Fritz! Box

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Logo of the AVM-FRITZ! Products
FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN, AR7 platform ( MIPS core)

Fritz! Box (own notation: ! Box FRITZ ) is a range of AVM of routers for Internet connections via DSL , cable or DOCSIS , FTTH or Fiber and LTE .

Fritz! OS is the name of the operating system that is installed on the Fritz! Boxes.

General

The board of a Fritz! Box from 2005

In 2010, the FRITZ! Box family dominated the DSL terminal equipment market in Germany with a market share of over 68% . For this, the German have isolated solution of the ADSL-over-ISDN -Einsatzes and the high spread of ISDN - devices contributed what AVM has adapted its product range. On the global market , manufacturers are focusing on DSL terminals for ADSL-over-POTS and analog telephone interfaces . But AVM also offers some models in a special OEM version for Austria, Switzerland and English-speaking regions that can be switched to ADSL-over-POTS. The FRITZ! Box family has received several awards in the trade press for its user-friendliness, performance and range of functions.

In 2014 the market share in Germany was around 50 percent.

Third-party accessories

Due to the widespread use of the Fritz! Box, there are many accessories from third-party suppliers who offer suitable solutions for both professional and private users, such as wall brackets, server accessories, or external WLAN antennas.

history

The first FRITZ! Box was presented at CeBIT 2004. The name Fritz was chosen “because a non-technical name was sought that would also suggest German workmanship abroad with a wink.” Fritz! alone is an older software package for Windows on the ISDN . The Fritz! X forerunner of the Fritz! Box in the same housing comes without Fritz! on the only connectable PC not to the Internet. The original Fritz! Box still has a USB socket as a modem for this operating mode , but instead of an ISDN socket an ADSL socket, instead of sockets for analog devices a switch with two Ethernet sockets, and can be used with a browser without installing software to make usable.

In the same year, variants with WLAN and telephone adapters for VoIP were also introduced. This means that existing telephones can be connected to the router and used for Internet and landline telephony . AVM uses Linux as the operating system on its FRITZ! Boxes . At the end of 2007, with the model name FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN 7270 , a model with the Texas Instruments UR8 chipset was introduced for the first time, while all models were previously based on the Texas Instruments AR7 chipset. At CeBIT 2009, AVM presented the FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN 7390 , which, following two OEM models and the FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN 7570 VDSL , which is also only available as an OEM device in Germany, supports VDSL and Gigabit network cables for the first time . W722 and 7390 use a new chipset Fusiv Vx180 from Ikanos. Even before CeBIT 2010 opened, AVM presented the FRITZ! Box WLAN 3370 and FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN 6360 in a newsletter . In 2014, for the first time since the FRITZ! Box ATA, a box for FTTH connections, ie for use as a “fiber optic modem” ONT (Optical Network Termination), was presented to the public at CeBIT.

safety

At the beginning of February 2014, successful hijackings of telephony from FRITZ! Boxes became known, which were explained with passwords stolen in large numbers. A few days later it was explained that when remote access was activated, contrary to expectations, no password was required to completely take over any FRITZ! Box, and when AVM delivered an update against this security gap after another three days over the weekend , it was extensively praised in well-known German trade press. After a few more days, journalists revealed that the security gap had existed for years without activated remote access and that it only required a simple prepared website to be exploited.

According to a study by Heise online , in April 2014 34% of all FRITZ! Boxes found on the Internet (extrapolated several million) were still vulnerable.

As of Fritz! OS 6.20, in order to increase system security, AVM blocked the option of installing operating system extensions using a shell script in parallel to the Fritz! OS firmware .

