GSM connected car?

I know that there is an option to upgrade to one of the Mbrace packages that offers WiFi in the car.
Does this mean the the car is GSM connected, and if so, can one use a SIM card from places like Freedompop?
Cheers.

in2insight,

I saw that option and discarded given bluetooth connectivity to COMAND system and ability to offer hotspot to my car passengers as well. If you are asking if we can activate car wifi without subscribing, my advice is to google the question as all MB cars have mBrace so somebody may have figured out how to do less expensively.

JeffRay said:

in2insight,

I saw that option and discarded given bluetooth connectivity to COMAND system and ability to offer hotspot to my car passengers as well. If you are asking if we can activate car wifi without subscribing, my advice is to google the question as all MB cars have mBrace so somebody may have figured out how to do less expensively.

Click to expand...

JeffRay, thank you.
My car does not, to my knowledge, have the COMAND system.
Can you clarify about the hotspot, is that via your phone or the COMAND system?

I am not trying to activate the built-in WiFi without subscribing. Rather, asking if there is a SIM slot for me to use.

Cheers.

in2insight,

Sorry to be less than clear. First, I bluetooth connect to my B250e to use TEL function and play music through the car sound system. Then I have the option to activate Mobile Hotspot on my Samsung S7 via ATT wireless. I rarely do this as the car is only used for short hops so not really used.

It seems from my perusing the net after your initial question that there is a SIM card slot somewhere in our car so that mBrace can activate the Plus service which includes a mobile wifi hotspot. All the postings I saw indicated a 4G card but many indicated a CDMA connection via Verizon. Was not able to find anything specific to our B250e but many specific to the C-class where many of our components are similar. There were some YouTube videos but I did not have the time to watch and see where it might be in our cars.

JeffRay, thank you for the kind detail.
Upon further digging, it appears that one needs to have The COMAND system to make this possible, which at least on the 2017 model, was only offered as part of package 3. I have package 2 plus others, so no WiFi for me.

in2insight,

I thought all MB came with COMAND as it is their standard interface. Strange, I leased a basic 2017 with heated seats but not much else. Nevertheless, I get mail and emails soliciting me for the Plus or Extra service. Have not taken them up on it as I mainly drive local and have my mobile phone and AAA road service for emergencies. Helps that dealer is 5 miles away too.