Honest answers, plain English.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) sends phone calls over your internet connection instead of traditional copper phone lines. For businesses, this unlocks significant cost savings and a much richer feature set — auto-attendant, voicemail to email, mobile apps, video conferencing, and more.

A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is the system that manages your business phone calls — extensions, transfers, hold music, call routing, voicemail. Traditionally this was expensive on-site hardware. A hosted PBX moves that system to the cloud. DVGVoIP manages the infrastructure; you just use the phones.

3CX is a leading business phone system platform used by more than 350,000 businesses globally. DVGVoIP delivers 3CX as a fully managed hosted service, meaning you get enterprise-grade phone features without buying or maintaining any hardware. 3CX includes desktop and mobile softphone apps, auto-attendant, call queues, video conferencing, and CRM integrations.

A SIP trunk is a virtual phone line that connects your existing PBX to the public phone network over the internet. If you already have a PBX (3CX, Cisco, Avaya, Asterisk, etc.) and just want to replace expensive PRI or analog lines, SIP trunking is the right solution. You pay per concurrent call channel rather than per physical line.

Yes. DVGVoIP supports both hosted cloud and on-premise 3CX deployments. On-premise options include Windows Server, Linux, MiniPC, Raspberry Pi, and virtual environments (Hyper-V, VMware, KVM). If you prefer to keep your PBX on-site for compliance, control, or connectivity reasons, we'll configure and support it. See all deployment options →

On-premise is worth considering if you have 50+ users, dedicated IT staff, strict data-sovereignty rules that require calls to stay on your own network, or existing server infrastructure you want to reuse. Otherwise hosted 3CX through DVGVoIP usually wins on total cost once you factor in hardware ($1,500–$5,000+), OS licensing, backups, and IT time. DVGVoIP supports both models — we'll tell you honestly which one fits your situation during the assessment.

Almost certainly yes. Under CRTC regulations, virtually all Canadian business phone numbers are portable — local numbers, DDI/DID lines, fax numbers, and toll-free numbers (1-800, 1-888, 1-877, etc.). It doesn't matter who your current carrier is (Bell, Rogers, TELUS, Eastlink, or any other provider).

You can check your number's portability instantly — enter your number and we'll confirm it on the spot. The only numbers that generally can't be ported are special service numbers (like 911 or 411).

Yes. Number porting transfers your existing business phone numbers to the DVGVoIP platform. Your customers dial the same numbers they always have — there's no disruption to incoming calls. The porting process typically takes 5–10 business days and is handled entirely by our team.

Most deployments are complete within 48 hours of receiving your signed agreement. Your 3CX instance is configured, extensions are set up, and staff are trained before we do the number cutover. Number porting (if required) runs in parallel and typically completes in 5–10 business days.

We coordinate the cutover carefully so there's no gap in service. During the transition period, both your old and new systems can run simultaneously. We schedule the number port cutover for a low-traffic time (typically early morning) and confirm everything is working before the old service is disconnected.

No — don't cancel it first. We initiate the port, and your current carrier releases the numbers once the port is approved. Cancelling early can make porting harder. DVGVoIP will guide you through the correct sequence.

Yes. Toll-free numbers (1-800, 1-888, 1-877, etc.) can be ported to DVGVoIP just like local numbers. We'll handle the porting process on your behalf.

Yes — the 3CX mobile app runs on their existing iPhone or Android, outbound calls show your business number (not their personal cell), and when they leave you simply remove the extension. Their personal number stays entirely private and your call history stays with the business.

Any calls that came through the 3CX business number stay with the company — extension, call history, voicemail, and recordings are all retained. Only calls placed to the employee's personal number leave with them, which is exactly why moving off personal cells matters.

Hosted 3CX plans start at approximately $19–$22 per user per month, all-inclusive with unlimited Canada and US calling, auto-attendant, voicemail to email, mobile apps, and support. SIP trunking starts at $20–$25 per concurrent channel per month. 3CX publishes savings of up to 80% on licensing versus per-user providers; what you actually save depends on your current contract and call volumes, which we work out with you. See our pricing page or request a custom quote.

