What is EntryNav2: Decoding BMW’s Entry-Level Navigation System

For BMW enthusiasts and automotive technicians, understanding the intricacies of BMW’s infotainment systems is crucial. Among these systems, EntryNav2 stands out as the entry-level navigation and multimedia unit found in various BMW models. But What Is EntryNav2 exactly, and what are its key features and variations? This article delves into the details of EntryNav2, exploring its hardware versions and functionalities.

EntryNav2, also known as Entry Navigation 2 or Radio EntryNav2 (depending on the specific BMW documentation), is BMW’s second generation entry-level navigation system. It’s designed to provide essential navigation, multimedia, and connectivity features in a cost-effective package for select BMW models. While positioned as entry-level, EntryNav2 still offers a range of functionalities expected in modern vehicles, including:

• Navigation: Turn-by-turn directions, route guidance, and map display.
• Multimedia: Audio playback from various sources like USB, Bluetooth, and potentially CD or DAB radio depending on the hardware version.
• Connectivity: Bluetooth for phone calls and audio streaming, USB for media and potentially smartphone integration, and in some versions, WLAN for wireless connectivity.
• Display: Integration with the vehicle’s central information display screen.
• Vehicle Integration: Communication with other vehicle systems via Ethernet and OABR (Open Alliance BroadR-Reach).

To understand the specific capabilities of an EntryNav2 unit, it’s essential to look at its Hardware Evolution Level (HWEL) code. These codes, such as those listed below, indicate the specific hardware configuration and supported features of a particular EntryNav2 version.

Decoding EntryNav2 HWEL Versions: A Feature Breakdown

BMW utilizes HWEL codes to differentiate between various hardware configurations of the EntryNav2 system. These codes provide a concise way to identify the features included in a specific unit. Let’s break down the structure and meaning of these codes using examples from the provided list:

Here’s a list of BMW EntryNav2/EntryNav Evo HWEL version descriptions to illustrate the variations:

• 0000277C Nav ECE Full (CD, DAB, GPS, Most, USB1, USB2, BT, WLAN, 2xMicIn, Video, OABR, Ethernet)
• 0000277D Nav US Full (CD, SDARS, IBOC, GPS, Most, USB1, USB2, BT, WLAN, 2xMicIn, Video, OABR, Ethernet)
• 00002F4F Media ECE Full (USB1, BT, Video, OABR, Ethernet)
• 00002F50 Media US Full (SDARS, IBOC, USB1, BT, Video, OABR)
• 000036C8 Med ECE 0380 (USB1, BT, Video, OABR)
• 000036C9 Med ECE 03F9 (DAB MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000036CA Med ECE 03FB (DAB MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1 CD)
• 000036CB Nav ECE 0782 (CD CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000036CC Nav ECE 07FF (DAB CD NAV_GPS MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000036CD Med US 1382 (SDARS, IBOC, USB1, BT, Video, OABR, CD)
• 000036CE Med US 13F8 (SDARS IBOC MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000036CF Med US 13FA (US SDARS IBOC CD MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00003A05 Med US 17FA (SDARS, IBOC, USB2, HW_NAV, MOST, WLAN, 2MICIN, BT, Video, OABR)
• 00003A06 Med US 17FC (SDARS, IBOC, USB2, HW_NAV, MOST, WLAN, 2MICIN, BT, Video, OABR)
• 000040D5 Med ECE 0302 (CD ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040EA Med ECE 03F0 (USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040E9 Med ECE 0372 (USB2 WLAN 2MICIN ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040E8 Med ECE 038B (DAB CD MOST CVBS1 ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040E7 Med ECE 0200 (OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040E6 Med ECE 0100 (ETH BT USB1)
• 000040E5 Med ECE 0102 (CD ETH BT USB1)
• 000040E4 Nav ECE 07F4 (NAV_GPS USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040E3 Nav ECE 0776 (CD NAV_GPS USB2 WLAN 2MICIN ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040E2 Nav ECE 07FD (DAB NAV_GPS MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040E1 Med US 1200 (SDARS IBOC OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040E0 Nav US 17FC (SDARS IBOC CD MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040DF Nav US 17FA (US SDARS IBOC NAV_GPS MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040DE Med CHI 2382 (CHI CD CVBS1 ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040DD Med CHI 23F8 (CHI MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040DC Med CHI 23FA (CHI CD MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040DB Med CHI 2200 (CHI OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040DA Med CHI 2300 (CHI ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 000040D9 Nav CHI 2780 (CHI CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040D8 Nav CHI 2782 (CHI CD CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040D7 Nav CHI 27F8 (CHI MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 000040D6 Nav CHI 27FA (CHI CD MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D0F Med ECE 03D0 (USB2 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 00005D10 Med ECE 03DA (CD MOST USB2 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 00005D11 Med ECE 03F1 (DAB USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D12 Nav ECE 0788 (MOST CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D14 Nav ECE 05F4 (NAV_GPS USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D16 Nav ECE 0672 (CD USB2 WLAN 2MICIN OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D18 Nav ECE 07F8 (MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D19 Nav ECE 07F8 (MOST USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D1A Nav ECE 07DA (CD MOST USB2 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D1C Nav ECE 07F5 (DAB NAV_GPS USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D1E Nav ECE 07DB (DAB CD MOST USB2 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D27 Med US 13F0 (SDARS IBOC USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D20 Med CHI 2250 (USB2 2MICIN OABR1 BT USB1)
• 00005D21 Med CHI 23D0 (USB2 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 BT USB1)
• 00005D22 Med CHI 23F0 (USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D23 Nav CHI 27F0 (USB2 WLAN 2MICIN CVBS1 ETH OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)
• 00005D25 Nav CHI 2632 (CD USB2 WLAN OABR1 HW_NAV RAM-2GB BT USB1)

