MARS
A small hybrid PBX embedded in a WI-FI router.
User Manual


1- Place a call
General rules
Internal calls (inter extensions)
Local calls
Long distance calls
International calls
Placing a call using another system lines

2- Call Transfers
Supervised transfer
Blind transfer
Call parking.

3- Functions

4- Automated attendant
Recording the menus

5- Voice Mail

6- WebCall

7- Cell to VoIP gateway

Place a call

General rules

As a general rule, when dialing an external number you must always dial "9"  first, followed by the telephone number.
Most of the entries needs to be terminated either by using the '#"' (pound) key or by pressing the telephone's 'Send' button.

Internal calls
To call an internal extension, simply dial the 3 digits extension and terminate with the '#' key (or press the send button) Ex: 201#

External calls
To place an external call from an extension, you must first dial the '9' to get an external line, followed by the full 10 digits telephone number you  wish to reach and terminate with the '#' key (or 'Send'). Ex:  9 5145551212 #.  

You can also place a call within you own area code  (as defined in the configuration)  by omitting the area code and dialing the number  as a 7 digits number. For instance, if you dial 9 5551212 # the system will insert  your area code in front of the number before placing the call.

If you hear a fast busy tone, it means that all external lines are busy.

Long distance calls
The best way to place a long distance call is to dial it as a local call, that is, as a 10 digits number, without pre pending a "1" in front of the number.
Ex:  9 4185551212 #. The system will then use it's database of local prefixes to determinate if the call is local or long distance and will route the call accordingly.

Tool free calls
To call a 'tool free' number,  using the 800,  866, 877, 888 prefixes,  you can enter or not the "1" prefix.  That is you can dial "9 1800 5551212 #" or "9 8005551212 #". The system will recognize the 'tool free' number and use the PSTN line in priority.
.
International calls
For the international calls, you must dial the 011 prefix as usual. Ex:  "9 011 46701234567 #".

Force PSTN call
You can force a call to use the conventional line (PSTN) by using the prefix "8" rather than the "9". For example,  8 5145551212 #.
For a long distance call you must then use the "1" prefix as in: Ex: 8 1 418 5551212 #. The "8" prefix indicate to use only the PSTN line.

Force VoIP Call.
You can also tell the system to use a VoIP line exclusively by using the "7" prefix instead of the "9". For instance: : 7 5145551212 #.
For a long distance call, you must not enter the "1" prefix.  Ex: 7 4185551212 #. The "7" prefix indicate to the system to use a VoIP line only.

Place a call using the lines of another system.
When MARS system are interconnected,  it makes possible to use the external line of a remote system to place a call. For instance the extension "200" on a system A in a given area code can place a call using the external lines of system B located in a different area code. To use a remore server's lines to place a call, preoend the 10 digits telephone number you wish to cal with " * <Server No>" (start followed by the server number (1-4), rather than the usual "9" prefix. For instance, call " *2 418 5551212 # " to dial the given number on server # 2 (Ext: 300-303) from an extension on server # 1 (Ext: 200-203).  In the other direction, call  " *1 514 5551212 # " from an extension on system # 2 (Ex: 300) to use a line on server #1 to place the call.

Call Transfers

After receiving a call, it is very easy to transfer the call to another extension or even to an external number. The system offers two modes of call transfers. The "supervised" transfer and the "non supervised" or "blind" transfer.

Supervised transfer.
After having answered the call, enter the sequence   " * 0 " (star followed by zero).. You will then hear "Transfer". Dial the 3 digits number of the extension you wish to transfer the call to. Example: 201. You can then talk with your colleague to announce the call transfer. After you hang-up, the caller will immediately be connected.
Note: The "Transfer Key" of your telephone can only be used to do a "blind" call transfer. (See below.)

Blind transfer
For a blind transfer, enter the sequence: " # 0 " (pound followed by zero) (or use the "Transfer" key on your telephone.) and enter the 3 digits number of the extension  you wish to transfer the call to.  Contrary to the supervised transfer, you will be disconnected immediately and the caller will be connected to the destination extension, without allowing you to talk to the the person at the destination extension.

