Phone & CTI — How-To Guides

Step-by-step instructions for setting up phones, call routing, voicemail, SMS, and the operator panel. The Phone section has seven tabs: Address Book, Recent Calls, Preferences, OPC Panel, Extensions, Statistics, CTI routings.

Register a SIP phone or softphone onto Abilis

Goal: Connect a SIP phone (a desk phone or a softphone app on your computer) to the Abilis so it can make and receive calls through the Abilis phone system.

Prerequisites: A user account with SIP enabled (created in Administration > Users Management).

1. On your SIP phone or softphone, configure:
   • SIP server / registrar: the Abilis IP address (e.g. 192.168.1.1)
   • Username: the SIP username from your user account
   • Password: the SIP password from your user account
2. The phone should register automatically. Check at Phone > Extensions.

Each registered phone shows: Number (extension), Username, Name, and Interface (e.g. vo for VoIP). An asterisk (*) with a port number indicates the SIP trunk connection.

Use your office extension on a mobile phone (Abilisphone)

Goal: Your desk extension should follow you when you leave the office — the same number, the same caller-ID to the outside world, the same dial-plan. From a client's point of view they are calling your office phone; you happen to be picking up on a mobile. This is what the Abilisphone mobile app does.

Prerequisite: Virtual Office must be enabled on the Abilis. An administrator configures system-wide defaults once — see Administration → Virtual Office. After that, adding a user to the mobile app is quick.

1. The user needs an Abilis user account. If they don't have one yet, create it via Create a new user account and assign an extension number.
2. On the user's profile (Administration > Users Management → click the user), enable the Virtual Office / Abilisphone option so this user is allowed to use the app.
3. Click Save.
4. On the user's mobile:
   • Install the Abilisphone app from Google Play or the App Store.
   • Open the app and enter the server details: Server: the Abilis public address; Username: the Abilis user's username; Password: the Abilis user's password.
   • The phone registers with the Abilis. After a few seconds the app should show as Connected and be ready to place and receive calls.
5. Test. Dial the user's office extension from another office phone — the mobile should ring. Dial an outside number from the mobile — it should use the office trunk (the external caller sees the office number as caller ID).

Connect an analog telephone or FAX to a POTS port

Goal: You have a traditional analog desk phone, a cordless phone, or an office FAX machine that you want to plug directly into the Abilis so it can make and receive calls through the PBX just like a SIP phone.

Hardware requirement: a POTS card (e.g. POTS 4 / 8 / 16) must be installed in the Abilis and connected to the internal power supply. Without a POTS card, the FXS ports are not available — check Phone > Extensions; if no POTS ports appear, the card is missing.

1. Plug the analog phone (or FAX) into one of the POTS port sockets on the rear of the Abilis using a standard RJ-11 phone cable.
2. Go to Phone > Extensions.
3. Locate the row for the POTS port the phone is plugged into — it appears with an interface like ctip:101, ctip:102, and so on (one entry per physical socket on the POTS card).
4. Click on that row and set:
   • Number: the internal extension you want this phone to answer as (e.g. 21 for a technician, 35 for a FAX).
   • Description: something clear like Technician 1 or Office FAX.
5. Click Save.
6. Repeat for each POTS port you want to activate.
7. Test — lift the handset on the analog phone; you should hear the Abilis dial tone. Dial another extension to confirm internal calling works.

Add a contact to the Address Book

Goal: Save a phone number with a name in the Abilis address book so you and your colleagues can quickly look up contacts without remembering numbers.

1. Go to Phone > Address Book.
2. Click New +.
3. Fill in:
   • Type: personal (your private contacts) or public (shared with all users).
   • Name: the contact name (e.g. "Rossi"). Note: public contact names cannot contain spaces.
   • Prefix: a short dial prefix if needed (e.g. "46").
   • Number: the full phone number (e.g. "39123456789").
   • E-mail: optional.
   • Tag: a label to organise contacts (e.g. "supplier", "customer").
4. Click Save.

Set up call forwarding and Do Not Disturb

Goal: Redirect your incoming calls to another number (e.g. your mobile) when you are away from your desk, or activate Do Not Disturb so your phone does not ring at all. forward to another number, ring both phones, or send callers straight to busy.

1. Go to Phone > Preferences.
2. On the Call Management tab, choose one of:
   • No rules — phone rings normally, no forwarding.
   • Do not disturb — callers hear a busy tone. Your phone doesn't ring.
   • Call forward — redirects calls. When selected, additional options appear:
     • Forward to number: the destination (e.g. 200 for voicemail, or a mobile number).
     • Display number: what the destination sees — "The original calling number" (recommended) or a fixed number.
     • Always — every call goes directly to the forward number. Your phone never rings.
     • Fork — both your phone AND the forward number ring simultaneously. First to pick up gets the call.
     • Conditional — forward only in specific situations:
       • On Busy — forward only if you're already on a call.
       • On no answer after X seconds — your phone rings first, then forwards after the timeout (e.g. 20 seconds).
3. Click Save.

