Deutsche Telekom Speedport W 724v ("typ" A) — wireless telephone and Internet router — a review

© 2017 Peter Free

 

21 May 2017

 

 

 

 

This review is predominantly for Americans in Germany

 

If you are PCSing to Germany — and you decide to use Deutsche Telekom's (high-speed) integrated phone and Internet service — you will not have much choice in picking a router.

 

The Speedport W 724v "typ A" was Telekom's recommendation in July 2014. I imagine one of its updates still is.

 

What follows partially counters negative reviews at Amazon.de.

 

Our Speedport was reliable.

 

 

Set-up

 

The 724v sets up easily — provided that the Telekom has done its part correctly at its end.

 

In our case (in July-August 2014), the responding Telekom technician forgot to trip a switch at the neighborhood box, which screwed up the main office's settings for our Internet plan. The problem took 3 technician visits and presented numerous hassles trying to communicate in a mix of lousy German and lousy English.

 

Telekom's telephone-in service was so clueless that two of our technically knowledgeable German-speaking neighbors couldn't even get them to understand what the problem was.

 

Pertinent to this, be aware that Telekom's initially issued set-up passwords come in the form of a German language letter. You will need to translate it in order to tell which password goes where, during the set-up process.

 

 

Router performance

 

During three years of use, I only had to reboot the Speedport only once. That was apparently due to one of Telekom's many system updates.

 

Speeds during the day are very good on the high-speed plan. However, everything slows down at about 0800 and 1630 during the week when business is gearing up and down. Weekends have slower periods, as well. None of this is the router's fault.

 

 

Wireless connection

 

German houses are generally constructed of concrete blocks (including interior walls) that seem to be denser than their American "cinder block" equivalents.

 

The 724v managed to reach all the rooms in our rental, except for the most distant second floor (over-the-garage) room. Trying to penetrate at least two, and more probably three, concrete walls was too much for it. Our house had a wired connection from the living room, where the router was, to this distant room.

 

If yours does not, Amazon.de sells signal relay routers.

 

 

Wireless speed is noticeably slower than when wire-connected

 

My PC and Mac computers worked noticeably faster when wired to the 724v, than when not.

 

Since I prefer wired connections (wherever I am), I do know whether the 724v is slower (in wireless mode) than other wireless routers that I have used.

 

 

Recommended

 

The oft-maligned 724v "typ A" performed very well for us. More reliably than any previous router that we have owned.

 

Part of this may be due to Telekom's ability to continually upgrade its system, without knocking everybody on it off — unlike my annoying three-year experience with Comcast in the States.