SUPPORTED

IP Phones

SIP Trunks

Other

Current Version: V15

Download | Manual | Releases
ADMIN MANUAL

Introduction & Installation

Extension management

Trunk Management

System Management

PBX Services

USER MANUAL

Installing & Configuring 3CX

Make, Receive & Transfer Calls

Creating Conference Calls

Organizing Video Conferences

Presence & Switchboard

Events / Webinars
WEBINAR

Cosa c' di nuovo sulla V15?

WEBINAR

3CX WebMeeting in V15

WEBINAR

Was ist neu in V15?

WEBINAR

Installation V15
WEBINAR

3CX WebMeeting Live Training

View all trainings

3CX Academy / Online

Training

LATEST POSTS
Jul.

13
How to Use Your Own SSL & FQDN Certificate with V15
Jul.

12
Understanding v15 Evaluating or Upgrading
Jun.

8
More Support for Legacy Phones
Jun.

1
Export your Extensions from Asterisk (FreePBX) to 3CX
Apr.

5
Managing Call Pickup Permissions

View all Blog Posts

Introduction, Licensing, Support

On this topic
Introduction, Licensing, Support
What is 3CX?

How an IP Phone System Works

SIP Phones
Software (based) SIP Phones
Hardware (based) SIP Phones
Smartphones (iOS and Android)
3CX Phone System Licensing
Support
See Also

What is 3CX?
3CX is a software based PBX that works with SIP standard based IP Phones, SIP Trunks and VoIP
Gateways to provide a complete PBX solution without the inflated cost and management
headaches of an old style PBX. The IP PBX supports all traditional PBX features but also includes
many new mobility and productivity features. An IP PBX is also referred to as a VoIP Phone System
or SIP Server.
Calls are sent as data packets over the computer data network instead of the traditional phone
network. Phones share the network with computers so no separate phone wiring is required. With
the use of a VoIP/PSTN gateway, you can connect existing phone lines to the IP PBX to make and
receive phone calls via a regular PSTN line. You can also use a SIP trunk or VoIP provider, which
removes the requirement for a gateway.

How an IP Phone System Works

A VoIP Phone System generally consists of the IP PBX server (SIP server), one or more SIP based
IP phones and a VoIP/PSTN Gateway or a SIP Trunk/VoIP service provider. The SIP IP Phones,
being either softphones or hardware based phones, register with the IP PBX server.
When they wish to make a call they ask the IP PBX to establish the connection. The IP PBX has a
directory of all phones/users and their corresponding SIP address, and connects an internal call or
routes an external call via either a VoIP/PSTN gateway or a VoIP service provider.

Figure - VoIP Phone System Overview

The image illustrates how an IP PBX integrates with the network and how it uses the PSTN and/or
the Internet to connect calls.

SIP Phones
A VoIP phone system requires the use of SIP Phones. These phones are based on the Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP), an industry standard to which all modern IP PBX systems adhere to. The
SIP protocol defines how calls should be established and is specified in RFC 3261. SIP allows the
possibility to mix and match IP PBX software, phones and gateways. This protects your investment

in phone hardware. 3CX supports popular IP Phones out of the box. SIP phones are available in
several versions/types:

Software (based) SIP Phones

3CX Client for Windows (left), 3CX Client for Mac (right)
A software based SIP phone is a program which makes use of your computer's microphone and
speakers, or an attached headset to allow you to make or receive calls. 3CX includes a softphone
for Windows and Mac.

Hardware (based) SIP Phones

Hardware based SIP phones look and behave like normal phones. They are actually mini computers
that connect directly to the computer network. They have an integrated mini hub, allowing them to
share a network connection point with a computer, eliminating the need for an additional network
point for the phone.

Smartphones (iOS and Android)

Using an iPhone or Android Smartphone with 3CX

3CX includes clients for iOS and Android making your smartphone or tablet a wireless desk phone in
the office that can be used to answer and receive company calls from anywhere, be it in the office, at
home or on the road using 3G or 4G.