Route calls differently outside business hours (night mode)

Goal: During office hours, calls ring the reception extension. Outside office hours, they go straight to an after-hours voicemail greeting or an on-call mobile. Weekends and holidays should be treated as "outside hours". No-one has to manually flip a switch each evening.

The routing is done in Phone > CTI Routings using time windows attached to each rule. You have two rules for the same inbound number: one active during business hours, one active the rest of the time.

1. Prepare the after-hours greeting — see Record and upload a custom audio greeting, or set up a DISA responder with an after-hours menu.
2. Go to Phone > CTI Routings and find the rule that currently handles incoming calls — the one that routes the inbound number to the reception.
3. Edit that rule and add a time condition:
   • Active hours: e.g. Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00.
   • The rule only matches when the current time falls inside this window.
4. Save.
5. Add a second rule at a slightly lower priority with:
   • Same inbound number (called number / CDI).
   • Output: the after-hours destination — a DISA service playing the greeting, a mobile number, or voicemail.
   • No time condition, or a complementary window.
   The idea is that during business hours the first rule wins; outside, it doesn't match and the fallback rule handles the call.
6. Save.
7. Test by calling in from outside during both windows — a colleague's mobile is a quick way — and confirming the right behaviour.

Set up an auto-attendant / voice menu (DISA responder)

Goal: Set up an automated voice menu that answers incoming calls and lets callers choose where to go — for example: "Press 1 for Sales, Press 2 for Support."

Step 1: Create a DISA service

1. Go to Tools > DISA.
2. The DISA page has four tabs: Services, Users, Messages, Queues.
3. On the Services tab, click New +.
4. Enter a Service name (e.g. "responder"). Click Save.

The Services table columns: Service name, Mode (DISA), TRFA, CB (callback), Auto CDO, Tout CDO, Max Loops, Max Loops CDO, End CDO, Permit, CDI.

Step 2: Create CTI routing rules to connect calls to the DISA

The DISA service alone doesn't receive calls — you need CTI routing rules that direct incoming calls to the DISA service, and rules for each keypad digit that route to the right extension or group.

Configure a call queue with music on hold

Goal: When a customer calls your office and all employees are busy on other calls, you don't want the caller to hear a busy tone and hang up. Instead, they should hear music (or a message like "Please hold, an operator will be with you shortly"), wait in line, and get connected automatically as soon as someone is free.

How it works: A call queue is attached to a DISA service. When a call comes in, the DISA responder checks if any agent (a phone assigned to the queue) is available. If yes, it rings that phone. If all agents are busy, the caller enters the queue and hears music on hold.

1. Make sure you have a DISA service. If you haven't set one up yet, see Set up an auto-attendant / voice menu first.
2. Go to Tools → DISA → Queues tab. This shows all configured queues and their current status (how many callers are waiting, how many agents are available).
3. Configure queue settings for your DISA service. Each DISA service can have queue parameters:

   Setting	What it controls
   Agents	Which phone extensions are part of this queue. When a call comes in, these phones ring.
   Max wait time	How long a caller waits before being sent to an overflow destination (e.g. voicemail).
   Overflow destination	Where the call goes if nobody answers within the max wait time — typically voicemail or another queue.

4. Set up music on hold. Go to Tools → Audio Messages. In the Music on Hold row, select or upload the audio file you want callers to hear while waiting. See Upload an audio file if you need to add your own music.
5. Announce the caller's position and estimated wait. On the queue's settings, enable Position announcements. The Abilis periodically plays a message to waiting callers — typically "Your call is important to us, you are number 3 in the queue" — so people don't think they've been forgotten. If you have the estimated-wait option available, tick it too: the message then includes an approximate wait time based on the queue's recent average handling time.
6. Record (or upload) the position-announcement voice track. The announcement uses an Abilis audio message as its template — see Record a new audio message or Create a message via Text-to-Speech. The message typically says "You are number <N> in the queue" where the number is filled in automatically at playback time. Abilis provides a default message; customise it to match your business voice (same voice as the rest of your IVR, same tone).
7. Test it. Call your office number from a mobile phone. While one colleague is already on a call (so all agents are busy), your call should enter the queue and you should hear the music on hold. When the colleague hangs up, your call should ring their phone automatically. If position announcement is enabled, you should also hear the position update at the configured interval (typically every 30–60 seconds).

Build a multi-level IVR for a small call centre

Goal: When customers call your main number, they hear a menu that routes them to the right agent or queue. "Press 1 for sales, 2 for support, 3 for accounts." Inside each option there can be further choices — support might offer "1 for existing orders, 2 for technical help." Calls end up in queues with music on hold and announced position. This is the bread and butter of any small contact centre.

