SL55AMGSTER

Hi, I have a 2006 Sl500 (R230) i just had the Dension gateway 500 and the Dension BTA1500 (bluetooth) installed in my car.

The phone that I am using is an Apple iPhone 3G.

The problem i am having is when i receive an INCOMING call i am NOT able to answer the call directly from the navigation or steering wheel. I am only able to answer the INCOMING CALL through the phone. As far as OUTGOING calls i am able to place a call either through the phone, and/or the navigation system just the like factory bluetooth system.

I am also able to hang up the call through the navigation system and/or steering wheel.


So just to recap, the issue i am having is i am only able to answer incoming call through my phone and not through the comand system.

Please help!


Thanks alot!

SL55AMGSTER

bump need help!

Skylaw

You might see that you are using the latest firmware for the GW 500 - FW 2.15 (for MOST bus), available on the Dension site. It was written to improve usability of the BTA 1500. If you are already using that firmware, you might try reloading it. Other than that, you might try a trouble report with Dension via the support tab of their website.

I will say that with an MHI Bluetooth puck (the newer version, B 6 787 5878), and an iPhone 3G plugged into my Gateway 500 (FW 2.15), I can receive and place calls just fine; music stops during and resumes after, just as it should, using either the steering wheel controls or the COMAND controls.

SL55AMGSTER

I tryed to re flash the Update 2.15 and still no luck.

Another issue that i am having is sometimes when i hit the "TEL" Button on my car's comand i see one thing and other times i see something totally different. Please see attached pictures for explanation. I was told that it is trying to sync my contacts but it has been about 5 days like this from the time i got the unit installed.

Any input will help.

Thanks

Skylaw

The second picture indicates exactly what it says. It may take a few moments for your phone to activate, and once that happens, it takes time for the phone book to download ("Downloading" appears across the bottom of the screen once the phone activates and phone book download begins).

I have noted a screen on the iPhone that says the iPhone is plugged into a device not designed to be used with it. Unless you acknowledge on the iPhone that you wish to continue, it may not activate.

The only other thing I can think of regarding the problem first described is that a DIP switch may not be properly set (on the GW 500's box), or if set, it may need to be reset.

Skylaw

The second picture indicates exactly what it says. It may take a few moments for your phone to activate, and once that happens, it takes time for the phone book to download (The "Now Downloading" across the bottom of the screen in the first pic occurs once the phone activates and phone book download begins).

I have noted a screen on the iPhone that says the iPhone is plugged into a device not designed to be used with it. Unless you acknowledge on the iPhone that you wish to continue, it may not activate.

The only other thing I can think of regarding the problem in your first post is that a DIP switch may not be properly set (on the GW 500's box), or if set, it may need to be reset. Before you go to that aggravation, I suggest contacting Dension support. We'll be interested in the response.

SL55AMGSTER

Thank you Skylaw for your continued help, i will try to look at the DIP and and make sure that the are set to there correct places. However the IPOD features work 100% perfectly, so with that said it might not be an error with the DIP.

Ill go ahead and take a look.

SL55AMGSTER

I just looked at the DIP and they all were in the correct places. So we can rule that out.

-How do you restart the gateway 500? They always tell you to do that after you do any update. Is flipping the cd changer active then disactive switch 6 times what they are refering to?

Thanks again for all of your help

SL55AMGSTER

Skylaw

Yes; and be sure you re-set the setup menus. At least, that's what they say.

Did you ever query Dension?

SL55AMGSTER

iv tried to call the only branch in north america, which happens to be in Canada. The they gave me a number to a company in the US who they refer to for technical questions. and then iv left 2 messages for the person they told me to speak with and i have yet to hear back from him, im actually going to call again right now and i will let you know what happens.

SL55AMGSTER

Once again i got his voice mail box, and i have left my 3ed message with still no call back. This is what i have been told over and over again. Dension makes great products but they are horrible for tech support because they are not based here in the US.

Luckily the company i had purchased the unit from (enfigcarstereo) have been very helpful and also have been using all of there resources in order to try to help me in any way they can. The problem still stands at the moment but they have placed numerous calls to there resources and we are just waiting to hear back.

Once again, thank you Skylaw for all of your continued help in trying to resolve this issue. and if you have any more suggestions i would really appreciate it.

Skylaw

I'm going through a bit of that now. I managed to break a wire in my iPod connector cable, and lost the entire right channel. The iPod is fine, as are all the other components. I have to move the wire just slightly to keep that from happening again.

Last week I submitted a request for a price quote for the replacement cable. They responded with "please send a picture". I did, immediately - 5 days later, no feedback. Sent another request today. We'll see.

SL55AMGSTER

I finally spoke to the person i had left a few calls with, if you want to talk to somebody regarding dension, this number is the number that dension had given me and told me to call this number in the USA in order to get tech help, and i think they would be able to help you with your issues.

Number-905-764-9533

For tech support for the dension you would want to hit extension 233. But all you need to do is say that you would like to talk to somebody regarding issues that you are having with your dension. I hope that this helps.

As far as the issues that i am having with my Dension Bta1500, after speaking to the tech support when i called that number above they had informed my that the dension bta1500 and im assuming bta1000 also WILL NOT WORK 100% in a mercedes. they had told me that when the company desion shipped the bta blue tooth systems to the USA for the first time and tested them they relized that they will not work 100% in any car except for in Porsches. That is the only car where there BTA systems would function like factory 100%.

