Enabling Click-to-Call with SIPTAPI

The Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI) is a Microsoft Windows API, which provides computer telephony integration and enables PCs running Microsoft Windows to use telephone services.

SIPTAPI can be used for click-to-call from any TAPI-enabled application, like Microsoft Outlook, and make phone calls via the Ringotel desktop client. SIPTAPI is third-party open-source software and is available for download at siptapi. 

How does it work?

In a nutshell, SIPTAPI will instruct a PBX to call a certain number and connect with the SIP client.

In Windows Vista and up, you must configure SIPTAPI via the Control Panel and have administrator privileges.

To enable click-to-call functionality using a SIPTAPI driver, we need to add a new telephony provider in the system’s Phone and Modem settings and then configure our Windows application.

There are several steps to enabling click-to-call with SIPTAPI:

1. Firstly, create a terminal password for each user who will use click-to-call functionality.

2. Install SIPTAPI on your Windows PC.

3. Add and configure a new telephony provider in the systems' Phone and Modem settings using SIP credentials provided in the first step.

4. Configure your application where your want to enable click-to-call functionality.

Step 1. Create a terminal password.

To configure the SIPTAPI driver, we would need SIP credentials, like server address, username, and password. A terminal password could be created for each Ringotel user to register any SIP endpoint, like IP Phones, third-party softphones, SIP TAPI, etc. In this scenario, we would need SIP credentials to configure the SIPTAPI driver. Create a terminal password by following this guide: Connecting SIP Endpoints.

Step 2. Install SIPTAPI on your Windows PC.

1. Download SIPTAPI from the repository.

2. Unzip the downloaded package

On 32bit Windows

1. Copy siptapi.tsp from the download folder into your Windows system32 directory (usually C:\Windows\System32)

2. Install SIPTAPI as a new provider by clicking “ADD” from the telephony options in your control panel (see below)

3. Once SIPTAPI is installed, click the “Configure” button to enter the SIP credentials provided in Step 1.

On 64bit Windows

1. Copy siptapi.tsp from the download folder into your Windows system32 directory (usually C:\Windows\System32). This gives you full TAPI support with 32bit TAPI applications.

2. If you want to configure SIPTAPI not only from the telephony control panel and from 64bit applications but also from 32bit applications, copy the 32bit siptapi.tsp from x86 folder into your WoW64 directory (usually C:\Windows\Sys\Wow64).

3. Restart your PC for SIPTAPI to show up in your list of TAPI providers.

4. Install SIPTAPI as a new provider by clicking “ADD” from the telephony options in your control panel.

5. Once SIPTAPI is installed, click the “Configure” button to enter the SIP credentials provided in Step 1.

Please see below how the SIPTAPI parameters corresponds to the SIP credentials created earlier (SIPTAPI is not a SIP Phone or a softphone; Its purpose is to let you initiate a call from inside a Microsoft TAPI program using your existing SIP device):

• SIP domain: the SIP Server and Port provided after creating a terminal password

• Outbound Proxy: must be empty

• Username: the Auth ID provided after creating a terminal password

• Password:  the Password provided after creating a terminal password

Step 3. Test SIPTAPI

Test your SIPTAPI installation by using the Windows Dialer program (enter dialer.exe into the Start button command line).  When you enter a number in the Dialer application, your Ringotel desktop client will receive an incoming call and then auto-connect with the number you dialed.

Example: Use SIPTAPI with Microsoft Outlook

Once you have confirmed that SIPTAPI is working with Windows Dialer, launch Microsoft Outlook (or restart it if it’s already running). Right-click on any contact and select the “Call” option. In the dialog window, click “Dialing Options” and select SIPTAPI from the available choices. Click “Start Call” to initiate a call.