The 3CX Phone System was developed by 3CX and first published as a free IP PBX product in 2006. The product was intended to provide a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution for use in a Microsoft Windows environment. It is a software based private branch exchange (PBX) which is based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) standard. It is designed to enable extensions to make calls through the public switched telephone network (PSTN), or VoIP services.
The 3CX Phone System is an IP business phone system that completely replaces proprietary PBX systems. It supports standard SIP soft or hard phones, VoIP services and traditional PSTN phone lines. Its web-based administration makes phone system management easy. 3CX Phone System eliminates the phone wiring network and allows users to easily work remotely.
A couple of months ago, in April, the latest beta version of 3CX WebMeeting was released. This is a video conferencing solution designed to combine instant screen sharing along with classroom features that will enable 3CX users to give presentations and training sessions to colleagues and customers. With 3CX WebMeeting, users will have the ability to enhance standard phone calls with video and also offer the option of taking control of a participant’s desktop to fix or show something on their computer.
What makes 3CX WebMeeting impressive is that it features Google’s latest Web Real-Time-Communication (WebRTC) technology. By doing so, it actually gives 3CX the ability to be one of the first vendors capable of bringing a clientless web conferencing solution without the need of Java, Flash, or really any type of plug in to be able to participate in a Web conference.
Some of the features of the beta version, which can all run from a Google Chrome browser and for now, will only run on 3CXPhone for Windows, include:
- Co-Browsing
- Screen Sharing
- Ability to react / give feedback
- Online chat
In addition, this week, 3CX released a new service pack, SP 6 for the 3CX Phone System 12. It is being looked at as more than just a normal service pack update to some of the features, in fact, it is being considered as somewhat of a major upgrade. Some of the many new features include clientless web meetings by leveraging WebRTC technology, a new management console, support for Fanvil IP Phones, a brand new Session Border Controller (SBC) functionality and an update for its Android, iPhone and Windows clients.
The new service pack is version 36097.670 and some of the included general fixes and improvements are:
- Ability to create and schedule 3CX WebRTC Meetings
- Ability to update service packs from the Web Management console
- Ability to modify Phone Template files from the Web Management console (works with all browsers except Internet Explorer)
- Added ability to configure time-zone for an IP Phone per extension
- Connection and re-connection improvements in 3CXTunnel Protocol
- New Management console and Web Reporter design
- Yealink template update for latest firmware via 3CX firmware upgrade functionality in the Phones section
- New support for Yealink T48 and Yealink Expansion Modules (Sidecars)
- New IP Phone support for Fanvil IPPhones including firmware update, PNP, CTI, phone functionality, Phonebook, Logo, Multi-Language
- Updated Polycom Templates and support for latest firmware and bootrom
- Fix in Polycom Phonebook directory generation which was putting all personal phonebook entries in all phonebook files
- Custom profile status message can now be modified even if extension is unable to configure forwarding rules
- An extension configured as “Global Extension Manager” is no longer allowed to enable VoIP Trunk and System admin rights and cannot create a new extension with System Admin Rights
- Added Netherlands Antilles country code checks
- Call Reporter fix in report: “Call Costs by Extension Group” when group name contained special characters
Another new feature in SP 6 is a Server Management Console and Web Call Reporter. Some of the features that you can expect to see here include;
- Complete redesign of the 3CX Phone System Management console, the Web Management Interface and the Web Call Reporter to Metro Style
- The web interface now has the ability to perform service pack updates, editing of templates and is 25 percent faster than the previous version
- The phones’ time-zone for can be configured per extension
- Introduced new support for Yealink T48, updated firmware and templates
- Added support for a new IP Phone manufacturer, Fanvil IP Phones
As you can see, 3CX has made some major upgrades to many of the features that it already offers. There have also been additions to its cloud server along with a few minor fixes. You will now be able to hide the Activate license page from everyone except the system administrator and tenants will not be downgraded to free after running a backup. You can see where the latter might have been a problem.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
