Categories
Calls and Lines Connectivity

Fibre to the Cabinet

Superfast business-grade broadband to your local cabinet and then onto your premises using VDSL (Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line)

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) involves running fibre optic cables from the telephone exchange to the street cabinets (tall green cabinets) which then connects to your phone line to provide broadband. This is connected to the home or business using Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line (called VDSL) that can deliver much faster speeds over short distances.

Benefits of using business-grade FTTC

It’s very fast – Minimum line download speed of 15Mpbs* up to 40Mbps*, which is twice as fast as an EFM 4 pair leased line and nearly three times as fast as Gradwell’s Premier Plus Broadband. You will receive ‘up speed’ of 10Mbps*

You can download and upload files in seconds, which allows you to quickly back-up your programs etc

No delay in loading web pages, especially those with videos and images, which means your employees can work quickly

Improved performance on Virtual Private Networks (VPN) making uploading and downloading of files more efficient; making remote working and working from home a more viable option for employees

Improved download and upload speeds when using multimedia, conferencing facilities and live streaming services allowing them to become useful, cost-effective tools to communicate with suppliers and prospects

Room for growth, as your connectivity can grow with you and will be better equipped to cope with future growth in features such as high definition streaming.

These benefits depend on using FTTC with a good working router and computer or laptop.

*Mbps means Megabits per second which is a measure of data transfer speed

Download Product Sheet

Categories
Calls and Lines Connectivity

MPF ADSL

Advanced Broadband will give you the fastest download speed you can get from your exchange, a generous bandwidth limit and direct connection to the Gradwell VoIP network, making it a perfect partner for Internet telephony.

  • No BT Line Rental
  • £25 pm
  • Generous 100Gb Peak Data Transfer per month
  • FREE Thomson Wireless Router
  • Voice prioritisation to support VoIP users
  • Get the fastest speed your line can give you, up to 16Mbps
  • 12 month contract, rolling monthly thereafter (30 day notice period)

Premier Broadband has all the benefits of our Advanced Broadband package, and more. 200Gb peak bandwidth and assured throughput mean you have the optimum amount of bandwidth for up to 10 concurrent Internet telephony calls.

  • No BT Line Rental
  • £50 pm
  • Enhanced Care and Service Level Agreement
  • 200Gb Peak Data Transfer per month
  • FREE Thomson Wireless Router
  • Assured throughput of at least 512Kb/s
  • Upload speeds of up to 1Mbps and download speed of up to 16Mbps
  • 12 month contract, rolling monthly thereafter (30 day notice period)

Premier Plus With Enhanced Care, a Service Level Agreement, fantastic upload speeds and assured throughput, Premier Plus Broadband is perfect for the largest of small businesses.

  • No BT Line Rental
  • £60 pm
  • Enhanced Care and Service Level Agreement
  • 200Gb Peak Data Transfer per month
  • FREE Thomson Wireless Router
  • Assured throughput of at least 1Mb/s
  • Upload speeds of up to 2.5Mb/s and download speed of up to 16Mb/s
  • 12 month contract, rolling monthly thereafter (30 day notice period)
Categories
Services

VoIP Design and Sales

At Cyber-cottage.co.uk we provide support,design and installation services. We have over 25 years of experience of the telecommunications industry and have the depth of knowledge to assist you in all aspects of telecommunications needs.

We have been working with VoIP systems since 1999, and VoIP networks from the Mid 1990s everything from small offices of 15 extensions to large multi-site networks with bespoke platforms. Our primary deployments are now based on the Asterisk open source platform from Digium.

Solutions have included:-

  • High capacity conference servers.
  • High availability redundant servers for emergency services dispatch.
  • Click2Call solutions
  • Call Centres
  • Office PABX systems

Asterisk is a complete telecommunications platform. From caller ID to multi-site networks, anything your telephone system can do, Asterisk can do better and maybe cheaper.

It includes a whole host of telephony features such as CTI, Voicemail, call conferencing and CRM integration.

We have tailored our Asterisk solution to behave like a normal PBX, with call barring, day and night service, call re-routing, DND, voice mail for all users and new features can be added easily at any time.

With Asterisk we can replace your PBX or complement an existing PBX by adding more functionality at a competitive price.

