---
title: "How do I get my team to receive calls from our business phone system on their personal phones?"
topic: "Business & Teams"
updated: 2026-05-09
canonical: https://acrobits.net/resources/knowledge-base/how-do-i-get-my-team-to-receive-calls-from-our-business-phon/
summary: "Your PBX already speaks SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), the universal language of business VoIP. A SIP softphone app on a smartphone registers with your PBX exactly like a desk phone would — same extension number, same dial plan, same voicemail. Groundwire by Acrobits is a native iOS and Android app built for exactly this purpose: it turns any personal phone into a full-featured business extension."
---

# How do I get my team to receive calls from our business phone system on their personal phones?

> Your PBX already speaks SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), the universal language of business VoIP. A SIP softphone app on a smartphone registers with your PBX exactly like a desk phone would — same extension number, same dial plan, same voicemail. Groundwire by Acrobits is a native iOS and Android app built for exactly this purpose: it turns any personal phone into a full-featured business extension.

Create a SIP extension in your PBX for each team member, have them install **[Groundwire](https://acrobits.net/sip-client-ios-android/)** ($9.99, one-time) and enter the extension credentials — done. Every personal phone becomes a full business extension, with push notifications so calls ring even when the app is closed. This works with any SIP-based PBX: **FreePBX**, **3CX**, **Asterisk**, or a hosted VoIP provider.

## How It Works

Your PBX already speaks **[SIP](/voip-glossary/sip/)** (Session Initiation Protocol), the universal language of business VoIP. A SIP softphone app on a smartphone registers with your PBX exactly like a desk phone would — same extension number, same dial plan, same voicemail. **Groundwire** by Acrobits is a native iOS and Android app built for exactly this purpose: it turns any personal phone into a full-featured business extension.

## Why Employee Privacy Is Protected

This is the question every employee will ask. When a team member receives or makes a call through Groundwire, the business phone number is what the other party sees — **not their personal cell number**. Employees never hand out their personal number. Your business retains full control of the extension and the caller ID. When someone leaves the company, you simply remove the extension; the employee's personal phone is untouched.

## Setup in Four Steps

StepWho Does ItWhat Happens

1. Create SIP extensionsIT admin / ownerAdd one extension per employee in your PBX (FreePBX, 3CX, Asterisk, or hosted VoIP portal). Note the SIP username, password, and server address for each.
2. Install GroundwireEach employeeDownload Groundwire from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). One-time purchase: **$9.99 per device**.
3. Enter SIP credentialsEach employeeOpen Groundwire → Add Account → enter the SIP server, username, and password provided by IT. The extension registers in seconds.
4. Enable push notificationsEach employeeAllow notifications when prompted. Groundwire uses **[push notifications](/voip-glossary/push-notifications/)** so the phone rings even when the app is closed — no need to keep Groundwire open in the foreground.

## What Your Team Gets

Once configured, Groundwire behaves like a desk phone — because to your PBX, it is one. Your team gets the full feature set your PBX supports:

- **Incoming and outgoing calls** on their business extension, from any network (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

- **Call transfer and hold** — attended transfers, putting callers on hold, picking up parked calls

- **Voicemail** — routed through your PBX like any other extension

- **Do Not Disturb** — employees can set DND schedules so work calls stop ringing after hours

- **Multiple SIP accounts** — power users can register more than one account if needed

## Cost Comparison

Per-seat UCaaS licenses (RingCentral, Dialpad, Microsoft Teams Phone) typically run **$20–$30 per user per month**. If you already have a PBX — on-premise or hosted — adding Groundwire costs a one-time **$9.99 per device**, with no recurring per-seat fees. For a team of ten, that's roughly $100 total versus $2,400–$3,600 per year for a comparable UCaaS plan.

## Push Notifications: Why They Matter

The biggest friction point with mobile softphones is missed calls — if the app isn't running, the call doesn't ring. Groundwire solves this with **push notifications powered by Acrobits' [SIPIS](/voip-glossary/sipis/) infrastructure**. SIPIS maintains a lightweight SIP registration on behalf of the backgrounded app. When a call arrives, SIPIS wakes the app via Apple Push Notification Service (iOS) or Firebase Cloud Messaging (Android) before the call arrives. The result: the phone rings like a normal incoming call, full-screen, even if Groundwire hasn't been opened in days.

One requirement on your end: if your PBX sits behind a firewall, allowlist the SIPIS server IP ranges so push delivery can reach it.

## Works With Any SIP PBX

Groundwire is PBX-agnostic. If your system supports SIP — and virtually all modern business phone systems do — it works. This includes self-hosted systems like **FreePBX**, **Asterisk**, and **[3CX](/resources/knowledge-base/can-i-use-a-third-party-softphone-with-3cx/)**, as well as hosted VoIP providers that give you SIP extension credentials. No proprietary integration required; standard SIP account details are all you need.

## The Short Answer

Create a SIP extension in your PBX for each team member. Have them install Groundwire ($9.99, one-time) and enter the credentials. Enable push notifications. Done — every personal phone is now a full business extension, privacy intact, features complete.

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