Dension Gateway 500s BT multiple issues

[sapstar]

I got a Dension 500s BT fitted today. I am having the below problems.

1. My phone book from an Acer Liquid E2 Duo phone (Android 4.2.1) doesn't copy to the car.
2. Sometimes the bluetooth doesn't connect automatically to Dension, when I enter the car.
3. The system seems to reset when ignition turned to ON position. Music playback stops for a minute or 2 and starts playing first song in the current album again. Bluetooth disconnects.
4. Blue light on the module doesn't turn off when the car is off.
5. Everytime after disconnected from a call, the Audio volume goes very high.

Can someone who had this setup help me with these issues?

Additionally I have cracking noice on bluetooth sometimes, which is not bothering me that much right now.

[Bandolier]

I got a Dension 500s BT fitted today. I am having the below problems.

1. My phone book from an Acer Liquid E2 Duo phone (Android 4.2.1) doesn't copy to the car.
2. Sometimes the bluetooth doesn't connect automatically to Dension, when I enter the car.
3. The system seems to reset when ignition turned to ON position. Music playback stops for a minute or 2 and starts playing first song in the current album again. Bluetooth disconnects.
4. Blue light on the module doesn't turn off when the car is off.
5. Everytime after disconnected from a call, the Audio volume goes very high.

Can someone who had this setup help me with these issues?

Additionally I have cracking noice on bluetooth sometimes, which is not bothering me that much right now.

I too have a 500S BT fitted in my A6 Avant, UK 2006 MY which has a basic MMI (red on black screen).

I have upgraded it to the latest firmware (v50) several times (v44 on purchase) overth last 10 months. The system has improved over this time but it certainly has a number of fundemental hardware / most likely software issues which these firmware changes have not really fully addressed.

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S2 which at first would not really connect in any meaningful way and there was defacto no phone capability. Eventually the phone firmware was updated to ICS and then to JB and then finally following one particular change of 500S BT firmware, v47 I think, the phone started to be usable. There are still no linked / displayed contacts on the car but now dialled calls / missed calls etc show up and I can place calls etc using the dialler and steering wheel controls. I can also search for and place calls directly from contacts on my phone but obviously not when driving.

The BT connection is better but not always established. BT will drop off on occassion and it generally means cycling the ignition to reset. A phone reboot does not do it. Very inconvienient when on a motorway! The frequency of these issues has reduced over time / following firmware changes but still persist to some degree.

The call quality is clear for the driver but people do sometimes comment on the poor sound quality / goldfish bowl qualities of the call ( mic quality / feedback from speakers back through mic? ).

The system does still occassionally reset itself after circa 30 mins of playing music (I use an iPod nano v5). It restarts but will loose previous play settings such as play by artist / current track etc. It will also occassionally reset itself when the ignition is turned on.

Sometimes the system will not output sound from the iPod source when switched on. A tried and tested way to fix this is to press the MMI on / off button to mute the CD (iPod source) / select the radio / press the mute button again to hear radio output / select CD to hear iPod output! This is an initialisation issue.

The blue light does indeed stay on / why? Probably something to do with the GW's initialisation process which many of the issues above suggest is not quite what it needs to be!

Not had an issue with call volumes at all :-)

I think that the GUI needs some improvment - such that if I am moving through a menu hierarchy then the timer which resets the display should be held off so that the displayy is not reset and my menu option choices continue to be displayed (until I do nothing for a while).

That said - and this is important - the iPod sound quality through the 500S BT is brilliant and offers many benefits in terms of music access etc. Its just a shame that the software implementation needs some refinement.

Cheers

Martyn

[sapstar]

Thanks for the detailed response Martyn. I main problem now is that when I turn the ignition to on position, the bluetooth connection is disconnected. I have to go into phone settings and connect again. This is the main issue which is bothering me. I called Dension and they said I need to try a different power source.

The engineer who fitted the unit is going to swap the unit. He said that he hasn't seen this problem before. But I am hoping if there are any issues still there with the blutooth Dension will eventually resolve all these. For now, this is the most economic solution which has everything I need (with few issues).

[sapstar]

Hi Martyn, looks like other people with Samsung Galaxy S2 and problems with phone book in car kit were able to fix the issue using this app. You can give it a try. This is a test version which just shows if the app works. If it works for you, you need to buy the full version.
Bluetooth Phonebook (Trial) - Android Apps on Google Play

[Bandolier]

Hi Martyn, looks like other people with Samsung Galaxy S2 and problems with phone book in car kit were able to fix the issue using this app. You can give it a try. This is a test version which just shows if the app works. If it works for you, you need to buy the full version.
Bluetooth Phonebook (Trial) - Android Apps on Google Play

Sapstar

Never had / seen your remaining issue.

I took a look at the app but the developer confirms what I thought - that the Samsung Galaxys mobiles support rSAP so there should not be a problem. I have raised a ticket on Dension and have already received an initia response (try some new firmware...) so I will keep the forum posted on my progress.

Cheers

Martyn

[Kaiser2000]

Well-timed thread. My own car came with a Dension 500 setup that initially gave me a few issues, but after flashing the software on it, has cured the MP3 playback problems I was having.

I've just bought the BTA1500 adapter for the unit (€66 from the US) to add BT functionality as I figure for that price I might as well try it before coughing up for the complete OEM kit.

Reading the above then, the main issues I'm likely to face are that the receiver's call quality might be a bit poor?, and the Dension has to be active for the BT functions to work?
(IE: If I have it in Radio mode, I'd have to switch to "CD" first before I could answer the call?) I'm guessing then it doesn't ring unless it's in that mode already? (seems a bit annoying).

Will be using it with a 2005 A6 with 2G MMI High and a Nokia Lumia 920 (Windows Phone 8)

[sapstar]

Hi Kaiser,
I still didnt get mine properly working. But I am having the engineer swap it for me tomorrow. Hopefully it will work properly after the swap. Will provide my feedback then.
Right now, bluetooth occassionally drops. I have to manually connect bluetooth after entering the car. It doesn't remember what track I was playing when after I stop the car. Browsing usb folders sometimes shows them as blank.

[sapstar]

My unit got swapped today and this seems to have resolved the bluetooth dropping issue. Have only used it for couple mins today. But need to do some more tests and confirm.

[Kaiser2000]

Cheers, let me know how you get on.

Regarding the unit forgetting what track it was on, my own had exactly the same issue but I updated the firmware from their site and it's been working fine since.

[sapstar]

Has been using it during this week and I have to say most issues are resolved. It remembers the last track it was playing. There were issues with menu navigation sometimes with the last kit, but all those are resolved. Bluetooth connection is more stable. Below are the problems I still have.

1. If the music is paused/mute, then I am able to make a call fine. But if the satnav gives directions through the speaker, I lose all sound from my phone call. This works fine when the music is not paused. (I don't remember testing without music running in the last kit.)
2. Once I end a phone call, the music volume jumps to very high automatically. Had this issue with the last unit as well.