3CX Phone System Licensing

Licensing is based on the number of simultaneous calls that your company requires, including both
external and internal calls. Each 3CX Phone System allows you to create an UNLIMITED number of
extensions. To arrive at the correct number of simultaneous calls that you will need you must usually
take the projected number of extensionsand divide by two to four times depending on how much
your organisation uses the phone.
3CX Phone System is available in four different editions:

Free Edition - Key PBX features, limited to 8 simultaneous calls.

Standard Edition Includes most required PBX features.

PRO Edition - Adds key productivity features.

Enterprise edition - Adds features required by enterprise such as failover.

Find out more about the differences between versions from our Features Comparison Page.

Support
3CX Technical Support is available via our Support Portal. Access is free for 3CX Partners. For end
users, 3CX Support packages are available. Review our Support Procedures and Pricing. We also
have Community Forums from where you can obtain user to user support for our products.
3CX maintains a knowledge base / help page. Be sure to use SUPPORTED hardware and SIP
trunks: follow the configuration guides for the make and model of your IP Phones, VoIP gateways,
SIP trunks or Firewall. The configuration guides can be found in the main Support Page.

Installing 3CX
On this topic

Installing 3CX
System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems
Supported VM Platforms
Hardware requirements
Firewall Requirements
Other requirements
Step 1: Preparing Your Host Machine for Installation
Step 2: Install 3CX
Step 3: Run The 3CX Configuration Tool
Upgrading From a Previous Version of 3CX
Step 1: Backup your configuration & Uninstall the old version
Step 2: Install 3CX Phone System v15
See Also

System Requirements
Supported Operating Systems
3CX v15 is supported on the following operating systems: http://www.3cx.com/docs/supportedoperating-systems/.

Supported VM Platforms
3CX Phone System is extensively tested to be run as a VM which eliminates the cost of separate
hardware and adds high availability solutions based on the hypervisor infrastructure. Supported
hypervisor platforms are:

VMware ESX 5.X and above.

Microsoft
HyperV

2008

R2

and

above.

See our Hyper-V Page for the specific settings for running 3CX.
Avoid using 3CX Phone System on converted VMs (P2V) because a converted virtual machine
might have timing issues, which causes the guest operating system not to sync with the timer of the
hypervisor.

Hardware requirements
System performance depends on five key factors:
How many simultaneous calls will the system handle.
How many people will simultaneously connect to the presence server.

If call recording is used.

If VoIP Providers are used.

If call routing built is mainly around queues and IVRs.

Based on these factors the hardware can vary from Intel i3 CPUs with 4Gb of RAM up to a multi
socket/core system. General guidelines can be found online in these articles:
Recommended Hardware Specifications for 3CX Phone System

Large Enterprise Deployments

Firewall Requirements
If 3CX is installed behind a NAT device, ports need to be forwarded. See the following guides
detailing the requirements:
The Firewall & Router Configuration Guide provides details on which ports to open.
See also Ports Used by 3CX Phone System for the list of required ports that need to
always be available (not used by any other service).

Other requirements

Latest version of Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer or Edge.

Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.6.1 or higher.

A constant internet connection to erp.3cx.com on port 443.

On demand HTTP and HTTPS connection to downloads.3cx.com/* for 3CX Management
Console downloads and additional information.

Step 1: Preparing Your Host Machine for Installation

Tasks that MUST be completed before installing 3CX:
Assign a static internal IP address to the host machines network adapter.
Install all available Windows updates & Service packs.

Antivirus Software should not scan:

C:\Program Files\3CX PhoneSystem\*

C:\ProgramData\3CX\*

If the host machine has multiple network adapters:

Disable unused network interfaces / Wi-Fi adapters.

Just

DO NOT configure multiple adapters with default gateways!

Prioritize the primary network interface (the one with the default gateway configured) to

ONE

default

the first position from: Control Panel > Network

Connections. Press
the Alt
key to
reveal
the

gateway!

and
File

Internet > Network

menu
and
click

on Advanced > Advanced

Settings. The Adapter
and
Bindings tab> Connections section will show your interfaces. Ensure that the
network card with the default gateway is at the top.

