Radio Channel Settings

The radio channel settings define which wireless LAN channel the FRITZ!Box uses and include additional settings for the wireless network of the FRITZ!Box. For instance, you can set a certain wireless standard or reduce transmitter power.

Defining the Type of Configuration

The radio channel settings can be configured in two ways:

Rules

Comply with the following rules if you select the radio channel yourself:

• Select a channel with as little interference as possible, or select "Auto channel" so that the FRITZ!Box automatically sets the radio channel best suited for transmission.
• Many wireless devices support only channels 36 through 48 in the 5-GHz band.
• When a channel between 52 – 140 is used in the 5-GHz range, the FRITZ!Box checks at regular intervals whether the radio channel used is also used by a higher priority radar source (for instance, weather radar). If higher priority radar is detected, the FRITZ!Box switches channels automatically. In this case wireless devices may lose their connection to the FRITZ!Box.

Additional Settings

The following settings are available if you selected "Adjust radio channel settings" in the user interface. To view the settings, click on "Additional Settings" under "Adjust radio channel settings".

2.4-GHz and 5-GHz Wireless Standard

The Wireless 802.11 standard has undergone further development step by step. As a result there are various 802.11 standards, including 802.11n and 802.11ac. If you select all standards, you can connect any wireless device with the FRITZ!Box, and each wireless device can automatically use the fastest standard it supports.

The 802.11a (5 GHz) standard plays a special role. Wireless devices that support 802.11a are rare. Select 802.11n+a only if 802.11a devices are to connect with the FRITZ!Box.

Maximum transmitter power

Reduce transmitter power if your wireless network is to be received only within your home or apartment.

Wireless auto channel including channel 12/13 (2.4 GHz frequency band)

Only available when the "Auto channel" setting is selected for the 2.4-GHz frequency band.

Enable this setting only if all wireless devices in the wireless LAN of the FRITZ!Box can use channels 12 and 13. Some wireless devices (notebooks, for instance) cannot.

To improve data transmission, wireless devices can be switched automatically between the 2.4-GHz and the 5-GHz frequency bands and between multiple FRITZ! products in the Mesh

See "Mesh WiFi Steering".

Wireless LAN coexistence enabled (2.4-GHz frequency band)

The FRITZ!Box can use 20-MHz channels and 40-MHz channels (in accordance with the Wireless N standard). If multiple wireless routers in the 2.4-GHz frequency band are transmitting on one 40-MHz channel, interference may result. To avoid such interference, enable "Wireless LAN coexistence enabled". The FRITZ!Box then switches to the 20-MHz channel whenever it detects a wireless router transmitting in a 40-MHz channel of the 2.4-GHz band.

You can disable this setting in locations with no other or only weakly transmitting wireless networks.

Allow wireless channels with 160-MHz channel bandwidth (5-GHz frequency band)

Increases the maximum Wi-Fi channel width from 80 MHz to 160 MHz and allows the latest Wireless AC devices with 2 x 2 antenna technology to double their throughput rates.

Optimize wireless transmission for live TV

TV transmissions based on the internet protocol (IP) will have the highest priority during data transmission.

Mesh WiFi Steering

Mesh WiFi steering combines the band steering and AP (Access Point) steering features, and is enabled in factory settings.

Band Steering

When one frequency band is experiencing a heavy load (usually the 2.4-GHz band), band steering allows the FRITZ!Box to register wireless devices that support dual-band transmission on the frequency band with a lighter load (usually 5-GHz). The wireless devices can be connected directly with the FRITZ!Box, or with a Mesh Repeater that supports dual-band transmission in the Mesh of the FRITZ!Box, for instance with a FRITZ!Repeater 3000.

For band steering the 2.4 and the 5-GHz radio networks of the FRITZ!Box must have the same name (SSID).

AP Steering

AP steering is a feature in Mesh WiFi. With AP steering the FRITZ!Box can control which FRITZ! device in the Mesh (for instance, FRITZ!Box, FRITZ!Repeater) a wireless device connects to. The FRITZ!Box can even direct wireless devices to switch to a different FRITZ! device in order to improve data transmission.

AP steering is possible to every FRITZ! device in the Mesh WiFi whose wireless network has the same name (SSID) as the wireless network of the FRITZ!Box.

Disabling Mesh WiFi Steering

Disable Mesh WiFi steering only if a wireless device experiences problems with wireless connections. There are a few wireless devices that are incompatible with Mesh WiFi steering.

1. Select "Wireless / Radio Channel" in the user interface.
2. Enable "Adjust radio channel settings".
3. Under "Additional Settings", disable the checkbox for "To improve data transmission, wireless devices can be switched automatically between the 2.4-GHz and the 5-GHz frequency bands and between multiple FRITZ! products in the Mesh".
4. Click on "Apply".

Wireless Environment

The wireless environment of the FRITZ!Box is depicted in two graphs, one for the 2.4-GHz band and one for the 5-GHz band. Using these graphs you can detect channels with a lower load, on which higher throughput rates can be achieved.

Loading of the Current Radio Channel

The graphs show the load on the radio channels currently in use, the share of this load used by the FRITZ!Box, and the share used by other radio networks. Under the graphs you can set the period of time (between 1 minute and 7 days) for which the load is displayed.

Use of the Wireless Channels

The graphs show how the load experienced by the individual wireless channels through wireless networks in the vicinity of the FRITZ!Box. Sources of interference and frequencies occupied by a radar source are also displayed.

Wireless networks always influence several adjacent channels at the same time. This is why several radio channels used by the FRITZ!Box are displayed.

Other Radio Networks in your Vicinity

The table shows all radio networks in the vicinity of the FRITZ!Box. You can change the sorting of the table, to sort by channels, for instance, by clicking on the and arrows in the table header.