Conferences

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The Conference Bridge feature provides the ability create a destination which can be used to hold conference calls. There is no limit for the number of Conference bridges that can be configured on your UCx system. Conference bridges can be used as destinations for inbound routes, for IVR options as well as called by internal extensions.

Conference bridges do not require a license!

 

To add a Conference Bridge to your UCx system, perform the following steps:

  1. Open the UCx Web-based Configuration Utility
  2. From the PBX tab, select PBX Configuration
  3. From the left side column, select Conferences
  4. Enter the conference bridge number in the Conference Number field
  5. Enter a descriptive name in the Conference Name field
  6. Enter a user Personal Identification Number (PIN) in the User PIN field.
  7. Optionally, you can enter a conference leader's Personal Identification Number (PIN) in the Admin PIN field

When you configure the Admin PIN and the Leader Wait option is set to Yes, the conference will not start until that PIN is entered by the conference leader.

Conference Options

Options
Description
Join Message Message to be played to the caller before joining the conference.
For instructions on how to create a system recording, please see System Recordings.
Leader Wait Wait for the leader to join the conference before other users can join. This must be used with the Admin PIN above, leader is the user entering the Admin PIN.
When a normal user joins the conference before the leader, they will hear an announcement that the conference is waiting on the leader. The user will hear music on hold while waiting.
Talk Optimization Users that are not detected as actively talking are muted automatically to help eliminate background noise and cross talk.
Talk Detection If you use software that connects to UCx using the Asterisk Manager Interface API, events will be sent to the interface indicating which channel is talking.
Quiet Mode Do not play the enter/exit tone when a user joins/leaves the conference
User Count Announce the user count to the user joining the conference
User join/leave Prompts users to state their name when joining the conference and then announces their name when they join and leave the conference
Music on Hold Plays music on hold (MoH) when only one user is in the conference. MoH will stop when another party joins.
Music on Hold Class Choose the MoH to be played.
For instructions on how to create MoH categories, please see Music On Hold. 
Allow Menu Allow access to the menu options during an active conference call by pressing *
Record Conference Enable recording for this conference
Maximum Participants Limit the maximum number of conference participants
Mute on Join Mute everyone when they initially join the conference. If you do not have Leader Wait set to yes, you must have Allow Menu set to yes so the participants can unmute themselves.
Jitter Buffer Enable this option if the conference could include external participants who have jittery connections. Please note that audio latency is slightly increased when jitter buffer is enabled.

Managing a Conference

To manage an active conference, use the Conference page.

Video Tutorial

Self Assessment Quiz

  1. Is the Admin PIN mandatory if you want to enable the Leader Wait feature?
  2. Which field controls the entry/exit tone when a user joins/leave the conference?
  3. If there is noise in the background for a conference, which field would you consider enabling?