Additionally:
Do not install VPN software on your 3CX Server.
Ensure that all power saving options for your System and Network adapters are disabled

(Set the system to High Performance).

Do not install TeamViewer VPN Option on the host machine.

Disable Bluetooth adapters if it is a client PC.

3CX Phone System must not be installed on a host which is a DNS or DHCP server, has
MS SharePoint or Exchange services installed.

Step 2: Install 3CX

1. Download the latest version of 3CX.
2. Double-click on the setup file. Read the system requirements. Click Next.
3. Read our configuration recommendations. Click Next.
4. You will be asked to review and accept the license agreement.
5. Select the installation folder path, 3CX Phone System will need a minimum of 10GB free
hard disk space. You will need to reserve additional space to store voicemail files,
recordings & voice prompts. Choose the location to install and then click Next.
6. Click Install to start the installation of 3CX Phone System. Setup will now copy all files
and install the necessary Windows services.
7. After the installation is complete, you need to run the PBX Configuration Tool and
subsequently the PBX Setup wizard. See the next chapter.
Note: By default 3CX will be installed in single Instance mode. To install it as a Virtual PBX
Installation (Multiple Instance), see Installing 3CX as a Virtual PBX Server.

Step 3: Run The 3CX Configuration Tool

The pbx configuration tool obtains important network and security settings and configures 3CX
accordingly for it to work properly. Its a command line tool that must be run after the installation. It
will be started automatically. You will be asked the following questions:
1. You will be asked whether you are creating a new installation of 3CX or whether you wish
to restore an existing configuration. If its a new install, select 1, if you have a backup of a
previous version or other installation to restore, select 2.
2. Enter your license key. If you already own a 3CX license, copy and paste the key here,
unless you are restoring a backup, in which case the key will be restored automatically. If
you are evaluating 3CX or wish to use the free edition, copy and paste the license key that
was sent to you by e-mail to the email address you specified in the download form. If you
did not receive the email, ensure you entered a correct email address or check your spam
folder. You can have the email resent here.
3. Now specify the username and password to access the 3CX Management Console. Make
sure to use a strong password to prevent unauthorised access to your PBX. Usernames
and passwords are both case sensitive.
4. Confirm your Public IP Address. Enter 1 to confirm, or 2 to specify another one (In case
your HTTP traffic is routed on different network - be sure to enter the correct one!).
5. Specify whether your public IP is static or dynamic. For professional use, a static IP (which
does not change) is required. For residential use or evaluation purposes, you can use a

dynamic IP. A dynamic IP will change at certain intervals. Although 3CX will detect the IP
change and update the FQDN accordingly, until it does so your calls will not route.
6. Select the network interface which is connected to the internet / public IP you specified. If
you have multiple interfaces ensure this interface is the only default route!
7. The PBX configuration tool will now detect whether you are using NAT or not based on
your IP. If its Local IP, and thus you are behind a NAT, you will have to configure your
firewall / router accordingly. More informationhere.
8. 3CX requires a fully resolvable FQDN and a matching SSL certificate for security. This
allows 3CX to work seamlessly in and out of the office. To ease setup, you can choose a
3CX supplied FQDN and Lets encrypt certificate. This is provided FREE of charge in the
first year and requires only valid maintenance in subsequent years. If you wish, you can

configure your own FQDN and upload your own SSL certificate.
3CX provided FQDN and trusted SSL certificate - You will be prompted for your preferred
domain suffix. The configuration tool will then setup your FQDN on the 3CX DNS servers
and proceed to generate a trusted SSL certificate via the Lets Encrypt service. 3CX

provides this service free of charge in the first year and as part of the maintenance
package for subsequent years!
Your own FQDN and SSL certificate - You will have to create an FQDN and configure your
DNS accordingly, as well as upload a trusted SSL certificate. You can use the Lets
Encrypt if you wish. You will be asked for a pfx, cer or crt file and optional passwords. Note
we no longer support self signed certificates.

