Asterisk/FreePBX add Listen/Whisper/Barge facilities to your PABX

Written by

A few of our customers wanted a feature to listen to other calls. Asterisk/FreePBX already provides ChanSpy, but the problem with it is that you cannot select what extension to listen to. After some digging around, found a few sites with instructions to get this done.

So here’s what I used to implement this. If you’re using this as it is, make sure that there are no feature codes using *222/*223 & *224.

Add below snippet to extensions_custom.conf. Reload asterisk and you’re good to go. To listen on extension 123, simply dial *222123.

[ext-local-custom]

;listen
exten => _*222x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*222x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*222x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*222x.#,n,ChanSpy(sip/${EXTEN:4},q)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Hangup

;whisper
exten => _*223x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*223x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*223x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*223x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*223x.#,n,ChanSpy(sip/${EXTEN:4},qw)
exten => _*223x.#,n,Hangup

;barge
exten => _*224x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*224x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*224x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*224x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*224x.#,n,ChanSpy(SIP/${EXTEN:4},qB)
exten => _*224x.#,n,Hangup

Now, say there are some extensions that you don’t want to be listened on (ex. a manager), there are few ways to do it. But the simplest method I found is using below context. This needs to be added before the above set.

Here, no one should be able to listen/whisper/barge on extension 5205’s calls. What this code does is if someone tries to do be naughty, it will simply hangup the call.

;blockaccess
exten => _*2225205,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*2225205,n,Hangup
exten => _*2235205,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*2235205,n,Hangup
exten => _*2245205,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*2245205,n,Hangup

Comments

17 responses to “Asterisk/FreePBX add Listen/Whisper/Barge facilities to your PABX”

January 5, 2016

Richard Welsing

HELLO ASANKA,

very nice post. but i am a newbie here to FREEPBX

can you please give me the steps to finding the “extensions_custom.conf.” file.

thanks

Reply
1. January 6, 2016
  
  asanka
  
  Hi Richard,
  
  You can find all asterisk config files under /etc/asterisk/
  
  Regards,
  
  Reply
September 1, 2016

Ram Martinez

GOod day,

Thank you for this.
It actually works on our elastix system.

-Ram Martinez

Reply
1. September 2, 2016
  
  asanka
  
  Hi Ram,
  Glad it worked out for you.
  Regards
  
  Reply
September 14, 2016

Thomas

I just done this but this is not working, i tell you from starting, first i submit the information in the file “extensions_custom.conf.” as you provide here, then i save after i reload the asterisk, but when i am calling 222(exten number) from my extension, it is saying that “your call cannot completed. please help me more.. should i have to do something in “misc application” in my elastix server?

Reply
1. September 14, 2016
  
  asanka
  
  Hi Thomas,
  
  You need to dial *222(exten number) (star222(exten number)) not just 222(exten number). If you need to set it up that way you would have to remove the * in the context.
  
  Regards,
  
  Reply
November 3, 2016

enderst

I get a hangup, in the log i get:
‘*2221111’ rejected because extension not found in context ‘from-internal’

1111 does exist.

Reply
1. November 3, 2016
  
  asanka
  
  Hi enderst,
  
  I’m actually not able to say why it won’t work from this information. I’ve applied this to many installations without any problems (v2.11 and V13).
  
  Regards
  
  Reply
February 4, 2017

Laura

Thank you for your post!
I am getting a fast busy when a manager is trying to listen to one of his agents by dialing *222ext
Freepbx firmware 6.12.65-20; version 12.0.76.4
any advice or help- I’m a newbie, please be gentle.

Reply
April 29, 2017

Fernando

is there a way to put a password on these? that way when *2222020 is dialed, it requests a pin?

we tried the following:

exten => _*222x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Authenticate(8888)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*222x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*222x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*222x.#,n,ChanSpy(sip/${EXTEN:4},q)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Hangup

any suggestions would be appreciated.

Reply
1. April 29, 2017
  
  Fernando
  
  just figured it out NVM! 😀
  
  Reply
  1. January 2, 2018
    
    Telemachos Koumartzakis
    
    Hi Fernando,
    How to did u figure it out finally?
    Thanks
    
    Reply
  2. January 26, 2018
    
    Ray
    
    Could you please share what you did for the password?
    
    Reply
  3. January 28, 2018
    
    asanka
    
    I believe it’s this bit:
    
    exten => _*222x.#,n,Authenticate(8888)
    
    You can replace 8888 with the pin you want to use to authenticate.
    
    Reply
February 22, 2018

dreedy

We are using the new asterisk 14 and i adapted the script to work with this version of asterisk. But the calls are not going to the right extension sometimes any ideas? Here is the change i have made to the script.

;listen
exten => _*222x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*222x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*222x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*222x.#,n,ChanSpy(PJSIP/${SPYNUM},q)
exten => _*222x.#,n,Hangup

;whisper
exten => _*223x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*223x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*223x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*223x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*223x.#,n,ChanSpy(PJSIP/${SPYNUM},qw)
exten => _*223x.#,n,Hangup

;barge
exten => _*224x.#,1,Macro(user-callerid,)
exten => _*224x.#,n,Answer
exten => _*224x.#,n,NoCDR
exten => _*224x.#,n,Wait(1)
exten => _*224x.#,n,ChanSpy(PJSIP/${SPYNUM},qB)
exten => _*224x.#,n,Hangup

Reply
1. June 26, 2019
  
  JW
  
  I had the same issue (on version 13)
  replace {SPYNUM} with {EXTEN:4}
  
  {EXTEN:4} basically means use the numbers after the first four digits
  so if you dial *2245555 – the extension is 5555
  
  {SPYNUM} refers to a previous line in the code like:
  exten => 556,n,Read(SPYNUM,agent-newlocation)
  exten => 556,n,ChanSpy(SIP/${SPYNUM},q)
  
  Reply
May 15, 2019

Bilal

Hi Thanks for great tutorial. i there any way that only certain extension number or numbers can listen, or whisper.
for example I want only let say 7001 can listen but 7002 can whisper but no other extensions cant perform these actions.
any idea will be appriciated. thanks..

Reply