Stratus – Conference Bridges Comprehensive Guide
Conferences on Stratus are utilized through Conference Bridges. A conference bridge acts like a device such as a user’s phone or softphone. It can be the single device of a user or it can be one of the multiple devices belonging to a user.
Written by Adrian Angwenyi
Updated at August 14th, 2025
Table of Contents
Scope: The information in this guide is intended for use by Resellers, Office Managers, and Site Managers.
Users with a lower scope will not be able to access the Conferences page of Stratus.
What is a Conference Bridge?
A Conference Bridge is a form of remote meeting hosted by a phone system that goes beyond what the three-way call feature can offer for desk phones. To host a conference for more than 3 people, a Conference Bridge can be called to allow multiple callers to connect and speak at the same time.
There are a few ways to implement a conference bridge, like creating a special user and DID for only that conference bridge. Auto Attendants are also a great tool for connecting callers to a specific conference bridge.
Create a Conference Bridge
To add in a new conference bridge…
- Navigate to the Conferences page.
- Click the Add Conference button.
- Use the Add a Conference menu to customize the new conference bridge and then click Save.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Create a unique name to identify the conference bridge with. |
| Type | Select the type of conference bridge to create. • Dedicated conference bridge - Can be accessed by any user; however, its settings can only be updated by an Office Manager.  • Owned conference bridge - Allows a designated user (owner) to be the only user to access and change the settings of their conference bridge in Stratus. 
|
| Extension |
A unique extension number that can be dialed to reach the conference bridge. Quick Tip: It is recommended to choose extension numbers in the 6000s for dedicated conference bridges. The extension numbers of owned conference bridges are usually set as 6+EXT (e.g., 6100 for the conference bridge of user 100). DANGER: Do NOT pick an extension number that is already in use. |
| Direct Phone Number |
Select an Available Number from your inventory that will directly connect to the conference bridge. ✔ If set, anyone will be able to call that 10-digit number to directly reach the conference bridge. |
| Leader and Participant PINs |
The PIN options are not required but can be used to limit who can and cannot enter the call (Participant PIN) or to invoke special mid-conference actions (Leader PIN). NOTE: In order to use a PIN, both the Leader and Participant PINs need to be set. Furthermore, if the Require a Leader to start option is selected, a Leader PIN and Participant PIN will be required. |
| Max Participants | How many callers are allowed to join a conference at a time. |
| Minimum participants to start |
How many people need to be present before the conference call begins. Note: Until the minimum is reached, all participants will hear music on hold. |
| Options | Further configure the conference bridge using these options: • Require a leader to start - Only allow the meeting to begin when a leader has joined the conference and entered their Leader PIN. • Announce participant arrivals/departures - Play a “ding” sound when a participant joins or leaves the conference. • Prompt all participants for their name - Prompt users to record their names before entering the conference. |
Join a Conference
As a Stratus user, there are several different ways you can join an active conference that had been created through a conference bridge. This can be done by…
- Calling the extension number of the conference bridge from a SpectrumVoIP device.
- Calling a dedicated conference number.
- Calling into a conference auto attendant that routes your call to the conference bridge.
From an Internal Phone
To join a conference from a phone in the system, call the extension number associated with the conference bridge.
Note: If a Participant PIN has been set, you will be prompted to enter it before being able to join the conference.
From an Outside Source
To join a conference from an outside source, such as a cell phone or phone that is not on the account, you will need a number to call into.
One option is setting a phone number you own to route calls directly to a conference bridge or an auto attendant that allows callers to select a conference bridge to own.
Dedicated Conference Number
A dedicated Conference Number allows outside sources to call in directly to a conference bridge that is hosting a conference call. As an Office Manager in Stratus, you can route a phone number directly to a conference bridge.
To route a phone number to a conference bridge to allow callers to easily join conference calls…
1. Navigate to the Inventory page.
2. Click the phone number that you would like to designate for your conference.
3. Use the Treatment drop-down to select Conference.
4. In the Conference box, type and select the name of the conference bridge.
5. Click the Save button. 
✔ You should now see that phone number routing to the conference bridge in your Phone Number Inventory.
Conference Auto Attendant
If you have multiple conference bridges configured, it may be difficult for your internal and external users to join conference calls. One way of allowing callers to join conferences hosted by conference bridges is to use a conference auto attendant.
A conference auto attendant is a type of auto attendant that is configured to have callers either dial into or select the conference bridge they want to route their call to. Using a conference auto attendant can make it much easier for external users to dial into and join a specific conference bridge.
Quick Tip: Using a conference auto attendant can also help you avoid having to route multiple phone numbers to different conference bridges.
Instead, you can route one phone number to the conference auto attendant where callers can be routed to different conference bridges depending on their input.
Set Up a Conference Auto Attendant
Step 1: Add a Conference Auto Attendant
A conference auto attendant will allow callers to enter in the extension number of a conference bridge to join an active conference. This is a good option if an account has many conference bridges for users to join.
To create a conference auto attendant to use to route calls to different conference bridges…
1. Navigate to the Auto Attendants page. 
2. Click the Add Attendant button. 
3. In the Add an Auto Attendant modal, fill in the following information:
• Name - Type a unique name to identify the auto attendant with.
• Extension - Type in an ion number that is not yet in use.
• Time Frame - Use the dropdown to select default (all the time).
