FRITZ!Box
Encyclopedia
FRITZ!Box is a series of residential gateway
Residential gateway
A residential gateway is a home networking device, used as a gateway to connect devices in the home to the Internet or other WAN.It is an umbrella term, used to cover multi-function networking computer appliances used in homes, which may combine a DSL or cable modem, a firewall, a consumer-grade...
devices from the German company AVM GmbH
AVM GmbH
AVM is a German electronics company founded in 1986 in Berlin, that produces DSL, ISDN, Wireless and VoIP products. It had sales of € 240 million in 2006 with 460 employees. It is the producer of the popular FRITZ!Box series.-Products :...
.
Functionality
There are several FRITZ!Box models available, but the most popular are the ones that combine DSL and SIPSession Initiation Protocol
The Session Initiation Protocol is an IETF-defined signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol . The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and terminating two-party or multiparty sessions...
VoIP. Functionality includes:
- a built-in ADSL modem (most models), or an ADSL/VDSL modem (73xx series), or a cable modemCable modemA cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
(63xx series), or an LTE modem3GPP Long Term Evolution3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques...
(68xx series). - a built-in LAN-WAN router.
- most models also have a built-in network switchNetwork switchA network switch or switching hub is a computer networking device that connects network segments.The term commonly refers to a multi-port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer of the OSI model...
. Older models support 10/100Mbit Ethernet while the newer models additionally support Gbit (1000Mbit) Ethernet. - models with "WLAN" in their product designations can also serve as a wireless access pointWireless access pointIn computer networking, a wireless access point is a device that allows wireless devices to connect to a wired network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or related standards...
.- all 'WLAN' models support 2.4 GHz band IEEE 802.11bIEEE 802.11b-1999IEEE 802.11b-1999 or 802.11b, is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 specification that extended throughput up to 11 Mbit/s using the same 2.4 GHz band. This specification under the marketing name of Wi-Fi has been implemented all over the world...
(11 Mbit/s) connections. Additionally, all 'WLAN' models since 2003 also support the 2.4 GHz 802.11gIEEE 802.11g-2003IEEE 802.11g-2003 or 802.11g is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 specification that extended throughput to up to 54 Mbit/s using the same 2.4 GHz band as 802.11b. This specification under the marketing name of Wi-Fi has been implemented all over the world...
(54 Mbit/s) standard. - several newer models also support the 5 GHz IEEE 802.11aIEEE 802.11a-1999IEEE 802.11a-1999 or 802.11a is an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 specification that added a higher data rate of up to 54 Mbit/s using the 5 GHz band. It has seen widespread worldwide implementation, particularly within the corporate workspace...
(54 Mbit/s) and 2.4Ghz/5Ghz IEEE 802.11n (54 Mbit/s—300 Mbit/s) standards. The x270 (7270, 3270) models can be configured for either 2.4 GHz b/g/n or 5 GHz a/n, while the x390 (7390, 3390) models have two transceivers and so can be configured to handle both bands simultaneously.
- all 'WLAN' models support 2.4 GHz band IEEE 802.11b
- models with "Fon" in their product designations also support telephones
- they have a PABX for two ISDN and/or analogPlain old telephone servicePlain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
phones. Several newer models (FRITZ!Box 7270, 7390, 6360, 6840) also have a DECT base station for cordless phones. These models also have a integrated digital answering machineAnswering machineThe answering machine or message machine, also known as the telephone answering machine in the UK and some Commonwealth countries) and previously known as an ansaphone, ansafone, or telephone answering device is a device for answering telephones and recording callers' messages.Unlike voicemail,...
. - they support Internet telephony (Voice over IPVoice over IPVoice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
, 'VoIP') connections via SIPSession Initiation ProtocolThe Session Initiation Protocol is an IETF-defined signaling protocol widely used for controlling communication sessions such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol . The protocol can be used for creating, modifying and terminating two-party or multiparty sessions...
. A built-in analog telephony adapterAnalog telephony adapterAn analog telephony adapter, or analog telephone adapter, is a device used to connect one or more standard analog telephones to a digital telephone system or a non-standard telephone system....
emulates normal ISDN/phone connections for the attached phones.
- they have a PABX for two ISDN and/or analog
- most models since 2006 also have a USBUniversal Serial BusUSB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
port to connect a harddrive, memorystick or printer for local file or printer sharing. The USB port may also be used to connect a second modem, e.g. for UMTS/3GSM/HSPA.
Versions
Most FRITZ!Box devices come in three versions:- German version for Germany
- German version for AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... - International (English) version
Beside the obvious different language on the web interface, they also differ in the fact that the international version is available in two ADSL standards: ITU G.992.1 Annex A and ITU G.992.1 Annex B. The German version is only available as Annex B. This is due to fact that Annex A is not used in Germany (in Germany, both analogue and ISDN line are using Annex-B ADSL while in most of the world Annex-A ADSL is used on analogue lines and Annex B ADSL is used on ISDN lines).
The difference is in the use of the available frequency spectrum of analogue telephone lines (POTS).
Spectral allocation of services in a typical telephone line (from low to high frequencies)
|--ANALOG--|---------ISDN---------|------------------------------DSL----------------------------|
The Annex-A mode is more efficient since it uses the whole available (ISDN+DSL) spectrum. It allows for longer distances from the central DSL Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) to the subscriber. In Annex-B mode the ISDN range is spared (wasted), even for ADSL-Over-Analog subscribers.
In principle, the Fritz!Box can be changed[2] from German/Annex-B to European/British/Annex-A and vice versa by firmware. However, the German version is shipped with German-specific cables and adaptors for ISDN lines. These are difficult to convert to the more usual ADSL connection found elsewhere in Europe. The 7390 model, for example, includes a proprietary split Y cable which is wired specifically for German ISDN lines, and is terminated in RJ45 plugs which do not fit the standard RJ11 ADSL sockets found elsewhere in Europe. The ADSL/DSL socket on the box is also RJ45, and although an RJ11 cord can in principle be plugged into an RJ45 socket, doing so may damage (bend) the other line pins and will in any case prevent the use of the box for fixed-line telephony. The International version comes with specially wired adapters for this purpose which are not sold separately. There are, furthermore, rumoured hardware differences between the German and International editions which have not been definitively confirmed or denied but which, if true, would prevent even firmware-adapted versions of the German box from synching over all but the most perfect ADSL connections.
For the newer models the available international firmware updates may be somewhat behind the newest German ones.
See also
- ADSLAsymmetric Digital Subscriber LineAsymmetric digital subscriber line is a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice...
- Router
- Voice over Internet Protocol