Recent systems have included a large hosted callback platform for a Major UK Car Parking company allowing drivers to make calls to the office at no charge to themselves.A system for a “online” Solicitors group to allow the tracking of calls and work-flow. We have recently deployed a system for TableBook.me to allow them to take table reservations for restaurants.

Recently customers have included Mendip Outdoor Pursuits, Purple CarParks, NorthCott Global Solutions and Qwtanet. These have been a mixture of onsite systems, hosted systems and solutions based on Asterisk running in a VMware environment.

Call or email us to discuss your requirements.

Categories
Support

Support Contracts

We provide levels of cover to suit your business needs , Below are our standard contract levels, Specific levels of cover are avalible on request.

We will provide 24hour monitoring of your server with our custom platform. It will email fault details to you and us 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Depending on your support package we will take immediate action to remedy the fault.

The platform provides a web based GUI for you to monitor server status and acknowledge faults. for this service as a standalone service the cost is £25 per year + Vat

No support

It is important to realise that, whilst we fully accept responsibility for equipment and services we supply, we do limit liability and provide specific remedies for failure. Even a phone system which may be critical to your business will not have an automatic support contract. With no support contract, if it breaks, the remedy is that you send it back for repair and we repair it and return it to you, same as if you had bought a toaster.

For this reason we offer a number of levels of specific support contract as outlined below. We recommend that for phone systems customers take at least the Cat2 level of support. We typically include one month of Cat1 support in the installation price for a phone system.

Ad hoc (CatS)

Ad hoc telephone/email support is available at a charge of £70.00+VAT per incident (Max 2 hours), plus any replacement parts and shipping costs (if not covered by warranty).

This includes remote diagnosis, reconfiguration, etc, and relates to one identifiable issue as defined by our technical support engineers. An incident may represent many calls or emails over several days until it is resolved, as well as liaison with manufacturers.

We can decline to provide support on this basis if we wish, on a per incident basis.

Cat1

This covers most things we can do remotely. This includes telephone and email support. It is not always possible to answer queries immediately and the target initial response time its 8 working hours.

Technical support staff will explain configuration issues, and make necessary changes remotely. Any problems in configuration, operation or software which can be rectified remotely are included in support. Remote upgrades, and talking customer through local upgrade procedures on the phone are also included.

This is not intended to be used for every minor reconfiguration, but to support where things are not working or the customer is unsure how to do something for the first time. Reconfiguration does not include any design or development work (i.e. anything that takes more than 30 minutes). Where several support issues indicate that training is required then technical support staff will recommend suitable training, and attendance becomes a requirement for the support to continue once the next training course has been run. Training courses are normally chargeable. At our discression we may choose to update any additional configuration software (such as asterisk web config tools) to include commonly requested configuration charges and so minimise support required.

Where possible the technical support staff will attempt to rectify the problem. Where the issue is one that requires the manufacturers to make a change or provide a workaround then technical support will liaise with the manufacturers – but no overall times can be guaranteed for this.

It is a condition for this support that we have direct IP access to servers or phone systems from our network (e.g. root ssh, and http). You may, if you wish, provide access only when required for a support issue, but any delay in providing access will not be part of our target response times. We recommend to allow our ranges of IPs, as we advise at the time, through any firewalls to phone systems or servers to allow appropriate access.

As a rough guideline, Cat1 support will be charged around £175 base cost plus £10 per port. Please ask for an exact quote. One month of Cat1 level support is included in all new installations.

Cat2

This includes Cat1 telephone and email support, But with cover extended to 7am – 11pm cover and a 4 response. Where the support staff believe equipment covered is faulty then next day courier delivery of replacement equipment is included. For an additional one-off fee per occasion same day courier is available subject to couriers avalibilty.

The supplied equipment may be refurbished or may be loan equipment until faulty equipment is repaired. Loan equipment may be a different model or physical construction providing it can provide the necessary facilities. No repair costs apply unless damage/failure is due to misuse or neglect.

As a rough guideline, Cat2 support will be charged around £250 base plus £17.50 per port in year 1 rising to £22.50 in year 2. If you wish to cover handsets as well as software/server hardware please ask for an exact quote.

