February 27, 2026, 4:17 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
After updating to Fritz!OS 8.20, users of several top models reported significant speed reductions. Instead of the usual performance, some Fritzboxes delivered noticeably less speed. Now, the manufacturer is responding with another firmware update. Fritz!OS 8.22 is intended to fix the issue and restore the affected devices to normal levels.
Four Models Affected by Data Throttling
With Fritz!OS 8.20, the Berlin-based manufacturer Fritz! (formerly AVM) introduced numerous new features and improvements. Many users had high expectations. While the innovations were convincing in practice, some devices experienced issues shortly after installation. Certain routers no longer achieved the usual data rate.
Specifically affected were the fiber optic models Fritzbox 5690 Pro, Fritzbox 5690, and Fritzbox 4690. The DSL top model Fritzbox 7690 also showed significant speed reductions after updating to version 8.20. Owners of these devices can now check in the router menu if the new update is available. As usual, the update can be found in the “System” section under “Update.”
Fritz!OS 8.22 is not available for devices that already have the lab version Fritz!OS 8.24 installed. According to the manufacturer, the error was already corrected in this test version.
Conflict with Hardware Acceleration as the Cause
The manufacturer cites a conflict between the new firmware and the hardware acceleration of the installed router chips as a possible cause for the data throttling. The latter is normally used to speed up data processing and relieve the main processor. The interaction with the firmware apparently led to undesirable effects that reduced speed.
In the Fritz! community, users reported that the problems mainly occurred with devices operated via an external modem. As a temporary solution, both the community and the manufacturer recommended disabling hardware acceleration through the hidden support settings at fritz.box/support.lua. However, this workaround was only partially practical, as the setting had to be reapplied after each router restart.
With the newly released update to Fritz!OS 8.22, this provisional solution should become unnecessary. The error is thus considered resolved for the affected models.