In the section of “Internet / Access data»We can see the different configuration modes that we have available in this router, by default the configuration we have is” Cable modem or Internet router “, but we have others:
- Access available via Wi-Fi: the FRITZ! Box router will connect via WiFi to another existing network, when connected, the router will work as a normal router and we will have the same subnet for the LAN network. This mode helps us to connect to a WiFi and that connection is the Internet WAN.
- Cable modem or Internet router: The router will use the Internet WAN port in DHCP client mode or with static IP. We will have the functions of NAT, DHCP server, QoS filters and all the usual configuration options of the FRITZ! Box router mode.
- NEBA DHCP: it is a specific profile for FTTH connections with NEBA that make use of the DHCP protocol to connect.
- NEBA PPPoE: it is a specific profile for FTTH connections with NEBA that make use of the PPPoE protocol to establish the connection.
- Internet router as IP client: in this configuration mode the FRITZ! Box will act as a WiFi access point, the FRITZ! Box will become part of the existing local network where we are going to connect it. In this configuration mode we should configure the Internet WAN port as LAN 4 from the menu. In this mode we can configure dynamic IP with DHCP or static client. In this mode we have all the options except the QoS filters, the part of allowing access with port forwarding and NAT or the DHCP server, because all this is managed by the main router.
- 3G / 4G Modem Connected: in this configuration mode it allows us to connect to the Internet through a 3G / 4G modem connected to the USB 3.0 port of the router.
- DSL or fiber optic modem: in this configuration mode it will work exactly the same as in “cable modem or Internet router”, but we can configure the PPPoE and the VLAN ID of our Internet connection. If you want to use this equipment as your operator’s neutral router, and your operator uses PPPoE and / or VLANs, then this is the mode you should choose.
In the following menu you can see all the configuration possibilities:
Once we have seen all the configuration modes of this router, we are going to explain in detail the three modes that will be used the most to connect to the Internet and make the most of its performance.
Cable modem or Internet router
In this configuration mode the FRITZ! Box 4060 acts as a router, we have all the functionalities of QoS, port forwarding, VPN server, IPv6 support and much more. This configuration mode will help you in the following cases:
- If you connect to the Internet through an existing cable modem, and you don’t have to use PPPoE or VLANs, only this mode allows the DHCP client and set a static IP.
- If you connect through a router of your operator that provides you with a public IP directly. We cannot put any PPPoE or VLAN configurations, only DHCP client and static IP.
This configuration mode is the default if we have it connected to an existing router, the FRITZ! Box will obtain its IP address through the local DHCP server of the router of the operator you have at home. A very important detail is to adjust the downstream and upstream channel, because this helps the QoS system to prioritize the different devices on our local network, if we put the wrong numbers it will not work as well as expected.
Internet router as IP client
In this configuration mode, the FRITZ! Box will act as a WiFi access point with telephony services, file sharing in the local network and the Internet via USB 3.0 and all the functionalities of the equipment, except the router functions. We will not have NAT, DHCP server, QoS section to prioritize devices, nor will we have menus for port forwarding, DMZ or other functions that are specifically designed to be used in router mode.
When we choose the “Internet router as IP client” configuration mode, we must configure the way to obtain the IP address:
- Obtain an automatic IP address via DHCP: in this mode the FRITZ! Box router will obtain the private IP within the network range of our operator’s router.
- Manually determine the IP address: in this mode we will have to define a private IP address within the subnet of our operator’s router, it is recommended that this IP address is outside the DHCP range so that there is no conflict.
Once we have applied the changes, the FRITZ! Box must connect to the network of the operator’s router on one of the Gigabit Ethernet ports (in yellow), so that everything is on the same local network. By default the Internet WAN port (blue) is in WAN mode and not in LAN mode, although we can change it.
Something very important that we must configure if we want to take advantage of the Internet WAN port, is to go to the «Local network / Network / Network settings»And in the« WAN Configuration »section we can choose the behavior of this port, if we want it to be WAN or LAN4. In this configuration mode it makes sense to use LAN 4 mode, as it will be one more port within the local home network.