9. Specify whether you have a DNS server which you can manage (for example Microsoft
DNS):
I manage my DNS, use single FQDN - In this case we recommend using a single
FQDN, for example:mycompany.3cx.us. The FQDN must resolve on your LAN to the
machine on which 3CX Phone System is installed, and from the internet it must resolve to
your Public IP. You will need to use Split DNS on your router/DNS Server. More

information on how to Create FQDN using Split DNS.

I do not manage my DNS, use a separate External FQDN/Local IP or FQDN, for example
pbx.interobit.com / 192.168.0.1 or pbx.interobit.local. If you do not have access to your
DNS server, specify a separate external FQDN a local IP or local FQDN internally. The
external FQDN will be used for devices connecting from outside the LAN. The local IP /
local FQDN will be used for internal devices.

10. Select which web ports you wish to use for the management console. Use alternative
ports only if 80 or 443 are already in use.
11. The configuration tool will now configure 3CX according to your preferences and start up
the services. This configuration may take some time. Afterwards you can login to the
management console to continue setup.

Upgrading From a Previous Version of 3CX

If you are running an old version of 3CX (9, 10) you must upgrade to v11 SP 4a, and then to v12 SP
6.1 before following this upgrade procedure. If you are using 3CX v12 SP 6.1 you must go to v12.5
first. From v12.5, to retain call logs, you must go to v14 first. On v14 you can go to v15 directly.

Step 1: Backup your configuration & Uninstall the old version

1. Make a backup of your current configuration using the 3CX Backup and restore tool.
2. Tick the options to include in your backup, then choose where to save your
backup. Warning: Do not choose to store the backup inside any of the 3CX Phone System
installation folders as these folders are removed during the uninstall process.
3. Uninstall the current version from the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features.

Step 2: Install 3CX Phone System v15

1. Download 3CX Phone System Version 15.
2. Proceed with the installation as documented above.
3. Restore your configuration when prompted.

SUPPORTED
IP Phones

SIP Trunks
Other

Current Version: V15

Download | Manual | Releases
ADMIN MANUAL
Introduction & Installation
Extension management

Trunk Management
System Management

PBX Services

USER MANUAL
Installing & Configuring 3CX

Make, Receive & Transfer Calls

Creating Conference Calls

Organizing Video Conferences

Presence & Switchboard

Events / Webinars
WEBINAR

Cosa c' di nuovo sulla V15?

7/18/2016, 12:00:00 PM
WEBINAR

3CX WebMeeting in V15

7/18/2016, 4:30:00 PM
WEBINAR

Was ist neu in V15?

7/19/2016, 11:00:00 AM
WEBINAR

Installation V15
7/19/2016, 12:00:00 PM
WEBINAR

3CX WebMeeting Live Training

7/19/2016, 2:00:00 PM

View all trainings

3CX Academy / Online

Training

LATEST POSTS
Jul.

13
How to Use Your Own SSL & FQDN Certificate with V15
Jul.

12
Understanding v15 Evaluating or Upgrading
Jun.

8
More Support for Legacy Phones
Jun.

1
Export your Extensions from Asterisk (FreePBX) to 3CX

Apr.

5
Managing Call Pickup Permissions

View all Blog Posts

First time configuration of 3CX Phone System

On this topic
First time configuration of 3CX Phone System
Introduction
Step 1: Run 3CX Setup Wizard
Step 2: Create extensions
Creating extensions when provisioning phones
Importing Extensions from Active Directory or LDAP
Importing Extensions from a .csv FiIe
Import users from an Asterisk installation
See Also

Introduction
Once you have installed 3CX, or else obtained a hosted instance of 3CX, you will need to go through
a number of steps to prepare 3CX for your company:
1. Run the 3CX Setup Wizard
2. Create Extensions
3. Configure a SIP Trunk or VoIP Gateway
4. Deploy IP Phones

Step 1: Run 3CX Setup Wizard

After you have run the configuration tool, the 3CX Management Console will load up. Enter the
username and password that you specified, select the language and click the Login button. The
"Setup Wizard" will walk you through the initial configuration step by step.

