User guide

Help Contents > Getting Started with the ISDN gateway > Making Calls with the ISDN gateway

Making Calls with the ISDN gateway

The ISDN gateway allows:

● users with ISDN endpoints to place calls to users with IP endpoints.

● users with IP endpoints to place calls to users with ISDN endpoints.

When configured correctly, the ISDN gateway is transparent to users; they will require minimal assistance and training

to place calls through the ISDN gateway successfully.

One training consideration for users making ISDN calls which is not usually present for IP calls is that of cost; you may

want to educate users that ISDN calls escalate in cost with increased bandwidth and duration. You may also want to

configure the ISDN gateway to limit these values if required. (For more information, refer to

Understanding the Dial

Plan).

For information about setting up the ISDN gateway, refer to:

● the quick start guide.

● the installation guide.

● Getting Started with the ISDN gateway.

When you have the unit and associated devices (for example, the MCU) correctly configured, with an appropriate dial

plan in place, calls can be placed through the ISDN gateway.

ISDN to IP Calls

If you have configured the dial plan as in Getting Started with the ISDN gateway, endpoints calling the phone number of

the ISDN gateway will, once the call is completely established, be forwarded to the auto attendant of the MCU. From here

they may use the Far End Camera Controls (FECC) of their endpoint to navigate the menus and join conferences as

normal.

IP to ISDN Calls

An IP to ISDN caller needs to know the number of the ISDN user whom they are calling. However, if the call will be

placed via a Codian MCU, the ISDN user's number can be incorporated into the configured endpoint details stored on the

MCU.

You can configure the ISDN gateway to allow calls to a single ISDN number. In this case, a single rule in the dial plan

will suffice, matching all numbers and calling out to a single phone number.

If you want users to be able to call any number, set the ISDN gateway up as a 'gateway' on your MCU and direct calls to

ISDN numbers via that. Alternatively, if you are using a gatekeeper on your IP network, you can register a prefix with

which users may prefix the ISDN number they want to call (this is similar to dialing a '9' for an external line on many

telephone systems).