DVGVoIP offers month-to-month service with no long-term contracts required. We believe in earning your business every month through service quality, not locking you in.

Standard deployments have no setup fees. Complex multi-site configurations or heavily customized call flows may involve a one-time configuration fee, which we'll disclose upfront in your proposal.

Your monthly rate covers your hosted 3CX PBX, SIP trunks, unlimited Canada and US calling, platform updates, security monitoring, and DVGVoIP support. There are no surprise charges at month end. International calling (outside Canada/US) is billed separately at per-minute rates.

No. Unlimited Canada and US long distance is included in all DVGVoIP plans at no extra charge. Calls to Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, or anywhere in Canada or the US are covered by your per-user monthly rate.

DVGVoIP's hosted 3CX plans are priced per user (per extension). However, your calling capacity is determined by the number of SIP trunk channels included in your plan — not an artificial per-user limit. This means a 10-user office can still handle multiple simultaneous calls without paying extra per-call fees. See our plan comparison →

Use our online savings calculator to get a quick estimate based on your current monthly phone bill and number of staff. Or request a free assessment and we'll review your actual bills and give you an exact savings projection.

Call recording is available on Business and Enterprise plans. It's not included in the Starter plan. Recordings are stored in the cloud and accessible through the 3CX management portal. DVGVoIP can also configure automatic recording policies (all calls, inbound only, by extension, etc.) based on your needs. Compare plans →

Not necessarily. Most modern SIP-compatible IP phones (Yealink, Polycom, Grandstream, Cisco) can be reconfigured to work with 3CX. DVGVoIP assesses your existing hardware during the free assessment and tells you what's compatible and what isn't.

If you do need new phones, DVGVoIP supplies and provisions Yealink desk phones — pricing depends on model. Some businesses run entirely on the 3CX softphone app and mobile app with no desk phones at all, which works well for remote and hybrid teams.

Unlimited Canada and US calling is included in all DVGVoIP plans. International calls (outside Canada and the US) are billed separately at per-minute rates that vary by destination. Contact solutions@dvgvoip.com for a rate sheet for the countries relevant to your business.

Additional DID (local phone) numbers are $5 per number per month. Your plan includes a base number allocation — extras for additional lines, departments, or fax can be added at any time.

Ask about platform certification, support location, infrastructure ownership, internet-outage failover, contract terms, what's really included in the monthly price, number porting, and customer references. Our free Ontario VoIP Buyer's Guide walks through all eight with good-answer and red-flag examples plus a side-by-side comparison worksheet.

Watch for per-number DID charges beyond the base allocation, long-distance that isn't actually unlimited Canada/US, tiered support plans where real help costs extra, porting fees, and equipment amortization. Ask for a line-by-line breakdown before signing. DVGVoIP's quotes are all-inclusive with no per-call charges to Canada or the US.

Yes, with the right setup. DVGVoIP supports two approaches:

• Fax-to-email (recommended): Incoming faxes are delivered as PDF attachments to your email inbox. No physical machine needed, and you can send faxes from your computer.
• Analog fax via ATA adapter: A small adapter connects your existing fax machine to the VoIP system. DVGVoIP can supply and configure this if keeping the physical machine is important.

Standard VoIP codecs are not ideal for fax — T.38 fax-over-IP requires specific configuration, so most businesses move to fax-to-email during deployment. DVGVoIP will advise the right approach for your situation.

Each concurrent VoIP call uses approximately 80–100 Kbps of bandwidth. A business with 10 staff that might have 5 simultaneous calls needs only about 500 Kbps dedicated to voice — a tiny fraction of a typical business internet connection. Most Northern Ontario business internet services handle VoIP without any issues.

DVGVoIP can configure failover routing so that if your internet connection drops, incoming calls automatically redirect to a mobile number, another office, or voicemail. Staff with the 3CX mobile app can also continue making and receiving calls over their cellular data connection.

Most modern business routers and switches work fine. For best call quality, we recommend QoS (Quality of Service) configuration on your router to prioritize voice traffic. DVGVoIP can advise on your specific setup during the assessment.