The single-level IVR is covered in Set up an auto-attendant / voice menu (DISA responder). This section extends it — nested menus, queues, and overflow handling — for a multi-department call centre.

1. Plan the tree on paper first. Write each menu level, its choices, and what each choice does. A typical small-centre tree:
   • Level 1: "Press 1 for sales, 2 for support, 3 for accounts, 0 for operator"
   • Level 2 (support): "Press 1 for existing orders, 2 for technical, 0 to go back"
   • Each terminal leaf is a queue or a specific phone/group.
   Doing this before touching the configuration saves enormous rework.
2. Record all the prompts — see Record a new audio message. Recording them all at once in the same voice keeps the experience consistent. Aim for short, clear prompts. Name them systematically: ivr_main.wav, ivr_support.wav, etc.
3. Create each queue — see Configure a call queue with music on hold. One queue per terminal leaf. Configure the agents (the people who will pick up calls) and the music-on-hold track for each.
4. Build the top-level DISA — see Set up an auto-attendant. This plays the main prompt and listens for a key press. For each key, the destination is:
   • A queue directly (for simple first-level routing like "press 3 for accounts").
   • A second-level DISA (for nested menus — "press 2 for support, then choose…").
5. For each nested level, create another DISA responder pointing at its own prompt, with destinations for each key. These can in turn call a third DISA, but keep the tree shallow — customers give up on menus deeper than two levels.
6. Wire the incoming number to the top-level DISA in Phone > CTI Routings. Incoming calls now land on the main menu.
7. Handle overflow. Add rules for:
   • After-hours: route to a voicemail or on-call mobile using time-windowed routing.
   • No agents available in a queue: configurable within the queue (overflow to another queue, to voicemail, or back up to the main menu).
   • Caller presses no key: default timeout behaviour in the DISA editor — usually "route to operator" or "play message and hang up."
8. Test every branch, including the back-to-previous-menu and the invalid-key paths. Customers find combinations you didn't anticipate the first day it goes live.

Record and upload a custom audio greeting

Goal: Record a custom greeting that callers will hear — for example, "Welcome to ABC Company" — using your browser's microphone or by uploading an audio file.

1. Go to Tools > Audio Messages.
2. At the top, select Manage messages for user: (SYSTEM for system-wide messages, or a specific user for personal voicemail).
3. The Manage Existing tab shows four message places:
   • Voice Mail — the voicemail greeting (e.g. "Voicemail: Goodbye!").
   • DISA — greeting for the auto-attendant. Select which DISA service (e.g. "Alert" or "Default") and the message type (e.g. "init dial"). The dropdown lets you choose "System Default" or a custom file.
   • MIX — combined/mixed messages.
   • Music on Hold — what callers hear while waiting. Default: "Play all music/message files in alphabetic order."
4. To create a new recording, use the other tabs:
   • Record New — the Abilis calls your phone. You speak the message. It saves automatically.
   • Edit Audio File — trim or modify an existing recording.
   • Text To Speech — type text and the Abilis generates audio.

Create a group of phones that ring together

Goal: Make multiple phones ring at the same time when someone calls a specific number — so that in a team, any available person can pick up the call. For example, you want extensions 201, 202, and 203 (the sales team) to all ring when someone calls the sales number.

How it works: You assign extensions to a group (e.g. G3), then create a CTI routing rule that says "when a call arrives for group G3, ring all phones in G3." The first person to answer gets the call.

1. First, assign extensions to the group. Go to Administration → Users Management. Open each user who should be in the group, go to their Phone settings, and set their group to G3 (or whichever group identifier you choose — G1, G2, G3, etc.).
2. Go to Phone → CTI Routings. Click New + to create a new routing rule.
3. Basic parameters tab: tick Active and enter a description so you recognise it later (e.g. "Sales team ring group").

   

4. Input values tab: tick Input group and enter the group identifier (e.g. G3). This tells the Abilis "this rule applies when a call is directed at group G3." Leave Input port/group and Input cluster/group as # (meaning "any" — don't filter by these).

   

5. New values tab: set Output group/port/cluster to the same group identifier (G3). Leave Called address output and Calling address output as * (meaning "pass through unchanged" — the original caller ID and dialled number are kept as-is).

   

6. Click Save.

Use SIP phones or speakers for building-wide announcements (PA)

Goal: A member of staff picks up any desk phone, dials a short code (e.g. *55), speaks, and their voice is broadcast simultaneously through every speaker in the building — or through specific zones like "shop floor", "warehouse", "offices". Used for shift calls, visitor paging, evacuation announcements, and end-of-day notices. No separate PA system needed.

