Group Listen

Digium Software Digium Phone API
1

Hello, we’re in the process of rolling out a Freepbx system using the Digium D50 phones. Is there
a Group Listen feature available on the phone? If not, would you know if one is planned for a future firmware release?

Thanks,
Jonathan

2

Howdy,

What do you mean by group listen?

Cheers

3

It’s a feature on some phone pbxs, that allows you to press the speaker button, or a different button, and it opens up the speaker, doesn’t turn on the speakerphone mic, and still keeps the handset functioning.

It’s used if you are on the phone, and you have some other people with you that want to hear the conversion, but you don’t want it as a speakerphone call.

4

Howdy,

Thank you. Negative, that is not a feature that we provide at the phone level. It’d be simpler to dial in at the Asterisk level and perform a ChanSpy on the party to which you wanted to listen.

Because a phone can only be on one active call at a time though (excepting 3-way local conference calling), you couldn’t have someone walk up and pick up a handset and listen in to a conversation that an agent was having over a headset. Rather, you’d do that remotely using ChanSpy from another device, to Spy on the target device’s audio channel inside of Asterisk.

Cheers

5

Hi,

This is an extremely important feature that our business used and now that we’ve switched our phone system over to digium we don’t have it (and need it).

All this feature would do is enable the speaker to run in tandem with the handset so that others in the room could hear the phone discussion but not necessarily be part of the conversation as only the headset speaker is enabled. Could you maybe get me in touch with your development group to see if there is a way to implement this as I think this feature is used by more companies than you think.

Thanks!

6

Howdy,

Running the loudspeaker of a phone in tandem with the handset, such that the handsfree speaker is outputting audio, the handsfree mic is muted, the handset speaker is outputting audio and the handset mic is active would negatively impact the echo canceller. There are ways to do many things, but things have consequences.

Cheers

7

Malcolm,

We really would like to be able to have this feature. Is there a way we can contract your team to incorporate into our system? I think we’re willing to take a chance on some of the “consequences” to be able to have this feature. Can you please reach out to me to discuss.

Thanks