TopView VOIP Providers

TopView VOIP Providers

TopView can deliver spoken alarm messages to phones over an Ethernet network using a VOIP Phone System. If you are unfamiliar with TopView VOIP support please read this overview.

Numbers should not contain dashes, spaces, and other non-numeric characters.

Some VOIP Systems will fail to make calls if the phone number you are calling contains dashes, spaces, or other non-numeric characters. Please ensure that any manually typed phone numbers or Contact phone numbers used with VOIP are entered without non-numeric characters.
Example: Phone number 1234567890 works but 123-456-7890 fails.

Note: TopView Voice Notification settings include an option to remove non-numeric characters from phone numbers.

The VOIP Phone System used by TopView may be an internal company VOIP system or a hosted/cloud VOIP System. There are many hosted VOIP Systems available and most of the should work with TopView if they support the SIP protocol.

Here are a few VOIP Providers that we have successfully tested with TopView.


Twilio

Web site: https://www.twilio.com/
Cost: https://www.twilio.com/voice/sip-registration

Configuration

Create an account with Twilio

Add a TwiML Bin for outbound calls

  • Go to the TwiML Bins page
    (also Left menu…runtime…TwiML Bins)
  • Click the red plus sign (‘+’)
  • Name the TwiML Bin ‘SipClientOutbound’
  • Paste in the TwiML below (replacing the existing content):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Response>
    <Dial answerOnBridge="true" callerId="{{#e164}}{{From}}{{/e164}}">{{#e164}}{{To}}{{/e164}}</Dial>
</Response>

Example:

  • Click the ‘Create’ Button

Create the SIP Domain

  • Go to the SIP Domain page
  • Click the red Create new SIP Domains or click the red plus sign (‘+’)
  • Enter a friendly name and give your SIP URI a unique name (yourdomain)
    Example SIP domain/URI: yourcompany.sip.twilio.com
  • Voice Authentication:
    • Click (‘+’) next to credential list and provide a friendly name, then add the username and password for your SIP client.
    • Username suggestion: Make your devices username(s) the Twilio number you will bind to this client
      Example username: 15005551212
      These should match the Twilio numbers you just purchased.
    • Enter a password. Record this password and click create.
  • Call Control Configuration
    • A call comes in: select “TwiML Bin” from the first dropdown and “SipClientOutbound” from the second dropdown
    • Note: SipClientOutbound was created in the previous step
  • Set SIP Registration to enabled
  • Click into the SIP Registration Authentication credential list and select the credential list you created
  • Click ‘Save’

Note: you can later view your credentials list and reset the password

If using a trial account, only verified numbers can be used for outbound calls and SMS testing
Trial plans are only allowed to call “verified” numbers. You must verify your test phone number with Twilio before you will be able to call it.
See Adding a Verified Phone Number or Caller ID with Twilio – Twilio Support for more information.

Configure TopView VOIP Notification for your Twilio account

  • Launch the TopView Configurator and navigate to the Voice Notification settings screen
  • Enter the following information in the VOIP Callout Settings:
    • SIP Server host/IP: enter the SIP domain that you created with .us1. as shown in this example:
      For SIP domain yourcompany.sip.twilio.com
      Enter your SIP server as yourcompany.sip.us1.twilio.com
    • Proxy: leave this field blank
    • Display Name: TopView (or any other name you would like to use)
    • User name: the SIP username you configured (we suggested to use your phone number in the previous step)
      Example username: 15005551212
    • Authorization name: same as User name
    • Password: The password for the SIP credentials recorded in the previous step
    • Registration required: Check this option

Phone.com

Web site: https://www.phone.com

Cost for one phone line: around $20 US per month unlimited calls and messages (Plus user)

Comments: inexpensive VOIP Service that works well

Configuration

Create an account at Phone.com

Create an account and choose your phone number

Turn off “Private/Restricted” for the number/extension

By default your number may be seen as “Private” when you make calls

  • Log into your account at phone.com. Select Login > Admin Portal
  • Select “Advanced settings” in the lower section of the left menu
  • Log in again (control.phone.com)
  • From the top, select Configure > Users & Extensions > Manage users and extensions
  • Your number will have an assigned extension, default for first number is x100
    • Click the Edit button to the right of the extension
    • Under Outbound Calls, set “Caller ID to use” to your phone number

Get your SIP settings for the number/extension

  • Log into your account at phone.com. Select Login > Admin Portal
  • From the left menu, select Users
  • In the Options column for your user, click the 3 vertical dots and select “Show SIP credentials”
  • Record/copy the following settings for use in TopView:
    • SIP Proxy
    • Username
    • Password

Configure TopView VOIP Notification for your Phone.com account

  • Launch the TopView Configurator and navigate to the Voice Notification settings screen
  • Enter the following information in the VOIP Callout Settings:
    • SIP Server host/IP: enter the SIP Proxy name (sip.phone.com)
    • Proxy: leave this field blank or enter the SIP proxy name (sip.phone.com)
    • Display name: blank or enter desired text
    • User name: the SIP Username
    • Authorization name:  (same as User name) the SIP Username
    • Password: the SIP Password
    • Registration required: check this option
phone.com TopView VOIP settings

AXVOICE

Web site: http://www.axvoice.com/

Cost for one phone line: around $15 US per month unlimited calls to the US and Canada

Comments: inexpensive VOIP Service that works but there are no special extras.