Cat4

This includes Cat1 telephone and email support, but where the technical support staff believe equipment covered is faulty then on-site engineering support with replacement equipment is provided. The target is 24 hours on-site from when it is determined that an on-site visit is required.

The supplied equipment may be refurbished or may be loan equipment until faulty equipment is repaired. Loan equipment may be a different model or physical construction providing it can provide the necessary facilities. No repair costs apply unless damage/failure is due to misuse or neglect.

This level of cover is not always available, depending on location. Our target times will depend on transport constraints.

Cat4 support is not an alternative to providing suitable remote access to servers. If our staff do not have access, then they will not be able to tell if an on-site vist is necessary and so this may delay dispatch of an engineer.

As a rough guideline, Cat4 support will be charged at £400 base plus £25 per port in year 1 and £30 per port in year 2 per year. Please ask for an exact quote.

General conditions

* Support calls must be to 01225580025 Cat4 customers have a 24Hour 0800 access number for support calls.
Email support at supportdesk@cyber-cottage.co.uk.
* All curtomers with Cat1-4 have access to the web based fault ticket system to log and check the status of faults.
* To provide support and meet target response times we must have remote access to equipment over the internet. (For asterisk systems, direct root ssh access and http is required) and Mitel SX2000 and 3300 Tracker or alternative access is required.
* To provide support and meet target response times we must have co-operation from on-site staff to carry out simple instructions (such as power cycle the box, check cables, etc).
* Support costs will be based on the size and cost of the overall system. However, on specific equipment is covered. For example, telephone handsets are not covered under CatS, Cat1, Cat2 and Cat4 unless specified and customers are advised to ensure they hold spare handsets and/or headsets, etc, to cover faults for which equipment will be handled on a return to base basis.
* Pre-existing issues are not covered unless specifically agreed on a case by case basis. We may require a chargable inspection of the existing products before taking on support if they are out of the normal warranty period or not supplied by us.
* Server hardware ca be covered if requested. This will be only avalible to customers who purchased hardware via ourselves from a recognised server supplier. The levels of cover will be explained at commencement of project.
* We use our best endeavours to ensure prompt and appropriate response to any issue and aim to provide support with reasonable skill and care.
* Liability is limited as per our normal terms and no liability is accepted for failure to perform due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control – including weather and staff illness, or consequential losses.
* Working hours are 9-5 Mon-Fri except holidays. We may occasionally announce days when support levels are reduced during office shutdowns, e.g. some days over Christmas.

Categories
Products and services Services Support

Categories
Asterisk Support Elastix Support Knowledge Base

Backing up to Amazon s3 from Elastix

We decided to do this as we have recently installed a new elastix server in the office which had limited disk space and wanted to keep offsite backups of recordings

s3cmd is a command line client for copying files to/from Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) and performing other related tasks, for instance creating and removing buckets, listing objects, etc.

Install s3cmd

wget http://sourceforge.net/projects/s3tools/files/s3cmd/1.5.2/s3cmd-1.5.2.tar.gz
 tar -xzvf s3cmd-1.1.0-beta3.tar.gz
 mkdir /usr/local/s3cmd/
 cd s3cmd-1.1.0-beta3
 cp -Rf * /usr/local/s3cmd/
 cd /usr/local/s3cmd/
 ./s3cmd --configure

Follow the prompts and enter your keys.

Test the installation
./s3cmd ls s3://yourbucket/

If the test works then the script below is a simple backup script to backup elastix monitor files and backups daily.

vi /etc/cron.daily/rec2s3c.sh

#!/bin/sh
 /usr/local/s3cmd/s3cmd --config=/some/where/.s3cfg sync /var/spool/asterisk/monitor s3://yourbucket
 /bin/rm -f /var/spool/asterisk/monitor/*.gsm
 /bin/rm -f /var/spool/asterisk/monitor/*.wav
 /usr/local/s3cmd/s3cmd --config=/some/where/.s3cfg ls s3://yourbucket/monitor/ > /var/log/s3dirlist.log
 /usr/local/s3cmd/s3cmd --config=/some/where/.s3cfg sync /var/www/backup s3://yourbucket
 /usr/local/s3cmd/s3cmd --config=/some/where/.s3cfg ls s3://yourbucket/backup/ >> /var/log/s3dirlist.log

 

enjoy :-)

For more details of what can be done with s3cmd see http://linux.die.net/man/1/s3cmd and http://aws.amazon.com/s3/

 

Categories
Asterisk Support Elastix Support Knowledge Base OpenVox

Asterisk pickup groups

The aim here is to explain the relationship between the callgroup and pickup group settings in extension conf files of an Asterisk server and named pickup in freepbx, we will use numbers but not names (see explanation below).

