ARA-1 Operations Manual
INTEROPERABILITY NOW
1-3
1.4
Applications
The ARA-1 can be used either as part of a SIP PBX or without one. Often the radio associated
with the ARA-1 will be part of a repeater system. The features of each of these configurations
are explained in the following sections. It is important to read all three of the following sections
to fully understand the application of radios to SIP networks.
1.4.1
Operation within a SIP PBX
Figure 1-2 illustrates a basic ARA-1 application within a SIP PBX network. The PBX (typically
a software application running on a server) assigns extensions (associated to the IP addresses) to
each of the communications devices within the system. There can be any number of the end-user
devices (Sip Phones, softphones, analog phone/ATA pairs, or radio/ARA-1 pairs) in the PBX.
When a SIP Phone user wants to place a call to another SIP Phone, he or she can simply dial that
phone’s extension. The same process is followed to place a call to the radio: simply dial the ARA-
1’s extension. The SIP Phone user does not need to understand the esoterica of basic radio
operation; this is handled by the ARA-1.
Figure 1-2
Example of The ARA-1 in SIP PBX Network
Similarly, calls to the radio can be placed by the softphone or the analog telephone, interfaced by
the ATA, simply by entering the extension assigned to the ARA-1.
The SIP PBX can provide a multitude of functions and features that expand and enhance the
communications process. These include conferencing, voice mail, call logging, call forwarding,
and essentially any other feature available with a commercial telephone service. Because the
ARA-1 is based on the open-source SIP protocol, a wide range of PBX features are available
from a wide range of sources.