The installation procedures and programming are the same for the VP206 and the VP412. The are only two differences:
- The VP206 (shown here) supports two CO (Phone Company Central Office) lines and six extensions.
- The VP412 supports four CO lines and 12 extensions.
The VoicePro has standard single-line RJ-11 jacks on the back labeled "CO Line 1" and up. Connect your phone company Central Office (CO) lines to these jacks. The image at the right shows how a VP206 is connected to two RJ-11 CO jacks. With the VP412. you can attach up to four CO lines.
If you have the CO lines coming in on RJ-14 jacks (two lines in one jack), then you will need to use the included line splitter. That splits an RJ-14 two-line jack into two RJ-11 single lines. These individual lines then connect to the CO Line jacks on the back of the VoicePro, as shown in the image at the left. This line splitter is included with the VoicePro and is also available from Radio Shack (ask for part number 279-401).
Make sure you use the correct line splitter. A common mistake is using a splitter that looks the same but one that splits a two-line RJ-14 into two RJ-14 rather than dividing the lines into two single lines (RJ-11). Doing this will cause two CO ports to be shorted together and cause erroneous processing.
The CO lines connected to the VoicePro must be dedicated to servicing the unit. Do not connect any other phones or equipment to these lines. If you have a security system that requires an outside phone line, that system needs its own dedicated line. Do not allow a security system to share the same phone line with the VoicePro. Any other equipment sharing the same lines may cause conflicts with the operation of the VoicePro.
You can begin using your VoicePro in just a few minutes by following these four easy steps:
- Connect the telephone company lines to the "Line" jacks on the rear of the VoicePro.
- Connect your telephone sets to the extension jacks.
- Connect the power supply to your unit.
- Connect an external music source for music-on-hold, if desired.
Wiring Extensions
All the extension ports on the VoicePro use single-line connections known as RJ-11 and should be connected to a single-line phone. Using multi-line phones is not necessary since the VoicePro provides access to all lines with a standard single-line phone. That will be discussed in the next section below.
You need to run standard twisted-pair telephone cables from each location where you want to have a telephone extension. Typical telephone cable has four conductors.
When you open the wall jacks, you should find a mounting plate with four screw terminals labeled R, G, B, and Y (red, green, black, and yellow). The jacks will also have 2 or 4 individual wires that run from the screw terminals to the modular jack.
When you open the wall jacks, you should find a mounting plate with four screw terminals labeled R, G, B, and Y (red, green, black, and yellow). The jacks will also have 2 or 4 individual wires that run from the screw terminals to the modular jack.
You will only use the red and green wires for one line from each extension. All the cables should run to the place where you have your VoicePro. To connect to the VoicePro, you should have RJ-11 Modular plugs on the end of the cables.
We recommend that all your distant extensions and the CO lines terminate with RJ-11 wall jacks. Line them up on the wall. Then use standard telephone wires with RJ-11 plugs on each end to connect the jacks to the VoicePro. That makes it easy to switch connections if you want to change one physical extension to another.
We recommend that all your distant extensions and the CO lines terminate with RJ-11 wall jacks. Line them up on the wall. Then use standard telephone wires with RJ-11 plugs on each end to connect the jacks to the VoicePro. That makes it easy to switch connections if you want to change one physical extension to another.
Using Two-line and Four-line Phones
There is no purposeful reason for using a multi-line phone with the VoicePro because it gives single-line phone access to all outside lines anyway. But if you want to use two-line telephones, and assign two extensions to that phone, you will need to use a line coupler.
Plug two short line cords into the jacks on one side of the coupler and any two individual extension ports on the back of the VoicePro. Never connect two phones to the same extension port. Plug a long RJ-14 cable into the other side of the coupler and into the jack marked "L1+L2" on the phone. If you have a four-line telephone, you can do the same thing for the next two lines, giving the phone four extension numbers.
Important: If you use cordless phones for your extensions, you may run into a conflict with the various phones using the same frequency or codes. Make sure each cordless handset and its base unit use unique codes. And also, make sure users don't place the handsets into the wrong base units. If you start having strange things happen, someone may have put a handset on the wrong base.
