A new Lab version of the upcoming FRITZ!OS 8.50 is available now – with many functions for FRITZ!OS and the MyFRITZ!App. Users of FRITZ! products can look forward to not only the Matter Bridge function (Matter support) for the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro, but also energy-saving functions and routines in the smart home as well as DNS filters, automatic prioritization, and improved failover protection for FRITZ!Box 4G and 5G models, plus an SOS call with emergency contacts for the FRITZ!Fon. The optimized app offers a new Smart Check for fast diagnosis of all FRITZ! products in the home network as well as expanded service offers including support pages and a chatbot. The latest FRITZ! Lab versions as well as a testing guide for the new MyFRITZ!App can be tried out at fritz.com/labor.
Intelligent status analyses and more support
With the new Smart Check, the MyFRITZ!App shows the current status of the FRITZ!Box directly on the start screen of the app. This way users of FRITZ! products receive helpful recommendations, indications and warnings on various technical subjects like internet, telephony, home network, Wi-Fi, LAN, USB, smart home and security – always with concrete tips for fast implementation. The Smart Check indicates when a Mesh connection to a repeater is missing, for instance, and gives tips about how to block unwanted calls to premium phone numbers. This way users can always keep track. The current Smart Check status is visible at a glance on the start page of the app’s beta version – one tap on ‘Smart Check’ opens the comprehensive analysis. In the latest version of the MyFRITZ!App testers can also become acquainted with the integrated Service pages and their chatbot as well as the FRITZ! Online Shop.
Automatic prioritization for stable video conferences
Automatic prioritization provides for even more stable and faster connections – particularly beneficial for real-time communication such as video conferences where a reliable connection is especially important. Detection and prioritization are completely automated. If such a connection is currently in progress, the active prioritization is displayed directly in the user interface for the respective network device and can be retraced up to 24 hours later. This automatic prioritization is available in the FRITZ! Lab for both the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro and the FRITZ!Box 7690, and will become available for additional devices as FRITZ!OS 8.50 is rolled out in the coming weeks.
FRITZ!Box protects from unwanted contents
With the new DNS filters, unwelcome websites can be blocked for all devices in the home network concurrently – on smartphones, smart TVs, laptops and even smart lights or refrigerators. Blocks can be configured for websites that are known for excessive advertising, tracking or malware – but also phishing sites, botnets and other unwanted contents. When a device in the home network calls a blocked address, the FRITZ!Box blocks the query automatically. The FRITZ!Box supports common standards to read in and process lists of undesirable web addresses. Users can also rely on freely available block lists and those maintained by the online community in order to filter out ads, trackers and malware.
Failover protection now also for FRITZ!Box 4G and 5G models
With FRITZ! Failsafe – the FRITZ!Box's failover protection – FRITZ! users are always online even today. The new FRITZ! Lab now makes it possible to use FRITZ! Failsafe directly on the FRITZ!Box models for 4G and 5G. For the first time, these models also have the possibility of connecting to the internet over a LAN port, for instance, via an upstream ONT on a fiber optic connection. Then FRITZ! Failsafe ensures that the mobile broadband connection temporarily takes over internet provision in the home network should a landline connection fail.
Automatic SOS calls save times in an emergency
The new 'Simple Mode' for the FRITZ!Fon focuses telephony in menus and functions. This significantly simplifies operation. The adjustments are targeted primarily to the needs of the elderly and less technically adept users. After activation, the softkeys can be used as quick-dial buttons, such that each button can be assigned a phone number or function The SOS call is part of the simple mode and allows up to four emergency contacts to be registered, who will be called automatically one after another in case of emergency. The duration and repetition of the call sequences can be specified and adjusted This saves valuable time when it's needed.
More energy-saving functions and new automations in the smart home
The FRITZ!Smart Energy 200 and 210 smart plugs can now be automatically turned off if a specified current limit is exceeded for a defined amount of time. Frequently used smart home routines such as ‘Leaving the House’, ‘Coming Home’ or ‘Holidays’ can be automated with just a few clicks and triggered, for example, with zones (geofences) that were previously configured in the FRITZ!App Smart Home (current beta version). With the next update it is also possible to combine multiple triggers for routines, including the zones defined on the smartphone. This way you can configure, for instance, that a routine only becomes active when all residents have left the house. What's more, the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro can now be used as a Matter bridge. As a consequence, all FRITZ! Smart Home devices and compatible smart home devices from other manufacturers that are registered with the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro can be integrated into an existing matter network from Apple Home, Google Home or Amazon Alexa. Users can even benefit from voice controls.
FRITZ Lab: Fresh from Development
Beta updates from the FRITZ! Lab contain new functions fresh from the Development team, giving users a preview of the upcoming FRITZ!OS updates. At the same time, the latest improvements for security and energy efficiency are regularly added to the Lab versions. The FRITZ! Lab invites users to test the new functions in advance and give feedback for the further development.