How it works
The growth capacity of Lighthouse Communications Xtender comes from the basic drop-insert feature which enables you to place Lighthouse Communications Xtender between the public ISDN network and the current PBX.
The system is designed to be transparent to inbound and outbound calls, yet Lighthouse Communications Xtender controls every call and can, depending on the features enabled, intervene on call flow to determine destination or apply the rules set during configuration (see figure 1).
So the ability to control the call enables Lighthouse Communications Xtender to assess whether the call has to reach its original destination, a different location or use a travel method that minimizes cost (toll bypass).
Lighthouse Communications Xtender enables you to expand the communications network to an unlimited number of new users over IP. Users can be physical telephones, personal computers or mobile phones.
Users connected directly to Lighthouse Communications Xtender are part of a single numbering plan with PBX extensions.
With Lighthouse Communications Xtender any user, also those on the PBX, becomes completely virtual thus making it possible to access your number from any device wherever it is located.
In addition to ISDN trunks, Lighthouse Commu-nications Xtender can connect to SIP trunks if the carrier is capable of providing this type of access to the public network. Every call coming from the SIP trunk can reach any extension whether it is connected directly to Lighthouse Communications Xtender or to the PBX. Any call generated, also from traditional phones connected to the PBX, can be routed indifferently on the SIP trunk or ISDN trunks.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender enables a wide range of sophisticated features also for telephones connected to your current PBX. These features can be implemented gradually at the pace decided by your organization. All inbound and outbound calls managed by Lighthouse Communications Xtender can have specific rules for each number.
Some of the features that can be enabled at existing workstations are:
- voice recording;
- interactive voice response;
- interactive voice & video response;
- fax;
- voicemail;
- routing rules for absent/busy;
- black lists;
- management criteria based on caller ID;
- use of mobile phone instead of landline phone.
The connection capacity of Lighthouse Commu-nications Xtender can be used to unify and extend the current communications network. By combining the drop-insert feature with the routing capabilities of Lighthouse Communications Xtender a pre-existing PBX network can be connected to create a single communications system. It is possible to put additional offices on the telecommunications network by simply installing Lighthouse Commu-nications Xtender without investing in a new PBX (see figure 2).
With the right Lighthouse Communications Xtender configuration carrying criteria and reach criteria can be defined. For instance:
- any dial-through number at any location can be routed as desired until it is managed by the most suitable extensions (wherever they are located);
- any extension, wherever located, can be reached by another extension whether it is on the current PBX or Lighthouse Communications Xtender;
- any PSTN number can be reached from any extension through the PSTN or over IP until accessing the public network (toll bypass).
Lighthouse Communications Xtender can route direct calls to a simple number on any device with access to that destination according to the rules defined through the user interface (see figure 3).
For instance, this feature makes it possible to unify landline devices with mobile devices.
When a call routed to a specific extension is received, Lighthouse Communications Xtender determines whether there are other devices and transfers the call to the right destination according to several conditions. As a consequence the number on any IP-SIP device is made completely mobile wherever it is located.
If an SIP enabled Wi-Fi mobile phone is in an area with Wi-Fi service, the call is transferred using the IP network. If the device is not Wi-Fi or not covered by Wi-Fi service then it is transferred using the GSM or UMTS network.
Every destination on the numbering plan of the telecommunications network can be decentralized. A hotel, airport, your home, or wherever, can always be reached by calls routed to such an extension. From any location it is possible to generate calls from the company telecommunications network.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender provides complete support to video-telephony features between mobile devices and landline stations (H324M) making it possible to use the same numbers used for voice calls.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender also enables videoconferencing with mobile devices and landline stations. Stations without video devices can take part in videoconferencing by voice only.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender enables a sophisticated sharing system that makes it possible for all parties involved to use common data in an interactive communication session. Sessions can be both "many-to-many" or "one-to-many".
Lighthouse Communications Xtender makes it possible to define criteria to manage calls routed to its destination. Management criteria can be specified based on parameters such as caller ID, time of call or state of recipient.
For instance, it is possible to:
- specify that for a certain caller or category of callers all devices become available while for other categories a simple message is played;
- record a message for your voicemail, also from your mobile phone, which is then heard by only a specific caller;
- appear busy for certain categories reachable for others;
- reroute calls to other colleagues.
It is possible to activate the voice recording feature at any time during the call. Recordings are then saved in an archive that can later be heard with a specific tool.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender can be integrated with external applications to have interaction between the application and call management.
For example, Lighthouse Communications Xtender can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook™ to use its contact directory or it can be integrated with CRM applications to pop up caller information.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender can also be integrated with Phones Enterprise, the IFM Infomaster CTI solution, to build a contact center system where the agents can be set up using any user connected to the system. Lighthouse Communications Xtender provides a series of interfaces that enable custom applications as well.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender abstracts the call concept into an event. This is a higher-level entity that makes it possible to manage different media indifferently, including alerts generated by sensors and active video-surveillance systems. This level of abstraction makes it possible to apply the best management process to all types of events.
An event generated by an intelligent camera can trigger complex communications processes that transfer information to all those involved in management. Video-calls can also be routed to a camera and it can be routed through DTMF tones.
A door that opens, a person that crosses a virtual line, an abandoned object, etc., these can trigger processes that involve, inform and enable all players to interact with the event.
SIP (session initiation protocol) has become the standard protocol thanks to its open and scalable architecture. Signaling integrity is in any case an extremely important factor and SIP may be vulnerable when certain security measures are not implemented. Lighthouse Communications Xtender uses Secure SIP as defined by SIP RFC 3261 to send encrypted messages with TLS protocol (transport layer security) and SRTP (secure real-time transport protocol) for voice packages.
Lighthouse Communications Xtender also uses NAT-T (network address translation traversal) to establish a secure tunnel also when one of the two peers suffers a NAT action to reach another entity involved in the communication.
