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Technical Support: HICS Service Desk: 01438 844777 or sitss.internet@lea.herts.sch.uk
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Helpsheet No 104 Video Conferencing – using E164 numbers in your school
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E164 Numbers and the Gatekeeper

What is an E164 number?

An E164 number is like a telephone number for a video conferencing unit. It allows people from inside or outside Hertfordshire to reach your videoconferencing unit over the internet. It is more useful than an IP address because it is more accessible and it lives with the unit rather than the network connection point. So wherever you plug the unit in, it will always have the same E164 number.

Why do I need an E164 number?

Apart from it being more convenient, you need an E164 number so that your VC unit can be made visible to the world outside the Hertfordshire Grid for Learning. The E164 number is registered at a ‘gatekeeper’ on the edge of the HGfL; this is rather like a telephone exchange.

How do I know what my E164 number is?

To an extent, you decide what your E164 number is. You calculate it using the structure below. Once you have chosen it, you can register it with the gatekeeper. After that, any time you switch on that machine, it will register itself with the gatekeeper, which will then know that your machine is connected and available to the rest of the UK.

How do I work out my E164 number updated

The E164 is a 17 digit number. The first 10 digits are fixed (in Hertfordshire). The next four are fixed by your school code and you choose the last 3

• 0044 (for the UK)
• 03021 (for Hertfordshire)
• 1 (this is your organisation type – a school)
• XXXX (your 4 digit DfES school number)
• 101 (this is the 3 digit number you choose. We recommend starting at 101 and moving up, so your second system could end with 102 etc.)

Therefore an example E164 number for a school in Hertfordshire would look like this:
0044 03021 1 XXXX 101

Registering with the gatekeeper

Having worked this out, you need to register it with the gatekeeper.

Its IP address is:

172.16.1.81 Updated

To register with it, you will need to go to the preferences of your system. It will be slightly different for everyone. But it will be something like:

Lan/Network -> H323 -> Gatekeeper

Then select that you specify the gatekeeper, put its IP address in, put in your E164 number. Apply the settings and hope that it tells you that you are successfully registered.

Testing your Registration Updated

Having done that, you should be able to use E164 numbers.
You can try dialling our Herts Test Number which is 0044030211001 (or 1004). This is a "loop back" test with which you will see your own image shown back to you, like a mirror.

Technical Support contact:
HICS Service Desk: 01438 844777
or sitss.internet@lea.herts.sch.uk