4. When you are done, click the Add button. 
Step 2: Configure the Conference Auto Attendant
Now that a conference auto attendant has been added, you can configure it to read off a message and route callers as needed. You can set an auto attendant to allow people to join a conference bridge by having them dial the extension number of the conference bridge or press an option on their dial pad.
To prepare a conference auto attendant for routing callers…
1. Ensure that the Menu Prompt tells callers to how they can reach a conference call by doing one of the following:
• Use a general statement that prompts callers to dial the extension number they know to call into a conference that they wish to join.
• List out the numbers on the dial pad that the caller can press for a specific conference call.
• List out the extension numbers the caller can dial to reach a conference call.
Quick Tip: If there are a lot of options for callers to choose from, it is recommended to add “To hear these options again, press [NUMBER or STAR]” to your menu prompt so that callers know they can press a dial pad menu options to play the greeting again.
2. If you listed options that the caller can press, use the Dial Pad Menu section to add conference bridges to the numbers. 
3. If you are adding an option for callers to press to hear the greeting again, click a number option and select Repeat Prompt.
4. Click the Options 
button to further configure the conference auto attendant.
5. Ensure that Enable Dial by Extension is selected to allow callers to dial the conference bridge's extension number.
6. Configure the If no key is pressed and If unassigned key is pressed options if callers should be routed to a specific conference bridge if they don't press a key or they press the wrong key, 
7. Click the Done button. 
8. Click the Save button. 
✔ Now you will have a conference auto attendant that allows callers to dial the extension numbers of conference bridges to join their meetings.
Contact a Conference Auto Attendant
Using the conference auto attendant, users can enter the extension number of the conference bridge they need to join. This can be especially useful if your organization uses multiple conference bridges.
As an Internal User
As an alternative to calling a conference bridge directly, users can opt to call the conference auto attendant instead.
Any user on your account can get in direct contact with the conference auto attendant by either…
• Calling the extension number of the conference auto attendant.
• Have their call transferred to the conference auto attendant's extension number.
As an External Caller
Users calling from a cellphone and people outside of your organization can join a conference using the conference attendant by either…
• Calling a dedicated phone number for the conference auto attendant.
Route a Phone Number to the Conference Auto Attendant
In order for people outside of your organization to be able to use the conference auto attendant to reach a conference bridge, a phone number can be routed to your conference auto attendant.
1. Navigate to the Inventory page.
2. Click the phone number that you would like to designate for your conference.
3. Use the Treatment drop-down to select Auto Attendant.
4. In the Auto Attendant box, type and select the name of the conference auto attendant. 
5. Click the Save button.
✔ You should now see that phone number routing to the conference auto attendant in your Phone Number Inventory.
• Calling a user in the organization and having their call transferred to the extension number of the conference auto attendant.
Another option is to have conference participants call a phone number on the account and have their call transferred to the desired conference bridge's auto attendant or extension number, just like transferring to another user.
View and Manage Conferences in Stratus
On the Conferences page, you can view the conference bridges that have been created and whether or not they have participants.
As an Office Manager or Site Manager, you can…
- Reference a conference bridge's Name and Extension or Owner.
- Take note of requirements for the conference.
- View and invite Participants.
- Manage Reports
for a conference bridge. -
Edit
a conference bridge's settings. -
Delete
a conference bridge.
Click the number in the Participants column to view information about the participants that joined the conference.
As the Leader of a conference, you can view and manage the conference's participants.
- View a participant's information, such as their Name, Number, and whether or not they are a Leader.
- Check a participant's Status.
-
Mute
a participant. -
Disconnect
a participant from the conference.
Invite Participants
Use the search bar to type and select the extension numbers and phone numbers of other participants to invite to the conference.
✔ When the Add Participant 
button is clicked, a phone call will go out to the entered destination.
The conference bridge will auto-join them to the conference as a participant when the call is answered.
Conference Reports
Click the Reports icon to view recent conferences hosted by a specific conference bridge.
Conference Leader Commands
Conference leaders have the ability to perform mid-conference commands. These commands allow you to control the conference experience for every participant.
To use these commands, input the command on the dial pad of your device while joined into the conference as a leader.
| Command | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| *6 | Toggle Mute | Toggle the mute for your microphone on/off. |
| *71 | Start Recording | Start recording the conference. |
| *73 | Stop Recording | Stop recording the conference. |
| *74 | Dec Rx Gain | Decrease the volume to participants. |
| *75 | Reset Rx Gain | Reset the volume to participants. |
| *76 | Inc Rx Gain | Increase the volume to participants. |
| *77 | Dec Tx Gain | Decrease the volume to conference. |
| *78 | Reset Tx Gain | Reset volume to conference |
| *79 | Inc Tx Gain | Increase volume to conference. |
| *91 | List Participants |
Announce the list of active participants. Note: The Prompt all participants for their name option must be enabled. |
| *92 | Toggle Announce On/Off | If the Prompt all participants for their name option is enabled, use this code to toggle the announcements on/off. |
| *93 | Disconnect All | Disconnect all participants from the conference. |
| *94 | Toggle Conference Lock | Lock or unlock the conference for participants trying to join. |
| *95 | Count Participants | Announce the number of active participants. |
| *96 | Mute All | Mute all participants. |
| *97 | Unmute All | Unmute all participants. |