Warning: Do not connect multiple phones to a single VoicePro extension port. The ring-voltage is sufficient for only one phone per extension port.
Installing an External Music Source
Plug the supplied 3.5 mm plug into the music jack on the real of the VoicePro. Connect the other end into a headphone jack on your music source. To avoid interference, plug the music source into a different outlet other than the one for the VoicePro.
The output from your music source needs to be about 0.7v. Check the user's manual of the device you are using for your on-hold source to be sure it has the proper signal strength. It should be the standard output that is used for headphones.
The on-hold volume level is adjusted from the external device. Program function 41 is only used to adjust the volume of the prompts, greetings, and voice mail messages. It does not control the volume of your on-hold, which is dependant on the signal strength from your music-on-hold device.
Make sure you are using a mono output. If you are using a stereo output, you will only be feeding one channel to the VoicePro. Many radios have a mono switch which combines the two channels into one.
If you are using a CD with a custom on-hold recording, it may only have been recorded on one track. If you use a stereo connection feeding the other track, you will have little or no volume at all. Setting your device to mono mode will correct this problem.
If you are using a CD with a custom on-hold recording, it may only have been recorded on one track. If you use a stereo connection feeding the other track, you will have little or no volume at all. Setting your device to mono mode will correct this problem.
Warning: DO NOT plug the music source into an extension port. That will cause permanent damage to your unit.
Usage Indicator Lights
The three LED lights on the front of the unit will always give you an indication of the health of the system.
| Pwr | Red lights up when power is on. |
| In Use | Green flashes when in use. |
| Full | Yellow serves several functions. |
The yellow light indicates any of the following:
- Remains lit when speech memory is full.
- Blinks during self-test mode when the unit is first turned on.
- Blinks rapidly when a message is being recorded.
- Blinks every four seconds when powered by the battery during a power failure.
System Startup
When power is first supplied to the VoicePro, all the Indicator Lights will flash on and off.
Do not operate the unit during system startup, which can take anywhere from one to three minutes.
The yellow FULL light will flash on and off while the system is running through its testing mode on power-up.
Extension 10 will ring a several times to indicate how much memory is installed...
- Two rings if 2 hours are available,
- Three rings if 4 hours are available,
- and four rings if 8 hours are available.
When the system startup is successful, and the VoicePro is ready for use, extension 10 will ring six more times, and the yellow FULL light will stop flashing.
The red PWR light will remain on, indicating the unit is ready.
Note: If power fails or is disconnected from the VoicePro unit, the yellow FULL light will flash to indicate that it is running on battery power. That will continue until the battery power is exhausted, or power is restored.
If the internal battery has been preserving the system memory during a power failure, extension 10 will not ring as noted above to indicate how much memory is found available on startup.
It will just ring one time to indicate that power has been restored. You can always check how much memory is installed by using Program Function 93. Program Functions will be discussed later.
It will just ring one time to indicate that power has been restored. You can always check how much memory is installed by using Program Function 93. Program Functions will be discussed later.
How to Program the VoicePro
You can program the unit by using the touch-tone keys on any phone. All programming is done by using simple progamming functions that are fully described in the manual. Below are a few programming examples to get you started.
To enter programming mode, pick up any extension and press the # key.
If the Automated Attendant is enabled, you can also enter programming mode remotely. Just call any line connected to your VoicePro and press the # key when it answers. The system will announce the date and time and say, "Welcome to VoicePro. Please enter your password followed by the pound."
Once you hear the prompt for the System Password, enter it followed with the # key. The default is 1234#. The system will say, "Password accepted. Please press the desired program number followed by the pound". Now you can enter any of the Program Function codes. You may exit program mode at any time by pressing the star key twice ( * * ).
How to set the time
- Enter Programming Mode.
- Enter Program Function 19# (Time Set).
- When prompted, enter the hour (1 through 12) and then press #.
- When prompted, enter the minutes (00 through 59) and then press #.
- When prompted, enter 1# for AM or 2# for PM.
