Any alternatives to Dension GW500 for iPod?

My car arrives in a few weeks and I'm getting all my bits and bobs ready. I purchased the new TomTom 720 yesterday, and I want to order my Dension GW500 soon. I just want to check first - is the GW500 still the best way to integrate an iPod? Are there any different versions e.g. do I need to look out for certain firmware and are all GW500s created equal?

subscribing! i would love to see if there are ay other options as well!

There are other options. Because all of the iPod interfaces are essentially "hacks", none of them have as good a UI as something built into the stereo itself. That said, it is usable and I am glad that I purchased one. I bought mine from BumperPlugs.com. They sold it to me at a reasonable price and provided far more customer service than I could have hoped for. Don't worry about what firmware version the GW500 ships with. It is trivial to upgrade (i.e. all you need is a cheap USB thumb drive).

isnt there already an original Porsche solution out already?

I wish there were a cheaper alternative. I just can't see spending 40 times as much as I did for an iTrip. Maybe if I didn't have XM I'd be more desperate.

Nope If you have the nav system, you can play MP3 CDs....

Factory solutions for Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, etc, cost more than the Dension unit... I honestly think it's great for the price. There is a NavTV unit out there which does the same thing, but it's not as popular and I think the general impression was that it was more buggy than the Dension. Other solutions are using a wired FM modulator, or a wireless FM transmitter. The wired FM gives a good stereo static free signal but cannot transmit the entire audible range, just like a stong radio station. The wireless solutions are prone to hiss and static. - Suneet

Thanks for all the replies. I've used various wireless transmitters before and they've been 'ok' although in London I struggle to find clear frequencies because of all the pirate stations. Looks like it's the GW500

I really don't understand why someone cannot come up with something similar to what I had in my Audi TT. I didn't have a CD changer, so I plugged my Icelink into that receptacle and it ran directly to my iPod. I could even control the iPod directly if I wanted. In a sense, my iPod WAS the CD changer. Since I do not have PCM nor do I have a CD changer in my Cayman, I just don't know why we can't get something just like this?

The Dension unit does exactly that and more. One option is to control it via the iPod interface. The even have a cradle to facilitate it. You can also control it via the head unit. I'm certain that Dension makes the Icelink.

The FW version is not a problem, it very easy to update. But there will be a new HW version (V3) in few weeks.

Thanks GW500 - someone else mentioned that a few months ago and it's one of the reasons I asked. Is there a date yet and what will be the main differences?

Mass production will start on next week. The main difference that it has two optical interfaces (the second is dedicated for the orig CDC). This way the Head Unit will always see one changer (the GW or the orig CDC). Another thing is the CAN interface. The SW not yet supports it but this way there is a chance to display text on cluster display (mainly good for CDR head units).

At this point I'd be happy with an AUX input jack that would connect through the headphone jack, like my Subaru or even the Chrysler rental car I had a couple of weeks ago. Porsche is certainly far behind on this one.

both the Dension and CD changer? GW500, Am I understanding your post correctly? A new Dension product will allow me to connect my iPod via optical interface, while maintaining an optical connection to my pre-existing CD changer? Do you know how much the new HW will cost? I've been waiting for just this solution. BMT

On many Porsches (if not all) it's possible to connect GW and CDC simultaneously. At worst some PIWIS black art is needed. I don't think that the price of the GW will change but it depends also on distributors.

Thanks GW500, I'll keep an eye out for the new HW on the Bumperplugs site. BMT

I just see that I was not so accurate: You can have GW and CDC simultaneously also with current HWs. With new HW there's no need for PIWIS (if you have a CDC). Plus it has CAN...

New Hardware Will there be some clear annoucement / name change making it clear that the product has a new hardware revision (V3?). I want to put this in my 07 CS with Bose and Changer (which I think I can do from the great information in this forum), but if I am going to do the work, I want the latest hardware... Thanks!

I asked Dension about getting iPod and multi-player CD working together and this was their answer. "It will be possible soon with the new Dual FOT GateWay 500 MOST. With your current Gateway, unfortunately not." Look out for this before ordering a 500 today.

The Dual FOT is already released, check for V3Rx.

GW500, how will I know that I'm buying a V3? I'm based in the UK and going to collect a unit this coming week - will it have two physical FOT interfaces on the main unit or will it have a fibre optic Y cable? Is there a part number I need to look out for to ensure I get the new dual FOT unit? Does the packaging or contents look any different? Any and all information is appreciated.

