---
title: "FRITZ!Box login, restart, FRITZ!OS updates and UPnP: a practical guide"
url: "https://kilobat.app/routers/fritzbox"
description: "Sign in at fritz.box, restart a FRITZ!Box, update FRITZ!OS 8, find devices, set UPnP port sharing and status, prioritise devices, split bands and set DNS."
---

Router · FRITZ! (formerly AVM)

# FRITZ!Box login, restart, FRITZ!OS updates and UPnP

Manage your FRITZ!Box at `http://fritz.box` in a browser. Provider boxes may hide settings.

FRITZ!Box

Sign in

`fritz.box` or `192.168.178.1`

App

MyFRITZ!App (iOS and Android)

Password

Look for the FRITZ!Box password on the label underneath the box. The Wi-Fi key may be listed separately on the label.

Models

FRITZ!Box 7690, FRITZ!Box 7590 AX, FRITZ!Box 7590, FRITZ!Box 7530 AX, FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro, FRITZ!Box 5590 Fiber, FRITZ!Box 6690 Cable, FRITZ!Box 6660 Cable

**Checked 1 November 2026.** FRITZ!Box models running FRITZ!OS 8 (8.50 on the 7690, 8.25 on the 7590; menus as of 2026). Boxes supplied by a provider may hide some menus. MyFRITZ!App for iOS and Android.

## Sign in to the FRITZ!Box

1. Connect your Mac to the FRITZ!Box by Wi-Fi or cable, but not through guest access.
2. Open `http://fritz.box` in your browser.
3. If it doesn’t load, try `http://192.168.178.1` or the fallback address `http://169.254.1.1`.
4. Enter the FRITZ!Box password and click **Log In**.

Forgot the password? Click **Forgot your password?**, then **Send push service mail**, if offered. Otherwise unplug for a minute, reconnect, and within 10 minutes choose **Forgot your password? › Restore Factory Settings**. This erases every setting.

## Restart it properly

A restart keeps your settings but clears the event log, so read **System › Event Log** first if you are chasing a fault. It takes about two minutes.

1. Sign in at `http://fritz.box` and click **System › Backup**.
2. Open the **Restart** tab.
3. Click the restart button and wait until the box is back.

### Without the user interface

1. Unplug the FRITZ!Box from the power for 5 seconds.
2. Plug it back in and wait about two minutes.

### Schedule a restart

FRITZ!’s help pages document no scheduled restart.

**Kilobat can help.** Kilobat Pro’s [router check-up](https://kilobat.app/docs/home-network#router-checkup) learns how fast this router usually answers, says when a restart is due, and checks the next day whether it helped.

## Update the firmware

1. Sign in and click **System › Update**.
2. Click **Find New FRITZ!OS**.
3. Click **Next** and follow the wizard, or click **Start Update Now** if that is offered.
4. On the **Automatic Update** tab, keep **Notify me about new versions of FRITZ!OS and install new versions automatically** on.

Automatic updates are on by default and roll out in stages, so an online update can get a new version sooner. If there is no **Update** menu, your provider supplied the box and installs FRITZ!OS for you.

[The maker’s firmware download page](https://download.avm.de/fritzbox/)

## See connected devices

1. Sign in and click **Home Network › Mesh** to see every active device and how it connects.
2. For a full list, click **Home Network › Network** and open the **Network Connections** tab.
3. Click the edit button next to a device to rename it or see its details.
4. Under **Idle Connections**, click delete next to devices you no longer own.
5. In MyFRITZ!App, the **Home Network** menu shows devices and lets you block or prioritise them.

### Connect it to Kilobat

Kilobat Pro reads TR-064 on your home network. A FRITZ!Box provides its device list, whole-home traffic and uptime; it does not provide per-device traffic through this interface.

1. In **System › FRITZ!Box Users**, create a dedicated user with the **FRITZ!Box Settings** right and no access from the internet.
2. On the home network, open Kilobat’s **Tools › Devices › Connect your router**, choose FRITZ!Box and enter that user’s credentials.
3. Kilobat asks the box for its HTTPS port. Compare the certificate fingerprint with the box before choosing **Trust and Connect**.

The password stays in this Mac’s Keychain. Kilobat reads only; the remaining whole-home traffic is “other devices”, never a measured camera or other single device’s share. [Connection details and limits](https://kilobat.app/docs/home-network#router).

**Kilobat can help.** Kilobat’s [new-device alerts](https://kilobat.app/docs/home-network#new-devices) tell you when a device you haven’t seen joins your home Wi-Fi. **Tools › Devices** lists what answers on the network, and you can name each one.

## UPnP and port forwarding

The FRITZ!Box supports UPnP IGD and PCP (Port Control Protocol). Port sharing via UPnP is allowed per device, not for the whole network, and it is off for each device until you turn it on.

1. Sign in and click **Home Network › Network**, then the **Network Connections** tab.
2. Click the edit button next to the device that needs open ports, such as a games console.
3. Open the **Home Network** tab.
4. Tick **Permit independent port sharing and clearing and restoring the internet connection for this device**.
5. Click **Apply**. Ports opened this way appear under **Internet › Permit Access** and **Diagnostics › Security**.

FRITZ! warns that once a device may open ports itself, malware on that device can too, bypassing the FRITZ!Box firewall. Allow it only on devices that need it, and keep their own firewall on. Port sharing also needs a public IPv4 or an IPv6 address from your provider.

### Status information over UPnP

Separately, the FRITZ!Box can share read-only status over UPnP IGD: connection state, line sync and data transferred. FRITZ! marks **Transmit status information over UPnP** as recommended. Programs on your network can read it without a password.

1. Click **Home Network › Network**, then the **Network Settings** tab.
2. Click **Change Advanced Network Settings** and look for **Transmit status information over UPnP**.
3. Tick it and click **Apply**.

FRITZ!’s current help pages don’t name the exact tab for this option in FRITZ!OS 8.

### NAT-PMP

FRITZ! documents UPnP IGD and PCP for automatic port sharing, not NAT-PMP.

**Kilobat can help.** On supported routers, Kilobat’s [call reports](https://kilobat.app/video-calls) can read available traffic counters, read-only, to identify another device that was busy when a call froze. Correlation does not prove the cause. Kilobat never opens ports.

## Prioritise calls and gaming

FRITZ!OS prioritises calls automatically. Add rules for other traffic.

1. Click **Home Network › Network**, then the **Network Connections** tab.
2. Click the edit button next to the device.
3. In the **Internet Use** section, enable **prioritized** and click **Apply**.

### Prioritisation rules

1. Click **Internet › Filter**, then the **Prioritization** tab.
2. Pick **Real-Time Applications**, **Prioritized Applications** or **Background Applications**, then **Create New Rule**.
3. Choose the device and the application, then click **Add**.

**Kilobat can help.** Run Kilobat’s [stutter test](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/test-call-stutter) before and after you change priorities, to see whether calls really got smoother.

## 2.4 and 5 GHz, and the channel

By default the 2.4 and 5 GHz networks share one name, so the box can steer devices to the better band. Separate names switch that band steering off.

1. Sign in and click **Wi-Fi › Wi-Fi Network**.
2. Enable **Use different names for Wi-Fi networks**.
3. Enter a name for each band in **Name of the Wi-Fi network (SSID)**.
4. Click **Apply** and reconnect your devices.

### Change the channel

1. Click **Wi-Fi › Wi-Fi Channel**.
2. Turn off **Set Wi-Fi channel settings automatically (recommended)** to choose channels yourself.
3. Click **Apply**. Wi-Fi drops briefly and reconnects.

Even with a manual channel, the box moves away from strong interference and logs it in the event log.

**Kilobat can help.** Kilobat shows which band and channel your Mac is on, and `kilobat channels` suggests the least crowded channel. More in [crowded Wi-Fi channels](https://kilobat.app/guides/wifi-channel-congestion) and [Wi-Fi on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/wifi-analyzer-mac).