Let’s analyze the common components of these descriptions:

• Nav/Med: Indicates whether the unit is a Navigation (“Nav”) or Media (“Med”) version. Navigation units naturally include navigation capabilities, while Media units are focused on multimedia functionalities, potentially without built-in navigation.
• ECE/US/CHI: Designates the region for which the unit is configured:
  • ECE: Europe, China, and Emerging markets.
  • US: United States.
  • CHI: China.
  • These regional codes often imply differences in radio frequency support (e.g., SDARS and IBOC for US radio).
• Full/ followed by numerical codes (e.g., 0380, 07FF, 13FA, 27FA): These numerical codes likely represent specific hardware revisions or feature packages within the EntryNav2 lineup. Deeper technical documentation would be needed for a complete understanding of these numerical suffixes.
• (List of Features in Parentheses): This is the most informative part for quick identification. It lists the hardware features supported by that specific HWEL version. Common features include:
  • CD: CD Player
  • DAB: Digital Audio Broadcasting
  • GPS/NAV_GPS: GPS Navigation
  • SDARS/IBOC: Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (US) / In-Band On-Channel (US Digital Radio)
  • MOST: Media Oriented Systems Transport (a high-speed multimedia network)
  • USB1/USB2: USB ports (potentially indicating different USB versions or capabilities)
  • BT: Bluetooth
  • WLAN: Wireless LAN (WiFi)
  • 2xMicIn/2MICIN: Dual Microphone Input
  • Video/CVBS1: Video input / Composite Video Baseband Signal input
  • OABR/OABR1: Open Alliance BroadR-Reach (Automotive Ethernet standard)
  • Ethernet/ETH: Ethernet connectivity
  • HW_NAV: Hardware Navigation (likely indicating dedicated navigation processing hardware)
  • RAM-2GB: 2GB RAM (indicating memory capacity)

By examining these HWEL codes, technicians and informed owners can quickly determine the capabilities of a specific EntryNav2 unit without needing to physically inspect the hardware or delve into complex part catalogs. For example, noticing “NAV_GPS” in the feature list confirms the presence of navigation, while “DAB” indicates support for digital radio.

Why Understanding EntryNav2 HWEL Matters

For automotive repair professionals and DIY enthusiasts working with BMW vehicles, understanding EntryNav2 HWEL versions is valuable for several reasons:

• Diagnostics and Repair: When diagnosing issues or replacing components, knowing the specific HWEL helps ensure compatibility and identify potential hardware-related problems.
• Retrofitting and Upgrades: Understanding the features associated with each HWEL is crucial when considering retrofitting or upgrading components. For instance, adding DAB radio or navigation might require specific HWEL compatibility.
• Feature Identification: Quickly determining the factory-installed features of an EntryNav2 system in a vehicle without needing to navigate through BMW’s complex systems.
• Parts Procurement: When sourcing replacement parts, HWEL information can be essential for ordering the correct and compatible components.

Conclusion

In summary, EntryNav2 is BMW’s entry-level infotainment and navigation system, offering a balance of essential features and cost-effectiveness. Its different hardware versions, identified by HWEL codes, dictate the specific functionalities available. By understanding how to decode these HWEL descriptions, technicians and BMW enthusiasts can gain valuable insights into the capabilities of EntryNav2 systems, aiding in diagnostics, repairs, and upgrades. This knowledge ensures efficient work and informed decisions when dealing with BMW’s in-car technology.