With 3CX, your staff can use: a physical SIP desk phone, the 3CX Windows desktop app (Microsoft Store), the 3CX web browser client or PWA (works on Mac, Windows, and Chromebook — no download needed), or the 3CX iOS or Android mobile app. All ring simultaneously when a call comes in.

Note for Mac users: 3CX no longer ships a native Mac desktop app. Mac users should use the 3CX Web Client installed as a PWA in Chrome or Edge — it functions like a native app with call notifications, and requires no download.

This is usually caused by your status not being set to Available, or the app not running in the background. Three things to check:

1. Check your status — open the 3CX app and look at the top left where your name appears. Make sure it is set to Available (green). If it shows Away, DND, or any other status, click it and switch to Available.
2. Make sure the app is running — 3CX must be open in the background to receive calls. Check your system tray (bottom right of the taskbar) for the 3CX icon. If it's not there, reopen the app.
3. Still showing unavailable? — try signing out and back in, then set your status to Available.

If none of the above works, email support@dvgvoip.com and we'll check your extension from our end.

No — they operate completely independently. Your desk phone and Windows (or web) app are separate devices registered to the same extension. Each one registers to the 3CX server on its own, can make and receive calls on its own, and does not require the other to be running.

What they share:

• The same extension number and DID
• Voicemail inbox
• Contacts and chat history

Practical examples: if your PC is off, your desk phone still works normally. If your desk phone is unplugged, your app still works normally. Both can ring simultaneously for incoming calls — and that behaviour is configurable.

One thing to note: if you answer a call on your desk phone, the app won't take it — and vice versa. Only one device handles each call at a time. This is one of the advantages of 3CX — true device flexibility with no dependencies between endpoints.

DVGVoIP's hosted 3CX includes TLS and SRTP encryption for all calls, plus built-in SBC (Session Border Controller) technology that protects against toll fraud and VoIP-specific attacks. Our platform is monitored 24/7 for unusual call activity.

Yes — 3CX supports installation as a Progressive Web App (PWA) directly from your browser. It works like a native app but requires no download or IT approval. Benefits include:

• No repeated logins or browser tabs to manage
• Desktop notifications for incoming calls and chats
• Automatic updates — always the latest version
• Runs securely within your browser environment
• Works alongside your iOS app, Android app, or desk phone

To install: open the 3CX web client in Chrome or Edge, click the install icon in the address bar (or browser menu → "Install 3CX"), and follow the prompt. Your browser must be set to launch on startup to ensure you receive call notifications.

Yes. 3CX supports two-factor authentication (2FA) for user account logins. After entering your password, you're prompted for a one-time code generated by an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, etc.).

3CX introduced 2FA following increased targeting of VoIP systems for toll fraud and credential attacks. It adds a critical layer of protection — even if a password is compromised, an attacker can't access the account without the second factor.

How it works:

• Open your authenticator app and scan the QR code shown in your 3CX profile settings
• From then on, logins require both your password and the 6-digit code from the app
• Admins can enforce 2FA for all users or specific groups from the 3CX management console

Lost access to your authenticator? A 3CX admin can reset your 2FA from the management console. Email support@dvgvoip.com if you need help — open a ticket before calling so we can resolve it faster.

Starlink (low-earth orbit satellite) generally works well for VoIP — typical latency is 20–60ms, which is acceptable for voice calls. DVGVoIP has customers in remote Northern Ontario communities successfully running 3CX over Starlink. Fixed wireless internet also works well in most cases.

Traditional geostationary satellite internet (with 500–700ms+ latency) is not recommended for real-time voice. If your business uses Starlink or fixed wireless, DVGVoIP will assess your specific connection during the free assessment before recommending a solution.

Yes. An ATA (Analog Telephone Adapter) bridges your existing analog phone or fax machine to the VoIP system. DVGVoIP can supply and configure ATAs as part of your deployment — useful for a lobby phone, break room extension, or existing fax machine without replacing hardware.

