PC World Australia (online)
08/06/11
The Fritz!Box 7390 will dazzle you with the huge array of features that it offers. It's definitely a model that will please enthusiast users, but also consumers who want a no-fuss set-up for their home networking needs. It's better than the 7270 entry model that we reviewed earlier this year, as it adds Gigabit Ethernet and simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi.
There are so many other monitoring tools in the Fritz!Box 7390 — it's an enthusiast's dream router! Not only can you see extensive information on your ADSL connection, you can also see who is logged on to your network, who was logged on and who tried to log on; you can also see the router's energy consumption (according to how much a feature is being utilised), and it even has CPU and RAM usage. You can also tell the router to keep an eye on your Internet quota and usage (up to 100GB quotas are supports). There is a comprehensive log file, too, which can easily be set up to be emailed to you daily.
For security, the Fritz!Box 7390 router has a built-in firewall, but it also has parental features. There is a child protection filter that allows you to enable or block Internet access on any PCs that are listed in the Web interface. This list is derived from all the computers that have been or are currently connected to your router. By enabling this feature, you can disable the Internet at certain times of the day and night. However, we couldn't find a URL or keyword blocking filter.
The phone features of the Fritz!Box 7390 are extensive. It can act as a base station for DECT phones, or you can simply plug in your favourite analogue phone to use with your VoIP account. We tested it with a supplied DECT cordless handset ($129) and found the call quality and range (up to 15m) to be very good. The Fritz!Box has comprehensive VoIP settings. It allows you to see what calls were made and received, how long they lasted, and it also shows missed calls. Furthermore, you can block or divert calls and keep a telephone book. Setting up a VoIP account isn't yet super-easy, so if you've never done this before then the configuration page will look a little daunting.
Overall, there's a lot to like about the high-end Fritz!Box 7390. The only negative thing we can say is that with so many features, it took us forever to review. Also, its interface can sometimes appear too busy, and some features can be a bit of a pain to set up initially (such as finding the port forwarding page, or figuring out the VoIP or VPN settings). We love all the monitoring features that are available, along with the fact that the Fritz!Box 7390 was so reliable during our tests.
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1
One of the most unrelaible modem/Router I have owned. Support was useless. Constant crashing and rebooting. The store I got it from said it was the 6th they have had returned in 3 months for same reason. (Then why the hell you still selling them?)
Spent $80 on a netgear and hasn't missed a beat.
2
Fantastic!
The best home modem on the market!
Loads of functionalities. I dont know what the other are saying about it...
I have never had a problem on mine. All you have to do is simply keep it up to date.
3
I must say that the functionality of what the FritzBox can do is great; however its reliability is appalling as I have had 2 faulty units in the past 5.5 months.
The download speed for the first unit was for some reason capped at 2mbs and could not connect to the internet after 2 months of light usage. My internet provider confirms that the unit was indeed faulty since dispatch.
I contacted FritzBox and they proved to be extremely useless - the guy simply ignored the issues I experienced and kept ramming down my throat that Fritz Box never breaks down and that it's all my fault for having a faulty product (what the??). The support is non-existent and used-car salesman like - I never expected to pay $350 to have someone based in sub-continent telling me it's my fault. Needless to say, the guy never solved the problem or recommended any resolution.
Luckily the people I bought the unit from was kind enough to offer a replacement without even testing it (they probably knew all the FritzBox issues)
The second unit flared a little bit better and I was consistently getting 6mbs (via Internode) but it died completely after 3.5 months... ka-boom for no apparent reason.
I must say though that if I have to choose between features and reliability, I'd go for reliability any time!!! Rest assured my next router will be a reputable brand and not a FritzBox!
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