Thursday, April 30, 2009

PBX 101: Running Your Home Like A Business

You’ve probably found yourself admiring the various traits of your place of work and thought, “That could really work well in my house.” Some people have lucrative careers modifying industrial designs for consumer use. Well, some things really don’t need to be modified. That includes PBX phone systems coupled with Access Control.

What does this mean?
Essentially, you can upgrade your home telephone system from all phones on one line to 1 or 2 lines with 8 extensions. Along with this, you can incorporate a Door Phone as an extension, monitor visitors at your entrance and allow them access to your home from any of the telephone extensions. For larger homes or home based business this can be a key factor in home automation and security.

Inside the home, the multiple extensions allow family members and employees the privacy and freedom of their own line without the added expense. Add a PBX Door Phone and you have provided a security measure with the capability to talk with visitors and open the door remotely from any extension.

The system shown here is comprised of the eMax208 Auto attendant PBX Exchange and a PBX Door Phone.


There are two types of PBX Door Phones offered by ILUS Electronics:
  1. Extel with a Call Button – when the call button is pressed all preset extensions will ring
  2. ExCode has a call button and keypad - in addition to the Extel features it will allow the visitor to dial to the extension of choice or let authorized people activate the electric lock by keying a pass word

What are the benefits?

  • Open Door(s) remotely from any Extension
  • Extensions can be either rooms in the home or office (see Image)
  • Initiate calls to or from any extension or Door Phone (you can have multiple Door Phones)
  • Setup day or nighttime ringing extensions when called from the door phone
  • Block or enable calls from outside lines to selected extensions
  • Pre-Recorded Outgoing Message (OGM) will eliminate the nuisance of all phones ringing when an outside call comes in. The caller listens to the message and selects the desired extension.

If you run a home based business, you may have one extension to your office and several others around the house.

Maybe you hang out by the pool or in your workshop and need a way to answer the phone and also monitor visitors coming to the house.

  • The C.O. (Central Office) Line Reservation allows the user to reserve a line that might be busy. Once the line becomes available the extension will receive a ring and will be connected automatically to the CO line so that a call is not interfered.
  • The eMAX 208 supports caller ID on all extensions. Allows display of an incoming call on a telephone with the caller ID feature.
  • Control your Telephone Cost - Set Extensions with permitted area codes and numbers
  • Call transfer – Transfer any incoming or internal call to any extension
  • Call pick up - Pickup incoming or internal calls from any extension
  • Budget Calling Time – Set maximum desired duration of a call for an extension
  • Different Call Waiting tones signaling calls waiting from external line, internal ext. or door phone, while line is in use. Easy back and forth switching between the calls.
  • Programmable from any remote phone, even mobile

It’s clear that no matter where or how we live, our home is our castle. For those that work from home this sentiment may ring even more true. As you upgrade your home with all of the modern conveniences that keep you safe and happy, consider one home automation technique that is not only simple, but affordable.

Take a look at the accompanying diagram and let us know if you have any questions about how an Access Control system may best fit into your world. Send us an email at support@iluselectronics.com or call our sales line at 267-983-1300. We look forward to answering your questions.

To find out more about PBX and Access Control, read some of our previous blog entries:

What is PBX?

Basic Access Control: Getting Started

Note: This blog entry, like all of our entries, is for information only. If you are not well versed in installation, please hire a professional. ILUS Electronics is not responsible for improperly installed equipment. If you would like our technical support or advice, just send us a note at support@iluselectronics.com