If we go back into the firmware, we will see that now the “Internet” part tells us that an already established Internet connection is being used, and that everything is working correctly.
If, by setting this configuration mode, you lose access to the FRITZ! Box router’s graphical user interface, you will be able to access it through the local link IP address, you must do the following:
- We put a fixed IP address in a computer, the IP address must be the following: 169.254.1.2 with the subnet mask 255.255.255.0.
- We connect a network cable from a PC directly to one of the yellow ports (LAN) of the router.
- We put the address http://169.254.1.1 in the Internet browser and we will automatically access the graphical user interface to check the configuration.
As you have seen, configuring this router in AP mode is very simple, thanks to this configuration mode, we will not have double NAT or problems with the ports, but we will have great WiFi coverage and advanced functionalities such as the possibility of sharing on a local network o Internet the resources of the USB 3.0 port.
DSL or fiber optic modem
If you want to use the FRITZ! Box 4060 router as a neutral router, replacing the carrier’s router and connecting directly to the carrier’s ONT or modem, this is the configuration mode you should use. What is the difference with the configuration mode Cable modem or Internet router? Well, in this “DSL or fiber optic modem” mode we can configure the PPPoE if necessary, and we can also configure the VLAN ID for the Internet connection, two necessary and common parameters in Internet connections.
In the configuration menu we choose «DSL or fiber optic modem»And we choose«Another internet provider»To make all the necessary settings. Just below we can configure the «Access data», we must indicate if our operator uses PPPoE (and enter credentials) or if you are not using PPPoE. Next, we define the values of the Internet connection to correctly adjust the QoS of the router.
In the “Internet connection” section, we choose the option to “Maintain connection” and uncheck the option to “Delay the interruption by the provider.” Now we can configure the VLANs in the “VLAN Configuration” section, indicating the VLAN ID and the Pbit, if you don’t know the PBit then leave it at 0.
Once configured, click on “Apply” and the FRITZ! Box will be configured.
As you have seen, configuring the different modes of this FRITZ! Box router is really easy and simple, however, it is advisable to follow a short guide so as not to get lost between the different modes and what we should take into account.
Conclusions.
This new FRITZ! Box 4060 router is a truly versatile device, because it will allow us to configure it with any Internet connection, be it wired (with cable modem, DSL modem, FTTH and even connection to an existing router), it also allows us to create a WiFi link to connect to an existing WiFi router and even install a 3G / 4G modem to get the Internet connection.
Thanks to the FRITZ! OS operating system, we will be able to configure the different operating modes in a really simple way, in addition, we have certain notes and explanations of what each configuration mode does, however, at first it might seem somewhat confusing because it does not explain at all well if we have some services activated such as QoS, NAT or the DHCP server. The most important thing when you are going to configure the Internet Router mode change as IP client is to configure the Internet WAN as LAN 4, and if you lose the connection to the FRITZ! Box administration, you should check which IP the server has provided. DHCP of the operator’s router, and if it still does not enter, then enter via http://169.254.1.1 as we have indicated previously.
Why buy a FRITZ! Box if I already have the carrier’s router?
Mainly because of the WiFi coverage and the wireless performance with the WiFi 6 standard that you are going to have with this router. This model has simultaneous triple band AX6000 with WiFi 6, so we can achieve a speed of up to 1,201Mbps in 2.4GHz and up to 2,402Mbps in each of the 5GHz bands, in addition, you can configure the SSIDs, WiFi security in detail (configure WPA3), configure the WiFi scheduler and many other possibilities.
If you have several AVM products, you can use this router as a Mesh base, to connect the WiFi repeaters to this model and form a complete high-performance WiFi Mesh network, ideal for having WiFi roaming between the different nodes. If you have the frequency bands with the same SSID, you will also have band-steering so that the WiFi Mesh system places you in the best WiFi frequency band depending on your coverage, number of clients connected to a certain band and other internal parameters that it uses. The operating system.
