XIII. IPPBX

System Prompts

System Prompts can be managed through the web interface of the PBX system; to do that, go to [IP PBX] > [PBX System] > [Prompt Maintenance]:

Select [System Prompts]:

By default, the PBX system will have the system prompts pre-loaded with the UK specific English prompts, clicking 1-20, 21-40 and 41-46 will move through the different sections:

To replace the pre-set prompts, upload a .wav audio file (not an mp3 file or other codec), which can be up to 75 seconds in length or 14.7 Megabytes in size.

When doing this, make sure that the Phone port is not in use at the time or disconnect the Phone port temporarily, to ensure the best audio quality.

Click Browse to select the audio file. This must be in the following format: sys_prompt_g711_xx.wav, replacing xx with the System Prompt number location to replace. For instance, to replace System Prompt #36, which is the default Voicemail greeting prompt, name it "sys_prompt_g711_36.wav". Click Restore to send the prompt file to the PBX system, the PBX will then transcode the audio file into the codec it requires internally (G.711 and G.729).

To record System Prompts using an analogue handset connected to the Phone port, dial "****" to access the prompt recording menu. It is recommended to check the web interface's list of System Prompts (shown above) to ensure that the correct prompt is re-recorded.

Creating Prompt Files

The DrayTek VigorBX 2000 is able to load uncompressed WAV format audio and re-encode it to the formats required for Voice over IP. This will typically work well but some types of audio will benefit from being modified so that the Sample Rate of the audio is correct for the PBX system, otherwise it can load audio with up to 48KHz sample rate and will automatically downsample the audio.

Voice over IP typically uses a much lower sample rate, which can result in audio such as music sounding very different when played over the phone from its original sound. For instance the G.711A codec, used by many SIP providers and BT's ISDN network operates at 8000Hz, because it is designed for transmitting voice instead of music.

To get the best audio quality from audio samples or voice used for the PBX User or System prompts, it is recommended to use a freeware audio editing application called Audacity; more information and download links for the software can be found here.

Open Audacity and load the audio file that will be converted into a PBX Prompt:

The PBX system uses mono audio, so convert stereo audio to a single Mono track, click on the track, go to the Tracks menu and select Stereo Track to Mono:

To change the Sample Rate of the audio, set the Project Rate (Hz) to 8000:

Save the audio clip by clicking the File menu and select Export:

Click OK for the track metadata information, which is not required:

In the Export File window, select the location to save the file and give it an appropriate name.

Set the Save as type setting to "Other uncompressed files" and click Options:

Set the Header format to WAV (Microsoft)

Set the Encoding to U-Law for music, or A-Law for voice:

Click OK to save the prompt file. This can then be loaded onto the PBX using the web interface or the IPPBX Prompt Utility.

Music On Hold and Wait Music

The DrayTek VigorBX 2000 can play back custom audio prompts to callers. This can be customised from the default prompts by uploading User Prompts to the PBX system and selecting those prompt numbers in the web interface.

Music On Hold

This audio is played to callers when they are put on hold by an extension connected to the PBX system. In its default state, the PBX system will play a "beep-beep" tone every few seconds so that the caller is aware that the call is still in progress.

To set up custom Music On Hold audio instead of the default beep sound, go to [IP PBX] > [PBX System] > [SIP Proxy Setting]:

Select the prompts to play back, which will be played back in order (if using multiple prompts) and looped. A single prompt audio clip can be up to 75 seconds in length and these can be chained to provide 300 seconds total of Music On Hold audio:

Click OK to apply that setting change.

Wait Music

This is played to callers in place of the default "ringing" tone that a caller hears when the PBX has picked up the call in the following scenarios:

• Call has been picked up by Auto Attendant and the caller has selected or is being put through to an Extension / Hunt Group
• Call has been picked up by an Extension and caller is being transferred to another Extension

This is specified in the in the [IP PBX] > [Trunks] menu in an individual SIP or PSTN trunk:

These are played back in order and each prompt can be up to 75 seconds in length, giving a total of 225 seconds (3 minutes, 45 seconds) of audio.

Using the IPPBX Prompt Utility

This requires the DrayTek Vigor IPPBX Voice Prompt Utility which can be downloaded from here.

Open the DrayTek IPPBX Voice Prompt Utility.

Select the wav file you want to upload and choose which User Prompt or System
Prompt file it should replace. For the global voicemail greeting select System Prompt
and choose System Prompt #36.

Click Save to replace the prompt.

Click on the Compiler tab and select Execute. This will compile the IVR into one .ivr file
and copy the .ivr file and the User Prompts files to the \IVR directory.

Click on the Upload tab.

The utility will upload any files in the \IVR directory into the router. If files have been
previously compiled into the upload directory then they will also be uploaded. If the
utility has been used previously then the directory can be checked directly via
Windows Explorer. Any UserPrompts that are not required can be deleted or moved
to a separate directory for use at a later date.

If uploading the System Prompt IVR file, then check the System Prompt tick box.

If uploading the User Prompts then check the User Prompt tick box.

Enter the Router IP Address and the Username/Password and click Upload to upload
the files to the VigorIPPBX.

The Utility will first enable the VigorIPPBX to accept an upload and will then upload
the files. The process takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete depending on the
number of prompts being uploaded. The prompts are active on the system once the
confirmation message has appeared.