At the end of February, the big names in the mobile industry will gather in Barcelona. At the MWC you will be presenting your latest developments and products. Router manufacturer AVM is back this year and has three new Fritz boxes in its luggage.
With the Fritzbox 5690 Pro, the 5690 XGS and the 6860 5G, AVM is presenting three new Fritzboxes this spring. The Fritzbox 5690 Pro combines fiber optics and DSL in one device for the first time, while the XGS model is a router for pure fiber optic connections. The 6860 5G model, on the other hand, is intended for operation in the mobile network. But what do the new Fritz boxes offer in detail?
Fritzbox 5690 Pro combines (V)DSL and fiber optics
The Fritzbox 5690 Pro already differs visually from all previous routers from AVM. Like the cable routers, it stands upright on the table, but unlike the latter it has significantly rounded corners and is wider. The router combines fiber optics and (V)DSL for the first time and can therefore be used with both connection types. This is particularly useful for those users for whom fiber optics are still being expanded and will only be available in the future. You can still use the Fritzbox 5690 Pro on the DSL connection, but later take it with you to the new type of connection.
Technically, the Fritzbox 5690 Pro is state-of-the-art. The router from AVM not only supports Mesh WiFi in the 2.4 and 5 GHz band, but also over 6 GHz. The Fritzbox 5690 Pro even covers the new WLAN generation 7. This is downward compatible and is also referred to as IEEE 802.11be or WLAN be. Wifi 7 is backwards compatible and is expected to arrive in 2023, but is currently not being actively used by any devices. The new standard theoretically allows speeds of up to 46 Gbit/s and offers better latency.
Also part of the equipment is DECT ULE, the transmission standard usually used by AVM in the Smart Home area. In addition, there is also the support of Zigbee and the new Standard Matter. The router also offers a home exchange for telephony and an analogue telephone connection.
The equipment at a glance
- Fiber optic and DSL router
- Supports fiber optic standards GPON up to 2.5 Gbit/s, AON up to 1 Gbit/s
- Can be used on a fiber optic modem (ONT) with 2.5 Gbit/s (WAN).
- Supports DSL including super vectoring 35b to 250 Mbit/s
- Tri-band mesh, 4×4 on 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz / Wi-Fi 7, 6E, 6
- WiFi speeds: 2.4 GHz – up to 1200 Mbps, 5 GHz – up to 5760 Mbps, 6 GHz – up to 11.53 Gbps
- 1x 2.5 Gigabit LAN/WAN port and 4 LAN ports at 1 Gbps
- Telephony via DECT, IP/SIP and 1 analogue telephone connection (FXS)
- Smart Home via DECT ULE and Zigbee, Matter in preparation
- 1x USB 3.1 (Gen 2) for mobile phone sticks (5G/4G) as well as storage media and printers
Fritzbox 5690 XGS for new fiber optic network
A pure fiber optic router is the Fritzbox 5690 XGS, which looks almost identical to the new Pro model. The abbreviation in the name stands for XGS-PON, a fiber optic network used in this country with particularly high upload data. X stands for the Roman numeral 10, G for gigabit. Speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s are thus possible in the network. The S, in turn, stands for “symmetrical” and indicates that these data rates can be achieved not only in the download but also in the upload. In Germany, XGS networks are currently being expanded, including at Deutsche Telekom.
Like the Pro model, the Fritzbox 5690 also supports XGS Wifi 7 as well as DECT ULE, Zigbee and Matter. It also offers the aforementioned speed of up to 10 Gbit/s via WAN/LAN. A DECT base station is also integrated, as is an analogue telephone connection and a USB 3.1 port.
The equipment at a glance
- Fiber optic router for up to 10 Gbit/s
- Supports the fiber optic standard XGS-PON
- Can be used on a fiber optic modem (ONT) with 10 Gbit/s (WAN).
- Mesh WiFi, 4×4, on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, WiFi 7, 6
- WiFi speeds: 2.4GHz: up to 1200Mbps, 5GHz: up to 5760Mbps
- 1x 10 Gigabit LAN/WAN port and 4 LAN ports with 1 Gbit/s
- Telephony via DECT, IP/SIP and 1 analogue telephone connection (FXS)
- Smart Home via DECT ULE and Zigbee, Matter in preparation
- 1x USB 3.1 (Gen 2) for mobile phone sticks (5G/4G) as well as storage media and printers
Also read: Fix the most common WLAN problems with the Fritzbox
Fritzbox 6860 5G for mobile use
Anyone who cannot receive fast Internet at home via DSL, cable or fiber optics can switch to mobile communications. Numerous providers offer stationary 5G tariffs that can be used to surf within the four walls of your home. The Fritzbox 6860 5G is a router that can be operated on these connections. The box is considered the successor to the 6850 5G, which has been on the market since 2021. It transmits on all frequencies common in Europe with a maximum speed of 1.3 Gbit/s and offers a Gigabit LAN connection in addition to Wifi 6. Telephoning is possible via VoLTE and alternatively via VoIP for DECT and IP phones.
The equipment at a glance
- Router for on the go and at home via 5G and LTE up to 1.3 Gbit/s (4×4 MIMO)
- 5G SA/NSA (3GPP Release 16) and LTE Advanced Pro (CAT19) support
- 5G Carrier Aggregation (5G-CA), Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), Nano-SIM, 5G over Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 75, 78
- 4G (LTE) over Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43
- Also supports 3G (UMTS)
- Mesh WiFi: WiFi 6 2×2 for 2.4 and 5 GHz
- 1x Gigabit LAN port with Power over Ethernet (PoE)
- Telephony via VoLTE, VoNR (5G) and via VoIP
- Telephone system for DECT and IP telephones
- Detachable foot for wall/window mounting
AVM has not yet commented on the availability of the new Fritz boxes and their prices. TECHBOOK is present at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and will take a closer look at the new products there. We will add further information here.