Call Pickup is the abilty to pickup a ringing phone from another phone.

The ability to do this is defined in the extensions conf file.

In many systems there is only on setting to do this normally “pickup group” you add extensions to this group and they can pickup calls ringing at members of the group. Obvious really.

Now Asterisk goes one better. You can define the callgroup and pickup group, This way you define who you can pickup and who can pickup you. This is very useful for operators, who for example don’t want calls picked up of them but do want to pickup calls from all other users.

So how do you define it.

In our example we will have 4 phones defined as follows

Callgroup Pickupgroup
201 2 1-2
202 1-4 1-4
203 2,4 2,4
204 1 1

And who can do what when trying t pickup is as follows

Ringing Phones attempting Pickup
Call to 201 204 PU failed 203 PU Passed
Call to 202 201 PU passed 203 PU Passed
Call to 203 201 PU passed 204 PU failed
Call to 204 201 PU passed 203 PU failed

So from this we can see that its the Pickupgroup that defines what callgroup can be picked up.

So because 201 has a callgroup of 2 Only sets who’s pickup group includes 2 can pick up the call. whereas as 201 has a pickupgroup of 1-2 it can pickup calls from callgroups 1-2.

For example you may have 6 pickup groups defined with users only allowed to pickup their own group members except an operato who wishes to be able to pick everyone up and a PA who has a college who she wants to be able to pickup

So all normal users would have their pickup and callgroup the same. The PA would have the pickupgroup defined with both the group numbers but only its own call group. And finally the operator would have a callgroup of 0 and its pickupgroup of 1-6.

Named call pickup groups

Named pickup groups are new with Asterisk 11. And are now supported in FreePBX , But be careful even though the ‘hint’ says they can be numeric or names the just use the named variable.

namedcallgroup=office,home,1
namedpickupgroup=office,home

As above we have a namedcallgroup as 1 but this is not the same as callgroup 1

A named callgroup and pickupgroup can be set to a comma separated list of case sensitive name strings. The number of named groups is unlimited. The number of named groups you can specify at once is limited by the line length supported.

SYNTAX
namedcallgroup=[name[,name[,...]]]
namedpickupgroup=[name[,name[,...]]]
  • namedcallgroup – specifies which named pickup groups that this channel is a member.
  • namedpickupgroup – specifies which named pickup groups this channel can pickup.
Configuration Example
namedcallgroup=engineering,sales,netgroup,protgroup
namedpickupgroup=sales

Configuration should be supported in several channel drivers, including:

  • chan_dahdi.conf
  • misdn.conf
  • sip.conf
  • pjsip.conf

pjsip.conf uses snake case:

named_call_group=engineering,sales,netgroup,protgroup
named_pickup_group=sales

You can use named pickup groups in parallel with numeric pickup groups. For example, the named pickup group ‘4’ is not the same as the numeric pickup group ‘4’.

Numeric call pickup groups

(obsolete use named groups)

A numeric callgroup and pickupgroup can be set to a comma separated list of ranges (e.g., 1-4) or numbers that can have a value of 0 to 63. There can be a maximum of 64 numeric groups. This is important to note as Freepbx does not sanity check what you put in there, So you can put 70 in the Gui and it will show 70 but do a sip show peer or a pjsip show endpoint and you will see its not set.

Categories
Support Technical

Completing your number porting form

This guide is designed to help you understand the porting process and provide us with the correct information to submit your port request to your current provider for their approval. The port forms can be downloaded from the Keep Your Number section of the Gradwell website, there is also a link to the port forms at the bottom of this article.

We will try to submit the most accurate port request, based on the information that you provide in the port form; however, you may find it useful to spend some time confirming the details with your current provider, prior to submitting the forms. This should reduce the likelihood of us receiving a rejection from the current provider, and a subsequent increase in the porting fees.

