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It might pay you to contact an ESI dealer in your area or contact ESI technical to get into the system and, at least, run a system report. You are working blind and will become frustrated if you try and hunt for the information.

With the system report, you can then make appropriate changes the way you are doing now.

Rcaman

Or hire Ralph to help you

I helped someone on here from Hawaii when they moved a system. For the grand total of $50 or $100 or whatever it was it was well worth it for them to have a trained tech available to solve little issues like this one.

If you press the number 1 on the dial pad of any Idle phone, do You hear what you are describing? if so, then most likely you are hearing what they call Branch ID 1 that is usually the Main starting Branch ( doesn't have to be but, the more you work with ESI the Easier it becomes

You learn something every day i guess .... i have been selling ESI since 2002 and never knew that!!

The first ESI school I attended was on the IVX-20. All the programming was done through the phone. It was just a short time later that ESI-Access was released. What a difference! Since then I use the computer to program the ESI systems.

The other day, I was feeling lazy and did not want to go to the truck to get my computer to make a simple change on a 50. I messed around with the programming through the phone and, before long, I was frustrated enough to haul my computer out and do it right.

In 2 minutes, with the computer, I was able to do what I wasted 10 minutes and failed to do through the phone. I just wish ESI put some more features in the program that would make it a lot easier for the field tech and a lot fewer annoyance calls to ESI tech.

Rcaman

Too funny Ralph - i am the exact opposite.

I have always said i can have most programming changes completed before my laptop even boots up!

I guess it goes back to my old AT&T Partner days!

I will say it is nice to have the entire program laid out in front of me when dealing with groups etc.

Yes, I understand. For simple extension changes and FOB entries, the phone programming is quick and, as long as you know what you are doing, effective. My problem is I forget where in the program I am and then have to exit out and get back in to make sure I'm in the correct area. The computer allows me to have "senior moments" and no one knows.

I remember having to deal with Horizon PBX systems. We had a former Bell Telephone tech working for us that was a whiz on them. He could do in 30 seconds what it took me a day to do. Not only was he good, he liked to talk and teach. I learned how to program the Horizon and learned a lot about the telephone company's use of fsk data transmission which they are still using today (e.g. for one, Caller ID).

Rcaman

We used to program ESI S-Classes and E-Classes over the phone from start to finish. Never needed a computer. Now I use the computer every time, not because it's quicker but because you can see the whole config and there are some tools with system programmer that you can't do over the phone. ESI is still by far the easiest system to program compared to other systems I work on (Avaya, Panasonic, NEC).

I wasn't going to comment, further, because I don't want to be a "cheerleader" for ESI. I happen to agree with you. However, there are other systems that do a good job as well. I just wish the programmer would include some Master Tech features like resetting the system or individual modules, changing modes and being able to move software from one slot to slot one. I am the only Master tech in our shop and the other techs either have to contact ESI technical or have me do it when needed (seems like that happens everyday). When programming some features, as of now, they can ONLY be done from a phone. That frustrates me as well.

Rcaman

Yea I agree, programmer should offer more detailed troubleshooting tools. Can't think of what has to be programmed over the phone though. System initialize?