- Press * * to end programming and hang up.
Example: 19# 12# 30# 2# * * ← set time to 12:30 PM
How to set the date
- Enter Programming Mode.
- Enter Program Function 20# (Date Set).
- When prompted, enter the month (1 thru 12), then press #.
- When prompted, enter the day (1 thru 31) and then press #.
- When prompted, enter the year and then press # (enter as "07#" for 2007).
- When prompted, enter the day of the week from the table below, then press #.
- = Monday
- = Tuesday
- = Wednesday
- = Thursday
- = Friday
- = Saturday
- = Sunday
- Press * * to end programming and hang up.
Example: 20# 5# 15# 08# 4# * * ← set date to May 15, 2008, Thursday
How to create your unique Automated Attendant
The Auto Attendant is a menu system that is specific to your needs. It allows your caller to select the desired option to route their call or to listen to further information that you provide.
Calls can be routed to an extension or a mailbox. If transferred to an extension, that station's phone will ring while the caller hears music on hold (if you connected a music source to the VoicePro). If there is no answer, the caller will be routed to the extension's mailbox.
With a direct transfer to a mailbox or after an extension does not answer, the caller will hear the personal greeting of that mailbox, and then they may leave a message.
With a direct transfer to a mailbox or after an extension does not answer, the caller will hear the personal greeting of that mailbox, and then they may leave a message.
The Auto Attendant can also play other information to the caller. That is done by assigning any of up to 99 greetings to various menu option keys, and recording the appropriate prompts in the main company greeting.
The Auto Attendant does not have to answer the call immediately. You may choose to have the calls ring to extension(s) before the Auto Attendant answers a caller (Function 30).
If you want your calls answered immediately by the Auto Attendant, then you need to change the number of rings for the Auto Attendant to zero so that it answers immediately. That will avoid ringing any extensions unless your caller selects an option to do so. Follow these steps:
- Enter Programming Mode.
- Enter Program Function 30# (Rings for Auto Attendant).
- When prompted for the line number, enter 1# for line 1.
- When prompted for the number of rings, enter 0#.
- Repeat steps 2 thru 4 for each line.
- Press * * to end programming and hang up.
Example:
30# 1# 0# * * ← Answer line 1 immediately (zero rings)
30# 2# 0# * * ← Answer line 2 immediately (zero rings)
30# 1# 0# * * ← Answer line 1 immediately (zero rings)
30# 2# 0# * * ← Answer line 2 immediately (zero rings)
You also need to make sure you have the Auto Attendant enabled. That is the default setting, so unless you disabled it, you do not need to bother. Program Function 27 is used to enable/disable the Auto Attendant:
- Enter Programming Mode.
- Enter Program Function 27# (Enable/Disable Auto Attendant).
- When prompted, press 1# to enable the Auto Attendant.
- Press * * to end programming and hang up.
Example: 27# 1# * * ← Enable the Auto Attendant
Another thing about the Auto Attendant—if the caller does not dial an extension or mailbox number, the call will be transferred to the operator at station 10. You can disable this and have the system just hang up on the caller if they do not press any keys. That may be necessary if you discover you get a lot of hang-up calls to the operator. Disable this as follows:
- Enter Programming Mode.
- Enter Program Function 39#.
- When prompted, press 1# to transfer to the operator or 2# to disconnect on no response.
- Press * * to end programming and hang up.
Example: 39# 2# * * ← Disconnect on caller if no response.
That was just a sampling. There are many functions to give you total flexibility and programming control. They are all explained in the manual in an easy-to-follow method, to help you make your VoicePro do what you want it to do.
Volume Control
The system volume, for both greetings and voice mail messages, can be adjusted if you later find that it is too low or too loud for your telephone sets. You may select a setting between the ranges of 15-32 with Program Function 41.
It is also possible to increase or decrease the volume while listening to a voicemail message from your mailbox. You do that by pressing 7 repetitively to reduce the playback volume, or 9 to increase the playback volume. The temporary adjustment will stay in effect until you leave your mailbox or hang up.
