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Fritz!Box — A Few Tips

The Fritz!Box admin web interface does not support some old browsers, such as Internet Explorer 9. Additionally, some features may not work properly with Internet Explorer. We have found Firefox is the best browser to use.

To downgrade the firmware, obtain an appropriate installer from https://service.avm.de/downloads/downgrade/.

When configuring for ADSL, be sure that Annex A is selected under Internet → DSL Information → Line Settings.

When configuring for Fibre-to-the-Node (FttN) or Fibre-to-the-Basement (FttB) vDSL on the Australian National Broadband Network (NBN), be sure that Annex B is selected under Internet → DSL Information → Line Settings.

Change the Internet Service Provider to Other Internet Service Provider. Then re-enter the PPPoE details. Otherwise it will not negotiate PPPoE with your provider properly.

Fritz!Box only supports CHAP for PPPoE connections, so will be unable to connect to any ISP which enforces MS-CHAP/v2.

Some NBN services require VLAN set to 2 under Internet → Account Information → choose Internet Service Provider = Other Internet Service Provider:

Although Fritz!Box 7272 is compatible with some NBN technologies (FTTP, FTTC, HFC), it is somewhat underpowered to handle faster services with many wireless devices. If congestion is suspected, replace the device with a newer model.

If using a non-DSL service, set the downstream/upstream speeds accurately under Internet → Account Information → Connection Settings, as the Fritz!Box will throttle traffic according to these settings. On ADSL or FTTN services, the Fritz!Box knows the sync speeds automatically. (On NBN FTTC services, despite being vDSL, it is the NBN-supplied modem that negotiates the speed, not the Fritz!Box.)

If using a DSL service, Fritz!Box knows the throughput the service should be capable of attaining. If you find the speed consistently below this, reboot the Fritz!Box.

Devices can be assigned to an Access Profile to enable various block/allow policies. However this won't work reliably with iOS 14 devices due to MAC address changes.

Check that the LAN ports are configured as required under Home Network → Network → Network Settings. By default they may be in 100Mbps/power saving (Green) mode. Any device which requires the best throughput should be set to Power Mode (1Gbps). Any ports with switches/hubs attached should be set to Power Mode.
Additionally, any service which requires a reliable connection should be attached to a port in Power Mode. For example, a server hosting Remote Desktop Services. Although the outgoing/incoming traffic may not exceed 100Mbps because it is travelling over a slower Internet connection, the power saving functions may cause it to drop connections.

If you've lost connectivity to the device or the PC has selected an APIPA address, it can always be accessed at http://169.254.1.1.

When disabling the DHCP Server function, be sure to disable both DHCPv4 and DHCPv6 functions under Home Network → Network → Network Settings → IP Addresses. Otherwise the DHCP Server service running on a Windows server will not work.

If using the Fritz!Box as a DHCP Server, and you change the IP address of the device under Home Network → Network → Network Settings, the DHCP and DNS information should update accordingly. However there are circumstances where the DNS Server that is provided to clients via DHCP will not update and you may see something like this:
In this situation, clients will receive an non-existent DNS server and fail to achieve internet connectivity. Be sure the Local DNS Server is set appropriately.

When setting up a VPN user, use the configuration file method as opposed to creating a user through the interface.

If using CloudFlare as a DNS provider, and you wish to enable DNS over TLS, use the following server addresses/certificate names:

If making outbound telephone (VOIP) calls seems to fail intermittently, check the dialling prefixes under Telephony → Telephone Numbers. Click Edit next to the phone service, and under Telephone Number Format, ensure Country Code and Area Code are set to None.

To direct incoming calls to the Answering Machine when the line is busy, create a Call Diversion rule, use the number of the answering machine as the destination (eg 600 for Answering Machine 1, 601 for Answering Machine 2 etc), and set the type of diversion to When busy.

Internode ADSL, FTTN NBN (vDSL), FTTC NBN, FTTP NBN, HFC NBN — but does not support NBN Phone

Question/comment about this page? Please email webguru@cadzow.com.au