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Connecting the FRITZ!Box with the Mesh Repeater (cascading)

You can cascade several Mesh Repeaters in the Mesh. This type of cascading allows you to extend your home network in a specific direction beyond the Wi-Fi range of a Mesh Repeater.

This means that not only can you connect your FRITZ!Box with the FRITZ!Box (Mesh Master), you can also connect it with an already existing Mesh Repeater. It does not matter whether the Mesh Repeater is another FRITZ!Box, a FRITZ!Repeater, or a FRITZ!Powerline device.

In this guide we show you how to connect your new FRITZ!Box with an already existing Mesh Repeater.

Example of Wi-Fi cascading with FRITZ!Repeater and FRITZ!Box

Requirements / Restrictions

  • The existing Mesh Repeater is connected with the Mesh Master and is marked with the Mesh symbol in the Mesh Overview.

1 Determining the ideal arrangement of the Mesh Repeaters

To ensure that the data is transported quickly to the Mesh Master without bottlenecks, arrange the Mesh Repeaters in descending order in the cascade according to their respective performance features. The most powerful Mesh Repeater is connected to the FRITZ!Box and the least powerful Mesh Repeater is used at the end of the cascade.

The most powerful repeaters are tri-band repeaters (for example FRITZ!Repeater 6000, FRITZ!Box 4060). Dual-band repeaters (for example FRITZ!Repeater 2400, FRITZ!Powerline 1260E) are almost as powerful, and the least powerful repeaters are single-band repeaters (for example FRITZ!Repeater 600, FRITZ!Powerline 1240E).

If the Mesh Repeater has a LAN port and your house is wired, we recommend using a network cable to establish the connection. Since connections via network cable, unlike Wi-Fi connections, are not subject to interference, data is always transported with the maximum data rate.

2 Connecting the FRITZ!Box with the existing Mesh Repeater

Connecting the FRITZ!Box

  1. Use Wi-Fi or a network cable to connect a computer to the FRITZ!Box that you want to integrate into the Mesh for the first time.
  2. If the computer is already connected to another device in the home network, clear that connection.

Configuring the FRITZ!Box

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Mesh" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click on the "Mesh Settings" tab.
  4. Enable the option "FRITZ!Box as a Mesh Repeater".
  5. Enable the option "This FRITZ!Box is a network device (IP client) in the home network [...]".
  6. If you want to use a network cable to connect the new FRITZ!Box to the existing Mesh Repeater:
    1. Enable the option "via LAN".
    2. Click "Apply" to save the settings.
    3. Use a network cable to connect the LAN port on the new FRITZ!Box either directly to a LAN port on the Mesh Repeater, or via a hub or switch.
    • If you want to use Wi-Fi to connect the new FRITZ!Box to the existing Mesh Repeater:
      1. Enable the option "via Wi-Fi".
      2. In the table, use the MAC address to select the Wi-Fi network of the Mesh Repeater.
      3. Enter the Mesh Repeater's Wi-Fi network key in the "Network key" field.
      4. Click "Apply" to save the settings.

3 Adding a FRITZ!Box to the Mesh

You must push a button to add the device to the Mesh. It does not matter whether you push the button on the Mesh Master or the Mesh Repeater first. We recommend the following order:

  1. Push and hold down the Connect button of the new FRITZ!Box (see table) until its Connect LED flashes. Other LEDs may also flash.
  2. Within 2 minutes: Push and hold down the Connect button on the Mesh Master until the Connect LED (see table) lights up. Other LEDs may also light up.
    FRITZ!Box modelConnect buttonConnect LED
    FRITZ!Box 6690, 5690, 4060 Connect Connect
    FRITZ!Box 7690, 7682, 7590 (AX), 7530 (AX), 7520, 7510, 6890, 6850, 6670, 6660, 5590, 5530, 4050 Connect / WPS Connect / WPS
    FRITZ!Box 6591, 6590 Connect / WPS WLAN / DECT
    FRITZ!Box 7490, 7430, 5491, 5490 WLAN WPS WLAN / Info
    FRITZ!Box 6490, 6430 WLAN WPS WLAN / DECT
    FRITZ!Box 7560, 7362 SL WLAN WLAN / DECT
    FRITZ!Box 7583, 7582, 7581, 7580 WPS WLAN / Info
    FRITZ!Box 6820, 4040, 4020, 3490 WPS WLAN
  3. The process is complete as soon as the Mesh Master marks the new FRITZ!Box with the Mesh symbol in the Mesh Overview.

4 Setting up telephony in the Mesh

  1. Click "Home Network" in the user interface of the Mesh Master.
  2. Click "Mesh" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click on the "Mesh Settings" tab.
  4. In the section "Using Telephony in the Mesh", click the "Share" link next to the respective Mesh Repeater and on the Mesh Master, confirm that the procedure may be executed, if you are asked to do so.

5 Finding the ideal location for the FRITZ!Box

If the new FRITZ!Box is connected to the existing Mesh Repeater via Wi-Fi:

  1. Select a location for the FRITZ!Box where the quality of the Mesh Repeater's Wi-Fi signal is good. You can find tips on positioning it in the guide Finding the ideal location for the Mesh Repeater.



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