Sprint cell phones for 2001 S430....HELP!
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Lake Norman, NC
Mercedes Benz S430
Sprint cell phones for 2001 S430....HELP!
I am switching to Sprint phones for my business. Does anyone know if I get the V60 module for my mercedes S430 if any of the sprint cell phones will work hands free thru the mercedes system? ie the sprint sanyo phones, or the sprint motorola razor, or the sprint blackberry's? I appreciate any input, especially if you have sucessfully used a sprint phone in a 2000- 2003 S class. 
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Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Tampa, FL
2005 S500 4-Matic, 1978 450SL
Sprint phones are not on the list of Bluetooth-compatible phones (see the AWS site at http://www.wireless4mb.com/). An "approved" phone is one that has been tested and shown to work with the MB system from both an equipment and a firmware standpoint. Firmware is loaded by the cell service provider; MB has no control over it. See http://www.benzworld.org/forums/show...26#post2222126 for more on compatibility and connectivity issues. The bottom line is that equipment (such as a RAZR) may work fine with firmware from some service providers, but not others; and some phones and PDAs are just problematic no matter what firmware is used.
The list of "approved" phones and services is not a marketing gimmick by AWS (Mercedes' partner for wireless solutions). You do not have to buy your Bluetooth phone from AWS, though they sell them. The problems are real. The AWS representatives I have spoken to have been happy to discuss the issues. If you already have a phone or PDA and tell them who your provider is, they can tell you which firmware is compatible. The service provider can then (usually) load it. I say usually because if the service provider has gone to newer but incompatible firmware, they may be unwilling to load older firmware.
AWS does indicate that some Blackberries are compatible if loaded with proper firmware (Treos can be problematic).
However, Sprint plug-in phones should work if you were to use a MikBox solution - http://www.benzworld.org/tech.html?id=317 and http://www.mikbox.com/.
A major caveat - you do not specify the model year of your particular car. It is important, because of the type of Portable Support Electronics (PSE) module installed. The '00 S-Class had a StarTac PSE; the '01 had a Timeport PSE during its early production, and an "Autosense" PSE later; the '02 and later had either an "Autosense" or a straight V60 PSE. The "Autosense" could detect whether a TimePort or a V60 was connected to it. If you already have a V60 cradle in your armrest, you should be in good shape to add the MB V60 Bluetooth puck if that's the direction you wish to go. If not, you must upgrade your system to a V60 configuration to use the MB Bluetooth. See http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...-free-sys.html for recent discussion.
The upgrade of a '01 with an "Autosense" PSE that was equipped with a TimePort phone is as simple as changing the cradle to a V60 model. If it did not have the "Autosense" PSE, it is more complicated, as shown in the link.
The MikBox, however, can be used with plug-in Motorola phones with the StarTac, TimePort, or Autosense, or straight V60 PSEs.
Various contributors have provided reports of success (or lack of it) with specific phones and service providers. I have not bookmarked the (literally) hundreds of posts. However, you may wish to use the forum search tool with terms such as "Sprint" and "Bluetooth" in combination for more specific information. In some cases, some compatibility results, but not all features may be present. In the worst cases, the firmware conflicts cause the COMAND to lock up (I understand it resets after shutdown).
Another solution, if you cannot make Sprint work for you, is to use a compatible phone in the car and forward calls (using no-answer call forward) to a phone you carry. You need two phones and lines to do this I did it very satisfactorily for two years (but I had a family plan from one provider, which kept costs down).
I realize this answer is likely far more complex than you would have wished for. Unfortunately, so is the situation.
The list of "approved" phones and services is not a marketing gimmick by AWS (Mercedes' partner for wireless solutions). You do not have to buy your Bluetooth phone from AWS, though they sell them. The problems are real. The AWS representatives I have spoken to have been happy to discuss the issues. If you already have a phone or PDA and tell them who your provider is, they can tell you which firmware is compatible. The service provider can then (usually) load it. I say usually because if the service provider has gone to newer but incompatible firmware, they may be unwilling to load older firmware.
AWS does indicate that some Blackberries are compatible if loaded with proper firmware (Treos can be problematic).
However, Sprint plug-in phones should work if you were to use a MikBox solution - http://www.benzworld.org/tech.html?id=317 and http://www.mikbox.com/.
A major caveat - you do not specify the model year of your particular car. It is important, because of the type of Portable Support Electronics (PSE) module installed. The '00 S-Class had a StarTac PSE; the '01 had a Timeport PSE during its early production, and an "Autosense" PSE later; the '02 and later had either an "Autosense" or a straight V60 PSE. The "Autosense" could detect whether a TimePort or a V60 was connected to it. If you already have a V60 cradle in your armrest, you should be in good shape to add the MB V60 Bluetooth puck if that's the direction you wish to go. If not, you must upgrade your system to a V60 configuration to use the MB Bluetooth. See http://www.benzworld.org/forums/audi...-free-sys.html for recent discussion.
The upgrade of a '01 with an "Autosense" PSE that was equipped with a TimePort phone is as simple as changing the cradle to a V60 model. If it did not have the "Autosense" PSE, it is more complicated, as shown in the link.
The MikBox, however, can be used with plug-in Motorola phones with the StarTac, TimePort, or Autosense, or straight V60 PSEs.
Various contributors have provided reports of success (or lack of it) with specific phones and service providers. I have not bookmarked the (literally) hundreds of posts. However, you may wish to use the forum search tool with terms such as "Sprint" and "Bluetooth" in combination for more specific information. In some cases, some compatibility results, but not all features may be present. In the worst cases, the firmware conflicts cause the COMAND to lock up (I understand it resets after shutdown).
Another solution, if you cannot make Sprint work for you, is to use a compatible phone in the car and forward calls (using no-answer call forward) to a phone you carry. You need two phones and lines to do this I did it very satisfactorily for two years (but I had a family plan from one provider, which kept costs down).
I realize this answer is likely far more complex than you would have wished for. Unfortunately, so is the situation.
Last edited by Skylaw; Mar 9, 2007 at 08:32 AM.
