The Custom Conference option lets PublicInput dial into your A/V conferencing system that isn't one of our pre-built integrations (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, or Google Meet). This is what you'll use to bring in things like an in-room Crestron AV system, a SIP-based room codec, or any other dial-in conferencing bridge your IT/AV team already runs.
Think of it as: "I have a phone number that joins my AV system - this is how we make PublicInput dial it."
When to use it
Your agency uses a Crestron, Q-SYS, or other in-room AV controller that PublicInput's phone bridge should join.
You have a SIP/PSTN dial-in for a boardroom system that isn't one of our supported video conferencing apps.
You're running a third-party conferencing platform (GoToMeeting, BlueJeans, RingCentral, in-house bridge, etc.) and you just need PublicInput's phone bridge to dial in and stream the audio.
If you're using Zoom, Teams, Webex, or Google Meet, pick that option instead.
How to get started
In the meeting settings set Conferencing Service → Custom
Under Conferencing, choose the Phone or Video + Phone conferencing type, then pick the Custom option.
Required: Input your dial-in number
The phone number PublicInput should call to join your AV/conferencing system. Enter a US-format number with country code, for example +1 919-555-0123. Your IT or AV team can give you this number — it's typically the same number a person would dial to join the room from outside.
Optional: Add DTMF characters if your system has a pin or code
Optional: Add DTMF characters if your system has a pin or code
This is the field with the little (i) info icon shown above. DTMF stands for "dual-tone multi-frequency" — the tones your phone sends when you press a key after a call connects. PublicInput will play these tones automatically after the dial-in number connects, so the system can enter things like a conference ID, a PIN, or a menu choice without anyone having to press buttons by hand.
Allowed characters:
Digits
0–9Star
*Pound
#Comma
,— each comma is a 1-second pause
Example: ,,12345#,1
Wait 2 seconds (two commas)
Enter conference ID
12345Press
#Wait 1 second (one comma)
Press
1
You can leave this blank if the dial-in number drops you straight into the room with no prompts. The DTMF field is only needed when your AV/conferencing system asks for a code, PIN, or menu selection after the call connects.
How to figure out the right DTMF sequence
The easiest way is to dial the number yourself from a regular phone first and write down everything you press, plus how long you wait between each press. Then translate that into the DTMF field:
Every keypress becomes the same character (
0–9,*, or#).Every second you wait becomes one comma.
Common patterns:
Conference bridge with an ID + #:
,,YOUR-ID#(small pause to let the greeting start, then ID, then #)Conference bridge with ID + # + PIN + #:
,,YOUR-ID#,,YOUR-PIN#System with a menu choice ("press 1 to join"): append
,1at the end
When in doubt, ask your IT team — for AV-system integrations (Crestron and similar), they'll usually already know the exact code.
Worked example: in-room AV system
Your IT team tells you:
"Dial +1 555 123 4567. When the system answers, wait a couple of seconds, then enter 4421# to join the boardroom."
You'd enter:
Dial-in number:
+1 555-123-4567DTMF / dial sequence:
,,4421#
How PublicInput uses what you enter
When you start the Phone Line for your meeting, PublicInput's phone bridge calls the dial-in number you supplied.
Once connected, if you provide the optional DTMF input, it plays the DTMF tones in the sequence you entered, including any 1-second pauses for each comma.
From there, the bridge is treated like any other phone participant in your meeting. It's recorded, transcribed, and joined to your speaker queue and livestream just like a regular caller.
Tips & gotchas
Test before your live meeting. Always do a dry run by starting the phone line on a draft meeting, confirming the bridge dials in correctly, and listening for the audio handshake.
Only the characters shown are allowed. Letters and spaces aren't accepted — anything not in
0–9 * # ,is rejected by the form.Pause longer than you think you need to. If your bridge has a greeting ("Welcome to ConferenceCo…"), add commas at the start so the tones don't get clipped or ignored.
If the bridge doesn't join, double-check the dial-in number, then re-listen to the greeting on your own phone and add or remove commas to match how long it takes the system to start accepting input.
Plan availability. The Custom Conference option requires the Custom Conference Service feature on your plan. If you don't see the Custom button, contact your PublicInput rep.
Related
Crestron Timer Integration for Meetings — for displaying a Crestron-driven speaker timer on the dashboard (separate from this dial-in feature).