1. Decide the zones. Simple installations have one zone ("all speakers"); larger ones split by floor or function. Each zone has its own paging group.
2. Set up paging-capable endpoints. These can be:
   • SIP desk phones with built-in speakers (most modern business phones support multicast paging — the relevant option is usually Multicast Listening in the phone's own web UI).
   • SIP ceiling speakers — single-unit devices that mount on a ceiling, connect by PoE, and register like a SIP phone.
   • Analog speakers driven through a SIP-to-line-out adapter (for retrofitting an existing PA amplifier).
3. Configure each endpoint to listen on the zone's multicast address and port — e.g. 239.0.1.10:5000 for "all speakers". Endpoints that should only hear "shop floor" listen on a different address. An endpoint can listen on several zones, prioritised — e.g. a shop-floor speaker listens on both "shop floor" and "all speakers", with "all" having higher priority.
4. On the Abilis, create a short-code or extension that triggers the paging group. Go to Phone > CTI Routings and add a rule matching the dialled code (e.g. *55) with the destination being the paging zone's multicast target.
5. Test. From a desk phone, dial the code. Speak. Confirm the voice comes through every endpoint in the zone. If the voice is delayed, tinny, or echoing, the problem is usually in the endpoint's audio settings, not the network.

Program a group of telephone lines

Goal: You have multiple external phone lines (e.g. two SIP trunks from different providers) and you want to control which line the Abilis uses for outgoing calls — for example, always use the cheaper provider for international calls, or spread calls across lines so one provider doesn't get overloaded.

How it works: Telephone line groups are defined through CTI routing rules. You assign each external line a group identifier (G1, G2, G3…), then create routing rules that direct calls to a specific group based on the dialled number pattern.

1. Go to Phone → CTI Routings. Click the Phone icon in the sidebar, then select CTI Routings.
2. Identify your external lines. Look at Phone → Extensions first — your external lines (SIP trunks) appear with an asterisk (*) as their Number. Note their interface identifiers.
3. Create a routing rule. Back in CTI Routings, click New +.
4. Set the dialled number pattern. For example, to route all international calls (starting with 00) through a specific line group, enter 00* as the called number pattern.
5. Assign the line group. In the routing rule settings, specify which line group (G1, G2, etc.) should handle matching calls.
6. Save and test. Make a test call matching the pattern and verify it goes through the correct line.

Connect a door or gate intercom (DoorPhone)

Goal: A visitor presses the button at your gate or front door. Specific phones inside ring; when someone answers, they speak to the visitor through the intercom's microphone. If the visitor is authorised, the person answering presses a button on their phone and the gate unlocks. Optionally, a camera at the entrance shows the visitor's face while the call rings.

1. Connect the door intercom to the Abilis. Most modern door stations speak SIP and register as an extension — see Register a SIP phone or softphone. Older analog intercoms connect to an FXS/POTS port — see Connect an analog telephone.
2. Give the door station a clearly named extension — e.g. gate_front or extension number 99. This is the number that will be shown as the caller when someone presses the button.
3. Configure the door station itself so that pressing its button calls a group of internal extensions. Most door stations store a "call this number when pressed" field in their own web interface. Point it at an Abilis call group (e.g. reception + kitchen + office) so several phones ring together.
4. Set up the gate unlock. The relay that unlocks the gate is usually a digital output on a WIO module (see Discover and connect a WIO module). Configure the door station (or an Abilis rule) so that when the person who answers presses a specific key — typically * or a configured DTMF digit — the relay pulses for a few seconds and the gate opens. Many SIP door stations have a "DTMF unlock code" field for this.
5. Optionally pair with the entrance camera. When the door button is pressed, a small automation rule can jog a PTZ camera to a preset — see Jump a PTZ camera to a preset on an event — so the person who answers sees the visitor on a monitor or on the web interface.
6. Test. Press the door button. The configured group should ring. Answer on one of the phones, check voice works both ways, press the unlock DTMF, verify the gate opens.

Check who called while you were away

Goal: You were away from your desk (in a meeting, on break, out of office) and you want to see if anyone tried to call you, who they were, and when they called — so you can call them back.

1. Go to Phone → Recent Calls. Click the Phone icon in the sidebar, then select Recent Calls.
2. Look at the call list. You'll see a table with columns: Date, Correspondent (the caller's name if known), a direction icon, and Duration.
3. Filter to show only missed calls. Use the second filter dropdown at the top right of the table and select NoAnswer. The table now shows only calls that rang your phone but were not answered. Other useful filters: Answered, Aborted (caller hung up), Unreachable (your phone was offline).
4. Call them back. Note the name or number from the Correspondent column. You can also click Add to Address Book to save the number for future reference.

Use the OPC panel (receptionist switchboard)

Goal: Use the Operator Panel to see all active calls in real time, transfer calls between extensions, and manage incoming calls — a receptionist's switchboard in your browser.