External transfer
To transfer an incoming call to an external transfer, proceed as explained above with the "# 0" or "* 0" sequence and enter the "9" followed by the 10 digits external number and terminate with "#" (or send). Example: 9 514555 1212 #.

Call parking
Rather than transferring a call, it can sometimes be useful to "Park" the call and retrieve it from a different extension.
To "park" a call, do a supervised call transfer (as explained above) to the extension number "700". The system will then tell you the extension number to be used to retrieve the call from any other extension. (Usually "701"). To get the parked call back,  enter the parked extension number (701) followed by the pound key ("#"). Ex: 701#


Features / Functions

Here is a list of the features accessible from all connected extensions.

Unconditional Call Transfer (cancellation)  *70 Call this to cancel unconditional call transfer
Unconditional Call Transfer (activation)  *71 Activates Unconditional Call Transfer to the given extension or external phone number.
Call Transfer on Busy (cancellation)  *72 Cancellation of the Call Transfer on Busy
Call Transfer on Busy (activation)  *73 Activation of the call transfer when your extension is busy.
Do Not Disturb (cancellation)  *74 Cancellation of the "Do Not Disturb" feature
Do Not Disturb (activation)  *75 Activation of the Cancellation of the "Do Not Disturb" feature. Call directed to the voice mail.
Clock  *76
Extension  *77 Give the extension number you are calling from (test)
Echo Test  *78 Replay what you say in real time.
Automated Attendant (Activation)  *80 Activation of the Automated Attendant (default)
Automated Attendant (Deactivation)  *81 Deactivation of the Automated Attendant. Calls are directed to the call queue or to the manager extension according to the configuration.
WebCall (Activation)  *82 WebCall available (default)
WebCall (Deactivation)  *83 WebCall not available. Users will receive a message saying that the service is not currently available.
Temporary unavailable (Cancellation)  *84 Deactivation 
Temporary unavailable  (activation)  *85 Send all calls to the manager voice mailbox, until deactivated.
Web Audio  *88 Enter the 3 digits program number or "000" to get the list by email.
Status AA, WebCall and TA  *89 Give the status of the automated attendant, WebCall and the "Temporarily Unavailable" .
Welcome message recording.  *90 Allows to record your personalized Automated Attendant's  "Welcome" message.
Main Menu recording (default language)  *91 Allows to record the AA main menu in the main language
Main Menu recording (second language)  *92 Allows to record the AA main menu in the second language (if used).
Voice Mailbox access  *98 Direct access to the extension's Voice Mailbox .
Any Voice Mailbox access  *99 Access to the given mailbox number. (Ask mailbox (extension) number and Pwd).
Cell to VoIP gateway access.  5555 Access to the Cell to VoIP gateway. Enter the access code and then the number to dial.
Simulate an external incoming call    7777 For tests.
Simulate a call on a remote system 777(1-4) Simulate an external call on a remote system. The last digit is the server number (1 - 4)
 
Automated Attendant

The Automated Attendant allows an incoming call to be directed according to the caller selection from a vocal menu. You can record your own personalized welcome message by calling the system and entering "*90" , the main menu in the default language can be recorded using "*91" and finally the main menu in the second language using "*92".

Welcome Message

This message is used to greet the caller and, if desired, to let him to access the service in the second language. If you want to offer a choice of language for the service, this message should be bilingual and offer the second language by pressing the "9" key. Here is an example for a bilingual system with English as the default language:

Thank you for calling Tele Data, Merci d'appeller Tele Data, Pour un service en Français, faite le "9".
Or with French as the default language:
"Merci d'appeller Tele Data, thank you for calling Tele Data. For a service in English, please press "9".
For an unilingual system, record only the first sentence (omit the language choice).

If the caller select the second language by pressing "9", the main menu will be said using the second language.

Main Menu

This menu allows the caller to either enter a known extension number or select the destination by number using a menu. Here is an example.

If you know your party's extension, enter it now.
For the sales department, press "1".
For accounting, press "2".
For technical support, press  "3".
For human resources, press "4".
... or stay online to reach an operator.

If your system is bilingual, you will have to record the main menu in both languages.