Configuration

  • Create an account with AXVOICE
    • You will receive a confirmation email and then be able to activate your account
  • Log into your account at http://www.axvoice.com
    • Click on Account
    • Your new VOIP Phone number is displayed under Personal Information as “New Phone Number”
    • Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click SIP Settings
    • You SIP Settings will be displayed.
  • Test making and receiving calls using the 3CX Soft Phone
    • Download the 3CX Phone 6 for Windows.
      3cxaxvoice
      Note: Please download from our link. Newer versions of this soft phone will only connect to the 3CX VOIP Provider
    • When you first launch the 3CX phone, click the [Create Profile] button then click [NEW] to create a new account.
      • Account name: enter any name. Example=AXVOICE
      • Caller ID: Enter any name
      • Extension: Enter your SIP username
      • ID: Enter your SIP username
      • Password: your SIP password (note: this is not the same as your AXVOICE.com web logon password)
      • IP of the PBX/SIP Server. Select “I am out of the office” and the SIP Proxy (magnum.axvoice.com)
      • Click [OK] to close the account settings screen.
      • On the Accounts screen, make sure the the account is selected (check box before account) and click [OK]
    • If the 3CX phone successfully connects to the AXVOICE SIP Service, you should see the account name in the upper right corner of the phone and “On Hook” as the status (see example phone to the right).
    • Test making phone calls to and from the 3CX phone. The phone number for the 3CX phone is your AXVOICE “New Phone Number”.
  • Configure TopView VOIP Notification for your AXVOICE account
    • Launch the TopView Configurator and navigate to the Voice Notification settings screen
    • Enter the following information in the VOIP Callout Settings:
      • SIP Server host/IP: enter the AXVOICE SIP Proxy name (magnum.axvoice.com)
      • Proxy: leave this field blank or enter the same SIP Proxy (magnum.axvoice.com)
      • Display name: TopView (or any other name you’d like to use)
      • User name: the SIP Username
      • Authorization name:  (same as User name) the SIP Username.
      • Password: the SIP Password
      • Registration required: check this option

Vonage Business

Web site: http://business.vonage.com/

Cost for one phone line: around $50 US per month unlimited calls to the US and Canada

Comments: professional-grade VOIP Service with a nice management dashboard and the ability to have multiple VOIP clients connected to the same line.

Configuration

  • Create an account with Vonage Business
    • After you receive the confirmation email from Vonage, you must call them to activate your account. You will not be able to make calls until the account is activated.
  • Log into your account
    • Click the Phone System button along the top of the screen.

      From the Vonage Business dashboard, select Extensions from the left menu

      In the extensions list, click on the extension/line that you want to use with TopView
    • On the Extension Settings screen
      • Scroll to the bottom on the settings and click Devices to open the Devices list
      • Note/record the Registrar listed for your account (sip-xxxxx.accounts.vocalocity.com)
        This is your SIP Server name which we will use later.
      • Click [Register Another Device]
      • For the new Device Settings:
        • Active: check this
        • Device name: TopView (or any other name you want to use)
        • Provisioning: Softphone
        • MAC Address: leave this blank
        • SIP/Authorization ID: record this name. This is your SIP Username
        • SIP Password: enter a password (record or remember this – you will need it again)
        • Click [Save] at the top or bottom of the screen to save the settings
  • Test making and receiving VOIP call using the X-Lite Softphone
  • Configure TopView VOIP Notification for your Vonage Business account
    • Launch the TopView Configurator and navigate to the Voice Notification settings screen
    • Enter the following information in the VOIP Callout Settings:
      • SIP Server host/IP: enter the Registrar name for your Vonage account (recorded in an earlier step). The format of this name should be similar to sip-xxxxx.accounts.vocalocity.com
      • Proxy: leave this field blank
      • Display name: TopView (or any other name you’d like to use)
      • User name: the SIP/Authorization ID listed for the Vonage device you created in an earlier step.
      • Authorization name:  (same as User name) the SIP/Authorization ID listed for the Vonage device you created in an earlier step.
      • Password: The SIP Password you created for the Vonage device in an earlier step
      • Registration required: check this option
      • Click the [Make test call] button to make a test VOIP call from TopView using your Vonage Business account.