Revolution or Evolution?

Maybe once in advance: After several reviews I've read so, always comes back the statement that in particular the 7390 no significant disadvantages compared with the 7490 provides, so you should leave exactly on the new features already offered by the 7490 order a change is really worth.

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Delivery / Exterior:

- Just as we know it from AVM; it's all on board what we needed for initial setup
- Fritz, Quick Start Guide, CD-Fritzbox, 1xTelefonadapter, 1xDSL adapter, power supply, DSL / telephone cable (Y-cable) CAT cable
- In direct comparison to 7270 is striking that the Fritz box has 7490 risen consistently in their dimensions, also the antennas are now entirely in the housing installed (more on that later)
- The box does not require active cooling, and now has additional vents
- The dimensions have measured me with 245 x 174 x 55 mm

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Commissioning:

- Again, I must express AVM big compliment, it's like stepping into a Golf. Everything is in its place, you find yourself as AVM owner immediately familiar and even newcomers should not be difficult commissioning
- Help is available in the router itself, in the manual or Online
- It is not necessary to read through a thick manual, but you get a hinged, large and color-labeled installation instructions in the manual given that (in German) most exactly describes what is in which connection to use / note.
- The cables and adapters described in the sketches can be assigned and used immediately. Question mark likely to open up for a few therefore, it has something of a Lego building instructions.
- If the "Hardware-wiring" concluded the box can also be put into operation immediately, giving power and a short time later you can perform the router configuration with a wizard
- The surface is called in the browser via Fitz.box, it is advisable to set the PC to DHCP and select an IP from the network area 192.168.178er
- The wizard is similar logically ago as the Quick Start Guide, the basic parameters of the connection, the provider and desired features (telephony / WLAN, etc.) are queried step by step.
- In my case (as of November 2014) 06:20 OS is already installed the latest firmware with Fritz!. Perfect!

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Router menu:

I must confess, even with the old Fritz box 7270 I have not picked up to some extent all the features that the box gave me at that time, so please forgive me if some features are not exclusive 7490 but had already in advance there.

- To me, that the Fritz box to perfection the menu is hard to beat, it includes a lot of features, but these are logical and well divided and easy to find. Essentially, these are: Internet, telephony, WLAN, DECT and system
- The basic functions are always to be found first, just for "normal" users. Who wants to go into a bit more detail, but takes a lot of depth screws.

On the overview page has changed little compared to 7270:
- I noticed here in network that the individual connections LAN1-4 different speeds can be assigned. LAN1 example 1Gbit, LAN2 eg 100Mbit.
- In the USB Device menu, there are now two configurable ports (USB 3.0)
- The internal memory, which can be used as NAS, shows me after commissioning 400MB place
- The Fritz box now has the 2.4 / 5 GHz WLAN parallel operation and generated QR codes for easy setup of clients and guests that you want to leave in a guest-Fi
- The radio channels can be configured separately
- The Energy Monitor now shows me the CPU temperature, in contrast to 7270, the RAM is now at full capacity only to 50%

Under the Software-hood, has functionally and visually so little changed overall, I must note, however, that everything runs much smoother. The menu structure of a for weeks / months running 7270, in particular with active data traffic was time bore very sluggish, now it runs very smoothly.

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What can the 7490 because now really more as opposed to 7270:

- VDSL capability directly from the first firmware
- 1300Mbit AC + N WLAN over 300Mbit Wireless N
- Parallel operation of 2.4 and 5GHz wireless band
- An internal information furnished Memory
- Gigabit LAN instead of 100Mbit
- 2x USB 3.0 ports instead of 1x USB "2" (very slow)
- Dual Core 600Mhz and 256MB RAM

The NAS / DECT / AB features I can not say much because I have neither now nor in the past used. The connected via the analog port FON1 Siemens Gigaset telephone anyway is basically flawless.