Once i told the tech support guy what problems i had been experiencing he had told me that those are the exact same problems that they were experiencing. I dont understand why dension says that there BTA systems work in mercedes because they DO NOT.

Then what he recommended me to do was to return the dension BT unit and purchase the Blue Tooth system from NAV-TV.

What do you think of the NAV-TV bluetooth unit? Would you (Skylaw) recommend for me to get that unit?

SL55AMGSTER

I just got off the phone with NAV-TV and they had told me that they do not make a unit at the moment that will work with my 2006 sl500. What i dont understand is that i had called a few days ago with the same question and they had told me that they do sell a kit for my car????????

What BLUETOOTH kit is there even for sale that would work with my car?

Skylaw

Thank you for all of the feedback above, SL55. It is invaluable, especially that concerning the BTA 1500.

The company you called is a U.S. distributor for Dension; their e-mail address is ccc@mass.ca, and the number you provided (905-764-9533) got me right to them. They are a different outfit from the non-responsive cerberus outfit I was referred to by the Dension website. My iPod connector cable is on the way (though at an outrageous price for what it is).

The options remaining for you for phone are to go Original Equipment (fairly expensive) or to investigate the Argos device sold by InCarTronics. There are other options, but they are combination units for both the Bluetooth and iPod functions; I do not know how well they will work out with the iPhone.

I also don't know how well the Argos Bluetooth unit will work with the Gateway 500; but I do know that the GW 500 and OE MB equipment work well together with an iPhone, as mentioned above.

SL55AMGSTER

After hours of research i have decieded to return the Dension gateway 500 and the Dension bta 1500 and Purchase the Mobridge Ipod and Bluetooth interface.

I have found that the Mobridge bluetooth will work 100% with my car and my iPhone, and for only a small amount of money more i can get the all in one Bluetooth and IPOD. So it would make more sense for me to return all of the Dension equipment and start from scratch.

I will make a post once i get all of this figured out and i will let everybody know how it all turns out.

Rick SL55

I though that Dension gateway 500 was working properly?.
Any major problems with ipod function?

I'm also in the process of installing and ipod interface for my 2005 SL55 but would like to get the best alternative & system for my car.

Any updates will be appreciated.
Who else had install the Mobridge Ipod ( http://mobridgeinc.com )

Rick SL55

SL55AMGSTER
Any idea about Dice Electronics? ( www.diceelectronics.com ).
I only want a good ipod connection.
Thanks.

Skylaw

Of the four iPod units (Dension, MoBridge, iTronics, and DICE), the Dice unit has the least user-friendly interface; one must wait for each song to begin to play before scrolling can continue. Several contributors have objected to this as being extremely slow. The Gateway 500 allows much faster scrolling. I have no experience with the MoBridge or iTronics (InCarTronics) devices. Also, some of the devices require you to completely bypass (give up) your CD changer; the Gateway 500 does not.

A careful reading of the SL55AMGSTER's posts shows there was no problem with the Gateway 500 iPod function. His problem was in using the GW 500 together with the Bluetooth add-on (the BTA 1500), and an iPhone. The MoBridge unit he is purchasing is a combination unit for iPod and cellular communications. It gets good reviews, but is much more expensive than buying a single purpose unit for an iPod.

As mentioned above, I have used a G3 iPhone with my Gateway 500 and the (newer) MB OE MHI Bluetooth puck with great success. Music plays, and automatically silences for an outgoing or incoming call, and resumes once the call is terminated. So, if you have an OE MB Bluetooth setup, you can use the iPhone very successfully with the Gateway 500. I have not tested (and will not test) this combination with older iPhones or pucks, but welcome any contributor experience - especially with the older MHI puck, and the V60 puck.

The problem I had with my GW 500 was caused by an installation that pinched and pulled the iPod connector cable, breaking a wire; by rerouting slightly when I install the new cable, I can fix the problem easily. It was not Dension's fault.

As to support issues, yesterday I did finally get the information I needed to replace the cable via the Dension website; however, with SL55AMGSTER's information , I had already ordered it through the source he provided.

I maintain my confidence in the Gateway 500 iPod unit, but advise anyone but Porsche owners to avoid the BTA 1500 Bluetooth add-on option. Dension apparently released it without adequate testing in enough cars. I do not know if the fix will involve hardware or firmware, but I hope they eventually get it right, so we won't have to be their beta testers!

UK-C200

Gents, completely agree with Skylaw - the GW500 works great for iPod. As an FYI, it also seems to "work and play" well with the Parrot bluetooth kits (basically what you get with the moBridge & iTronics units..)

Rick SL55

Slylaw
Thanks for the advice!.

Flauto

I am considering to purchase a Dension 500 with BTA for my car and in Italy the company in charge of the distribution declares that jailbroken iPhone should not work with the Dension equipment. In your forum you mentioned iPhone but I have no idea if it is "regular" or jailbroken. Can you please update me?
I have clearly a jailbroken iPhone and looking forward to have an evidence that it works properly with dension 500 and BTA.
Thanks
ciao
Flavio

Skylaw

I have not tried a "jailbroken" iPhone with the MB system, and am not aware of anyone who has. We await your response to see if it works.

In addition, this is an Mercedes Benz forum; you do not list one. We don't typically evaluate other cars' system here. It would not be wise to assume that operation of 3rd party equipment in a Mercedes would be the same in a Porsche.

06E55

I jailbroken iPhone should not interfere with the functionality of anything...