Woosh Gateway Phone - Telephone Hold Button cuts off call

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Woosh Gateway Phone - Telephone Hold Button cuts off call - Telecom's fault

geek4me

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Topic # 12916 13-Apr-2007 13:11

Hi Woosh Gateway wireless telephone users. I have queried Woosh Help Desk why the Hold button on a telephone plugged into the Gateway cuts off a Woosh line phone call instead of putting it on Hold like Calls on TelstraClear and Telecom phone lines does.

Woosh's response after the Help Desk staff queried their experts was. "A Woosh phone line can not be put on Hold, it's not their fault, the fault lies with Telecom". Telecom are stopping the Woosh line Hold button from working.

I've heard some excuses in my time and this may be perfectly legitimate. Shall I call Telecom and accuse them for stopping Woosh providing this service or is this quite correct?

Woosh Help Desk put callers on Hold all the time while they check out problems with various people higher up. As a business we would like to be able to do the same with our customers without cutting them off.

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Reply # 67019 13-Apr-2007 13:21

PABX has a hold function that actually has nothing to do with a line being held.

Woosh is using one of those PABX system. I have never been to Woosh Headquarter so can't tell you exactly what type of PABX they have.

But I am very sure that you can connect Woosh phone into a PABX.

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Reply # 67023 13-Apr-2007 13:43

I doubt it has anything to do with Telecom New Zealand.

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sbiddle

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Reply # 67026 13-Apr-2007 13:57

It will simply be a limitation of the Woosh ATA (phone adapter) and the phone you are using. Assuming your phone is a cheapish one with a basic hold button all this circuit does contains is a few resisotors and a diode that will try and keep the line "off hook" when you put the receiver back on the hook. I suspect the short hookflash that occurs when you do this is being treated by the ATA as a hangup and therefore disconnecting your call. There may be ways of Woosh adjusting this to avoid the problem but probably very little you could do as an end user.

If you want on proper on hold you really need to get a PBX that supports it rather than relying on a phone. The issue is certainly nothing at all to do with Telecom.

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Reply # 67028 13-Apr-2007 14:11

sbiddle:
The issue is certainly nothing at all to do with Telecom.

So why are Woosh blaming Telecom? What you're saying is probably correct - there is very little I can do as an end user. I'm not using a PABX just an ordinary phone where Hold works well with TelstraClear.

I would expect a Woosh Gateway software change would be needed to recognize the Hold button has been pushed that would not cut off the call. This may be hard to do but it's probably unfair for Woosh to simply blame Telecom.

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Reply # 67051 13-Apr-2007 18:24

Well its a very easy excuse to make and 9 times out of 10 - people will buy into it (see also certain ISP's) !

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Reply # 67066 13-Apr-2007 21:49

I can confirm that putting a call trunked through a Woosh line on hold using a Panasonic D816 PBX works just fine - a client of mine has this setup.

Maybe in their reason you could try substituting "Telecom" for "the manufacturer of the phone handset you're using"?

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tonyhughes

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Reply # 67068 13-Apr-2007 22:10

aw: [ first post ]

Welcome to Geekzone!!!

And yes... if the equipment is not made by telecom, not customised by telecom, not controlled by telecom, and not hooked up to telecoms network, how could it *possibly* be telecoms fault? Its just as likely to be Margaret Maheys fault (sorry dear... love the books...)

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Reply # 67155 15-Apr-2007 15:07

tonyhughes:

if the equipment is not made by telecom, not customised by telecom, not controlled by telecom, and not hooked up to telecoms network, how could it *possibly* be telecoms fault?

I couldn't agree more. Woosh however maintain that Telecom is to blame for Hold not working.

If the phone I have works with TelstraClear allowing them to be put on Hold, the phone itself can't be blamed as not being good enough.

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Reply # 67156 15-Apr-2007 15:10

Can you make a call to someone else using Woosh, and not having any Telecom handset involved? This would confirm there's no Telecom involvement on this.

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Reply # 67168 15-Apr-2007 19:46

Some hold functions are triggerred in the exchange or PABX by a timed break or hook flash rather than the older "maintain local loop current until another phone goes off hook" systems. For older NEAX timing reasons Telecom preferred break time of 600ms for their approved telephones rather than a shorter interval like 100ms. Maybe Woosh didn't take this into account when they specified an adapter that would be used by those phones. If only it was as simple as marketing cans of beans ;)

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Reply # 67344 17-Apr-2007 13:57

The answer for Woosh implementing Hold button code to not cut off a call is the same as for my question on Woosh not being able to block 0900 calls.

At NZ$200K a line for a software change, with this change probably requiring many lines of code, it's probably never going to happen. Woosh, Telecom, TelstraClear would all say too expensive so don't ask. But rather than say this it's easier for them to blame someone else.

Oh well, let's not upset anyone and just accept things the way they are I suppose.

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Reply # 67347 17-Apr-2007 14:17

geek4me: Oh well, let's not upset anyone and just accept things the way they are I suppose.

Who? I read some sarcasm in this line, or am I wrong? Are you referring to the answers to the thread about 0900 block? I don't think no one is apologising on behalf of Woosh on that thread, only explaining that things cost more than the simple view you exposed there. It is all right to ask for features, but reality check is required and a good explanation of cost was posted.

Now, if this is the real reason why Woosh, or any other telco doesn't implement a change, then this is something for the companies to answer.

I can tell you that some features are put in with tremendous costs, some that you can't even imagine. Everything is pirioritised though. But if you don't ask, they don't know it's something the users want. So keep asking. Call them and bug them for that...

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Reply # 67353 17-Apr-2007 14:59

You could read sarcasm into the line but it's more a reaction of why ask for changes of "anyone", by anyone I mean the Telcos as it will be too expensive to implement.

Your point is to ask anyway as without asking nothing will change. Point taken.

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Reply # 67368 17-Apr-2007 15:51

A friend with wooshphone uses hold on their telephone all the time. Its just some cheap corded handset they picked up from somewhere. Push hold, hang up, and the caller hears the Mr Whippy song and an LED on the phone comes on to remind you they are still there. Go to another phone, pick it up and the music stops and the light goes out.

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Reply # 67369 17-Apr-2007 16:07

Are both phones connected directly to the Gateway or via a Pabx? Our set up is a telephone double plug plugged into the Woosh Gateway line with a telephone plugged into each. Each phone rings on an incoming call and both have a Hold button with no music. Press Hold on 1 line then pick up the other phone to continue the conversation. Is this the same as your friends set up?

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