Product lines

AVM offers several model series under the name FRITZ! Box:

  • FRITZ! Box : Current DSL models
  • FRITZ! Box Cable : Devices with a cable modem
  • FRITZ! Box LTE : Devices with LTE modem
  • FRITZ! Box fiber optic : devices for fiber optic connection
  • FRITZ! Box : Former devices without WLAN. Originally, the device from a passed LAN - router with integrated DSL modem
  • FRITZ! Box WLAN : Former devices with additional WLAN
  • FRITZ! Box Fon : Former devices with additional ISDN / analog landline telephone system (VoIP)
  • FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN : Former devices with additional ISDN / analog landline telephone system (VoIP) and WLAN

The newer products usually offer a combination of WLAN according to IEEE 802.11ac , VoIP and DECT for cordless telephones, as well as file and printer server functions in connection with a connection option for USB devices (printer, external hard drives, UMTS sticks, etc.) . Other devices such as scanners can be passed directly to a Windows PC via the program for the USB remote connection.


Notes on all models

FRITZ! Box connections

USB mass storage devices and / or printers can be connected to all devices with a USB host interface .

To all Fritz boxes with! DECT - base station can by the standard Generic Access Profile up to six cordless telephones are registered. The internal S 0 interface is an ISDN multi-device connection . Up to eight ISDN terminals or a telephone system can be connected to these via additional distributors . It should be noted, however, that not all ISDN service features are mapped or supported via the existing S 0 port on the FRITZ! Box Cable models and via the broadband cable network . The variants of FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN and FRITZ! Box Fon WLAN 7270 with Annex-A (“ADSL over POTS”) were offered for the international market .

All FRITZ! Boxes with VDSL, with the exception of the 7570, are VDSL vectoring-capable with the current FRITZ! OS version (e.g. 84.06.51 for FRITZ! Box 7390).

Under the name FRITZ! WLAN Box tailored to the FRITZ! USB - WLAN stick offered. Since kernel version 4.19 they are supported under Linux. Newer v2 sticks may have an Atheros WLAN chip (ath9271), which is also supported.

FRITZ! OS

The firmware of the devices is based on Linux . At the beginning of 2012, the firmware maintained by AVM for its products was named FRITZ! OS.

OEM versions

Fritz! Box Fon WLAN 7141, OEM version for 1 & 1

The German Telekom marketed OEM models of the FRITZ! Box DSL router with integrated ADSL2 + modem ( Eumex 300 IP , Sinus W 500V as well as various port speed models (white)) and with integrated VDSL2 (modem Speedport W 721V , Speedport W 722V type A , Speedport W 920V ). Other providers who offer FRITZ! Box models under different names as OEM products are 1 & 1 / Web.de / GMX ( cable modem , DSL modem , WLAN router , home server , home server + (black)), Telefónica , EWE TEL ( Multibox ), Kabel Deutschland ( Homebox ) (Fritz! Box 7270 & Fritz! Box 6360), Vodafone ( Homebox ) (Fritz! Box 6490 Cable) or Unitymedia (Fritz! Box 6320 Cable (dark blue), Fritz! Box 6360 Cable (dark blue), Fritz! Box 6490 Cable (white)). With the introduction of DOCSIS 3.1, the cable providers use the OEM version of the Fritz! Box 6591 Cable. Visually, the box does not differ from the original Fritz! Box.

In some cases, the branding is only associated with cosmetic adjustments, such as a different color scheme or logo imprint. However, some models also contain restrictions on the provider's own DSL login input masks or VoIP profiles. Technically, however, the models correspond to the originals from AVM.

That is why the branding is popular, for example, to be able to use devices on Internet connections from other providers. For example, a company from Velbert bought the OEM version Fritz! Box 6490 Cable (white) in large numbers from Unitymedia, installed the current Fritz! OS firmware and offered it for sale on the Internet. AVM then filed a lawsuit with the Munich Regional Court I and was won. The sale of these boxes was prohibited by the court.

FRITZ! laboratory

The manufacturer AVM itself provides so-called FRITZ! Laboratory firmware released. These are beta versions with numerous experimental improvements and new extensions. This then becomes the stable versions, which are then incorporated into the official firmware.

Alternative firmware

Due to the large range of functions and the relatively high performance of the Fritz! Box devices, numerous modified firmware versions were created in the mid-2000s to the end of the 2010s . Since parts of the AVM firmware are under the GPL , it made sense to change the original firmware . The free GPL components of the firmware were supplemented or partially replaced by scripts.

