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I'm trying to get a better understanding of modern Mercedes-offered connectivity solutions. My current car is a 1997 E300 Diesel, so I'm not up to speed, in more ways than one with that car! I've got a good understanding of my wife's 2022 Volvo, so I understand a lot of general connectivity stuff. The 2017 C43 I'm getting this week has option code "362 - HERMES - COMMUNICATION MODULE LTE", so it has a 4G connectivity module. It also has option "531 - COMAND APS NTG5/NTG5.5". I assume these are used for mbrace and mercedes me system connectivity. Have those systems and their features changed much since 2017? I assume if I google them, that I'll get today's offerings and all the requirements and conditions under which they work. That might not relate to my 2017 hardware. Will the age of the hardware restrict these services, or is the hardware not relevant because it will run/manage whatever the current services are? I'm thinking the hardware won't matter.
To be perfectly honest, I don't remember at which point MB went to LTE. Older models still use 3G, but don't know for sure up to which model year and it depends on the market, too. The HERMES module is the communications gateway, effectively a mobile broadband router and can technically be upgraded with new hardware supporting newer network technology. MB has offered such upgrades in Europe for the early E Class models for example, but I wouldn't count on it.
The hardware and software does matter. mBrace is end of life. It was replaced with an entirely new platform called Mercedes me connect for MY2019 onwards. Those models also got the latest COMAND system with widescreen screen and over-the-air update capability as well as standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the USA at least. Extra cost is some other markets. OTA is mostly map updates at this point. Even newer models (not C Class) run the all-new MBUX which also gets firmware updates over the air. It needs it as it's quite buggy. The latest COMAND in the 2019+ C Class is very mature and I have yet to find a bug. Mercedes me connect also uses an all-new app, which has already had a major update once and they are rewriting all the back-end services again. Not all of them have been rolled out in the USA, though, but the ones they have work quite well now. mBrace has its issue. On paper it sounds good, but in practice the services often fail. There's no upgrade path from mBrace to Mercedes me connect. If you care about Navigation, then the mBrace C Class models use SiriusXM traffic, whereas the Mercedes me connect vehicles initially used TomTom over the data connection and now HERE Traffic. The upgraded cabin tech and connectivity services are some of the worthwhile upgrades in the 2019+ models. I personally passed on a 2018 C63 partly because of its outdated tech.
Last edited by superswiss; Apr 26, 2022 at 10:54 AM.
I'm picking up the 2017 on Thursday, so looking for a 2019 is not being considered. And, I'm not tied to in-car technology and I don't require it to be a happy driver. That's one reason I wasn't too worried about buying a 2017. That being said, it is still good to know what features are still available and what should work.
- The Hermes module says LTE in the description, so that has to be 4G/LTE.
- With mbrace being replaced by mercedes me connect, does that mean the mbrace services no longer exist or work? I understand that development would stop.
- Regarding navigation, would the in-car navigation still work at all on a 2017?
- I know there is no CarPlay/AndroidAuto, but I did read about @Star4life figuring out a package using M-B parts to upgrade the car for CarPlay/AndroidAuto capabilities.
- What about connecting my phone over USB and playing Pandora or Spotify over the car radio? That should work, right?
- What bluetooth phone connectivity should I expect? Just answering calls hands free? Will voice activated work, so I can say "call Joe Schmoe" and it will work? I know some cars will read you text messages, and do voice-to-text replies to those messages. Should this car do that?
I can't wait to have a manual to flip through and learn stuff while sitting on the couch with my wife as she streams yet another home improvement design show.
I'm picking up the 2017 on Thursday, so looking for a 2019 is not being considered. And, I'm not tied to in-car technology and I don't require it to be a happy driver. That's one reason I wasn't too worried about buying a 2017. That being said, it is still good to know what features are still available and what should work.
- The Hermes module says LTE in the description, so that has to be 4G/LTE.
- With mbrace being replaced by mercedes me connect, does that mean the mbrace services no longer exist or work? I understand that development would stop.
- Regarding navigation, would the in-car navigation still work at all on a 2017?
- I know there is no CarPlay/AndroidAuto, but I did read about @Star4life figuring out a package using M-B parts to upgrade the car for CarPlay/AndroidAuto capabilities.
