Stiftung Warentest tests eight current WLAN routers with integrated Internet modems. Three Fritz boxes share the test victory, only one device from Telekom can keep up well.
In most households, a WLAN router with an integrated Internet modem spans the network. If this device is not in good condition, there are connection problems or sluggish data rates. Stiftung Warentest tested seven current routers, seven with a DSL modem and one with a cable modem. The result is pretty clear: the popular Fritz boxes dominate, only a Speedport router from Telekom performs similarly well.
Data transfer speed and WiFi coverage account for 50 percent of the overall grade. The testers also checked handling (20 percent), telephone functions (10 percent), security (10 percent) and power consumption (10 percent).
With the DSL routers, AVM achieved a double victory with its two candidates, both of which received the quality rating of 1.9. The Fritzbox 7530 AX for around 180 euros offered good data transmission overall in the test, although it was only satisfactory via WLAN. The product testers found handling, telephoning and security very good, as well as the low power consumption of only 6 watts in operation.
The Fritzbox 7590 AX is significantly more expensive at around 280 euros, but it shines with many connections and offers faster WLAN with higher data rates. The 7590 AX did very well in the other categories.
Telekom customers are almost as well served with the Speedport Smart 4, which with an overall grade of 2.0 was the only good test candidate that did not come from the Berlin company AVM. When it came to data transmission, the router, which cost just under 160 euros, even performed slightly better than the Fritz boxes, but it cannot quite keep up with the WLAN coverage. In terms of security and handling, the Telekom router proved to be very good, and Stiftung Warentest rated the telephone functions as good. The power consumption of the Speedport Smart 4 is satisfactory.
The Fritzbox 6690 Cable was the only test candidate for the cable routers, as there are only a few freely available devices. Like her two DSL colleagues, she achieved the quality rating of 1.9. It offers good data transmission, but its WLAN coverage is not as extensive as with the Fritzbox 7590 AX. In addition, the power consumption of the Cable 6690 is relatively high. On the other hand, the testers found the handling, security and telephone functions to be very good.