The installation of alternative firmware is becoming increasingly difficult. With Fritz! OS 6.25, the unlockable Telnet access by AVM was removed, which could be used as an entry point for modification. Since version 6.51 it is no longer possible to install unsigned firmware or to install firmware that is older than the one already installed ( downgrade ). The hurdle to equip a Fritz! Box with an alternative firmware is extremely high. AVM justifies this with more security for the systems. It is suspected among modders that a new EU regulation could also be a contributing factor to AVM's new company policy. This regulation stipulates that manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that devices with a radio interface (e.g. WLAN) always comply with the statutory provisions. However, this is only possible if third-party software is not allowed to control the radio interfaces.

Danisahne mod

danisahne-mod
Basic data

Maintainer Daniel Eiband
Publishing year 2005
Current  version 0.2.9
(2006-08-07)
License GPLv2
https://sourceforge.net/projects/ds-mod/

Pretty soon after the first FRITZ! Box model was released, some users were dissatisfied with the restrictions in the original AVM devices. The result was the Danisahne-Mod ( DS-Mod for short ), a developer package that Linux programmers could use to modify firmwares and add additional software packages.

Freetz

Freetz
Basic data

Maintainer Freetz project
Publishing year 2008
Current  version 2.0
License GPLv2
http://freetz.org/

Freetz (a suitcase word from English free 'frei' and the German name Fritz ) was launched on February 2, 2008 as a further development of the Danisahne-Mod. It is a software "kit" for developers and requires the development tools of the free Linux operating system. With Freetz , experienced users can build functionally modified firmware versions based on the manufacturer's original firmware for the various DSL, LAN, WLAN and VoIP routers of the brands FRITZ! Box or Speedport and the devices based on them and transfer them to the relevant device. A large number of expansion packages are available as well as the option of removing unnecessary functions from the original firmware. The range of possible influences ranges from the integration of various Linux services to the fading out of disturbed carrier bands in the DSL spectrum in order to optimize connections with high attenuation .

Packed TAR files of the project milestones can be found in the Freetz download area.

Speed-to-Fritz

Firefox and speed-to-fritz menu on the speedLinux desktop

Speed-to-Fritz is primarily aimed at OEM versions of the Speedport models from Deutsche Telekom, but can also be used for all AVM models. It is a project derived from DS-Mod and Freetz to integrate innovations in the original AVM firmware that are not yet intended for individual models into these models and to expand their range of functions. There is a certain amount of feedback on Freetz. It also enables the seamless use of Freetz. This makes it possible to use Freetz in combination with AVM laboratory firmware, especially for the W920V and the almost identical 7570. There are simple instructions that are easy to understand for everyone. No previous Linux knowledge is required for standard changes. There are some solutions to install Linux as a working basis, we recommend on the one hand SpeedLinux for older PCs and 32 bit or a processed Ubuntu 10.04 as an image of a virtual machine , which can run in VMware Player as well as under VirtualBox .

modfs

modfs is an alternative that does not replace the entire firmware, but merely provides access to install additional software. A modified file system is slipped under the original kernel.

Cost-optimized connection establishment

At times, the least cost router functionality, which is rudimentary built into Fritz! OS, was popular with hobbyists. With a third-party software (telephone passbook ) it was also possible to expand the Least Cost Router with automatic data updates. The cheapest telephone provider was then automatically searched for for every telephone call, which led to savings, especially for international calls and mobile phones. Firmware upgrades are no longer possible with current firmware versions.

Assignment of the combined DSL telephone socket

Fritz boxes of the newer design mostly have a combined RJ-45 (8P8C) socket, which represents the interface for ADSL as well as for ISDN NTBA or analog exchange connection. AVM supplies a corresponding Y-cable with plugs for the corresponding German connection sockets. However, in order to operate a Fritz-Box in another country with different connection socket standards, you have to assemble the appropriate adapter.