Voicemail is stored on the hosted 3CX server — it's unaffected by your internet going down. If your connection drops, incoming calls can be automatically routed to a mobile number or external number via DVGVoIP's failover routing. Once your connection is restored, any voicemail left during the outage is delivered to your email inbox as usual. Staff with the 3CX mobile app can also continue receiving calls over cellular data during an outage.

Yes. 3CX integrates with Microsoft 365 in several ways: contacts from Office 365 can be synced so caller ID shows names automatically, and the 3CX web client and Teams can coexist on the same PC. For businesses using Teams primarily for internal communication, 3CX handles the external calling (PSTN) side. DVGVoIP can advise on the best integration approach for your Microsoft 365 environment.

Yes when configured correctly — DVGVoIP offers Canadian data-hosting options, TLS/SRTP encrypted call paths, role-based access to recordings, and audit logs. For the full checklist of obligations (consent language, data-residency questions, access controls) see our free Canadian Clinic VoIP Compliance Checklist — written around PIPEDA, Ontario PHIPA and OPC call-recording guidance.

DVGVoIP can deploy your 3CX instance on Canadian-based cloud infrastructure, keeping call recordings, voicemail, and logs in-country and out of reach of US data-disclosure laws like the CLOUD Act. We confirm the data-residency option that fits your compliance needs during the free assessment.

Yes. 3CX supports role-based access controls so reception sees only appointment-related call history, billing sees billing, and recording access can be restricted to named staff with every retrieval written to an audit log. This is a baseline requirement under PHIPA section 12 safeguards.

Under CRTC Telecom Regulatory Policy 2009-40 and Decision 2010-387 you must keep each phone's registered address current, notify staff of VoIP 911 limitations in writing, and post visible reminders near VoIP phones. Our free Ontario VoIP 911 Compliance Checklist includes the employee-notice template you're required to have on file.

Email support@dvgvoip.com with the new civic address — updates are processed within one business day, and each phone or extension can hold its own address for multi-site or work-from-home staff. For remote workers, this should happen the same day they move.

Yes — VoIP phones should be isolated on their own VLAN from computers and servers so that a firmware exploit on a phone can't pivot into business data. DVGVoIP configures VLAN segmentation during deployment for customers with a managed switch.

DVGVoIP's hosted 3CX sits behind a Session Border Controller that shields your phones from direct internet exposure, enforces TLS/SRTP encryption, requires 2FA on admin accounts, and is monitored 24/7 for unusual call patterns. Toll fraud attempts are blocked before they reach your extensions.

Grandstream GXP1610/1615/1620/1625/1628/1630 with firmware older than 1.0.11.34 is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution. Check Menu → Status → Firmware on the phone. Update via the phone's web UI, and email support@dvgvoip.com if you need help pushing firmware remotely — we can do it for all your phones in one pass.

Yes, provided you have a reliable internet connection. DVGVoIP has customers in communities throughout Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario. If your location has business-grade internet (cable, fibre, or fixed wireless), VoIP will work well. We'll ask about your connection during the assessment and advise accordingly.

Absolutely — this is one of VoIP's biggest advantages for Northern Ontario businesses. Staff in Thunder Bay, Nipigon, Marathon, Timmins, or anywhere else can all be on the same hosted phone system with the same extensions, the same auto-attendant, and the same professional caller experience. No expensive data circuits between sites required.

Yes. DVGVoIP provides local DID numbers with Thunder Bay area codes (807) and other Northern Ontario area codes. We can also provide toll-free numbers and numbers for other Canadian cities if needed.

Yes. DVGVoIP provides CRTC-compliant E911 service. Your registered address is transmitted to emergency services when you dial 911. For staff working from home or remote locations, it's important they update their registered address — we'll train your team on this during onboarding.

DVGVoIP provides phone, email, and remote support from our Thunder Bay office, Monday to Friday 9 AM – 5 PM ET. We also have after-hours emergency support for critical outages. You're not calling a national support queue — you're reaching the team that configured your system.

Yes. Training is included with every deployment. We walk your team through the mobile app, desktop softphone, and desk phone operation. We also provide written quick-reference guides. Most staff are comfortable within the first day.

