The FRITZ!Box 6850 LTE is AVM's answer for anyone living without fibre or DSL coverage: a 4G/LTE Cat. 4 router packed with the full range of FRITZ! features. Can it really replace a traditional fixed line?
Technical specifications
| Modem | LTE Cat. 4 (150 Mbit/s DL, 50 Mbit/s UL) |
|---|---|
| LTE bands | FDD: 1/3/5/7/8/20/28 - TDD: 38/40/41 |
| 3G fallback | UMTS/HSPA+ (42 Mbit/s) |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac: 866 Mbit/s (5 GHz) + 400 Mbit/s (2.4 GHz) |
| LAN ports | 4x Gigabit Ethernet |
| USB | 1x USB 3.0 |
| Antennas | 2x external SMA (replaceable) |
| SIM | Micro-SIM |
| DECT | Base station for 6 cordless phones |
| Telephony | 1 analogue port, VoIP, answering machine |
| VPN | WireGuard + IPSec |
| Approximate price | Around 220-250 euros |
Design and antennas
Classic AVM design with two adjustable external antennas. The SMA connectors let you swap the antennas for directional models in areas with a weak signal, a key feature that many cheap 4G routers lack.
4G/LTE performance
The supported bands cover all Italian operators (TIM, Vodafone, WindTre, Iliad), including band 20 (800 MHz) and band 28 (700 MHz) for rural coverage:
- Strong signal (city centre): 80-120 Mbit/s download
- Medium signal (suburbs): 30-60 Mbit/s download
- Weak signal (rural, stock antennas): 10-25 Mbit/s
- Weak signal + directional antenna: 30-50 Mbit/s
The complete FRITZ! ecosystem
VoIP telephone exchange, DECT base station, DECT ULE smart home, parental controls, VPN (WireGuard + IPSec), NAS via USB 3.0 and FRITZ!Mesh. A complete router, not just a mobile hotspot.
Ideal use cases
- Holiday homes without a fixed line
- Temporary offices and building sites
- Rural areas with 4G but no DSL/fibre
- Fixed-line backup: automatic failover
- Campervans and boats with an external directional antenna
Final verdict
| Design | 4/5 |
|---|---|
| LTE performance | 4/5 |
| Features | 5/5 |
| Setup | 4/5 |
| Value for money | 4/5 |
| OVERALL SCORE | 4.3/5 |
Our verdict: The most complete 4G router on the market. The LTE Cat. 4 speed and Wi-Fi AC show their age, but the features are unbeatable.
Conclusion
Not the fastest, but by far the most complete. Replaceable SMA antennas make it versatile, and the FRITZ! ecosystem turns it into a genuine control centre. For holiday homes, rural offices or a fixed-line backup, it's the obvious choice.
Read also: our FRITZ! reviews
- FRITZ!Box 7690: Wi-Fi 7 Router with Zigbee and DECT
- FRITZ!Repeater 6000: Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 with 2.5 GbE
- FRITZ!Repeater 3000 AX: Affordable Tri-Band
- FRITZ!Repeater 1200 AX: Compact and Affordable
- FRITZ!Box 6850 5G: 5G Connectivity Meets the FRITZ! Ecosystem
- FRITZ!Box 7590 AX: The King of Wi-Fi 6 DSL Routers
FRITZ!Box 6850 LTE
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian
