When you say AVM FRITZ!Box, you probably immediately think of a router with a built-in DSL modem. The 4020 is AVM's first regular router with a WAN port instead of a built-in modem. At the same time, with a price of sixty euros, it is also the cheapest FRITZ!Box ever.
AVM Fritz!Box 4020
Price € 59,-
Connections 4x 10/100 network connections, 10/100 WAN port, USB 2.0
wireless 802.11b/g/n (maximum 450 Mbit/s)
Dimensions 16.6 x 12 x 4.8cm
Wall mounting Yes
Website //nl.avm.de
6 Score 60- Pros
- Good range
- Low energy consumption
- Compact
- Opportunities
- Negatives
- No gigabit ports
- No 5GHz band
In terms of design, I would call the 4020 a typical FRITZ!Box: gray and red with antennae that resemble shark fins. However, there is one big difference, because the FRITZ!Box 4020 is a lot smaller compared to an average FRITZ!Box such as the 7490. At the same time, it is also the cheapest FRITZ!Box ever and this is immediately reflected in the specifications. It's been a long time since I've seen a router with only the 2.4GHz band combined with Fast Ethernet ports. There is no trace of now established options such as 802.11ac, 802.11n at 5 GHz and gigabit network ports. Also read: 9 tips to get the most out of your router
A WAN port and four LAN ports are placed on the back. On the side you will find a USB2.0 port, while buttons for switching WiFi on or off and connecting via WPS are placed on top. Connected equipment to the 4020 can never achieve a speed higher than 100 Mbit/s through the network ports. As a result, it cannot serve as the basis of a modern network. Is the FRITZ!Box then intended to be used as a WiFi access point for, for example, the living room? I doubt that too, because the router only supports 802.11n on the 2.4 GHz band, so there is no support for the 5 GHz band and that band is becoming more and more common - with the 2.4 GHz band filling up. useful.
Interface and apps
The 4020 is a stripped-down model, but in terms of interface it offers the same as more expensive FRITZ!Box routers. You get NAS capabilities, a usable VPN server, support for IPv6 and excellent guest networking options. Another handy feature is that the FRITZ!Box 4020 can easily be configured as an access point using the WAN port. This means you don't have to disable things like the DHCP server yourself. The router can also be used as a WiFi repeater. The FRITZ!Box can also be accessed via an app to adjust settings and access files when using the NAS option. The web interface supports multiple languages, including English.
Performance
The FRITZ!Box contains 100 Mbit/s ports, which in practice achieve a speed of 95 Mbit/s as expected. For the wireless performance, I tested the FRITZ!Box 4020 in a practical situation in a three-storey house. I placed the router centrally in the house on the first floor and then tested the speed on each floor. With the FRITZ!Box I got 94 Mbit/s on the first floor where the router is located, 93 Mbit/s in the attic and 51 Mbit/s on the ground floor. For comparison, I placed a D-Link DIR-880L in the same spot and also measured the speed of the 2.4GHz network. With this I get 120 Mbit/s on the first floor, 79 Mbit/s in the attic and 45 Mbit/s on the ground floor. The D-Link is an AC1900 router and, like the FRITZ!Box, contains a 2.4 GHz access point with three antennas. A nice feature of the FRITZ!Box is its low energy consumption. Where the D-Link requires about 8 to 10 watts, the FRITZ!Box is satisfied with 2 watts. In a year, the FRITZ!Box will cost you about 4 euros in electricity, while an average router like the D-Link will cost you about 19 euros.
Restricted by the gates
The most striking thing about the speed measurement is that the D-Link router achieves a much higher speed on the floor where the router is located. The explanation is simple: D-Link's access point is not slowed down by a 100Mbit/s network port, while the FRITZ!Box's WiFi radio is limited by its 100Mbit/s network ports. If you look at the results in the attic and the ground floor, you will notice that the FRITZ!Box is a lot faster. There is therefore nothing wrong with the WiFi network itself in terms of range and speed. However, I myself increasingly use the 5GHz band with which you can achieve about 250 Mbit/s with an access point on the same floor via 802.11n, while 350 Mbit/s is perfectly possible via 802.11ac. Perhaps not immediately necessary for the internet, but it is very nice for working with files on a NAS.
Conclusion
AVM's FRITZ!Box 4020 is an old-fashioned router in terms of specifications, Fast Ethernet ports in combination with only the 2.4 GHz band are outdated as far as I'm concerned. Within those limitations, AVM has done a good job. The 2.4GHz band performs excellently and the 4020 has many of the capabilities that its big brothers have. Still, I wonder who this router is intended for. In any case, for someone with a lower internet speed than 100 Mbit/s, with also few demands on the home network. Because even if your internet speed is not that high, a copy action within your network to, for example, your NAS is strongly limited by the 4020. You can of course use the 4020 as an extra access point and the configuration for this is even very simple. However, I would opt for an 802.11ac solution for an additional access point, so that you can also use the fast and less congested 5GHz band. In short: for what the FRITZ!Box 4020 pretends to be, it functions excellently, but I don't immediately see the point of this router.
