The Fritz! Box is one of the best-known routers and can be found in many German households. The device from the manufacturer AVM, which came onto the market in 2004, is now available in many different versions. With the Fritz! Box, users can not only access the Internet, but can also make phone calls, fax, watch TV or control their smart home. Interested parties select the appropriate box depending on which functions they need. Here at Verivox, you can find out how to find them and what to look out for when buying.
- The Fritz! Box is compatible with all Internet connections.
- It is also available with multi-user MIMO technology.
- Additional functions such as telephone, fax or media server are integrated.
Which requirements should the Fritz! Box meet?
AVM offers the Fritz! Box in different versions that meet different requirements. In order to find the right model, interested parties should first consider which functions are important to them. However, it must also be taken into account which requirements your own household brings with it. The main considerations for the decision are the following:
- Type of internet connection
- desired maximum WLAN speed
- Need for telephony or other additional functions (fax, smart TV, smart home)
- Desired number of network and USB connections and their type (Gigabit or Fast Ethernet, USB 2.0 or 3.0)
There are Fritz! Box routers that are limited to special functions – for example only WLAN or WLAN and telephone – as well as those that can be used flexibly for a wide variety of purposes. If you don’t want to take full advantage of the possibilities of the Fritz! Box because you simply don’t need certain functions, you can use the simpler models and save money.
Fritz! Boxes offer these connection types
The Fritz! Box has the advantage of being compatible with all common internet connections. But which connection is actually in your own household and what does that mean for choosing the right router? An overview of the various connections and matching boxes provides information.
DSL connection
Internet users have been online for a long time with DSL (“Digital Subscriber Line”). The data is transmitted via the fixed network, the route from the exchange to the household is bridged by copper cables. In order to gain access to their DSL connection , users need a DSL modem in addition to a router . The Fritz! Box 7490 is both in one and also enables calls to be made via landline. All that is needed is a so-called splitter, which separates the signals for the Internet and telephone.
The disadvantage of DSL Internet is that the connections become slower the further away the exchange and connection are from one another. Reception in the country is worse than in the city. The latest DSL technology is called G.fast (as the successor to V-DSL) and should achieve transmission rates of up to 1 gigabit per second.
Fiber optic connection
The function of a fiber optic connection is very similar to that of DSL. Data is only transmitted from the exchange to the subscriber connection via fiber optic cable, provided that it has been fully expanded (FTTH – “Fiber To The Home”). However, it is also possible that fiber optic cables are only used up to the cable distributor at the roadside (FTTC – “Fiber To The Curb”) or to the building (FTTB – “Fiber To The Building”). Fiber optic cables transmit data faster, even over longer distances, and offer the same high speeds for downstream and upstream. They are thinner and less sensitive to magnetic or electrical fields than copper cables. With the Fritz! Box 5490, for example, the fiber optic connection can be used.
Cable connection
The internet via cable connection makes use of the television cable network. Since signals were only transmitted in one direction in analog times, the infrastructure had to be expanded first. So-called cable head stations were created that process incoming signals for forwarding. Data is transmitted from the station to the household via IP. The use of the Internet via cable is made possible by the DOCSIS 3.0 cable network standard (“Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification”). The Fritz! Box 6490 Cable comes with a DOCSIS 3.0 modem and can be easily connected to the cable connection. With a corresponding external modem, other models such as the Fritz! Box 7490 are also suitable for cable connections that enable WLAN.
LTE connection
LTE (“Long Term Evolution”) is actually a standard for mobile data transmission. But this technology can also be used in your own household with the Fritz! Box. A SIM card with the appropriate tariff is required for this, which users can insert into the router. You can go online with all devices connected to the latter as you would normally with your smartphone. A telephone system can also be set up. The advantage of LTE is that users can take their router and SIM card with them wherever they go and use it throughout the EU – the ideal solution for those who travel a lot.
Fritz! Box for households with many network users
Large families and shared apartments in particular know the problem: One user streams a video and everyone else has slow internet. This happens because conventional WLAN routers receive data packets one after the other, even if different users want to call up data at the same time. Some Fritz! Box models have the multi-user MIMO feature so that data can be used at the same time while the Internet speed remains unchanged. Thanks to it, four WLAN data streams can supply four end devices with data in parallel. This avoids delays in data transmission in households with many users. If you live in a large house or apartment where some rooms are far away from the router, you can use Fritz! Box’s WLAN repeaters. Internet reception is the same everywhere.
Classic or the latest model – which Fritz! Box is the right one?
With the classic FritzBox for each existing connection, users get the most important functions of a router into the house: They get Internet access and usually also the option to connect telephones or use the fax function. For many households that is enough. Anyone who wants to watch films and pictures or listen to music from all devices can set up a media server. This makes it possible to access stored data from any device connected to the FritzBox. Anyone who always needs fast internet or who lives in the same household with many other users can opt for a FritzBox with a high data transfer rate and multi-user MIMO technology. Interested parties weigh up which model is the right one for them.