Selecting "1" on the main menu will direct the call to the first extension (Usually 200), "2" will go to the 2nd (201), "3" to the "3th" (202) and "4" to the 4th extension (203). If the caller does not select a destination after the given time, the call will be directed to the manager or first extension (200).

If the call is not answered within 20 seconds, the caller will be invited to leave a voice mail message in the mailbox of the contacted extension.

Voice Mail

Each extension has their voice mail mailbox in the system.  The mailbox number is the same as the extension. The mailbox can be accessed by using "*98", the access code is by default the same of the extension number (i.e. Ext. 200 has mailbox 200 with default pwd 200)

Function "*99" allows to access a mailbox different than the current extension. The system will then ask for the mailbox (extension) number and password.

All voice mails received in all mailboxes will get immediately sent by email at the email address given in the extension configuration panel.  The voice messages will be sent by email as an audio attachment. The audio file format is WAV (MS GSM6.10) and can be played on any Windows system by simply double clicking on the audio message attachment. The MS GSM6.10 format is handled automatically on mostly all Windows versions.

WebCall

The WebCall service allows visitors of your WWW site to request a call by simply entering their telephone number in a form on your site and pressing the "Call Me Now" button.  The call request is received by the MARS system which will then call the given extension (specified as a hidden field in the form) , notify the agent of the WebCall request and then call the visitor at the given phone number and finally establish the communication with the agent (extension)

The agent (extension) can then handle the call as if they would have called the visitor. For instance, Hello, Here is Paul from Acme Inc. you have requested a call ... ?

WebCall User's Data

Once the visitor of your WWW site press the "Call Me Now !" button, the system will receive the call request and the data entered by the user and make it available from your browser at the following URL: http://<MARS IP  Address>/calldata.html  For example: http://192.168.1.1/calldata.html  By pointing your browser to this URL, you will have immediately access to the data entered by tour visitor, even before the beginning of the call.

The easiest and quickest way to access the WebCall data is to create a link on your PCs desktop to the page mentioned above. This way you will have access to the information as soon as you are notified of the request.

Black List

The "Black List" allows to block the request of a user that would abuse the system. To add an user to the list, simply click on the "Add To Black List" button on the call data display (see above). The telephone number and the IP address will be memorized and the user will be notified that he is not allowed to use the service on any future call request.

Activation / Deactivation
The WebCall service is active by default, that is, it is ready to receive a call request from a form on your WWW site. You can deactivate the service by using the "*83" sequence and activate it using "*82". When the service is deactivated, the users will be warned that the service is currently unavailable.

Cell to VoIP gateway

MARS also supply a gateway to allow a mobile phone user (cell) to place long distance call from using the system's VoIP line. Just call the system on the conventional line and enter the "extension" 5555 followed by the gateway's password (as defined in the system config.). From then on you can dial the 10 digits phone number of the number you wish to call. Do not enter the "9"  nor the "1" prefix for long distance.

The system will use the VoIP line to place the cal and voilà ! A long distance call from your mobile at VoIP cost !

Web Audio

Web Audio offers hundreds of quality audio archive program. You can access this function by dialing "*88". The system will then ask for the 3 digits program number. The system will then download the audio program and will play it for you. The required time for the download will vary depending on the duration of the program and will usually be of a few seconds up to about 30 - 45 seconds for a one hour program.

While playing, you can forward one minute by pressing the "6" key or rewind one minute by pressing "4". You can also pause and restart the playback by pressing "5" or interrupt it and go back to the program menu by pressing the "#" key.

Program list


You can receive the program list and their 3 digits codes by email by entering "000" as the program number. The system will then send the list at the manager email address (extension 200).

Among our favorites:

Hell's Bell's A radio history of the telephone. Excellent ! 8 episodes of 30 mins each.  Progr: 201 à 208
Jim Lowell, Apollo 13. An interview with Apollo 13 mission's commandant" from "Tech Nations"  Progr: 505
Science is NOT funny : "Dr. Science" and "Saint-Silicon" Interview with humorists Progr: 559
Bram Stroker: Dracula (excerpts) Part 1: (700) Part 2: (701) Part 3 (702)