1. Extension Length - Choose the number of digits that extension numbers should have.
This cannot be altered later. Click Next.
2. Administrator Email - Enter the Administrator Email Address that will receive notifications.
Click Next.
3. Mail server - Fill in the details of the SMTP server that will be used to send out email
notifications. If you dont have a mail server available, you can use a regular Gmail
account! See this Gmail as Mail Server guide for more information. Click Next.
4. Region and Time Zone - Select your country and time zone and click Next.
5. Operator & Voice Mail Extensions - Create an Operator Extension (Enter name and email
address). This will be the default destination for inbound calls. Now select a VoiceMail
Extension number - users will retrieve their voicemail on this number. Click Next.
6. Allowed Countries - Specify the countries or regions to which you want to allow calls to.
Calls to countries which are not selected will be blocked. This feature reduces the risk of
VoIP toll fraud. Click Next.
7. System prompts Language - 3CX Phone System ships with a US English prompt set by
default. Prompts are recorded voice files that are played by the system to callers and

users of the system. For example, when a user picks up their voice mail, the system
prompts will instruct the user what buttons to press in order to hear or delete voice
messages. You can select a different prompt set from the drop down.
8. Registration - During initial setup, you entered the license that you either purchased or
obtained when downloading 3CX. With proper registration details you will get one year
free maintenance as well as access to the end user portal. Check that your Company,
Contact Name, E-mail, Telephone, Country and optional Reseller Name are correct. These
details are reviewed by 3CX prior to activating your free maintenance. If you need to
correct the details, enter them and click Update. Note: If you run DPI (Deep Packet
Inspection), license key activations will be rejected for security purposes.
9. Click Finish. 3CX is now configured and you can start to create extensions.

Step 2: Create extensions

After you have run the configuration tool and gone through the setup wizard, you must create your
extensions. There are several ways to do this:
Plug in a phone and create a new extension automatically after the phone is detected.

Create them one by one from the Extensions node.

Import users from Active Directory or an LDAP server and have the extensions created.

Import the users from a .csv file including parameters such as DID.
Import the users from another phone system such as Asterisk and create the extensions.

Creating extensions when provisioning phones

See configuring IP Phones and Endpoints.

Importing Extensions from Active Directory or LDAP

You can import extensions directly from Active Directory or another LDAP server. The added benefit
to this method is that every time a change is made to the user configuration in Active Directory, users
can be re-synchronised, in which case only the updates will be imported. The step by step guide on
how to Import Extensions via 3CX Active Directory explains the process in detail.

Importing Extensions from a .csv FiIe

Create a spreadsheet with columns for each field that you wish to import and save as a .csv file. The
document How to Manage Extensions in Bulk using a .csv file has a detailed explanation on how to
achieve this.

Import users from an Asterisk installation

See Exporting Contacts from Asterisk to 3CX.

Firewall & Router Configuration

On this topic
Firewall & Router Configuration
Introduction
Step 1: Configure the ports for your SIP Trunk / VoIP Provider
Step 2: Configure the ports for remote 3CX clients
Step 3: Configuration of ports for Remote IP Phones / Bridges via Direct SIP
Step 4: Configuration of ports for 3CX WebMeeting
Step 5: Disable SIP ALG
Step 6: Run the Firewall checker
Step by step instructions for popular firewalls
See Also

Introduction
If you plan to use remote extensions or a VoIP Provider, you will have to make changes to your
firewall configuration, in order for 3CX Phone System to communicate successfully with your SIP
trunks and remote IP Phones. This chapter gives you a generic overview of the ports that need to be
opened/statically forwarded on your firewall. We also have detailed guides for popular firewalls that
take you step by step to the correct configuration of your firewall.You can learn more about Routers,
NAT, VoIP and Firewalls in this article.

