Q: is it true that apple i phone 5 does not allow third party tethering ie connection to my mercedes benz comand online system

Don't know what you're talking about.  Tethering (Personal Hotspot), is a carrier feature. Here is a list of supported bluetooth profiles: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3647

More likely they are using an unsupported method of gaining access to the phones Internet connection. As I said, the phone supports tethering via the Personal Hotspot feature. This can be done via WiFi, BlueTooth, or wired. If the manufacturer of the system is trying to use some other method of getting data access it will not be permitted because it is a security risk.

I still don't know what you want to do.

• If the car can use a WiFi connection you can use your iPhone as a WiFi hotspot, once you have enabled this feature with your carrier.
• If the car can tether via a USB cable or BlueTooth to a cellular modem you can use the iPhone as your cellular modem if you implement the feature with your carrier.
• Toyota offers an app for the iPhone called Entune that will allow the car access to the Internet through the app via a USB cable and the Entune server. This does NOT require a tethering plan with the carrier. Perhaps Mercedes offers something similar - like this: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mercedes-benz-mbrace/id335276900?mt=8.

I believe the problem is that Mercedes uses the older DUN rather than PAN method used by Apple and other mobile manufacturers (It is not unique to Apple, all new mobile devices are now using PAN). Mercedes needs to update.

I should add, most Android phones don't even support this.

or you could contact your Dealer to check if there is an update to Command system

No.

Read my post.

DUN: Dial Up Networking

PAN: Personal Area Networking

As far as an update, you'll have to talk to your dealer about that. Or you could buy an aftermarket system and have it installed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile

talk to your Dealer

DUN: Dial Up Networking for the creation of a Personal Hotspot.

PAN: Personal Area Network.

iPhone only supports PAN, as do most new phones. Your Mercedes supports DUN, which just about everyone(phone manufactures), no longer does.

I'm having the same issue with a Porsche Cayenne at work.

I have 5 devices paired with it, 2 iPhones of unknown type and OS, an iPhone 5 running the latest iOS, a Samsung Galaxy S II running ICS and a Blackberry 9700. The SGS2 is mine, the iPhone 5 belongs to my boss, the BB 9700 is his boss's phone and the unknown iPhones belong to our customer and his wife who test drove the car and now want to buy it complete with the Online Services function with syncs Emails and SMS. It falls to me to get this working.

In the Device Details option of the Porsche PCM bluetooth menu it lists the bluetooth profile that are active.

The BB 9700 lists AVRCP, A2DP, HFP, SIM-Acess and DUN. The BB syncs email and SMS.

The SGS2 lists AVRCP, A2DP. HFP and SIM-Acess. The SGS2 sync SMS but no email.

All 3 iPhones list AVRCP, A2DP and HFP. No Emails or SMS syncing.

iPhone supports MAP (Messaging Access Profile) since iOS 6.0 but not SIM-Acess profile.

I understand that syncing SMS and Email only works when pairing is initiated from the car, not the phone. Pairing initiated from the phone gives priority to HFP (Handsfree Profile) which locks out syncing messages.

I also understand that repeated pairng improves the connection, though I haven't had time to test this extensively.

Does anyone know if the Porsche PCM supports PAN and MAP with iOS 6.0?

TIA

DUN for tethering, PAN for Hotspot via bluetooth, limited to eight devices.

Before the iPhone came along, DUN was used for sharing the phones 2G or 3G connection with a laptop while PAN was used of sharing a PC's internet connection with a phone by going into Network Connections (in Windows) and bridging the LAN and Bluetooth connections.

iPhone with iOS 3.0 was the first to use PAN for tethering as far as I know.