## Mesh: which node a device uses

FRITZ! Mesh joins repeaters, powerline adapters and other boxes under one Mesh Master.

1. Click **Home Network › Mesh** and check that each repeater shows the Mesh symbol.
2. In each repeater’s own interface, open **Home Network › Mesh**, then the **Mesh Settings** tab.
3. Enable **Adopt settings enabled** and click **Apply**.

Mesh Wi-Fi steering only works when both bands share one network name.

**Kilobat can help.** When your Mac moves to another node or band, Kilobat’s Health says so, so a weaker node isn’t taken for a router problem. See [find a better Wi-Fi spot](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/find-better-wifi-spot).

## Guest network

1. Sign in and click **Wi-Fi › Guest Access**, then enable the guest access.
2. Choose **Private Wi-Fi guest access** for a password-protected network.
3. Set the name, the **Encryption** and a **Network key** of 8 to 63 characters.
4. Click **Apply**. **Print Info Sheet** gives a QR code for guests.

Mesh Repeaters carry the guest network automatically.

**Kilobat can help.** Kilobat can show a network as a QR code, so guests join with their phone’s camera: [share Wi-Fi with a QR code](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/share-wifi-qr-code).

## DNS settings

1. Sign in and click **Internet › Account Information**, then the **DNS Server** tab.
2. Enable **Use other DNSv4 servers** and fill in **Preferred DNSv4 server** and **Alternative DNSv4 server**.
3. Do the same under **Use other DNSv6 servers** if you use IPv6.
4. For encryption, enable **Encrypted name resolution in the internet (DNS over TLS)** and add the servers’ names.
5. Click **Apply** and confirm on the box if asked.

A wrong address cuts off internet access over that IP version.

### DNS filter lists

FRITZ!OS 8.50 can block domains from filter lists for the home and guest networks.

1. Click **Home Network › Network › Network Settings › Change Advanced Network Settings**.
2. Open the **DNS Filter** tab and add a filter list by name and URL.

**Kilobat can help.** Before you change DNS, [compare resolvers with Kilobat](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/pick-faster-dns) to see which answers fastest from your home.

## Connection status and logs

1. Click **Internet › Online Monitor** to see the connection and which devices use the most bandwidth.
2. Open the **Connection Details** tab to see your public IPv4 address (**Internet, IPv4**).
3. On a DSL model, click **Internet › DSL Information** and the **DSL** tab for **Current data rate** and error counters.
4. Click **System › Event Log**, then **Internet Connection**, for drops and sign-in errors.

An IPv4 address in `100.64.0.0`–`100.127.255.255` (carrier-grade NAT) or `192.0.0.0`–`192.0.0.7` (DS-Lite) means the box can’t be reached over IPv4 from outside.

**Kilobat can help.** When the line keeps dropping, Kilobat’s [provider report](https://kilobat.app/docs/health#report) lists outages, latency and speed tests against your plan, ready to send to your provider.

## Manuals and downloads

- [FRITZ!Box 7690 manual (PDF)](https://assets.avm.de/files/docs/fritzbox/fritzbox-7690/fritzbox-7690_man_en.pdf)
- [FRITZ!Box 7590 AX manual (PDF)](https://assets.avm.de/files/docs/fritzbox/fritzbox-7590-ax-v2/fritzbox-7590-ax-v2_man_en.pdf)
- [FRITZ! Service: FRITZ!Box 7690](https://fritz.com/en/pages/service-fritz-box-7690)
- [FRITZ! Manuals](https://fritz.com/en/pages/documentation)
- [Firmware downloads](https://download.avm.de/fritzbox/)

Links go to the maker’s own pages.

## Questions

**My FRITZ!Box has no Update menu. Why?**

Your provider supplied it and installs FRITZ!OS itself. Ask the provider about new versions.

**A game says its NAT type is strict even with port sharing on. Why?**

Open ports need a public IPv4 address. Check **Internet › Online Monitor › Connection Details**: a DS-Lite or carrier-grade NAT address means only your provider can change this.