- What about connecting my phone over USB and playing Pandora or Spotify over the car radio? That should work, right?
- What bluetooth phone connectivity should I expect? Just answering calls hands free? Will voice activated work, so I can say "call Joe Schmoe" and it will work? I know some cars will read you text messages, and do voice-to-text replies to those messages. Should this car do that?
I can't wait to have a manual to flip through and learn stuff while sitting on the couch with my wife as she streams yet another home improvement design show.
The mBrace services should continue to work, but live traffic for some models, specifically the pre-2019 E Class has been discontinued due to TomTom no longer wanting to support it. Models that use SiriusXM are not affected by this. There's no telling when and if MB is shutting down certain services, especially if external factors like the TomTom situation are forcing it. They have not shown willingness to move to a different provider like they have done for Mercedes me connect, so there's a risk that services will disappear over time and not be replaced.
Yes, navigation will continue to work. W/o mBrace you won't be able to send destinations from your phone directly to the car, or do an online search for a destination from the car. These are value add services that make navigation more useful. Given that your model will use SiriusXM for live traffic, you will also continue to get live traffic as long as you pay for the subscription, and the navigation will re-route etc.
Regarding CarPlay/AA, not sure what that package is. MB did offer a smartphone integration package for MY2018, but it's not compatible with COMAND, so it was either COMAND or CarPlay/AA. There are however several aftermarket solutions.
As far as Bluetooth and phone audio in general, yes, you can stream audio over Bluetooth and also connect via USB. Text messaging I believe is also supported, so you can read the text messages in COMAND. Don't know if MY2017 already has Siri Eyes Free, which allows you to press and hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to summon the voice assistant of your phone (Siri or Google Assistant) and issue voice commands to the phone directly. COMAND also has voice commands for things like phone calls, enter navigation destinations etc. It's an older system, though.
Thanks @superswiss You're a wellspring of knowledge! This will make my 10 hour trip home more enjoyable, not being frustrated about which functions may or may not be working as designed. I found the seller is leaving his SiriusXM account active for a few days for me, so that will give me live traffic info for navigation on my trip. Bonus!
Mbrace 3G will discontinue by end of this year. Verizon already announced they going to shut down 3G at end of 2022.
i just received a email to renew Mbrace until end of this year.
The mBrace services should continue to work, but live traffic for some models, specifically the pre-2019 E Class has been discontinued due to TomTom no longer wanting to support it. Models that use SiriusXM are not affected by this. There's no telling when and if MB is shutting down certain services, especially if external factors like the TomTom situation are forcing it. They have not shown willingness to move to a different provider like they have done for Mercedes me connect, so there's a risk that services will disappear over time and not be replaced.
Yes, navigation will continue to work. W/o mBrace you won't be able to send destinations from your phone directly to the car, or do an online search for a destination from the car. These are value add services that make navigation more useful. Given that your model will use SiriusXM for live traffic, you will also continue to get live traffic as long as you pay for the subscription, and the navigation will re-route etc.
Regarding CarPlay/AA, not sure what that package is. MB did offer a smartphone integration package for MY2018, but it's not compatible with COMAND, so it was either COMAND or CarPlay/AA. There are however several aftermarket solutions.
As far as Bluetooth and phone audio in general, yes, you can stream audio over Bluetooth and also connect via USB. Text messaging I believe is also supported, so you can read the text messages in COMAND. Don't know if MY2017 already has Siri Eyes Free, which allows you to press and hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to summon the voice assistant of your phone (Siri or Google Assistant) and issue voice commands to the phone directly. COMAND also has voice commands for things like phone calls, enter navigation destinations etc. It's an older system, though.
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I've got a good understanding of my wife's 2022 Volvo, so I understand a lot of general connectivity stuff. The 2017 C43 I'm getting this week has option code "362 - HERMES - COMMUNICATION MODULE LTE", so it has a 4G connectivity module. It also has option "531 - COMAND APS NTG5/NTG5.5". I assume these are used for mbrace and mercedes me system connectivity. Have those systems and their features changed much since 2017? I assume if I google them, that I'll get today's offerings and all the requirements and conditions under which they work. That might not relate to my 2017 hardware. Will the age of the hardware restrict these services, or is the hardware not relevant because it will run/manage whatever the current services are? I'm thinking the hardware won't matter.