When you have completed the form please email it to porting@gradwell.com, along with a copy of a recent bill (issued within 3 months) from your current service provider, as proof of ownership of the numbers. If you do not receive paper bills then you can also provide a screenshot of an online account or an email/letter from your current provider, confirming the services that you have with them.

Once we have submitted your request we will send you a confirmation email. We will also keep you updated on our progress and inform you as soon as the port is accepted and a port date confirmed. Prior to the port date, we will set up the number in your account and add it to the package of your choice, to ensure a seamless transfer once the number ports.

1: CUSTOMER INFORMATION

Contact Name: The name of person that Gradwell will update as part of the porting process

Company Name (If applicable): Company name showing on your Gradwell account

Contact Email Address: Email address that Gradwell should send updates to

Contact Phone Number: Phone number that should be used by Gradwell, when contacting you to update you on your port

Gradwell Customer ID: This should be the account number of the Gradwell account, that the numbers will be added to prior to the port completing

2: INSTALLATION ADDRESS

All port requests must include an associated address to be submitted to your losing provider:

  • If you currently own a physical circuit, then the address we require is normally regarded as the installation address (where the physical circuit is installed)
  • If your calls are forwarded remotely from an exchange, then we may require the address and postcode of the exchange in question
  • If your numbers are currently on another VoIP platform, then your current provider may have associated a different address against the numbers, in lieu of a permanent installation address

If you are unsure of the information we require then we strongly suggest that you contact your current provider to check, as the address submitted must match what your current provider has on record or the order will be rejected and you will be charged a resubmission fee.

3: ABOUT YOUR CURRENT TELEPHONE SERVICE

Current Service Provider: The provider who is currently billing you for the number(s) to be ported

Account Number: The account number of your account with the current provider of the number(s) to be ported

Account Name: The account name of your account with the current provider of the number(s) to be ported

Service Type (e.g. Single Line, PBX system, Feature Line, DDI, ISDN line etc.): If you are unsure of the service type provided, please confirm this with your current provider

Single Analogue installation or Multi-line installation: If you are unsure whether your circuit is a single or a multi-line installation, this will need to be confirmed with your current provider

Are there any products associated with your current service? (e.g. Broadband, Redcare, etc.):

  • If you are porting all numbers from a physical circuit, then the physical line is likely to be ceased on completion of the port.
  • If you currently have a Redcare service from BT, or any other similar security alarm product, then this must be moved to another available line, prior to us submitting the port request to your losing provider. If it is not moved or ceased, then the order will be rejected and you will be charged a resubmission fee
  • If you currently have a broadband service on the line, then this will be ceased once the number port has completed. Gradwell will not be held liable for any services ceased on completion of the port.

If you are unsure whether there are any existing products, then we strongly suggest that you check this with your current provider.

4: MAIN BILLING NUMBER

What is the Main Billing Number? This is the main number listed on your account with your current provider

Do you want this number to port to Gradwell, be ceased or remain live with your current provider? A Main Billing Number can be ported, ceased or remain live with the current provider. It is important to remember that, if you are porting the main billing number away from your current provider, then any numbers associated to it may cease to work. If you are unsure whether you have any associated numbers, then this can be checked with your current provider.

5: ASSOCIATED NUMBERS

Are there any additional numbers associated to the Main Billing Number above? If you have a multi-line installation, then you may find that you also have other single numbers or DDI ranges associated to the main billing number. If this is the case then we must be informed of all associated numbers and confirmation provided as to whether they are to port, cease or remain live.

It is important to remember that, if you are porting the main billing number, then associated numbers may cease to work on completion of the port. In this instance, you may need to either port or cease these numbers. If you are unsure then please check this with your current provider.

6: PORTING DETAILS

Requested Port Date: If no date is listed then we will request the earliest possible port date, based on Ofcom mandated porting lead-times. The port will take place from Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays), we do not complete any ports on a weekend. Occasionally the port date can change, however this will be communicated to you as soon as we have been notified by the losing provider.

Package Required for Ported Numbers: If you are unsure of the package that you require, please contact our Sales Team, who will be able to determine the correct package for your needs. The requested package will be set up in advance of the port taking place, to ensure a seamless transfer of your number.