Adding a new extension takes about 2 minutes in the 3CX management portal. DVGVoIP will do this for you on request, or we can train your office administrator to manage extensions directly. Contact us to get started →

For emergencies (complete loss of phone service), DVGVoIP has an after-hours emergency line. For non-urgent issues, you can email us and we'll respond first thing the next business day. Most minor issues can also be resolved by the 3CX self-service portal or mobile app.

The fastest way to get help is to email support@dvgvoip.com to open a ticket. This routes your request to the right person immediately and gives our team your account context before they call you back.

• Technical issues, troubleshooting, existing clients: support@dvgvoip.com
• Sales, new service, quotes, assessments: solutions@dvgvoip.com

You can also call (807) 700-7111 during business hours (Monday–Friday, 9 AM–5 PM ET). Always open a ticket by email before calling — it helps us resolve your issue faster.

Your office administrator can handle most day-to-day changes directly through the 3CX management portal — adding or removing extensions, updating call forwarding, changing business hours, and recording a new auto-attendant greeting. DVGVoIP trains your admin on the portal during onboarding.

For more complex changes (adding a new site, redesigning call flows, SIP trunk adjustments), just contact us and we'll take care of it.

No — 3CX AI Agents use OpenAI's voice technology, which produces natural, conversational speech. Most callers cannot tell they're talking to AI. The voice, accent, speaking pace, and language are all configurable. DVGVoIP can demonstrate a live AI agent call during your free assessment so you can judge for yourself before committing.

3CX Enterprise or AI Edition is required for AI agent features — they are not available on Starter or Business plans. DVGVoIP will advise on your upgrade path during the free assessment. In most cases the cost difference is modest and quickly offset by the productivity gains from automated call handling. Compare plans →

AI agent setup is priced based on configuration complexity — number of agents, routing logic, knowledge base size, and any custom spam or confidentiality rules. DVGVoIP provides a detailed quote after a short consultation with no obligation.

Email solutions@dvgvoip.com or book a free assessment — we'll give you a clear number with no surprises.

No — this is one of the most impressive features of 3CX AI Agents. When a call transfers between AI agents, the full context travels with it (called Agent-to-Agent or A2A). The second agent already knows your name, why you called, and what was discussed. You never have to repeat yourself.

Yes. DVGVoIP configures spam detection rules in plain English — for example "anyone claiming to be from a government tax department" or "calls from known telemarketing patterns." The AI classifies these, sends a screening message, and ends the call before it ever reaches your staff.

3CX AI Agents include a "busy check before transfer" — before transferring, the agent checks if the destination is actually available. If they're busy or out of office, the agent offers alternatives: leave a voicemail, send a message, call back later. No more blind transfers to busy extensions.

Yes — "confidentiality mode" prevents the AI from revealing employee names, titles, surnames, or internal structure to callers. This is particularly important for healthcare, legal, and government clients. DVGVoIP configures this as standard for sensitive environments.

Yes. 3CX AI Agents support 50 languages with live switching mid-call. If a caller starts in English and switches to French, the AI follows seamlessly. Particularly useful for Northern Ontario businesses serving both anglophone and francophone communities.

Yes. For organizations with strict data privacy requirements (healthcare, legal, government), 3CX supports on-premise transcription — the AI engine runs on your own hardware and call data never leaves your network. DVGVoIP will advise on setup requirements and costs. Learn more about AI Agents →

DVGVoIP's free trial gives you a fully functional hosted 3CX instance with up to 4 extensions, desktop and mobile softphone apps, auto-attendant, voicemail, and the web management console — all at no cost for 30 days. It's a live system, not a demo. Start your free trial →

The trial instance supports internal calls between extensions and softphone testing out of the box. External calling (outbound to regular phone numbers and inbound DID numbers) requires a SIP trunk. DVGVoIP can connect a trial SIP trunk so you can test real external calling — just ask when signing up for the trial.

At the end of the 30-day trial, your instance is deactivated. If you decide to move forward, DVGVoIP converts it to a paid plan — your configuration, extensions, and call flows carry over with no rebuild required. There's no automatic billing; the transition only happens if you choose to continue.