Thinking of buying M-brace...
12-05-2013, 01:29 PM
#26
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Comand has a browser and some MB apps but these only work when the car is stationary. I guess with the split view option the front passenger can use internet services (I did not check how it works for rear passengers with the rear entertainment options).
http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/cont..._new.0008.html
COMAND Online system with Media Interface
Includes radio, single CD/DVD, 12.3-inch colour display, hard disk drive (HDD) navigation with 3D map display and ‘Live Traffic’ information, Speed Limit Assist and Linguatronic voice control in centre console. Integrated WLAN hotspot for onboard access of WLAN‑enabled devices (Internet-enabled mobile phone required). Also includes SDHC card slot, 10 GB music register and MP3 compatibility. DVD function is audio- and video-capable. Region 2 DVDs only.
Media Interface allows connection and control of portable media devices (e.g. MP3 player, USB storage media). Cables included for iPod® connectivity
12-06-2013, 06:27 AM
#27
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I know it stays with the vehicle... I am saying that I wonder if they can transfer it from my E55 to the new S Coupe when it arrives...
12-08-2013, 01:45 AM
#28
I think the only package that's worth anything is the base mbrace package for the following features:
1. Search & Send - sending addresses directly from Google Maps on the computer or Android phone may be gimmicky but in reality it makes the hassle of navigating so much less. Often times, it's much easier to search for a place from your computer or phone. So when you've found the address, why not just push it to your car instead of having to enter it manually? I will say the voice recognition on the S-Class is pretty fantastic in many situations so address entry that way is pretty good. But it still trips over certain names and places. Pushing the address, especially from your phone, just smooths it out so much.
2. Route2Benz - Customizing a route from Google Maps and then pushing that route specifically to the car. Pretty useful for road trips.
3. Various safety features like SOS/Emergency Call and Automatic Collision Notification - This is more for peace of mind IMHO but it's certainly nice to have.
The other stuff in the basic mbrace package is mostly fluff but it's nice that it's there. The mbrace PLUS package is pretty worthless. As Chucky300 says, most of the things you'd need a concierge for, you can do with a smartphone. So skip it.
Finally, the Mercedes-Benz Apps is actually pretty decent, in theory, for one reason alone on the S-Class - in-vehicle Wi-Fi Hotspot. The only way to make the car's hotspot work is by getting this package. And at $14 a month (as low as $12 if you sign a multi-month contract as opposed to going month to month), it's somewhat in line with most additional cellular data plans these days with the added benefit that there's no explicit bandwidth cap. Sounds good, right? Note that I said "in theory". The problem is that in practice, the 3G modem kills the deal because of how slow it is. Forget about streaming Netflix or anything like that, at least in my area. Mind you, my city has pretty good 3G and 4G/LTE coverage so that's definitely not the issue here. Of course, YMMV but I'd say test out the speeds and see how it works for you in your area and decide if it's worth keeping. Unfortunately, there's no option to use a sim card or create a bluetooth connection from your phone to provide backhaul connectivity a la Lexus, which would've been nice. Maybe if/when Mercedes decides to upgrade the modem from 3G to 4G, it'll be worth it. As for the other apps in the Apps package? Your smartphone can do it better and faster than the (struggling) Intel Atom processor that's processing these apps on top of all the systems in the car. And it, or a dedicated tablet like an iPad Air or Nexus 7, can act as a much better Wi-Fi hotspot for your car.
So the question is, is $280 for the basic mbrace package (can be as little as $220-240 if you do multi-year) worth sending addresses to your car along with the collision and safety related features? For me, the convenience and peace of mind is.
1. Search & Send - sending addresses directly from Google Maps on the computer or Android phone may be gimmicky but in reality it makes the hassle of navigating so much less. Often times, it's much easier to search for a place from your computer or phone. So when you've found the address, why not just push it to your car instead of having to enter it manually? I will say the voice recognition on the S-Class is pretty fantastic in many situations so address entry that way is pretty good. But it still trips over certain names and places. Pushing the address, especially from your phone, just smooths it out so much.
2. Route2Benz - Customizing a route from Google Maps and then pushing that route specifically to the car. Pretty useful for road trips.
3. Various safety features like SOS/Emergency Call and Automatic Collision Notification - This is more for peace of mind IMHO but it's certainly nice to have.
The other stuff in the basic mbrace package is mostly fluff but it's nice that it's there. The mbrace PLUS package is pretty worthless. As Chucky300 says, most of the things you'd need a concierge for, you can do with a smartphone. So skip it.
