February 11, 2026, 1:45 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Fritz! products (formerly AVM) have long been established and are usually known for quality and reliability. However, many users are currently experiencing sudden drops in transmission rates. It appears that the update to Fritz!OS 8.2x is particularly slowing down the Fritzbox 5690 Pro and 7690.
As reported by “Deskmodder,” numerous owners of a Fritzbox 5690 Pro or Fritzbox 7690 have spoken out in various discussion forums. All complain about drastic drops in internet speed. Apparently, the update to Fritz!OS 8.2x is making the devices slower.
Another factor seems to be that in most cases, the affected routers are not directly connected to the internet but are operated via an external modem, such as at the WAN or LAN port.
As reported on Reddit, some users experience speeds as low as 8 Mbps on a 500 Mbps fiber plan. In the Telekom forum, a user with a 1000 Mbps connection wrote that internet speed would drop “extremely” during the day, “until sometimes nothing works at all.” The problem would only stabilize at night.
Hardware Acceleration Likely the Cause
The new Fritzboxes are equipped with state-of-the-art chipsets, preparing the devices for the new Wi-Fi 7 standard. However, it seems that the interaction between the chips and the operating system is no longer functioning properly. The hardware acceleration of the Fritzbox, in particular, is under criticism.
Also of interest: FritzOS 8.20 with over 40 New Features
This feature is supposed to relieve the CPU by handling tasks such as data packet forwarding (routing). Under Fritz!OS 8.20, these processes seem to be slower.
Users Find a Solution–For Now
The obvious solution is to disable hardware acceleration. To do this, you need to access the otherwise hidden support page of the Fritzbox at https://fritz.box/support.lua.
According to the report, this would help immediately—but there’s a catch: This solution only lasts as long as the device remains on. If the router is restarted, hardware acceleration reactivates, as it is essential for energy efficiency and overall performance.
So far, there is no official statement from Fritz! regarding the issue. For affected users, the situation is particularly frustrating, as the Fritzbox 5690 Pro and 7690 are expensive flagship models from the manufacturer. Therefore, one can only hope that a bug fix will be released soon.