Modern tech assumes most people learn through playing around. My “smart” TV is always updating and moving things around. So is my mobile phone (Just upgraded to Android 12) and in an age where electronics are complex and often personalized by the end user, this has become the new normal. Ring-u has tried to minimize this, but bluntly, we work with a lot of different phones, and different user configurations but it still happens. Changes are made.

This is an attempt to answer a lot of “less that frequently asked questions” that were just submitted by a customer. Figuring if we are going to answer them, lets try to do it in a place we can share the questions and answers.

The answers apply to a customer using an on-site Hello Hub and GRP-2614's and are rephrased to expand on assumptions.

Q: If using the Do Not Disturb feature on the phones, will the incoming call be routed to another phone, or go to voicemail?“

A: That depends on the settings for that extension under the “Basic” tab labeled “If No Answer, Unavailable”. If the DND setting is set on the phone, the system does what is in that selection.

Q: Is it better to not use Do Not Disturb and just have the caller automatically go to voicemail as if no one answered the call?

A: Personal Choice. “Better” is subjective in this case and depends on your expectations of caller reaction.

Q: In the customer portal at portal.ring-u.com: Extensions 🡪 Basic 🡪 If No Answer/Unavailable What is the difference between Voicemail / Voicemail then hang up / Voicemail then return?

A: “Return” returns the caller to the menu or receptionist or phone they were at before going to voicemail, the hang up option, hangs up on them after they leave a voicemail.

Q: Is there anyway to set the phone to receive internal calls while sending external calls to Do Not Disturb?

A: Not currently.

Q: Will the caller be displayed on your phone’s LED if Do Not Disturb is engaged and allow you to answer the call?

A: On a GRP2614, they will display as a “last missed call” but you do not have an option to answer before the call is routed to the “unavailable” behavior you have selected.

Q: Can you set a different ringtone for an internal call versus outside call?

A: The option under the “Advanced” tab labelled: Internal Call Ring Tone provides selection of 3 ring tones for most Grandstream Phones. Some models have more options available internally, but 3 work for all.

Q: At the present time, all phones have Park 600 / Slot 1 601 / Slot 2 602 / and the extensions active in the phone system. What other features should be added to the MPK?

A: We lay awake at night wondering the same. The system will manage the first MPK's, you can easily add more functional MPK's by pressing down on the key for several seconds. If you would like to manage your own completely, you can tell the system to not provide MPK configurations under the “Tricks” menu item.

Q; How do you pick up a call that is ringing at any other extension?

A: 999 or 9 + the extension ringing. This is displayed on the “Dashboard” as well as a list on Useful Codes

Q: Can an extension forward calls of a different extension?  (Can Linda’s phone forward Jeff’s phone to her?)

A: Either by using the customer portal and setting the “If Unavailable” option for Jeffs phone, or by selecting “ForwardAll” on Jeffs phone.

Q: There is an option in voicemail to record only your name … what does this option do?  When callers are asked to leave a message, the phone system mentions the extension number not the name. 

A: If you don't have an “unavailable message” but have recorded your name, it says: “Name” is unavailable… instead of the extension number.

Q: Feature Changes via Phone Extension versus ring-u.com portal … Do you need to check the Disable Auto Config <ring-u.com 🡪 Extensions 🡪 Advanced 🡪 Disable Auto Config> in order for the changes made on the extensions via the phone are not overwritten?

A: Yes.

Q: What features on the WP820 need to be set in order for the phone to function best?

A: If in a factory default configuration, plus manually added to good WiFi, the WP820 is best configured automatically by the Hello Hub. The primary variable is sane good WiFi. Do not use Mesh/Repeaters. Do not mix Sonos or other WiFi speaker systems that swamp the WiFi with chatter.

Worthy of an entire page and discussion… but the basics:

Q: Can Jeff’s cellphone be setup as a Hello Hub extension so that callers do not see Jeff’s cell number?  If so … what are the steps?

A: If you want to call out, using your mobile as an extension on the office system, use a softphone app such as Zoiper or Grandstream WAVE on your phone. Instructions start at: External / Remote Phones. We suggest you start with WAVE. Grandstream Wave Configuration