Do you live in a large apartment, a duplex or a multi-story house? Then a conventional router is usually not enough to provide your own four walls with a sufficiently stable WLAN signal. The solution to this problem is a WLAN repeater. This receives the wireless Internet signal from the WLAN router and retransmits it to improve the range. But as with routers, repeaters are by no means one device like another. The networking experts at AVM, best known for their iconic FRITZ!Box, have a true premium product on their hands with their FRITZ!Repeater 6000 that promises a lot of performance. However, the support of modern WiFi 6, the possible creation of a mesh network, and the possible creation of an access point come at a horrendous price. We will take a closer look at whether the FRITZ!Repeater 6000 is worth it in our test.
Technical details
Dimensions | approx. 8.7 x 18.5 x 13.5 cm |
Connections and interfaces | WLAN access point: compatible with all WLAN routers with 802.11ax/ac/n/g/a wireless standards.
WLAN: 2400 Mbps (5 GHz, 4 x 4) + 2400 Mbps (5 GHz, 4 x 4) + 1200 Mbps (2.4 GHz, 4 x 4) 1 x 2.5 Gigabit LAN (10/100/1,000/2,500 MBit/s) and 1 x Gigabit LAN (10/100/1,000 MBit/s) Connection to the power grid with supplied power supply 230 V, 50 Hz |
Encryption | WPA2 and WPA3 |
Router connection | LAN bridge or WLAN bridge |
Average power consumption | 11 watts |
Warranty | 5 year manufacturer warranty |
Price | € 231.93 * |
Scope of delivery
No surprises await you in the delivery box. In addition to the repeater, there is a matching power supply and a LAN cable. Of course, an instruction manual must not be missing either.
Design & workmanship
With routers and repeaters, the appearance is also becoming increasingly relevant. Especially repeaters are namely wonderfully suitable for placement in the living room or other central rooms of your own four walls. The reason for this is that, unlike the router, only a power connection is needed. There is no ugly cable clutter here. Even at first glance, connoisseurs will see that the AVM FRITZ!Repeater 6000 is a device from AVM.
This is not least due to the company’s typical color mix of red and white. What pleases one person might piss off another. After all, this combination is anything but inconspicuous. Apart from the color scheme, AVM scores with a curved, loose design that looks very modern. The build quality is also on a high level. The AVM FRITZ!Repeater 6000 has a high-quality feel to it. It doesn’t creak at any point here.
The commissioning
The AVM FRITZ!Repeater 6000 promises an uncomplicated setup, which should not be a problem even for laymen. The manufacturer already makes this clear with its short 3-step instructions on the outside of the packaging. In practice, I did not notice anything to the contrary. It was not only easy to integrate the WLAN amplifier into the home network. On top of that, it went incredibly quickly from hand.
First of all, it comes down to bringing the repeater in close proximity to the router for setup. My router (SpeedPort Smart 3) is located in the hallway. I plugged the repeater from AVM into the socket in the directly adjacent living room. Accordingly, it is perfectly sufficient if both devices are in the same room during pairing. Once this is done, the actual setup can begin.
Once connected to power, you simply press the button labeled “Connect” on the repeater. You then have two minutes to press the WPS button on your router. That’s actually all you have to do yourself. Now both network devices work for you and establish a connection to each other. Once this is done, the FRITZ!Repeater 6000 is ready for use. Unlike many other repeaters, you don’t have to type anything in manually. The FRITZ!Repeater 6000 gets elementary information like the network name and the corresponding password directly from the router. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t set anything yourself. For changes you can easily use the FRITZ! app or the web application of FRITZ!
Of course, the repeater doesn’t have to stay where you set it up. Once the pairing process is done, you can simply unplug the FRITZ!Repeater 6000 from the mains and position it wherever you want. However, a power outlet is a basic requirement to start the WLAN repeater. When it comes to positioning, there is a small drawback that you have to accept with the FRITZ!Repeater. You can’t avoid placing the repeater somewhere. Mounting it on the wall is simply not possible. A pity actually.
Of course, a repeater can only reliably amplify the WLAN if it itself establishes a sufficiently good connection to the router. AVM’s compact repeater conveniently helps you find the perfect position. An LED indicator on the FRITZ! Repeater 6000 itself is used for this. If you want to be even more on the safe side, you can simply use the app for optimal positioning.
