We know configuring asterisk with multiple pbx’s can be a challenge, but we show you how to make it easy using FreePBX, friend trunking, outbound routes, custom dialplan, and just a dash of fun along the way!

Sneak peak!

Configuring multiple asterisk systems‘s can be challenging at first, especially to a first time PBX aficionado. This page will be your 1-stop guide to getting 2 systems running FreePBX fully interconnected, from outbound routes/outbound dialing, calling different extensions and connecting them into queues and destinations, and allowing inbound IVR calls to dial extensions on other systems, and even trunking them together.. This one is trickiest, but still simple enough.

To Start, let’s talk about trunking, because without this nothing else is going to work.

We’ll approach it the simple way, known as “friend trunking.”
Now you’ve got the basics down, including Friend Trunking, setting up inter-pbx connectivity with FreePBX’s Outbound Routes, and even letting inbound callers reach remote extensions with Custom Dialplan code.

If any of those don’t sound familiar, check out the beginning of our Connecting Phone Systems digest.

Now I’ll go over some of the cool things you can do with your newly connected boxes.

Ring Groups will become a very useful feature, they allow you to define extensions that you can target from within FreePBX even though they reside on another system.

Start by creating a new Ring Group in FreePBX.

Choose a number in a range that’s different from your extensions. It’s common to simply preface a number or two before the remote extension, for example: 886001. It’s helpful to keep in mind that everything is an extension in Asterisk, so too in FreePBX.

You can choose the settings you’d like, for example music on hold if you like.

In the extension list, you need to enter the extension on the remote box, followed by a hash (#). Set up an appropriate fail-over destination, such as a voicemail box or alternate phone number, and you’re done! You can now target this extension by pointing to the Ring Group you just defined!

Queues: Something a bit more practical would be queues, you can edit your queues, and enter in the extensions of a remote box, just like it was on the local box!