Outbound Route?

 

[Ramblin]

All set as suggested

The trunk sequence is set to have the 911Route be first priority (keeping in mind that for now I am not calling 911 but actually another number for testing purposes), and I did validate that it is forcing the call to use the Outbound Route that I want it to use.

I am providing a legitimate phone number and I can call it from that extension when this special route is NOT enabled, but once I enable this special route, I get the busy signal.

I did notice that in the Call Detail Report, the "last data" field had a 20 in it instead of any SIP/... data like a normal call has, so maybe something is going awry, but I do not know what.

I have not clicked the Emergency Dialing checkbox. I wanted a clean test first, then go for prioritized handling.

I am using all VIOP trunks for Outbound Calling, but for the 911 setup, I want the first trunk selected to be the trunk appropriate for that location, not the normally prioritized route, hence the hope that the /ext solution would work.

But you may have highlighted something that I was not thinking of. Regardless of what trunk is used, if I use the Emergency CID and Emergency Dialing option on a dedicated Emergency" Outbound Route, will the 911 Operator see the CID I want? If so, I do not need to use the /ext option!


Richard

 

[Ramblin]

Still need /ext solution (or equivalent)

In thinking about it, I still do need a /ext as well as the Emergency CI solution.

For the Remote number in the other city, their 911 calls need to go out from their local exchange (the trunk for them) so they get to their local 911 operator, not the 911 operator who would answer calls from the exchange where the sever is located.

So, I will use the Emergency CID and Emergency Outbound route, but also still need to force a trunk use.

Thought? Given all that has been said so far?

 

[Astrosmurfer]

Based on your requested scenario, my feeling is that Custom Contexts would be the best solution for this.

I've never seen or heard of outbound routing rules with an appended extension number e.g. 911/201 Can you point me to a source, preferably official documentation, for this feature?

 

[Ramblin]

Custom Contexts vs /ext solution

The /ext solution came out in FreePBX 2.6. I am on FreePBX 2.7 so still have it. If you have FreePBX >= 2.6:

Go to Admin>Setup(tab)>OutboundRoutes>AddRoute
(My Routes are all SIP, so I do not know if this also works for IAX or others)

Hover your mouse over the "Dial Patterns" label and a pop-up will appear, explaining the /ext option

As for Custom Contexts, it is not a standard module, and I do not want to set something up (911 handling) that is so critical (and for which I could be sued if it broke later) using something that may not be supported in future FreePBX versions.

This is the same reason I am trying to avoid manually editing the conf files.

 

[kenn10]

I am not surprised you never heard of it, this is a particularly well hidden gem. I have only read about its usage here in the PIAF forums (very rarely) and can't find the thread now that I have gone looking. I have looked thru the "official" docs on the FreePBX site and all references to dial patterns that I found don't have any mention of it. It does work though, give it a try.

Lorne

I'd recommend the use of the Custom-Contexts module so you can set up individual routes at each location. There is tons of information online if you Google for FreePBX and Custom-Contexts. It will solve your problems with multiple locations without tons of dial plan customizations.

 

[Ramblin]

The good news is ...

Well, the good news is that this thread seemed to help others

The other good news is that this research helped me catch a hacker who had initiated over 2,000 active channels into my server and was trying to use me as a relay (which I stopped before he could)

The bad news is, the darn thing worked exactly how it was supposed to - it was my system being hacked that seems to have been the problem.

The /ext is working and redirecting - for the specified extension - to the intended Outbound Route when the dial plan matches. And the Emergency settings ensure the correct CID is being used.

I have 6 trunks, and the trunk I was testing is the only one that does NOT work; all others work fine (as I now know - he says with embarrassment).

When I dug deeper, it seems a South-African hacker was hammering away at that trunk and clogged it up so it came back as busy.

I have now blocked the hacker IPs and got the system working.

Thanks for all your help - it did help eliminate the things that were working and point me in the right direction.

 

[Lost Trunk]

I am not surprised you never heard of it, this is a particularly well hidden gem. I have only read about its usage here in the PIAF forums (very rarely) and can't find the thread now that I have gone looking. I have looked thru the "official" docs on the FreePBX site and all references to dial patterns that I found don't have any mention of it. It does work though, give it a try.

Lorne

I suspect this is one of the reasons why they went to the new method for entering route dial patterns in 2.8 - chances are that people look at that fourth field and wonder what it's there for, and then discover this feature. It's one I definitely wish I'd known about a long time ago.

Still doesn't mean they should have implemented that new method without a way to upload multiple patterns without using those text boxes, but I read somewhere that one of the developers said that will be fixed in 2.9, and you'll be allowed to upload patterns using a comma-quote delimited file.

You are right, this is a very well hidden gem that should have been shouted from the rooftops, or at least better documented. It would have saved many of us who have remote users a lot of unnecessary grief!

 

[Ramblin]

Correct, Internal CID Num Alias Overrides ext if present

I have Asterisk 1.6 and FeePBX 2.7

The behaviour you described is correct

If a CID Num Alias has been entered, it will be used to trigger or not trigger the /ext option in an Outbound Trunk dial plan. If the CID Num Alias is not present, Extension Number will be used.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention; I do not use CID Num Alais on this install, but I can imagine the confusion if I had tried to use it and the dial plan option