Maintain Existing Directory Listing?: If your numbers are currently listed in the BT PhoneBook and you would like us to maintain this listing, please specify ‘Yes’ above. If your numbers are not listed, but you would like us to arrange for them to be included in the BT PhoneBook, please contact us on 01225 800 870 to discuss.

Onboarding Assistance Required?: At Gradwell, we offer additional support to help new customers familiarise themselves with our VoIP products and services. This includes assisting with the setup of softphones or hardware that has been purchased from Gradwell, and providing an overview of your new Gradwell control panel.

7: PORTING CHARGES

This section details the charges involved in porting your number(s) to Gradwell. By signing the declaration in section 8, you are agreeing to pay these charges.

8: DECLARATION

This section must be signed by the owner of the numbers to be ported, and by the person who will be paying for porting charges and the ongoing monthly recurring charges, once the number(s) have ported to Gradwell. If this is not the same person then both the current owner of the numbers, and the new owner of the numbers must sign the port form.

Categories
Calls and Lines Connectivity Installation Support Technical

Number Porting

When you switch to Gradwell, you can enjoy all the great benefits of our award-winning VoIP telephony service and keep your existing number. Becoming a Gradwell VoIP customer doesn’t mean losing your existing PSTN phone number. Our dedicated porting team can transfer your existing UK and international numbers within days of joining us to minimise any disruption to your business.

Cost: £20.00 one off fee to transfer your number, capped at £200 if you have a lot of numbers in the same sequence to move.

£20.00 each port rejection.

£10.00 for any date change/cancellation.

We are able to move your number from various telephony providers, including:

Full geographic porting:

  • Affiniti
  • BT
  • Cable & Wireless
  • Cable & Wireless (Energis)
  • Cable & Wireless (Thus)
  • Eurobell
  • Inclarity
  • Gamma
  • Magrathea
  • Opal (if Opal are not the range holder)
  • Spitfire
  • Viatel

Partial geographic porting agreements:

  • Colt
  • NTL
  • Telewest
  • Verizon

Full non-geographic (08) porting agreements:

  • Affiniti
  • Cable & Wireless (Energis)
  • Gamma
  • Magrathea
  • Opal
  • Viatel

We are always building on our porting agreements so if you have a number from a company not listed above, please let us know and we will see if it is possible to port.

To keep your number, you will need:

  • A completed porting form (If you require help completing the number porting form, please visit the How To article, which will guide you through the process.)
  • A copy of latest phone bill for the number(s) you want to keep, showing the main billing number and your company name.
  • To fax both of those documents to us on scan and email to support@cyber-cottage.co.uk
  • If you need to port 10 or more numbers you will need to complete the Capacity Planning Form, which is located on the second part of the Number Porting Form.

What are the timescales?

(Please note this is a guide and times are may be subject to delays)

  • Single line request – five working days
  • Multi line request (less than ten lines/numbers) – seven working days
  • Multi line request (more than ten lines/numbers) – seventeen working days
  • Simple DDI request – seventeen working days
  • Complex DDI request – twenty two working days
  • Single line SUP* request – seven working days
  • Multi line SUP* request (less than ten lines/numbers) – ten working days
  • Multi line SUP* request (more than ten lines/numbers) – twenty working days
  • Simple DDI SUP* request – twenty working days
  • Complex DDI SUP* request – twenty five working days
(A SUP request will be raised where the range holder and losing current provider are different)

Please note, any resubmissions or changes will be charged at £20 (excluding VAT) and will be subject to a new lead time. You will also be charged this amount for any numbers you port, but then do not use or cease. It may therefore be beneficial to cease the numbers with the current providers before putting through the port request to minimise cost.

For more information regarding porting your number, please visit the FAQs.

Categories
Design Installation Services Support Technical

Gradwell Approved Professional

A Gradwell Approved Professional (GAP) has a core set of knowledge required to succeed with the Gradwell product set and systems. To become a Gradwell Approved Professional partners must pass an examination and show an in depth knowledge of Gradwell Products and Voip Support.

This means you can be confident that they can:

  • Achieve consistent roll outs of reliable business telephony services.
  • Confidently resolve end user technical issues within an acceptable time frame.

To signup to Gradwell services with us CLICK HERE