Finally, the Mercedes-Benz Apps is actually pretty decent, in theory, for one reason alone on the S-Class - in-vehicle Wi-Fi Hotspot. The only way to make the car's hotspot work is by getting this package. And at $14 a month (as low as $12 if you sign a multi-month contract as opposed to going month to month), it's somewhat in line with most additional cellular data plans these days with the added benefit that there's no explicit bandwidth cap. Sounds good, right? Note that I said "in theory". The problem is that in practice, the 3G modem kills the deal because of how slow it is. Forget about streaming Netflix or anything like that, at least in my area. Mind you, my city has pretty good 3G and 4G/LTE coverage so that's definitely not the issue here. Of course, YMMV but I'd say test out the speeds and see how it works for you in your area and decide if it's worth keeping. Unfortunately, there's no option to use a sim card or create a bluetooth connection from your phone to provide backhaul connectivity a la Lexus, which would've been nice. Maybe if/when Mercedes decides to upgrade the modem from 3G to 4G, it'll be worth it. As for the other apps in the Apps package? Your smartphone can do it better and faster than the (struggling) Intel Atom processor that's processing these apps on top of all the systems in the car. And it, or a dedicated tablet like an iPad Air or Nexus 7, can act as a much better Wi-Fi hotspot for your car.
So the question is, is $280 for the basic mbrace package (can be as little as $220-240 if you do multi-year) worth sending addresses to your car along with the collision and safety related features? For me, the convenience and peace of mind is.
12-08-2013, 08:06 PM
#29
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2014 Mercedes S550
I think the only package that's worth anything is the base mbrace package for the following features:
1. Search & Send - sending addresses directly from Google Maps on the computer or Android phone may be gimmicky but in reality it makes the hassle of navigating so much less. Often times, it's much easier to search for a place from your computer or phone. So when you've found the address, why not just push it to your car instead of having to enter it manually? I will say the voice recognition on the S-Class is pretty fantastic in many situations so address entry that way is pretty good. But it still trips over certain names and places. Pushing the address, especially from your phone, just smooths it out so much.
2. Route2Benz - Customizing a route from Google Maps and then pushing that route specifically to the car. Pretty useful for road trips.
3. Various safety features like SOS/Emergency Call and Automatic Collision Notification - This is more for peace of mind IMHO but it's certainly nice to have.
The other stuff in the basic mbrace package is mostly fluff but it's nice that it's there. The mbrace PLUS package is pretty worthless. As Chucky300 says, most of the things you'd need a concierge for, you can do with a smartphone. So skip it.
Finally, the Mercedes-Benz Apps is actually pretty decent, in theory, for one reason alone on the S-Class - in-vehicle Wi-Fi Hotspot. The only way to make the car's hotspot work is by getting this package. And at $14 a month (as low as $12 if you sign a multi-month contract as opposed to going month to month), it's somewhat in line with most additional cellular data plans these days with the added benefit that there's no explicit bandwidth cap. Sounds good, right? Note that I said "in theory". The problem is that in practice, the 3G modem kills the deal because of how slow it is. Forget about streaming Netflix or anything like that, at least in my area. Mind you, my city has pretty good 3G and 4G/LTE coverage so that's definitely not the issue here. Of course, YMMV but I'd say test out the speeds and see how it works for you in your area and decide if it's worth keeping. Unfortunately, there's no option to use a sim card or create a bluetooth connection from your phone to provide backhaul connectivity a la Lexus, which would've been nice. Maybe if/when Mercedes decides to upgrade the modem from 3G to 4G, it'll be worth it. As for the other apps in the Apps package? Your smartphone can do it better and faster than the (struggling) Intel Atom processor that's processing these apps on top of all the systems in the car. And it, or a dedicated tablet like an iPad Air or Nexus 7, can act as a much better Wi-Fi hotspot for your car.
So the question is, is $280 for the basic mbrace package (can be as little as $220-240 if you do multi-year) worth sending addresses to your car along with the collision and safety related features? For me, the convenience and peace of mind is.
1. Search & Send - sending addresses directly from Google Maps on the computer or Android phone may be gimmicky but in reality it makes the hassle of navigating so much less. Often times, it's much easier to search for a place from your computer or phone. So when you've found the address, why not just push it to your car instead of having to enter it manually? I will say the voice recognition on the S-Class is pretty fantastic in many situations so address entry that way is pretty good. But it still trips over certain names and places. Pushing the address, especially from your phone, just smooths it out so much.
2. Route2Benz - Customizing a route from Google Maps and then pushing that route specifically to the car. Pretty useful for road trips.
3. Various safety features like SOS/Emergency Call and Automatic Collision Notification - This is more for peace of mind IMHO but it's certainly nice to have.
The other stuff in the basic mbrace package is mostly fluff but it's nice that it's there. The mbrace PLUS package is pretty worthless. As Chucky300 says, most of the things you'd need a concierge for, you can do with a smartphone. So skip it.
