INTRODUCTION

   When the very first WiFi capable devices made their debut in the market well over 2 decades ago they were marketed as an efficient alternative to cables/wires. Fast forward to today and even though WiFi has reached tremendous heights it still hasn't replaced cables/wires, not only due to security reasons but also speed, especially since it's surprisingly hard for a single WiFi modem/router to effectively cover an entire house/building (at least not with acceptable speeds). Both powerline adapters and WiFi repeaters were created for that exact purpose and with the arrival of the new WiFi 6 standard which promises even better speeds AVM has updated their lines with the FRITZ! Repeater 6000 model which i have here with me today.

   AVM is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of products for broadband connections and the digital home. FRITZ! brand products are easy to use for everyone. They enable fast internet access, easy networking, convenient telephony and versatile Smart Home applications. The FRITZ! OS software regularly offers new features and keeps all FRITZ! products up-to-date and secure. Since starting out in Berlin in 1986, AVM' has focused on developing innovative products in-house. In 2021 the Berlin-based communications specialist had 880 employees and generated a turnover of 570 million euros.

   Just like the previously released FRITZ! Repeater 3000 (review here) the 6000 model is clearly among the largest WiFi repeaters currently in the market and for good reason. Why? Well because AVM has once again squeezed numerous components inside the enclosure including the IPQ8074A quad-core ARM Cortex A53 SoC (2000MHz) together with the QCN5054 and QCN5024 WiFi modules by Qualcomm, 12 high-efficiency 2.4/5GHz front end modules (complete with antennas) by Qorvo (802.11ax - 12x12 MIMO Configuration), 512MB DDR3L SDRAM by Nanya and 2GB of NAND flash. The three 2.4/5GHz radios give the FRITZ! Repeater 6000 WiFi 6 compatibility/support and the ability to simultaneously deliver wireless speeds of up to 2400Mbps on the 1st 5GHz band, 2400Mbps on the 2nd 5GHz band and 1200Mbps on the 2.4GHz band (for a total of 6000Mbps which is once again where the product gets its name from). One more thing we don't see a lot (if at all) from wireless repeaters and even powerline adapters is the addition of a 2.5G port thanks to the QCA8081 ethernet PHY transceiver by Qualcomm. In past slower models this addition would be meaningless but the FRITZ! Repeater 6000 does seem to have what it takes to take advantage of it, under certain scenarios that is. So, let's see what the latest FRITZ! Repeater 6000 by AVM has to offer.