Usually, AVM initially provides the laboratory versions for the most popular models in order to use the feedback to improve future versions for other Fritz boxes and Fritz accessories. For which Fritzbox there is a current laboratory version, you can see on the website https://avm.de/fritz-labor/. Fritz OS as a laboratory version should not be installed on a Fritzbox that is used for daily Internet and WLAN access. The beta firmware can run unstable and cause the Fritzbox to crash.
The more advanced the laboratory development is, the lower the risk of a router failure. Problems can still arise with special applications such as IPTV or the correct integration of smart home devices. If you are prepared for this, you can install a laboratory version to try it out without risk and, if you have problems, quickly import the official Fritz OS at the time.
AVM has refreshed the look of the Fritzbox menu with Fritz OS 7.50. The colors look more modern and the menus are structured more clearly. The new Fritzbox interface should also be easier to use via smartphone.
Menu categories in the left column have been given more recognizable icons. In addition, an apparently new point appears there with “Info Center”: It refers to the table of contents of the Fritzbox settings, which previously could be reached via the “Content” item at the bottom left.
In the current lab version, there is no longer a switch between the “Standard” view, in which some setting options do not appear, and the “Advanced” view. Instead, for a better overview, AVM now uses collapsible submenus that hide additional settings. The quick access to “MyFritz!” and “FRITZ!-NAS” is now easier to recognize thanks to the redesigned buttons at the top right.
The adjusted menu structure is particularly clear for “WLAN –› Radio network”: Here you can now immediately see the settings for the network SSID and WiFi password, including the QR code for a quick connection to the radio network. So far, this information only appears at the bottom of the page of this menu. The WLAN settings are also tidier thanks to additional drop-down menus such as “More information about the WLAN radio network”: only after clicking on it does the information about the MAC addresses of the Fritzbox radio modules and an option to hide the SSID appear.
The settings for the radio channels (“Adjust radio channel settings”) are also easier to use because the options for the different frequency bands are now arranged next to each other instead of one below the other.
In order to confirm or reject changed settings, the Fritzbox interface now shows appropriate buttons at the bottom of the menu, which you use instead of the previously fixed areas at the bottom right or the confirmation windows that are located centrally over the menu interface.
Fritz OS 7.50 offers a fun new function in connection with a Fritzfon: the DECT device from AVM uses voice to tell who is calling or where the call is coming from. The prerequisite for this is an active Myfritz account for the Fritzbox in question and the current firmware on the Fritzfon. You can do the latter either via the home network view in the Fritzbox menu under “Home network -› Mesh” or directly on the Fritzfon under “Settings -› Software version -› Check”.
For the voice announcement, the Fritzbox evaluates the entries in the phone book: the Fritzfon then no longer announces an incoming call with a ringtone, but with the announcement “Call from boss”, for example. If the caller is not stored in the phone book of the Fritzbox, the Fritzfon announces the location from which the call is being made – just as it currently does by displaying it on the telephone display.
You can also have appointment reminders or the Fritz-Fon alarm clock signaled by voice instead of sound. The Fritzbox also uses the text-to-speech engine to state the name or location of the caller when listening to messages on the answering machine.
Set up voice ringing in the Fritzbox under “Telephony –› Telephony devices”. Click on the edit symbol on the Fritzfon and go to the “Ringtones” menu. If the handset responds to a specific phone number, select Voice Ring from the drop-down menu for that number. Otherwise you will find this setting in the line “other external call”.
Further down on the page you will find the “Settings for caller announcements / voice ringing” menu: There you can activate a male or female voice as voice output or also set a ringtone that should sound before the voice ringing.
To be reminded of an appointment or a wake-up time by voice from the Fritzfon, change the settings directly in the handset menu. For example, for a wake-up call that you set up in the menu under “Convenience services”, select the option “Language (female)” or “Speech (male)” under “Alarm tone”. A special text can also be entered under “Text”, which the voice output will say at the wake-up time.
The appointment calendar, which you can find under “Comfort Services”, is new for the Fritzfon. There you can create reminders for specific days and times, which can also be repeated. As with the alarm clock, the Fritzfon then draws attention to an appointment via voice bells.
Another new function makes it easier to deal with annoying advertising calls in Fritz OS 7.50: All callers who are not in the Fritzbox telephone book can now be automatically rejected, or redirected to an answering machine or another number. To set up a corresponding call block, go to “Telephony -› Call handling -› Call blocks” in the Fritzbox menu. In the Incoming Call Barring section, click Add Range. Select the entry “Not in the phone book” from the drop-down menu as the area. Proceed accordingly for call forwarding.