## Sources

- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Opening the FRITZ!Box user interface](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/1_Opening-the-FRITZ-Box-user-interface)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Determining the password for the FRITZ!Box user interface](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/3531_Determining-the-password-for-the-FRITZ-Box-user-interface)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Forgot password for the FRITZ!Box user interface](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/285_Forgot-password-for-the-FRITZ-Box-user-interface)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: FRITZ!Box user interface cannot be opened](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/245_FRITZ-Box-user-interface-cannot-be-opened)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Loading the FRITZ!Box factory settings](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/3_Loading-the-FRITZ-Box-factory-settings)
- [FRITZ! online help: System / Backup / Restart](https://service.avm.de/help/en/FRITZ-Box-7530/018/hilfe_system_neustart)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Updating FRITZ!OS of the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/2_Updating-FRITZ-OS-of-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Setting up automatic port sharing in the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7590/894_Setting-up-automatic-port-sharing-in-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! online help: UPnP (Transmit status information over UPnP)](http://help.avm.de/fritzbox.php?oem=avme&hardware=139&language=en&set=007&topic=hilfe_netzwerk_upnp&deviceFeatures=&userSettings=)
- [FRITZ! Development support: interfaces (TR-064 and UPnP IGD)](https://fritz.com/en/pages/interfaces)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Setting up MyFRITZ!App for iOS](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/1202_Setting-up-MyFRITZ-App-for-iOS)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Prioritizing internet access for important network applications and devices](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/228_Prioritizing-internet-access-for-important-network-applications-and-devices-in-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Prioritize internet use for a device in the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/3604_Prioritize-internet-use-for-a-device-in-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Changing the name of the Wi-Fi network (SSID)](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/531_Changing-the-name-of-the-Wi-Fi-network-SSID-of-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Optimizing the Wi-Fi network of the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/3243_Optimizing-the-Wi-Fi-network-of-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: FRITZ!Box changes the Wi-Fi channel that was manually set](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/3311_FRITZ-Box-changes-the-Wi-Fi-channel-that-was-manually-set)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: What is Mesh Wi-Fi steering and how does it work?](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/3515_What-is-Mesh-Wi-Fi-steering-and-how-does-it-work)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Setting up Wi-Fi guest access in the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/294_Setting-up-Wi-Fi-guest-access-in-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Configuring different DNS servers in the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/165_Configuring-different-DNS-servers-in-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Configuring DNS filters in the FRITZ!Box](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/4463_Configuring-DNS-filters-in-the-FRITZ-Box)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Identifying the address range of the IPv4 address for the internet connection](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/1089_Identifying-the-address-range-of-the-IPv4-address-for-the-internet-connection)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: Internet access over the FRITZ!Box is slow](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/468_Internet-access-over-the-FRITZ-Box-is-slow)
- [FRITZ! Knowledge Base: DSL connection drops frequently](https://fritz.com/en/apps/knowledge-base/FRITZ-Box-7690/41_DSL-connection-drops-frequently)
- [FRITZ!: FRITZ!OS 8.50 release notes for the FRITZ!Box 7690](https://download.avm.de/fritzbox/fritzbox-7690/deutschland/fritz.os/info_en.txt)

Checked on 1 November 2026.

## See what your router can’t tell you

Kilobat is a Mac menu-bar app that watches the network from your side: which app is using it, whether the Wi-Fi, the router or the provider is slow, and why a call froze.

[Download for Mac ↓](https://kilobat.app/downloads/Kilobat-1.31.1.dmg?via=site)

```
brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat
```

## More router guides

- [O2 HomeBox](https://kilobat.app/routers/o2-homebox): The HomeBox is the router O2 supplies in Germany for DSL and fibre; the current model is the HomeBox 4 (7741).
- [Speedport](https://kilobat.app/routers/telekom-speedport): The Speedport is the router Deutsche Telekom supplies with MagentaZuhause lines.
- [Vodafone Station](https://kilobat.app/routers/vodafone-station): The Vodafone Station is the cable router Vodafone supplies with cable internet in Germany.