Set up a Hot Desking Phone

Hot desking lets a single physical phone be shared by many people: each person signs in with their own extension when they need the phone, then signs out so the next person can use theirs. This page walks through provisioning an IP phone as a hot desking device through auto provisioning, where the system pushes the phone’s configuration to the device automatically instead of you setting up the handset by hand.

Caution

If the phone you want to use is already tied to a specific extension, remove it from the auto provisioning phone list and factory-reset the device before you begin.

Supported devices

Only certain IP phone models can be used for hot desking. Confirm your device appears on the Auto Provisioning supported devices list before continuing.

Before you start

Have the following details for the phone ready:

• Vendor
• Model
• Media Access Control (MAC) address: the unique hardware identifier assigned to the phone’s network port

Tip

The MAC address is usually printed on a label on the underside of the phone and can also be found in the phone’s on-screen status or network menu. It looks like six pairs of characters, for example 00:11:22:AA:BB:CC.

Add the phone

1. Sign in to the Cloud Voice management portal and open Auto Provisioning > Phones.

2. Click +Add > Add.

3. Under IP Phone, identify the device:

   

   • Vendor: Choose the phone’s manufacturer.
   • Model: Choose the phone’s model.
   • MAC Address: Type the phone’s MAC address.

4. Under Options, set up provisioning and enable hot desking:

   

   • Template: Pick a provisioning template from the drop-down. A matching provisioning server URL is created and shown in the Provisioning Link field.

   • Hot Desking Phone: Turn this on to make the device a hot desking phone. The system assigns it to a virtual extension named HostExt{virtual_num}.

     

     Note

     A virtual extension is a placeholder the system creates for you. It is not a real user account: its job is to keep the phone registered and reachable while no one is signed in. Each hot desking phone gets its own HostExt extension, with a number filled in where {virtual_num} appears.

5. Click Save.

6. If the device is a Grandstream or Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise phone, sign in to the phone’s web interface and enter the provisioning link manually.

   Caution

   Grandstream and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise phones do not pull the provisioning link on their own. If you skip this step, the phone never receives its settings and will not register. Other supported vendors fetch the link automatically once the phone reboots.

7. Reboot the phone by hand.

Result

The phone registers with the system using its virtual extension and is now a hot desking device. You can verify its registration state in the phone list. A Guest In key is added to the phone automatically.

Caution

Until a guest signs in, only the virtual extension is registered, so the phone can place emergency calls but cannot make everyday calls. This is expected behavior, not a fault. A user unlocks regular calling by dialing the Guest In feature code or pressing the Guest In Busy Lamp Field (BLF) key, a programmable key whose light shows the phone’s sign-in state.

What to do next

• Enable Hot Desking for an Extension User
• (Optional) Retain Configurations for Hot Desking Phones