The connection assignment of the combination socket is as follows:

  • Pin 1: ISDN 1a
  • Pin 2: ISDN 1b
  • Pin 3: analogous to La
  • Pin 4: DSL
  • Pin 5: DSL
  • Pin 6: similar to Lb
  • Pin 7: ISDN 2a
  • Pin 8: ISDN 2b

The RJ-45 plug on the gray DSL branch of the Y-combination cable shows the following assignment:

  • Pin 4: DSL
  • Pin 5: DSL

The other pins are not used.

The RJ-45 plug on the black telephone branch is assigned as follows:

  • Pin 1: analogous to La
  • Pin 2: free
  • Pin 3: ISDN 2a
  • Pin 4: ISDN 1a
  • Pin 5: ISDN 1b
  • Pin 6: ISDN 2b
  • Pin 7: free
  • Pin 8: similar to Lb

This enables a direct connection to ISDN, for analog connections an adapter to TAE is included for Germany:

  • Pin 1 RJ socket on pin 1 TAE
  • Pin 8 RJ socket on pin 2 TAE

A normal cable with a TAE plug and a six-pin RJ plug, such as that used for connecting analog telephones to a TAE socket, does not work.

A direct cable can be used for unbundled connections (without analog or ISDN telephone).

The cable for German connections:

  • Pin 4 RJ connector to pin 1 TAE
  • Pin 5 RJ connector to pin 2 TAE

Others

Type plate of a Fritz! Box Fon WLAN 7141 with WPA key and serial number
  • The factory-set WLAN password is usually printed on the type plate on the underside of the device. Even if it is different for each device, it is recommended for security reasons to change this after installation.
  • The FRITZ! Box Fon ATA 1020, the FRITZ! Box 4020 and the FRITZ! Box 4040 are the only models that do not have an integrated modem.
  • The product variant that also serves as a charging station for the DECT telephone supplied is called FRITZ! Fon 7150 .
  • ! When operating a FRITZ! Box Fon or FRITZ! Fon on an unbundled DSL connection is also called an Integrated Access Device on an all-IP or NGN - connection .
  • ! Senior With FRITZ boxes firmware (older than 05.5x) can be used as WDS - wireless repeater or base station, the wireless range can be improved. The WDS connection can be securely encrypted with WPA2 using a proprietary extension . As a successor, AVM offers the WLAN repeater function .
  • Newer FRITZ! Boxes of the 63, 64, 65, 68, 72, 73, 74, 75, 32, 33, 34 series no longer use WDS from firmware version 05.50, but another manufacturer-internal, WDS-incompatible WLAN method to increase the range to increase.
  • The serial number of a FRITZ! Box can be W485.304.00.085.448decrypted using the example as follows:
    • W - year of production (2004: S, 2005: T, 2006: U, 2007: V, 2008: W, 2009: X, 2010: A, 2011: B, 2012: C, 2013: D, 2014: E, 2015: F, 2016: H, 2017: J, 2018: K, 2019: L, 2020: M etc.)
    • 485 - production week and day (here calendar week 48, on the 5th day - Friday)
    • 304 - hardware revision (here "original" red 7270 with 16 MB memory)
    • 00.085.448 - serial number

