Telephone Line Hardware/Device Properties

To add a Telephony hardware and Devices go to the "Telephony Lines" tab of the web interface. All Hardware already added will be in the list of telephony lines, these can be edited by clicking on the device name or their edit icon.

The "Add New Hardware Line" Button below the list of current telephony lines will only be available if IVM detects telephony hardware on the machine that has not already been added. When you click the "Add New Hardware Line" button it will fill in the new hardware device for you, or give you a dropdown menu of the available devices to add if more than one is found.

If you are attempting to add a hardware device and do not have "Add New Hardware Line" as an available option or do not see that device in the list of hardware devices then your TAPI drivers have either not been installed or have failed. For more information, please see: Telephony Hardware (TAPI and driver issues). If you are still having trouble getting IVM to recognize your device see www.nch.com.au/kb/10045.html for troubleshooting.

For more device information see:



General Line Settings

Answer OGM

By default, all lines answer starting with the default Out-Going Message (OGM) that is set in the General System Settings in the "System Settings" tab on the web interface. If you are running multiple lines, and want to override this default so different lines have different starting OGMs, use this drop down list to select the OGM that will override the default for this line.

Answer Mode

You can also override the default 'Answer Mode' that are set in the General System Settings by selecting the 'Override Default Options' check box. These options allow you to set the number of rings or a tollsaver option for individual lines, changing the number of rings or the tollsaver options as appropriate. If at any time you wish to go back to using the default values simply uncheck the 'Override Default Options' box and of course click "save changes" at the bottom of the window.

Disable Caller ID Flash for this line

If you are running multiple lines, but want Caller ID Flash/Announcement on only some lines, you can use this check box to disable CID Flash on the line. For more information see Caller ID Blocking.

Allow outbound calls

By selecting 'Allow outbound and message forward calls on this line' IVM will use this line when making outbound or mailbox message forward calls. Normally all lines will have this selected. If you have multiple lines and one is a priority incoming line that you do not want to be busy you can turn off outbound calls on the line. You may also want to limit the lines that are used by the automated outbound dialer; when making outbound calls, IVM searches for a free line with outbound dialing enabled, searching through the lines in the order the lines were added.

For more information see Outbound Autodial Calls. Also see Forward to Telephone Number Message notification in General Mailbox Properties



End-Of-Call Detection

IVM uses the end-of-call tone detection from both the hardware and its internal software detection. The default settings usually work well but if you find that calls hang up unexpectedly (during playback or record) or you have good hardware and want to reduce call online times, open the End-of-Call Tone Detection Settings.

Enable end-of-call tone detection during playback. By default this is off to stop the out-going audio being mistaken for an end-of-call tone by cheaper voice modem circuits. If you have a professional telephony device and are playing long recordings you might try turning this on so that IVM will disconnect immediately if the caller hangs up during playback. Otherwise IVM waits to the end of playback.

Enable software based end-of-call tone detection. By default this is on so IVM detects the end-of-call tone even when the hardware fails to detect it. This must be on if end-of-call tone detection during playback is off.



Call Detection Timing

Most hardware takes a little time to detect end-of-call tones or DTMF tone presses. The end-of-call or key press will only be reported after it has been recorded. To compensate for this IVM rewinds the recording a preset time so that the end of the recording is more exact. Because different hardware has different timing you may need to adjust these for optimal performance.

End-Of-Call Detect Delay (ms). This is the time that IVM trims a recording back after the end of call tone is detected. If you find your recordings are chopped off (at the end of a recording) reduce this time. If you find too much of the end-of-call tone is recorded, increase this time. (Note: if you find it is very long make sure you have enabled software end-of-call detection as described above). The default value is 4500.

DTMF Tone Detect Delay (ms). This is the time that IVM trims a recording back after a caller presses a key. If you find the recording is chopped off you can reduce this a little. Beware: a too short time can cause unpredictable results if a recording includes the DTMF tone itself because when that recording is replayed the tone will be redetected. The default value is 350ms.



Distinctive Ring Detection

On some phone lines it is possible to have different ring 'sounds' to differentiate between calls of different type (e.g. faxes or voice calls) or calls to different numbers (where different numbers are received on one line). IVM can use this to only answer particular calls or to play different messages to different callers.

Distinctive Ring is processed using a Distinctive Ring Number (DRN). This number is somewhat arbitrary (see below). It is used under "Use Number ID Validity Checking" on the Date-Time ID tab of OGM Properties to either move to a different OGM or to not allow (or answer).

Distinctive Ring Settings

The Distinctive Ring Settings are on the Advanced Line Settings from the Devices tab of Settings.

Use hardware based distinctive ring: When selected the DRN is a number returned directly from the voice modem or telephony voice board. If the hardware supports distinctive ring detection we recommend that you use it. The problem is that many voice modems and telephony voice boards do not support distinctive ring and in that case you need to use software detection.

Use maximum ring interval - software based ring detection: When this option is selected, IVM uses the maximum time between rings to calculate the DRN. If the maximum time is above the set time it will report a DRN of 1. If it is below it will report a DRN of 0.

Setup Distinctive Ring Number (DRN)

The DRN is recorded on the Most Recent Call log. Before continuing setup call the line with one ring first, let it answer and then look at the Most Recent Call log. Record the DRN and time (ms). Then call the same line with a different ring type again letting it answer and then comparing the DRN and time on the most recent call log.

If the DRN number is different you can probably continue to use hardware based distinctive ring by changing the settings on the answering OGM as part of Validity Checking.

If the DRN reported for the different calls is the same then your hardware probably does not support distinctive ring. In that case you must use software based distinctive ring detection. Compare the DRN ms times of the two calls. Select the "Use maximum ring interval" option (see above) and enter a time (in ms) that is exactly between the times reported by the different calls. When you next make calls, you will see the different DRNs on the Most Recent Call Log.



Fax Detect Options

These options determine what IVM does when it detects an incoming fax.

Fax support is only available for TAPI type hardware telephony devices. Not all TAPI devices are support fax, check your device features.

TAPI Fax Mode Handoff

If this option is selected, IVM performs a TAPI Mode Handoff so any other TAPI Fax Software running on the same computer can take control of the call. Unfortunately, no fax software on the market at the time of release of this software accepts a TAPI handoff correctly.

Turn On Fax Machine by Dialing Digits

Many fax machines will let you activate them by dialing a digit or digits when you hear a fax tone. IVM can do exactly that when it detects a fax call. With the "Dial... then Hang Up" option, IVM can dial the digits to make your fax machine turn on and answer the call. Refer to the manual of your fax machine for more information.

For more information about Faxes and IVM, please see: Fax Support.


See also:

TAPI and driver issues
Fax Support