Finally, the Mercedes-Benz Apps is actually pretty decent, in theory, for one reason alone on the S-Class - in-vehicle Wi-Fi Hotspot. The only way to make the car's hotspot work is by getting this package. And at $14 a month (as low as $12 if you sign a multi-month contract as opposed to going month to month), it's somewhat in line with most additional cellular data plans these days with the added benefit that there's no explicit bandwidth cap. Sounds good, right? Note that I said "in theory". The problem is that in practice, the 3G modem kills the deal because of how slow it is. Forget about streaming Netflix or anything like that, at least in my area. Mind you, my city has pretty good 3G and 4G/LTE coverage so that's definitely not the issue here. Of course, YMMV but I'd say test out the speeds and see how it works for you in your area and decide if it's worth keeping. Unfortunately, there's no option to use a sim card or create a bluetooth connection from your phone to provide backhaul connectivity a la Lexus, which would've been nice. Maybe if/when Mercedes decides to upgrade the modem from 3G to 4G, it'll be worth it. As for the other apps in the Apps package? Your smartphone can do it better and faster than the (struggling) Intel Atom processor that's processing these apps on top of all the systems in the car. And it, or a dedicated tablet like an iPad Air or Nexus 7, can act as a much better Wi-Fi hotspot for your car.
So the question is, is $280 for the basic mbrace package (can be as little as $220-240 if you do multi-year) worth sending addresses to your car along with the collision and safety related features? For me, the convenience and peace of mind is.
Thanks a lot for the extensive feedback. In my free trial period, I'll be sure to judge the speed of the modem in my area to see if it's tolerable.
12-09-2013, 04:21 AM
#30
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From the US manual I understand differently (I mean "mbrace whould not be the only way to make use of the car's WiFi hotspot feature), I interpret the manual as if the same approach as for European cars would be available. That is, use you what ever cell phone for internet connectivity. This allows any cell phone technology improvements being used in the future, including LTE capable phones as of today. Is there some small print somewhere that I have missed?
12-09-2013, 08:03 AM
#31
From the US manual I understand differently (I mean "mbrace whould not be the only way to make use of the car's WiFi hotspot feature), I interpret the manual as if the same approach as for European cars would be available. That is, use you what ever cell phone for internet connectivity. This allows any cell phone technology improvements being used in the future, including LTE capable phones as of today. Is there some small print somewhere that I have missed?
There's this part in the US manual as well on page 159 (right after the page you refer to):
"To use COMAND Online Mercedes-Benz Apps and Internet access, the following conditions must be fulfilled:
- mbrace is activated and operational
- mbrace is activated for COMAND Online Mercedes-Benz Apps and Internet access"
Which is contradictory since the previous page talks about connecting COMAND Online via USB or Bluetooth. When I tried searching for info, other posters on this board say that COMAND Online connectivity has been available on Euro spec cars since 2011 but not available as of 2012 except through an engineering menu. So I don't know what's going on.
I guess I should have said that in-vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot is only available *reliably* through the Apps package since USB/Bluetooth DUN are supposed to be methods but have too many hoops to jump through.
12-09-2013, 08:14 AM
#32
One other thing - even if Bluetooth DUN did work properly, it's still not something I'd want to use as a way to provide Internet connectivity to the car for the hotspot. Even if your phone has LTE, the bandwidth is going to be capped by Bluetooth's bandwidth, which is around 1Mb/s.
Now if the USB connection actually worked, that may be a good option.
Sorry about the extended techy discussion here.
Now if the USB connection actually worked, that may be a good option.
Sorry about the extended techy discussion here.
12-09-2013, 11:38 AM
#33
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I did miss the text from COMAND manual page 159. From your experience it sounds like this text is accurate and the previous text is a copy from the original European manual which is not accurate for the US.
We do not have mbrace at all (we now have an emergency call service but without commercial like features) so the USB/BT DUN/PAN approach is the only internet connectivity option (for entertainment purposes).
So far I have not seen any feedback about the USB option. On the other hand, I guess it did not exist before W222.
Previously we've had compatibility issues because Comand Online did not support BT PAN (for iPhones). BT DUN again is not supported by many recent smart phones, in addition to iPhone.
We do not have mbrace at all (we now have an emergency call service but without commercial like features) so the USB/BT DUN/PAN approach is the only internet connectivity option (for entertainment purposes).
So far I have not seen any feedback about the USB option. On the other hand, I guess it did not exist before W222.
Previously we've had compatibility issues because Comand Online did not support BT PAN (for iPhones). BT DUN again is not supported by many recent smart phones, in addition to iPhone.
12-12-2013, 10:32 PM
#34
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1998 C230
Mbrace is the least worthy aspect of any Benz, your roadside for life is a toll free number under the driver side visor. The concierge service is like paying for Siri. Your cell phone already does everything mbrace does except for automatic 911 calls for an emergency personal after the airbags deploy, but you're in a Benz so odds are you'll be fully capable of dialing your own phone after an accident. The trial is free for six months but at the end of six months, the credit card you had to enter to start the free trial will be billed unless you proactively cancel the service before the free trial ends