The V3R1 has two FOTs. The HW version can be found on the bottom of the metal box. Also the package is smaller and the base color is not black but white. I'm not so sure that there can be only V3 in the white box, best to check the HW ID. Bad news that the CAN interface of the V3 cannot be used for Porsche, so an additional accessory will provide text on instrument cluster. Good thing is that this CAN-accessory will be available for all type of Gateway 500 HWs.

Also video on PCM is coming... if anybody interested...

Very interested in that, and the CAN interface. My only concern is that I will need a new version of the GW500. I'm still waiting on that new phone interface you spoke about a few months ago.

sorry to hijack the thread.. but do i need any programming in case my car has the bose + pcm but no cd changer (before installing the GW500)?

Help, now that you've told me about V3 hardware I'm adamant about getting it but my distributor got a new shipment this week but it's all V2 hardware. He spoke to his Dension rep who said only Volvo owners get V3 hardware so I asked them to find out how to source me a V3 Porsche MOST bus unit. What reference number/part number should I ask him to get? Is this stuff being shipped to the national distributor in the UK already? Or are they just trying to dump all the V2 stock onto unsuspecting customers before they let the V3 into the wild? I really want to buy one of these today...and what's the availability like on the CAN bus component and the video component? Thanks!

I don't know much about distribution. But since exactly the same HW and SW is used for all car types... So if V3 is available for Volvo it should work for all other car types including Porsche. About the accessories, the CAN will be introduced first, then improved BT phone adapter (with phonebook and PCM phone controls). Video will be available only in next year, that will be a complex device with many cool possibilities.

My recently installed GW500 won't work with the latest generation ipods (G6 I believe), this is a known issue, is there a fix yet? The car drains the ipod and then won't boot up at start, I need to remove the ipod and recharge it off the car and then reinstall it. It also sometimes won't recognize the unit. thanks

You mean iPod Classic. I only know one problem with that and Nano3: the display is only refreshed after 15-20 secs. (This is a silly feature from Apple...) Because of this 2.06 won't write song information to iPod in GW mode. But no problem with charging. Maybe a HW/cable fault in your installation? Do you see the charging icon on the iPod display?

I have the NavTV interface with PCM. works beautifully. nice interface on PCM shows same stuff as IPOD. playlists, albums etc. lists 10 songs/page. it was pricey, but I guess if I sprung for "illuminated doorsills", not much to complain about. I have not found it to be "glitchy"

GW500, so are yo saying I should buy the Volvo part number? If they're all interchangeable, why do they have different part numbers? (I'm confused...wanna make sure all the cables will fit and aren't model specific!) Thanks!

The HW and the SW are the same. There are some differences with the cables, that's true. The Porsche has some longer cables in an additional package. Why do you need V3? Do you want to keep the CD Changer?

GW500 I am interested in the V3 because yes, I do want to keep my CD changer. i haven't seen any specific indication on the Bumperplugs site indicating that they have the V3. Do they have it? Also will the Dension be better than the Porsche solution that Ken has been teasing us with? BMT

Yes absolutely I want to keep the CD Changer! So what's the best thing for me to do? Is there any place I can get the proper V3 unit for Porsche? BMT - the official Porsche solution is just an FM modulator wired into the antenna - quality will suck, there will be no track/playlist control or info - in short you're paying a lot to get very little so best stick with Dension I think.

crxvtec, Thanks for the clarification. I'm back to waiting for Dension's V3.

You say that with absolute certainty. So obviously you have a source of information no one else (except Ken) has. Please share!!! Where in the US can we get our hands on a data sheet (or even better) a unit??

PointnShoot - I've seen the Porsche documentation for this unit - it uses Radio preset 0 and gives it a station name of IPOD so that when you're in Audio mode on the PCM you see IPOD as the abbreviated station name. It uses both a 3.5mm jack and an iPod dock cable presented in the central armrest compartment so you can connect/charge an iPod or hook up any music player with a headphone jack, be it tape, CD or MP3. The Dension solution will be far superior because it allows control from he PCM unit as well as track details and with V3 we can retain the CD changer too. Costs for both are similar so Dension wins hands down - the last thing you want to be doing is trying to switch tracks on an ipod wired to the central compartment whilst the flat 6 is doing what it does best - you could get into all sorts of trouble with the law and street furniture!

Thanks! Any way you can send me that documentation? Not that I don't trust you, but I'm kinda the anal sort when it comes to this sort of thing and I just want to read up on it before I pull the trigger. I have the CDR24, no CDC and no Bose - and my needs are pretty simple so I'm looking for the easiest integration with the fewest operational problems that I can find that gives me no worse audio quality than I currently have.

Here you go...

:banana: Thanks!