ALS for line not assigned to "visible" button 1

[JSartori]

Hi everyone--I'm working with a Partner ACS R6 system. X10 and X11 have 18D phones and the rest are Partner 18. There are 6 lines--5 for voice and the 6th for fax.

I'd like most phones to have the five voice lines as line buttons. I'd like line 6 to be available for outgoing calls when the first five lines are in use, but I don't need line 6 assigned to a button. Is there a work-around here?

I thought I'd try assigning line 6 to a feature button that doesn't exist on the phone (i.e. the 19th button, even though the actual phone only has 18), but I don't have any 32-button phones, and I can't use the top row of an 18d phone to assign line 6 to the partner 18 phones.

If this could work somehow, I'd have an extra feature button on each phone to use. Otherwise, no big deal. Would I need a 32-button phone to program this way? Or maybe if I used the remote admin tool?

Hybrid mode wouldn't work well for this application.

Thanks for any suggestions!
Joe

 

[TouchToneTommy]

If you don't assign the line to a button on the phone, the only way to access it is Intercom 806. (even if you used a 34 button phone to program from, or through the admin GUI)

You could pool the system, put only lines 5 and 6 in pool 881 (it requires only 1 button), and assign lines 1 through 4 on each set, then pool 881 to the normal line 5 position. This assumes that most phones are set to NO ring, because if you set the pool to immediate ring, it will ring for the fax line as well. (Keep the Fax extension set to Key mode, assign all 6 lines, and set its ALS to 654321, with immediate ring on 6 only)

 

[JSartori]

Thanks--that's a great idea!

So, just to clarify--I know I wouldn't be able to include a line not assigned to an extension with ALS, but can I not assign that line to a button "above" the physical buttons on the phone (i.e. the "19th" button on a partner 18 phone). Does this make sense?

Thanks again,
Joe

 

[TouchToneTommy]

Yup, if the line doesn't appear on a physical button on the phone, ALS will ignore it when you go to the actual phone.

If you put that 6th line on a button-with-lights that appears on a 34 button set, but not on an 18 button set, it would not be included in the ALS when you plugged in the 18 button set, but it WOULD as soon as you swapped it with a 34 button set.


Same for an 18 button set vs. an old MLS-12, which only had 12 buttons-with-lights, the balance were without lights.

 

[JSartori]

Thanks for the clarification--I wasn't sure, because this procedure would work for a standard telephone, right (which has no programmable buttons)?

Joe