AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX Review – Now with WiFi 6

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AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX Review Rating

Summary

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX is one of the most feature-rich routers on the market.

It has a VDSL modem, WiFi 6, mesh functionality, a built-in telephone system with SIP/VOIP and smart home functionality.

If you can make the most of all those features, then it is undeniably a great router. However, the underlying router specification is falling behind other systems, including the FRITZ!Box 4060. It is only dual-band, there is no multi-gig and WiFi is limited to 80Mhz.

Pros

  • One of the most feature-rich routers on the market
  • WiFi 6 provides a significant speed boost vs previous model

Cons

  • Version 1 has thermal issues, check you have the new vented V2 model
  • Identical to the older 7590, just with WiFi 6

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX was announced in May 2021 and is the WiFi 6 upgrade of the AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 I reviewed five years ago.

I don’t personally use VDSL anymore, and I have switched all my WiFi to Zyxel access points, but I still use the FRITZ!Box 7590 is my main router because I have found it to be an excellent and reliable router.

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX is almost identical to the FRITZ!Box 7590, it is just the WiFi has been upgraded.

Similar to a lot of other AVM products, there is no official UK variant, but there is an international model. I think the international models come with an EU plug, so you would need to buy an adaptor or the correct power supply for the router (12v, 2.5A, 30W )

Amazon Reviews

While researching and reviewing this router, I noticed quite a few negative Amazon reviews. It would seem that earlier models of this router may have had some issues related to it using the same design of the box as the original 7590 and overheating due to the increased power of WiFi 6. Newer models come in a larger chassis with vented sides.

The model I have been sent is 2000 2999, which seems to be the V2 of the international model and is both larger and better ventilated than my FRITZ!Box 7590. I have not experienced any problems in performance as a result of overheating.  

AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX Specification

I used the AVM comparison table to show the differences between the new 7590 AX vs the older WiFi 5 7590 and the slightly lower spec 7530 AX.

  FRITZ!Box 7590 AX FRITZ!Box 7590 FRITZ!Box 7530 AX
VDSL 35b supervectoring Yes Yes Yes
ADSL/ADSL2+ ADSL2+ Yes Yes
VDSL Yes Yes Yes
Analog and ISDN landline No Yes No
WAN Yes Yes Yes
Wi-Fi WiFi 6 WiFi 5 WiFi 6
MU-MIMO Yes Yes Yes
Dual-band Wi-Fi Yes Yes Yes
Band (GHz) 2.4 and 5 2.4 and 5 2.4 and 5
Max. Mbit/s 2400 + 1200 1733 + 800 1800 + 600
Telephone system Yes Yes Yes
VoIP/HD telephony Yes Yes Yes
Answ. mach/fax Yes Yes Yes
DECT base station Yes Yes Yes
Internal memory Yes Yes ?
Media server Yes Yes Yes
2.5 gigabit LAN No No No
Gigabit LAN 4 4 4
USB 2.0 0 0 1
USB 3.0 2 2 0
ISDN 0 1 0
Analog 2 2 1

Set-Up

As I am currently on Virgin Fibre, I had to set the router up using the WAN port rather than DSL. With this review, I signed into the WiFi with my phone and set it up through that.

It is just a step-by-step process and nothing complex to set up when using WAN. During the initial phase I skipped setting up any of the advanced features such as SIP/Voip.

Features

The overall features are essentially identical to the FRITZ!Box 7590 I currently use. AVM has been good at keeping the router up to date and adding new features. Since I first got the 7590, I think they have added the smart home functionality and mesh network functionality, which are two significant upgrades most which most brands would try and use as an excuse to force you into new hardware.

Mesh functionality

Telephone / VOIP SIP

I have previously reviewed the FRITZ!Fon C6 DECT phone on the 7590 which I use with a  SIP/Voip account via Yay. I, therefore, transferred everything over to the 7590 AX.

I rarely use the phone as all my business is done via email, but the system works well, and I can view all the call logs via the router.

Smart Home

AVM also have a unique set of home automation features which is reasonably unique for a router. Amazon eero has a Zigbee hub built in, and that’s the only other system with smart home functionality I am aware of.

All of the smart home hardware is geared for Europe / Germany, so I have not tested it. Available hardware includes a smart plug socket, radiator valves and a smart bulb.

WiFi Performance

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX is a dual-band WiFi 6 router with a 4×4 radio on both bands allowing it to achieve a theoretical speed of 2400 Mbit/s. It is limited to 80Mhz channel width, so the maximum speed a 2×2 client can connect is 1200Mbit/s.

Using iPerf and connecting to my server, I was able to achieve a throughput of 865 Mbits/sec.

This more or less matches the performance of the FRITZ!Box 4060 and it is a touch behind some of the best routers on the market from the likes of Netgear and TP-Link.

The FRITZ!Box 4060 is technically better than the 7590 AX because it is a tri-band system, but this will only affect the performance of the mesh system, should you wish to extend it with the tri-band FRITZ!Repeater 6000.

The range is good, and with the router located in the centre of my 4-bed semi-house I can just about get full coverage.

Using the older WiFi 5, I was able to achieve a throughput of 655 Mbits/sec.

This then dropped down to 451 Mbits/sec downstairs and 272 Mbits/sec in the front room.

Price and Alternative Options

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX is available on Amazon UK for £320. This will come with an EU plug as there is no UK variant.

On Amazon Germany, there doesn’t appear to be any stock sold by Amazon currently, but it was as low as  €259 for the International and German models. Third-party sellers have them but for around €100 extra.

The older WiFi 5 7590 has an RRP of €259 and is currently available for €199. Therefore I think the extra €60 for the WiFi 6 model is well worth it.

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7530 AX is the most logical alternative. The WiFi high specced but you generally won’t notice a difference due to the limitations of 2×2 clients. This is in stock and significantly cheaper at around €170.

The FRITZ!Box 4060 was launched this year and is a tri-band WiFI 6 router with a 2.5GbE port, and it is €230 (International version here). However, this lacks a VDSL modem.

I have a more detailed guide on VDSL routers for UK buyers here.

Overall

The AVM FRITZ!Box 7590 AX is undeniably a great router. If you need a VDSL modem and could benefit from a built-in telephone system, then this is an outstanding option.

With me reviewing it over a year after launch, it is perhaps a little less impressive than if I had reviewed it at launch. The FRITZ!Box 4060 was released this year and is a superior router with a tri-band WiFi 6 design and a 2.5GbE port but lacks the VDSL modem.

Last update on 2022-07-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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