1. Go to Phone > OPC Panel.
2. Each extension appears as a tile showing the name and extension number.
3. Tile colour indicates status:
   • Light/white — available, not on a call.
   • Dark/grey — currently on a call.
4. Two toggles at the top: Current Calls view and Queues view — enable these to see active calls and queue status in the right sidebar.
5. Click Settings (gear icon) to customise which extensions are shown.
6. Click on an extension tile to transfer a call to that person.

View phone traffic statistics

Goal: See how many calls your office handles, how quickly they are answered, how many are missed, and which extensions are busiest — useful for spotting peak hours, staffing problems, or quality issues.

1. Go to Phone → Statistics.
2. Click New Preset to create a new report.
3. On the Call filtering rules tab, choose what to analyse:

   

   • Call type: Incoming, Outgoing, or both.
   • Targets: select specific users from the list (with search), DISA Services, or specific called/calling numbers.
   • Time interval: Day, Week, Month, Year, or Custom date range.
4. Switch to the Report Type tab to choose how the results are displayed:

   

   • View: Graph (visual chart over time), Table (raw numbers), or Top 10 (busiest extensions).
   • Information displayed: untick any metrics you don't need — failed calls, average duration, answered calls count, wait time before answering.
5. Click Show statistics to generate the report.

   

   The graph view shows a colour-coded legend (one colour per metric per user) and a time-based chart. You can click Export to CSV to download the raw data for analysis in Excel. Click Save to keep the preset so you can quickly re-run the same report later.

Send an SMS from the web interface

Goal: Send an SMS text message directly from the Abilis web interface to any mobile phone number — without needing your own mobile phone.

1. Go to Tools > SMS Gateway.
2. Four tabs:
   • Uploaded Files — previously uploaded CSV files for bulk SMS.
   • Upload File — upload a CSV with numbers and messages for batch sending.
   • Write Message — compose a single SMS.
   • SMS Sent / Received — history of all messages.
3. Click Write Message.

4. Enter the Number (with country code, e.g. +393331234567).
5. Type your Message. The counter shows characters used / maximum (640 characters for concatenated SMS).
6. Click Send.

Register Abilis as a client of a SIP provider (external VoIP)

Goal: You want the Abilis to make and receive calls to regular phone numbers (landlines, mobiles) over the internet, using an external VoIP provider like Messagenet, OVH, or Vodafone Business. Once connected, all internal phones on the Abilis can dial external numbers through this provider.

What you need from your VoIP provider: Before you start, ask your provider for a configuration sheet. You'll need their SIP registrar address (e.g. sip.provider.com), your account username, your account password, and which audio codecs they support (G.711, G.729, etc.).

1. Go to Networking → Settings → Ports. This is where external connections are configured.
2. Find the SIP resource. Look for an existing SIP port entry, or create a new one if your system doesn't have one yet.
3. Enter your provider's settings. Fill in the registrar address, username, and password from the configuration sheet your provider gave you. Set the codec preferences to match what the provider supports.
4. Apply Changes. The Abilis will attempt to register with the provider.
5. Verify registration. Go to Phone → Extensions. A successfully registered SIP trunk appears as an entry with an asterisk (*) as Number and a port number as Interface (e.g. 501).

Link two Abilis PBXs so extensions can call each other

Goal: Your company has two sites, each with its own Abilis. You want people at site A to dial site B's extensions as if they were on the same phone system — no external gateway, no long-distance billing, just internal four-digit calls that travel over the VPN.

How it works: the Abilis carries voice between two sites by binding a named cluster to an existing inter-site tunnel. The tunnel can be an AIPT2 VPN (carries data + voice) or a dedicated voice tunnel; the voice binding is what makes extensions on both sides visible to each other's CTI routing.

Prerequisite: a working tunnel between the two Abilis units. If you haven't set one up, start with Set up a VPN tunnel between two Abilis devices (AIPT2).

1. On Abilis 1, go to Phone > CTI Routings (or wherever the CTI Cluster table is exposed in your GUI). Add a new cluster:
   • Cluster name: a short identifier for the remote site, e.g. Abilis2.
   • Number prefix: the dial prefix used to reach the remote site (e.g. 05555667701 or a short internal prefix like 2).
   • Description: clear, e.g. to_Abilis_2.
2. Bind the cluster to the inter-site tunnel: add a CTI Link entry pointing at the IP resource used by the tunnel (e.g. Ip-7 for an AIPT2 VPN, or a dedicated voice tunnel resource).
3. Click Save.
4. On Abilis 2, repeat with mirror-image values — the cluster name is something like Abilis1, the number prefix is the one used to reach site 1, and the CTI Link points at the same tunnel resource.
5. Save on the second side as well.
6. Test — from a phone on site A, dial an extension at site B. The call should go through the tunnel with internal call quality. If the two sites share extension ranges, you may need a dial-prefix strip rule in CTI Routings.

