Product Reviews

Broadband routers generally offer the same kind of features, which is why the Fritz!Box Fon WLAN 7170 caught our eye. This is a standard ADSL broadband router, true enough, with wifi support for 802.11b, 11g and 11g++ (125Mbit/sec) variants and a four-port Ethernet hub. But it also offers Internet telephony features. Plug in a regular analogue phone (or a digital ISDN set if you have one) and your calls can be made over the Internet through the router. Features include call forwarding based on customisable rules and basic PBX features - a private telephone exchange - that use nothing more than your standard single phoneline.

The Fritz!Box promises a lot - and it manages to deliver. The documentation helps you to get the physical connections in place including plugging your phone into the router. Windows users can then use the supplied configuration CD.

There's no Mac-compatible configuration wizard on the disc but there is a PDF that details how to connect to the router if you hadn't simply used the IP address that your Mac's System Preferences has found already. Cunningly just typing 'fritz.box' into a browser will take you to the right admin page and the Configuration Wizard link will take you through the broadband

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setup without fuss. The configuration options are presented in a clear, comprehensible manner, and it even goes as far as to explain how to use the Fritz!Box if you already have a router in place. This detail would be easy to overlook, so we were pleased to see it there for those that want this for the Internet telephony features without changing their current router.

What isn't covered though is how to set up an IP-based Internet telephone account in the first place. The process of getting an Internet number, as it is called in the router's admin pages, involves signing up with a VoIP number provider. This can be done free at services such as sipgate.co.uk, although of course you still pay (low) perminute charges for your calls.

Once you've obtained your number, the process of using it for phone calls is as simple as the rest of the setup; make sure that your phone is plugged into the router, enter your VoIP details in the admin pages, and make calls as normal.

However, we found that using a telephone extension lead caused some background noise at our end of calls. But most people's broadband phone sockets will work with the double-headed cable on its own - and that fixes the problem.

Firmware update files can be applied, using a Mac, just as well as with a PC, although you have to claim to be using Windows to get to the correct download page. Though the product and software design is good and Mac support is actively improving, there is still a clear Windows-orientated focus.

The Fritz!Box is both a good ADSL broadband router and straightforward VoIP box. If you just need a router, there are a lot to choose from. But if you want an easy way to make VoIP calls with a regular telephone, the field is rather more sparse. But the easy-to-use Fritz!Box makes VoIP simple too.