Other AVM products

Web links

Commons : FRITZ! Box  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. AVM - News from the Fritz! Box . Onlinekosten.de; Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  2. DSL modems and ADSL negotiation . Heise.de (more detailed in c't , 8/2007, p. 86 ff. And ADSL modem router test p. 92 ff.)
  3. Network Jumbos - broadband routers as a server replacement . Heise.de (more detailed in c't , 7/2008, p. 152 ff.)
  4. Basic network - 15 entry-level routers with internal ADSL modem and WLAN . Heise.de (more detailed in c't , 2/2009, p. 88 ff.)
  5. Internet stick - energy-saving data exchange with the home network . Heise.de (more detailed in c't , 9/2009, p. 174 ff.)
  6. ↑ Tunneling home - router with VPN service being tested . Heise.de (more detailed in the c't , 21/2009, p. 128 ff.)
  7. Louis-F. Stahl, Jürgen Schmidt, Ronald Eikenberg: The security gap in Fritz boxes and the consequences. March 8, 2014 .;
  8. Fritzbox wall bracket. (German).
  9. Upgrade kit Fritz! Box.
  10. FriXtender - FRITZ! Box WLAN antenna sets. (German).
  11. ^ Announcement for CeBIT 2004 at PC Welt (offline).
  12. Udo Flohr: Hardware manufacturer AVM - The three successful four . Spiegel Online .
  13. Manual Fritz! X USB v2.0 (PDF; 2.1 MB) AVM. September 2002.
  14. Installation, configuration and operation of the Fritz! Box (PDF; 2.3 MB) AVM. May 2004. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015.
  15. Demonstration of the FRITZ! Box 7390 at wlan-info.net ( Memento from January 25, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  16. CeBIT premiere for two new FRITZ! Box models on avm.de ( Memento from February 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  17. Archive link ( Memento from January 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  18. Telephony abuse apparently not a mass hack of AVM's Fritz boxes . In: Heise online . March 2, 2014.
  19. Ernst Ahlers: Comment on the hack against AVM's Fritzbox router: nasty mistake, professional reaction . In: Heise online . 11th of February 2014.
  20. Update Fritzbox now! Hack against AVM routers even without remote access . In: Heise online . 17th February 2014.
  21. The router disaster: Fritzbox update is stalling Heise Security, April 19, 2014.
  22. AVM router Fritzbox update depends on hobbyists , message on the Heise publishing house's news portal from September 15, 2014; Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  23. Unitymedia FAQ on performance features at the cable connection ( Memento from May 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  24. Thorsten Leemhuis: Start nicer, transmit faster & save electricity , heise online, January 24, 2019.
  25. ath9k_htc - Debian Wiki. Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
  26. Stefan Luber: What is a Fritzbox? In: IP Insider. Retrieved July 29, 2020 .
  27. Archive link ( Memento from August 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  28. wehavemorefun.de ( Memento from August 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  29. Verdict: Used provider FritzBoxes may not be sold . winfuture.de. May 14, 2020.
  30. PC-WELT editorial team: Import Fritz OS laboratory versions onto Fritzbox. July 27, 2019, accessed on July 29, 2020 (German).
  31. a b (ps): Practice - Firmware Tuning - Fritz! Box . In: heise (Ed.): C't . No. 24 , 2006, pp. 154 .
  32. a b Free of charge: Any features through Fritz! Box firmware modification: Fritz! Box: New firmware built by Freetz. .
  33. heise online: AVM vs. Cybits: Court strengthens GPL. 5th December 2011 .;
  34. Access to the FRITZ! Box via Telnet is not supported - FRITZ! Box 7490. AVM Germany, accessed on December 26, 2016 .
  35. Radio regulation: attack on alternative software. In: heise online. 3rd September 2015 .;
  36. ^ Unofficial wiki about Freetz
  37. Freetz: Download - stable versions. Retrieved November 30, 2019 .
  38. IP-Phone-Forum: Script Jpascher LINK .
  39. Image of a virtual machine with Ubuntu 10.04 installed .
  40. PeterPawn / modfs. In: GitHub. Retrieved December 26, 2016 .
  41. Fritzbox hacks: Unlock hidden functions of the Fritzbox. April 14, 2016 .;
  42. ^ Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung . February 10, 2008.
  43. AVM router Fritzbox update depends on hobbyists , message on the Heise publishing house's news portal from September 15, 2014; Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  44. a b knowledge database. .
  45. WDS operation not possible after FRITZ! OS update. AVM, archive from October 19, 2015.
  46. ↑ Increase the wireless range of the FRITZ! Box with a repeater. AVM; accessed on January 27, 2018.
  47. ↑ Date of manufacture according to DIN EN 60062 elektronotdienst-nuernberg.de; Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  48. Determine the date of manufacture online Found in the PC-Welt article: Fritzbox hacks: Unlock hidden functions .