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Technical Other:
- The 4 Ethernet ports are marked in yellow
- The USB ports can be used as storage interface for Fritz use NAS storage or printer!
- There are 2xRJ11 ports and an ISDN S0 bus
- The Gigabit ports reached in my tests nearly the max. however possible speed, you should think about all the ports to switch to Gigabit, as long as you need the (standard: only LAN1 Gigabit)
- I use the Fritz box with active Wi-Fi and a router with 2 active LAN ports. Consumption settles on average 7,5-8,8Watt a. A measurement in night mode, ie without active wireless connections I run still by and hang it as a picture
- Very, very gratifying that the 7490 the ADSL2 + line exploits once more. I had with the 7270 sometimes only sync rates of 15,3-15,5Mbit, attracts 7490 everything from the wire which is available with me. And that is not an empty value, but this is also measurable. The 7270 (saleLanded) leveled off at me for 1-2Tagen sometimes at 900kb / s download rate that syncte after reboot but again always on 15, x Mbits. The 7490 now synct with 17,3Mbit and reached across to my 16.000er telecom connection 1,7xMB / s and for days / weeks

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WLAN:

Very critical I've been waiting for measuring results of WLANs, numerical values ​​I deliver yet, but some can I hold so far. The Fritzbox delivers here with mixed feelings:

- 5-Ghz: Was always hope and holy grail of trouble-free WLANs. In my neighborhood currently sparks almost 8 WLANs at 2.4 GHz, the channels are therefore virtually fully occupied. In particular, in my repeater mode I had to
a significant increase in data rate delighted if the Fritz box communicates "exclusively" to 5GHz with the Fritz! WLAN Repeater N / G. This is by no means the case.
- One thing is certain, for hobbyists or special users of the WLAN 7490 is restricted to use. Was there in 7270 the possibility of the antennas to be replaced by others, a now welcomes a silver plastic tab on the box. So you have to live with what you have. And that's not bad!
- In the 2.4 GHz band to reach a significant improvement. A reinforced concrete ceiling through to reach the living room still nearly approximate full scale in 54G / Wireless N operation. Faster client I have not unfortunately. The signal is stable and perfectly adequate for surfing.
- In the 5 GHz band the repeater on the same floor reach full 300Mbit instead of the previous 100-120Mbit. But this changes abruptly when I establish the repeater at his usual place. Here the data rate varies between! 6! and 80Mbit. With fairly constant 75Mbit in the 2.4 GHz band, the radio link is between them much safer with two storeys, and that, although there are many disturbing WLANs. Very sad, so will the 5GHz WLAN, which only sight is apparently really very quickly, an almost untapped feature to me and would be more suitable for smaller apartments for longer-storied villas suitable.

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Conclusion:

Well, what remains finally to say .... AVM remains for yourself the biggest competitor. The 7490 is an evolution, not a revolution. Everything is somehow even from the pre-previous generation known Everything has been implemented faster, more involved and is made smoother and more practicable by the faster hardware base. The question you must ask is always, however: Use someone who is truly technology-savvy and always wants the best and strongest a Fritzbox as NAS or acquires separately? In many houses the port is in the basement. The DECT Fritzbox is thus unfortunately only conditionally usable, so often the former telephone junction box is used on FON1 and yet are own DECT base stations again in the rooms.

The Fritz box can all very well, but in particular for the vielbeworbenen special features there are better hardware. For many, therefore, the faster WLAN compared to 7270 remains the most obvious feature, or simply the need for a piece of hardware which can be used for VDSL to have. Given the price one should therefore carefully consider whether the 7490 is really needed. If you have only 4-6 years old laptops with wireless cards and a slow DSL1000-16.000 connection without the need of a media server may be asked the meaningfulness of change certainly in question.

In my case it was that led me to 7490 the increasing instability of 7270 (possibly due to feature-rich firmware) and the End of Support. Once VDSL is available, it is also used by me.

The hardly measurable increased consumption (7-8Watt total consumption with me) and the faster hardware and the Leistunganagebot make the 7490 for me still you can buy at the best all-rounder when it comes to the router currently. In contrast to 7270 and 7390 AVM seems to have quickly released a firmware running stable this time. However, the change of a previously used 7390 to 7490 is not worthwhile in my opinion. The price and the non-removable antennas in combination with the rather modest benefit in terms of speed WLAN in a single-family house on several floors run with me last end to a star trigger as well as the fact that the distance to 7390 is too small.

I hang on a few more screenshots to compare and hope that these after reduction also can not detect.