Intercom and paging

Intercom and paging let you speak through other phones’ speakers without waiting for anyone to pick up. Intercom reaches one person. Paging reaches a group of phones, or overhead speakers, all at once.

Intercom: talk to one person

1. Dial *50 followed by the extension, such as *50101. Dialing 99 and the extension, such as 99101, does the same thing.
2. Their phone answers automatically on speaker, usually with a short beep.
3. Speak. They can pick up the handset to talk privately.

A few things to know:

• Intercom works with 3- and 4-digit extensions.
• The receiving phone has to support auto-answer. Most current desk phones do; ConnectUC calls simply ring.
• Intercom doesn’t work on shared line buttons that appear on several phones.

Tip: Want a one-touch intercom button? With Button Builder you can set a button that dials *50 and a coworker’s extension. See Add and set up a desk phone.

Paging: talk to a group of phones

A paging group lets one button or code broadcast your voice to many phones, like “Page all” or “Warehouse.” There are two ways to build one. Dial Raven support sets up either for you.

On your own network (recommended). Phones in the same office listen on a shared paging channel. One press sends your voice to all of them at once, without using any extra calls or internet bandwidth. You can have several groups, such as “All,” “Sales,” and “Warehouse,” and choose which phones listen to which. Most phone brands can share a channel, though some need matching settings, so tell us the models you have.

Across locations. If the phones are in different buildings or homes, support can create a paging group that calls each phone separately. It’s limited to 30 phones, and each phone in the page uses its own call path, so paging 10 phones uses 11 at once. On a modest internet connection, that can affect other calls. Use it only when phones can’t share a network.

To request a paging group, contact support with:

1. The groups you want and a name for each.
2. Which extensions should send pages and which should hear them.
3. The phone models involved.

Heads up: By default, an incoming page may cut in while you’re on a call. Ask support if you’d prefer pages to wait or be ignored while someone’s on the phone.

Overhead speakers and paging systems

You can connect an overhead paging system, a ceiling speaker, or a loud bell so that a call or page plays through it.

• Network paging speakers and adapters (for example, ones designed for internet phone systems) register like a phone with their own extension. Dial that extension to make an announcement, or have it join your paging groups.
• Older paging amplifiers connect through an adapter. The right adapter depends on the amplifier’s input, so tell us its make and model.

Browse paging speakers and adapters in our hardware catalog, and contact support before buying so we can confirm the device will work and set it up.

Common questions

My intercom call rang like a normal call. Why?

The other phone doesn’t support auto-answer, or auto-answer is turned off on it. Contact support and we’ll check the phone’s settings.

Does paging work with ConnectUC?

Paging groups are built for desk phones and paging devices. From ConnectUC you can still intercom a single desk phone with *50, or dial the extension of a paging speaker if you have one.

Related articles

• Star codes: handy dial shortcuts
• Add and set up a desk phone
• Firewall and network requirements
• Contact Dial Raven support