How to add a new VICIdial phone

Adding a phone in VICIdial takes one form and about a minute of waiting. You open the add screen, fill in a short list of required fields, save, and the system writes the matching Asterisk configuration for you. The whole job is faster than it looks once you know which fields are mandatory.

Start by going to ADMIN, then PHONES, then click ADD A NEW PHONE in the left menu. This first screen deliberately shows only the first 17 fields, the ones needed for a valid record. The rest of the options appear after you save, which keeps the add form short instead of overwhelming.

The eight fields you must set

VICIdial will reject the form unless all eight of these are filled in. Set them and the record saves cleanly.

• Phone extension: the device name as Asterisk sees it, with no protocol or slash. For SIP, PJSIP, and IAX devices it must have no dashes, spaces, or special punctuation.
• Dial Plan number: the digits you dial internally to ring this device.
• Server IP: which server the phone lives on.
• Agent Screen Login: the login the phone user types to reach the web client.
• Login Password: the web-interface password (not the registration secret).
• Full Name: the label shown in the list of active phones.
• Client Protocol: SIP, IAX2, EXTERNAL, and so on, matched to your device type.
• Local GMT: the timezone offset for the phone, so call times line up correctly.

Pick the protocol carefully, because it changes what happens next. A SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) or IAX2 device gets its Asterisk settings written automatically. An EXTERNAL entry needs no Asterisk config at all, because it uses the Dialplan to place calls.

What happens after you save

For SIP and IAX devices, the auto-created Asterisk config appears within about one minute of submitting the form. That short delay is normal; you are not doing anything wrong if the device cannot register the instant you click save. Wait the minute, then point the device at the server and let it register.

flowchart TD
  A[Open ADD A NEW PHONE] --> B[Fill 8 required fields]
  B --> C{Form valid?}
  C -->|No| B
  C -->|Yes| D[Save record]
  D --> E{Protocol?}
  E -->|SIP or IAX| F[Asterisk config auto-creates in ~1 min]
  E -->|EXTERNAL| G[No Asterisk config needed]
  F --> H[Device can register]
  G --> H

The diagram shows the only two outcomes that matter after a valid save: a SIP or IAX device waits about a minute for its config, while an EXTERNAL entry is ready right away because it leans on the dialplan instead of a generated config.

Common save failures

If the form refuses to save, you are almost always missing one of the eight fields or you used a dash or space in the extension. Fix the extension to letters and numbers only, confirm the protocol is set, and check that Local GMT and Server IP are both chosen. Once all eight are valid the record goes in without complaint.

Where to go next

For the wider context of how phones connect to agents and servers, the VICIdial phones guide ties the cluster together. For a clean checklist of exactly what each required field does, read the VICIdial phone required fields.

If you would rather skip this hands-on setup entirely, VICIfast hands you a hardened VICIdial server in under 40 seconds. Check our pricing to see what comes preconfigured on each plan.