Just expand the WLAN of the FritzBox a bit? Sure: a Fritz repeater is needed.
WLAN Mesh Fritz Repeater 600
Pro
- easy to set up
- manage from the FritzBox
- economic
- provides sufficient basic internet service
Contra
- not very high speeds
- really only WiFi, no network port
In the test today: the smallest repeater from Fritz, the 600, which comes with 4×4 WLAN n support at 2.4 GHz. This is the cheapest model and is only suitable for extending the 2.4 GHz network. To get straight to the point: when using this small device, it is simply a matter of achieving a certain basic supply in the apartment so that you can run around and FaceTime and the stream continues to deliver your conversation. In addition, the 50 Mbit/s of the Internet line should also be distributed.
A small WLAN plug does the job according to the rules
Our test showed data rates of 10 MB/s, 7 MB/s and 2 MB/s directly beside the FritzBox, after one wall and after two walls without a repeater. With a repeater after one and the second wall, it was 5-6 MB/s and 4-5 MB/s. A little less directly after a wall (logical, traffic has to go through the repeater), but after the second wall we got the result we wanted: more than twice as much throughput. The 50 Mbit/s were not quite reached, but we were close enough with 40 Mbit/s. Without a repeater, it was just under 16 Mbit/s. If you live in a house that does not have many neighbor WLANs on the 2.4 GHz frequency, the rates could be even higher, since the WLAN automatically uses 40 MHz wide channels then. In the city, however, one can only dream of that.
Since the repeater transmits on the same frequency as it receives, this is of course not quite optimal in terms of radio technology, but it is completely sufficient to get basic coverage in the last corner of the apartment or through particularly stubborn two walls. The fast connection between FritzBox (in this case 7490) and repeater was pleasant: simply press the button on the repeater, then the WPS button on the FritzBox (in our case six seconds). Done.
The iPhones and iPads got along well with the mesh network, the MacBooks showed stubborn behavior, which can be explained with software limitations on Apple’s side. Together with the 5 GHz network of the FritzBox, however, the MacBooks switched to the repeater in everyday life exactly when the 5 GHz network was lost. The rebooking in the fastest WLAN variant also took place, but took time. All in all, however, it was stable.
The cheap, quick fix that’s actually economical and consistent
The repeater, although mesh, is of course only a compromise compared to wired access points. But for certain application scenarios it is sufficient to distribute enough speed of the not so fast internet line in the last rooms of the apartment. The really simple coupling with the FritzBox is outstanding. For those who need more speed, there are larger repeaters from Fritz that also extend the 5 GHz WLAN.
But if it is only about internet access and the most important computers are perhaps connected to the network by cable anyway, the repeater is surprisingly sufficient. Don’t expect a miracle of speed, but you get a solid basic performance. And that’s all there is to this model.
