How to use Call Screening Software Remotely with VX
Background
There are many reasons one might want to be able to control their Telos talkshow system remotely; for example, during disaster recovery, or when a host is broadcasting on-location. This is possible via a couple of methods if you keep some reasonable limitations in mind.
Running call screening software directly on a remote PC
You can run any of the various call screening software directly on a remote PC, but there needs to be some method of passing network traffic to and from your Telos talkshow system. There are a number of ports that call screening software uses to communicate with your Telos talkshow system. These ports are outlined in this document.
Some Telos talkshow systems have two network interfaces - one for AoIP and another for VoIP. In this case, it is often easiest to allow access via the VoIP interface.
Connectivity Methods
VPN
The preferred method of allowing remote connectivity to the Telos talkshow system is via VPN. This requires you to have a VPN server or router as well as VPN clients configured on your remote users' devices. Certain network address translation (NAT) rules can also interfere with passing audio to and from the remote PC. Setup and troubleshooting of a VPN is outside the scope of this document. It is best to address questions about VPN to your IT department or IT consultant.
Port forwarding
There are a number of ports that call screening software uses to communicate with your Telos talkshow system. These ports are outlined in this document. You need to forward those ports to and from the talkshow system. This document explains port forwarding as a general concept. We can only provide these general instructions, and can't configure your firewall for you.
This method is somewhat more straightforward than setting up and using a VPN, but inherently less secure as it opens up a number of ports on your Telos talkshow system to anyone on the public internet. While these are non-standard ports for non-standard communication, they still present a security risk that should be considered.
Limitations
Various call screening software generally does not have any error correction or other accommodations for hostile network conditions built-in. Your results may vary if you are running this traffic directly over the public internet and there is packet loss or high jitter. One method to overcome this is to run the call screening software on a local PC and use LogMeIn, TeamViewer, etc. with audio enabled since remote access software does have measures in place to combat poor network conditions. This is explained further below. However, you are welcome to try running the traffic over a VPN on the public internet directly. If the network conditions are suitable, it can work just fine.
Running call screening software on a local PC
There are some advantages to simply running call screening software on a PC within the facility and providing remote desktop access through a purpose-built tool offered by companies such as TeamViewer or LogMeIn:
- little security risk
- easy set up (no VPN or port forwarding required)
- easier shared access
- simpler support
- more consistent user experience when network conditions are poor
These remote access tools typically include support for bidirectional shared audio as well, meaning that you can use your PC microphone and speaker for call screening as well, albeit with some additional audio latency added.
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