FRITZ! Lab update adds Matter smart home support to 5690 Pro

Tired of smart home setup feeling like a complicated puzzle involving multiple hubs and separate gateways? Well, things are about to get a whole lot simpler for FRITZ! users. The FRITZ! Lab team has just rolled out an exciting beta update for the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro, turning this popular router into a genuine smart home champion.

This latest firmware update is pioneering true native support for the Matter smart home standard directly on the router itself. This means the FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro is now the first FRITZ! router to act as a central Matter bridge, eliminating the need for users to rely on separate, dedicated hardware like a FRITZ!Smart Gateway.

What does this transformation mean for the everyday user? Simply put, it means your smart devices can finally talk to each other seamlessly. Devices, including popular items like the FRITZ!Smart Thermo 302 and any compatible third-party gadgets registered with the router, are now directly accessible to major platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa.

No more juggling multiple apps or complicated setups. With this new integration, controlling your connected devices becomes intuitive, managed entirely through your existing home network, rather than requiring extra pieces of expensive hardware just to bridge the gap.

The upgrade doesn’t stop there. The FRITZ!Box 5690 Pro also inherits several advanced features previously tested on other models, giving users even more control over their network. This includes handy tools like configurable DNS filters and automatic prioritization, allowing for granular management of network traffic and content filtering.

As a public beta release from the FRITZ! Lab program, this update provides early access to upcoming features in the FRITZ!OS 8.50 development cycle. Users have the opportunity to test new functionalities—focused on Matter integration, security enhancements, and energy efficiency—before they are officially released.

This is a fantastic step forward for anyone dedicating time to building a connected smart home. By integrating robust Matter support directly into their core networking hardware, FRITZ! is making the process of connecting, securing, and controlling smart devices easier than ever before. Ready to simplify your smart life?