Enable call pickup between colleagues

Goal: A colleague's phone is ringing on their desk, but they're not there. You want to answer their call from your own phone without walking over — by dialling a short code.

How it works: The Abilis supports two pickup methods:

1. Try it. When you hear a colleague's phone ringing, pick up your own phone and dial *8 followed by their extension number. You should be connected to their caller.
2. If it doesn't work: The pickup codes may be different on your system, or the feature may not be enabled. Go to Phone → CTI Routings and look for routing rules containing *8 — this shows the configured pickup codes.
3. If no pickup rules exist: they need to be added in Phone → CTI Routings. Click New + and add a rule that maps the dial pattern (*8 + extension) to the pickup action. If you do not have access to CTI Routings, this is a unit-wide configuration change that an Anteklab technician can make for you.

Transfer a call with consultation (attended transfer)

Goal: You are on a call that should go to a colleague. You want to talk to the colleague first — "I've got Mr Rossi about the invoice, can you take it?" — and only then put the original caller through. If the colleague can't take it, you want to go back to the original caller and do something else.

1. While on the call, tell the caller you are transferring them and ask them to hold.
2. Press the transfer button on your phone (or use the softkey labelled Transfer, Xfer, or with a transfer icon). The original caller is put on hold.
3. Dial the colleague's extension. Wait for them to answer.
4. Speak to them — introduce the caller and confirm they will take the call.
5. Complete the transfer:
   • Colleague will take it — press transfer again (or the complete softkey). The two parties are connected and you drop out.
   • Colleague can't take it — hang up the consultation call. On most phones you are then returned to the original caller, who was on hold the whole time.

Set up a conference call

Goal: Set up a phone conference where multiple people can join the same call by dialling a number and entering a PIN — hosted entirely on the Abilis, no external service needed.

Goal: Set up a phone conference where multiple people can join the same call by dialling a number and entering a PIN — hosted entirely on the Abilis, no external service needed. The Abilis supports two conference modes:

Simplified Conference — from an analogue phone (POTS)

1. Call the first participant as normal.
2. Press FLASH (R) to put the call on hold.
3. Dial the second participant.
4. Once the second person answers, press FLASH (R) then 5 to merge both calls into a conference.
5. To add more people: press FLASH (R), dial the next person, and when they answer press FLASH (R) + 5 again.

Simplified Conference — from PCphone or AbilisPhone

1. Make your first call.
2. Make a second call (the first is automatically parked).
3. With both calls active/parked, the conference button becomes enabled — click it to merge.
4. Repeat for additional participants.

Basic Conference — dial-in with room code

1. Dial the conference number (e.g. 0555555555 — your system may use a different number).
2. You hear a prompt asking for a conference room code.
3. Enter a 4-digit code (e.g. 1234). If no conference exists with that code, a new room is created.
4. Other participants dial the same conference number and enter the same code to join.

Enable on-demand call recording

Goal: During a phone call, you want to start recording the conversation — for example, to keep a record of an agreement, a customer complaint, or instructions you need to remember later. You press a key on your phone, the recording starts, and the audio file is saved on the Abilis.

1. Check that the Voice Recorder option is visible for your user. Go to Phone → Preferences. If a Voice Recorder or Call Recording section is shown, on-demand recording is available on your account and you can skip to the next step. If the section is not shown, recording is not enabled on this unit — typically because the required licences (CTIVR, and OPC/SMTP for delivery) are not installed. Contact Anteklab to confirm and, if needed, add the licences for your unit.
2. During a call, press *1 on your phone keypad. The Abilis begins recording both sides of the conversation. You may hear a short beep or tone confirming recording has started (depending on your phone model).
3. Press *1 again to stop recording. Or simply hang up — the recording stops automatically when the call ends.
4. Find your recording. Go to Phone → Recent Calls. The call you recorded will have a playback icon or download link next to it. Click it to listen or save the file.

Automatically record specific call types for compliance

Goal: Some calls must always be recorded regardless of who answers — calls to / from specific numbers (financial advisors, legal hotlines), calls on specific extensions (a complaints line), or every incoming call from outside on a particular number. The difference from on-demand recording is that this is automatic — nobody has to remember to press Record; and nobody can forget or deliberately skip it.

1. Confirm that on-demand recording is working — see Enable on-demand call recording. Automatic recording uses the same storage, file naming, and playback infrastructure; if on-demand isn't working, auto recording won't either.
2. Go to Phone > CTI Routings and find (or create) the routing rule that matches the calls you want recorded:
   • By called number: e.g. every inbound call to +39047612345 (the complaints line).
   • By calling number: e.g. every call from a specific customer whose contract requires it.
   • By extension: every call to or from extension 205 (the financial-advisor desk).
3. On that rule, enable the Auto-record option. Recording will now apply to every call matching the rule, on top of whatever else the rule does (ring a group, route to DISA, etc.).
4. Set retention. Recordings pile up fast on a busy line. Either use the built-in retention window (delete after N days) or plan a regular export to long-term storage — see Export logs and call data.
5. Inform users. In most jurisdictions, automatically recorded calls require a notification at the start — "this call may be recorded for quality and compliance purposes." Use an audio prompt (recorded as per Record a new audio message) played by the DISA before connecting the caller to the agent. Some rules also require a periodic tone during the call — configurable in the recording settings.
6. Test. Call the matching number. Confirm the call appears in Phone > Recent Calls with a recording icon. Play it back.

