E911 Emergency Address Setup

What Is E911?

Enhanced 911 (E911) is the system that transmits your registered physical address to emergency dispatchers when you dial 911. Unlike traditional landlines, VoIP phones are not tied to a fixed copper line — so the address must be manually registered and kept up to date. In Canada, the CRTC requires all VoIP providers to support E911, and DVGVoIP configures your initial E911 address as part of every deployment.

How E911 Works with VoIP

When a 911 call is placed from your VoIP phone, the system sends the registered civic address to the local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Dispatchers use this address to route police, fire, or ambulance to your location. If the address on file does not match where the phone is physically located, emergency services will be dispatched to the wrong address — potentially causing dangerous delays.

E911 addresses are tied to each individual extension, not the company as a whole. If an employee moves their phone to a different location, their E911 address must be updated separately.

When You Must Update Your E911 Address

You need to update your E911 address any time a phone is used at a location different from what was originally registered. Common scenarios include:

• An employee begins working from home and takes their desk phone or uses the softphone from their home address.
• Your office relocates to a new building or suite number.
• A phone is moved between branch locations.
• A seasonal or temporary office is set up at a different address.

How to Update Your E911 Address

1. Log in to the 3CX Admin Console (administrators) or the 3CX Web Client (individual users, if permitted by your admin).
2. Navigate to Users and select the extension that needs updating.
3. Locate the E911 / Emergency Address field in the user's profile or extension settings.
4. Enter the full civic address where the phone is physically located — include unit or suite number, city, province, and postal code.
5. Click Save. The updated address propagates to the E911 database, typically within 24–48 hours.

If you cannot find the E911 field in your web client, your administrator may have restricted access. Contact your admin or email DVGVoIP support to request the change.

Remote and Work-From-Home Staff

This is the most commonly overlooked scenario. If an employee works from home — even part-time — and uses a VoIP phone or softphone at their home address, their E911 address must be updated to their home location. If they dial 911 from home but their E911 address still points to the office, emergency responders will go to the office instead. DVGVoIP strongly recommends that administrators verify E911 addresses for all remote staff during onboarding and at least once per year.

What Happens If the Address Is Wrong

If a 911 call is placed and the registered address is incorrect, dispatchers will send emergency services to the wrong location. The caller can still provide their actual address verbally, but this depends on them being able to speak — which is not always the case in a medical emergency or safety incident. Keeping E911 addresses accurate is not optional; it is a regulatory requirement and a matter of personal safety.

DVGVoIP Handles Initial Setup

During your deployment, DVGVoIP registers the E911 address for every extension based on the location information you provide. If your team is split across multiple locations, each extension is configured with the correct address for its physical site. After deployment, it is the responsibility of the account administrator to keep addresses current — but DVGVoIP support is always available to assist.