# Vehicle Connection Interfaces (VCI)
Canonical URL: https://mbretrofit.it/guides/vehicle-coding/vci
Description: Pick the right OBD cable for your Mercedes coding job. We match your VIN to the cable your chassis actually needs - Openport for CAN, ENET + AT adapter for DoIP.


## What's a VCI?

A **Vehicle Connection Interface** is the hardware bridge between your laptop and the car's OBD-II port. Every coding job needs one - but *which one* depends on how your Mercedes talks to its modules.

* **Older Mercedes** (NTG3.5 → NTG6 / MBUX Gen 1) speak **CAN**. A cheap J2534 pass-thru like the Tactrix Openport 2.0 is enough.
* **Newer Mercedes** (NTG7 / Gen20x, i.e. MBUX Gen 2, Zero-Layer UI) speak **DoIP over Ethernet**. CAN-only cables can't see the modules at all - you need an **ENET yellow cable** (MB pinout).

## Recommend for my car

Use the VIN recommender on the canonical page before buying an interface.

## Compatibility matrix

Quick lookup if you already know your NTG generation:

The NTG-to-interface compatibility table is available on the canonical page.

## Cable catalog

The current vehicle-interface catalog is available on the canonical page.

## Where to buy

We don't sell hardware directly. Trusted sources:

* **Tactrix Openport 2.0** - [official Tactrix store](https://www.tactrix.com/), Amazon, eBay.
* **ENET yellow cable** - search AliExpress for **"BMW ENET cable"**. Despite the name, it works on all Mercedes DoIP cars. These run €10–20 and are the same hardware sold under MB branding at 5× the price.

> Coming soon: direct affiliate links and a vendor comparison table.

## Still unsure?

Email your VIN to [contact@mbretrofit.it](mailto:contact@mbretrofit.it) and we'll confirm the exact kit before you spend anything.

Need a map code?
Enter your VIN to generate your Mercedes‑Benz map license key. Works with supported NTG systems.

Enter your VIN in the map-code flow to confirm the compatible navigation system, region, and version.