Comprehensive Features
One of the most exciting highlights of the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000 is undoubtedly its support for WiFi 6, but that’s not the only feature designed to provide a fast Internet connection. On top of that, AVM relies on tri-band technology for its latest repeater. This means that it operates on three separate frequencies. In particular, these are one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz connections.
If you take a look at the back of the repeater, it quickly becomes clear that it can be used for more than just wireless connections. After all, it has two LAN ports. While one is suitable for connections of up to 1 GBits/s, the second is supposed to allow up to 2.5 Gbps. These are particularly practical in combination with a PC or game console. After all, fast Internet connections are important in this case. In addition, the LAN ports allow the device to be set up as an access point. Although an access point requires a LAN connection to the router, it ensures that the WLAN signal is distributed much more widely within your own four walls. The FRITZ!Repeater 6000 also allows you to set up a guest access. For this, your friends don’t have to enter your actual WLAN password to get access.
AVM also places great emphasis on security with its latest repeater. Thus, the Fritz!WLAN Repeater 6000 offers support for WPA2 and WPA3 encryption. The big advantage of this is that not only current devices with WPA3 support, but also older devices can connect to the WLAN. If you are looking for USB ports, you will not find any in the repeater. Other buttons than the Connect button are also missing. However, I did not really miss anything during the test. After all, details can be conveniently changed via the Fritz! app or web application.
There is not really much to complain about in terms of features. However, we should not ignore the costs of the extensive performance package of the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000. And we’re not just talking about the purchase price of the WLAN amplifier. It is primarily the astonishingly good wireless performance that ensures that the repeater consumes a lot of power during operation. With a consumption of up to 15 watts, it is anything but a power saver. Even the 11 watts stated by FRITZ! are not really up to date. Competitor products deliver much better results here.
Wow, that’s fast!
Those who want really fast Internet will probably put up with the high power costs. After all, the AVM Fritz! Repeater 6000 delivers a really strong performance, not least thanks to its tri-band technology. Especially when using a Fritz! router, the three different frequencies should ensure that a highly stable network can be established. Finally, the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000 uses one frequency exclusively for the connection to the FRITZ!Box.
However, even with my SpeedPort Smart 3, I never had any problems with disconnections during my test phase. AVM specifies maximum speeds of 2,400 Mbps (5 GHz frequency) or a still very good 1,200 Mbps (2.4 GHz frequency). To see the speeds for myself, I placed the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000 about 10 meters away from the SpeedPort Smart 3. On average, I received download speeds of just under 800 Mbit/s during the measurement. The upload was almost as good at about 790 Mbit/s. When I increased the distance to just under 13 meters, the results were not much worse. Here, the results averaged just under 346 Mbit/s (download) and 300 Mbit/s (upload).
Once you take a look at the Internet, you’ll quickly see that the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000 mainly benefits from working with a Fritz!Box. Especially the installation of an access point can provide a decent speed boost in the WLAN. Values of 700 Mbit/s and more should not be a problem at distances of around 12 meters. The feature of setting up your own mesh network is also extremely practical – but also requires a FRITZ!Box.
Conclusion
Of course, the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000 is a really expensive piece of technology. But for the MSRP of just under 220 euros, you also get quite a bit of performance here. Especially owners of a FRITZ!Box get the perfect addition to create a fast and stable wireless home network. The repeater scored points in the test with a very simple setup right from the start. Even without a FRITZ!Box, my router and AVM’s repeater got along very well. However, the performance also really convinced me in practice. Thanks to WiFi 6, it is undoubtedly one of the fastest repeaters currently available on the market. However, it is not only the ease of use and speed that completely convinced me in practice. It could hardly be better in terms of features as well.
For example, the two LAN ports enable the setup of an access point or a WLAN bridge. At the end of the day, there are only two real points of criticism for AVM’s latest repeater. The first is the fact that you cannot mount the AVM FRITZ!Repeater 6000 on the wall. You can’t avoid placing it on the wall, which certainly won’t please many people. In addition, there is the high price. I have rarely seen repeaters that cost more than really good WLAN routers. If you own a Fritz!Box and are looking for a repeater, you should take a look at the AVM Fritz!Repeater 6000. The investment can then be well worth it.
FRITZ!Repeater 6000
Hardware
Usability
Speed
Features
Value for money
90/100
The FRITZ!Repeater 6000 guarantees blazing-fast Internet even in large apartments and houses. It also scores points for being very easy and, above all, quick to set up. If only it weren't for the steep price.
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