Step 1: Configure the ports for your SIP Trunk / VoIP Provider
Open the following ports to allow 3CX Phone System to communicate with the VoIP Provider/SIP
Trunk & WebRTC:
Port 5060 (inbound, UDP) for SIP communications

Port 9000-9500 (inbound, UDP) for RTP (Audio) communications, which contain the actual
call. Each call requires 2 RTP ports, one to control the call and one for the call data.
Therefore, you must open twice as many ports if you wish to support simultaneous calls.

Note that the above port ranges are the default ports in 3CX Phone System. You can adjust these
ports from the 3CX Management Console, in the Settings > Network node.

Step 2: Configure the ports for remote 3CX clients

To allow users to use their 3CX clients remotely, be they on Android, iOS, Mac or Windows, you
must open the following ports:
Port 5090 (inbound, UDP and TCP) for the 3CX tunnel
Port
443 (inbound,
TCP) HTTPS for
Presence and

(Unless you have chosen custom ports).

Port 443 (outbound, TCP) for Google Android Push:

Port 2195, 2196 (outbound, TCP) for Apple iOS Push

Provisioning

PUSH messages are sent by 3CX Phone System to Extensions using smartphones in order to wake
up the devices to take calls. This greatly enhances the usability of the smartphone clients.

Step 3: Configuration of ports for Remote IP Phones / Bridges via

Direct SIP
For remote IP Phones and bridges you have the choice of using the 3CX SBC (Tunnel) or Direct SIP.
The 3CX SBC service will bundle all VoIP traffic over a single port and vastly simplify firewall
configuration and improve reliability. No additional configuration is required because the 3CX SBC
will use the same ports as the 3CXPhone clients use. More information on SBC can be found here.
If you wish to connect remote extensions via direct SIP, you must open the following ports (most of
them are already opened if you use a SIP trunk):
Port 5060 (inbound, UDP and TCP), Port 5061 (inbound, TCP) (if using secure SIP)

already open if using SIP Trunks.

Port 9000-9500 (inbound, UDP) for RTP - already open if using SIP Trunks.
Port 443 (inbound, TCP) HTTPs for provisioning. (Unless you have chosen custom ports).

Step 4: Configuration of ports for 3CX WebMeeting

In order to be able to create and participate in web based meetings the 3CX hosted cloud service
must be able to communicate with the 3CX pbx and vice versa. In order to do so the following ports
need to be forwarded and outbound traffic needs to be allowed to:
Port 443 (outbound, TCP) to webmeeting.3cx.net (the ip may changes and it is

recommended to allow traffic to the fqdn rather then to the ip address when possible)
Port 443 (inbound, TCP unless you have chosen custom ports) to notify users of incoming
web meetings

Step 5: Disable SIP ALG

To maximize your chances of success, make sure you choose a device that does not implement a
SIP Helper or SIP ALG (Application Layer Gateway), or choose a device on which SIP ALG can be
disabled. The following links are examples of how to switch off ALG on popular routers:
How to Disable SIP ALG on Fortinet / FortiGate

How to Disable SIP ALG on Netgear Routers

How to Disable SIP ALG on Thomson Routers

Step 6: Run the Firewall checker

After configuring your firewall, run the 3CX firewall checker to ensure that configuration is correct!

Step by step instructions for popular firewalls

Example configurations for popular firewalls:
Configuring a Sonicwall Firewall for 3CX
Configuring a Draytek 2820 Router for 3CX with QoS configuration

Configuring a Zyxel P-662H-D1 Router with 3CX

Configuring AVM FritzBox as a Firewall with 3CX

Configuring a CISCO router to allow connection to a VOIP provider

Configuring Linksys router for 3CX

Configuring FortiGate 80C for 3CX

Configuring a WatchGuard XTM Firewall for 3CX

Configuring a pfSense Firewall for 3CX

Configuring a pfSense Firewall for 3CX as a Virtual PBX Server

Configuring a Kerio Control Appliance for 3CX

Configuring a TechniColor Router for 3CX