Automate outbound calls to a list (polling, notifications, surveys)

Goal: You want the Abilis to dial a list of telephone numbers, one after another, and play a pre-recorded message or prompt to each one. Not an emergency alarm (that is Alarm via phone call) but a routine outbound activity — end-of-day inventory confirmations from a list of suppliers, weekly customer-satisfaction calls, event reminders to a group of clients, scheduled check-ins.

This uses the same outbound-call engine as the alarm system, but driven by a timer or a manual trigger rather than by an event. The recipient hears a pre-recorded message; optionally they can press keys and the Abilis records which key they pressed.

1. Record the message the recipients will hear — see Record a new audio message or Create an audio message using Text-to-Speech. Keep it under 30 seconds; people hang up on long recorded calls.
2. Create the list of numbers to dial. Use Create a list with the numbers in international format (e.g. +39348...). Give the list a name like weekly_customers.
3. Go to Phone > CTI Alarms (the same page used for alarm calls — despite the name, it handles any outbound call campaign).
4. Click New + and configure:
   • Trigger: Scheduled (daily/weekly at a specific time) or Manual (you press a button on the web interface to start it).
   • Numbers to call: the list you created.
   • Action: Play audio message, pointing at the recording you made.
   • Behaviour on answer / voicemail: you can skip voicemails (wait for a human voice) or deliver the message to voicemail too.
   • Retries: how many times to redial a number that doesn't answer, and the delay between retries.
5. If you want to collect responses, enable DTMF collection. The recipient can press 1 for yes, 2 for no and the Abilis logs the key pressed against each number.
6. Save. If the trigger is Scheduled, the campaign starts automatically at the configured time. If Manual, click Start when ready.
7. Monitor progress in Phone > Recent Calls — each call attempt appears with its status (answered / no answer / busy / voicemail) and, where applicable, the DTMF digit the recipient pressed.

Set up alarm notifications via SMS or phone call

Goal: When something important happens — a sensor triggers, an internet connection goes down, someone tries to break into the system — you want to receive an immediate notification on your phone, even if you're not in front of the computer. The Abilis can send you an SMS, make a phone call with a recorded message, or send an email.

How it works: The Abilis uses Alert Channels (configured in Tools → Alert Manager) to define how you get notified. Then, individual features (IP Ban, ARP Monitor, Control Loops, etc.) reference these channels to define when you get notified.

1. Go to Tools → Alert Manager. Click the Tools icon, then Alert Manager. You'll see a list of alert channels (CH: 1, CH: 2, etc.).
2. Click on a channel (or create a new one) to configure it.
3. Tick the notification methods you want:

   The available actions are:

   Checkbox	What it does
   E-mail	Sends an email to a configured address.
   Sms	Sends an SMS to a configured phone number.
   Telephone call	The Abilis calls a phone number and plays a recorded audio message.
   Automation device	Triggers a physical output (e.g. turns on a siren or warning light).

4. Give the channel a description (e.g. "SMS to manager" or "Call security guard") so you can identify it later.
5. Click Save.
6. Now connect this channel to an event. Go to the feature you want alerts for:

   For example, to get an SMS when someone is banned by IP Ban: go to IP Ban settings and select this alert channel. For sensor-based alerts: configure it in your Control Loop. For new-device alerts: set it in ARP Alert.

Make a phone call when a sensor triggers (alarm call)

Goal: Your real-world customers: a cold-storage warehouse wants to be called when the freezer temperature climbs; a factory wants someone rung when the main gate opens after hours; an evacuation plan has the Abilis call every employee's mobile with a pre-recorded fire message. When a sensor crosses a threshold or a digital input goes high, the Abilis dials a phone number and plays a message — automatically, without anyone sitting at a computer.

What you need before you start:

• A recorded audio message — the announcement the caller will hear. If you haven't recorded one yet, see Record a new audio message or Create an audio message using Text-to-Speech.
• The sensor wired to the Abilis: a digital input on a WIO, RIO, or RVS device — see Discover and connect a WIO module.
• The phone number you want the Abilis to call.

1. Go to Tools > DISA.
2. On the Services tab, click Add + and create a callback service:
   • Name: e.g. alarm_call.
   • Enable Call Back: yes.
   • Initial message: the audio you recorded (or composed via Text-to-Speech).
3. On the Users tab, add a DISA user (e.g. alarm_user) with Call Back enabled and a short PIN. The PIN is required by the callback mechanism — it does not need to be memorable.
4. Go to Tools > Alert Manager (or the Alarm table, depending on firmware). Add a new alarm:
   • Trigger: select the sensor — e.g. RIO (or RVS, WIO), then the digital input number (e.g. DI-2), then the condition (on or above threshold).
   • Action: DISA callback.
   • DISA service: the alarm_call service from step 2.
   • DISA user: alarm_user from step 3.
   • Called number (CDO): the phone number to call.
   • Calling number (CGO): a number that will show as the caller — pick one the recipient will recognise.
5. Click Save.
6. Test — trigger the sensor (close a door, open a valve, drop a temperature into the alarm range). Within a few seconds your phone should ring and the recorded message should play when you answer.

Deliver voicemail as an email attachment

Goal: When someone leaves a voicemail on your extension, the Abilis sends you an email with the recording attached (as a WAV or MP3). You can listen on your laptop, your phone, or archive it — without ever logging in to the Abilis web interface to check the mailbox.

Prerequisite: the Abilis must be able to send email. See Configure the email sender (SMTP) if that isn't set up yet.

1. Go to Administration > Users Management.
2. Click the user whose voicemail should forward to email.
3. On the user's settings, find the Voicemail or Voice mail section.
4. Configure:
   • E-mail address: where the recordings should be sent.
   • Attach recording: tick so the audio file is attached (not just a notification that a message exists).
   • Delete after sending (optional) — removes the recording from the Abilis after it has been emailed, saving disk space. Leave unticked if you want the web-interface mailbox to also keep a copy.
5. Click Save.
6. Test — call the user's extension, let it go to voicemail, leave a short message. Within a minute, the email should arrive with the message as a playable attachment. Check the spam folder on the first test; some mail providers flag unknown senders.

Set a temporary holiday or closure voicemail greeting

Goal: When your office is closed for holidays, weekends, or any temporary period, you want callers to hear a message like "Our office is closed for the holidays. We will be back on January 7th." instead of the normal greeting. When you return, you switch back to the normal message.

What you need before you start: A recorded audio message with your holiday greeting. If you haven't recorded one yet, see Record a new audio message or Create an audio message using Text-to-Speech.

1. Go to Tools → Audio Messages. In the sidebar, click the Tools icon, then select Audio Messages.
2. Find the DISA row. Under Manage Existing Messages, you will see a table with rows for Voice Mail, DISA, MIX, and Music on Hold. The DISA row controls what callers hear when they call your main number.

   

3. Change the DISA message. In the DISA row, use the dropdown menus to select your holiday greeting instead of the default message. If you recorded a message called "holiday-closed", select it here.
4. Apply. Click Apply to save. From this moment, all incoming calls will hear your holiday greeting.
5. When the holiday is over: Come back to this same page and change the DISA message back to the original greeting. Click Apply again.

Block incoming calls from a specific phone number

Goal: You are receiving unwanted calls from a specific number (spam, nuisance callers) and you want the Abilis to reject those calls automatically, so your phones never ring for them.

1. First, create a list of blocked numbers. Go to Tools → Lists. Click New + to create a new list. Give it a clear name like blocked-callers. Add the phone numbers you want to block — one per line, in the format they appear in your Recent Calls log (e.g. 0039335123456). See Create a list for the detailed steps.
2. Then, create a CTI routing rule. Go to Phone → CTI Routings. Click New + to add a new routing rule.
3. Set the condition: In the Calling Number field, reference your blocked list by typing its name in quotes (e.g. "blocked-callers"). This means: "if the caller's number is in this list..."
4. Set the action: In the Action dropdown, select Reject or Busy. This tells Abilis to refuse the call.
5. Save. Click Apply. From now on, any call from a number in your blocked-callers list will be automatically rejected.
6. To add more numbers later: Simply go back to Tools → Lists, open your blocked-callers list, and add the new number. No need to change the routing rule — it reads from the list automatically.

Change the extension number assigned to an internal phone

Goal: A colleague's desk phone is currently assigned extension 301, but you want to change it to 450 (for example, after an office reorganization or when a new employee takes over a desk).

1. Go to Administration → Users Management. Click the Administration icon in the sidebar, then select Users Management.
2. Find the user. In the users list, click on the user whose extension you want to change.
3. Open Basic Parameters. In the user's settings, look for the Basic Parameters tab.
4. Find the extension number field. Look for the field labelled Extension or Interno. It will show the current number (e.g. 301).
5. Type the new number. Replace the old extension with the new one (e.g. 450). Make sure no other user already has this number — if in doubt, check the full users list first.
6. Save. Click Apply Changes. The phone will need to re-register (this usually happens automatically within a few seconds). The user's phone will now ring when someone dials the new extension number.