SFR Fiber Power 8 and Freebox Delta: these two premium internet access offers offer download speeds of up to 8 Gb/s. But the comparison almost ends there. Let’s recap…
The four main French ISPs, the “BOFS”, have been offering offers at more than 1 Gb/s for some time: 5 Gb/s at Free with the Freebox Pop, 2 Gb/s at Orange (Livebox Up), SFR ( Fiber Power 8) and Bouygues Telecom (Bbox Ultym). Free remained the only one to market an offer ” ultra high speed since the launch of the Freebox Delta just over three years ago.
The use cases for such speeds are extremely limited, as we explained in a separate article, and the Freebox Delta has obviously not met with the expected success, for various reasons. The competition therefore took its time, but SFR finally answered it on February 8.
The SFR Fiber Power 8 offer with the SFR Box 8X is however very different from the Freebox Delta, as we will see in this comparison.
Optical fiber technology: SFR advantage
To begin with, the Freebox Delta and the SFR Box 8X are not based on the same fiber optic technology. Free bet very early on the 10G-EPON standard, ratified by the IEEE in 2010, in its asymmetric configuration. While SFR uses the more recent XGS-PON standard, standardized by the ITU in 2016.
As we have seen, subscribers connected to the same concentration point share the same downstream speed of 10 Gb/s with the two technologies, which allows the two ISPs to offer a maximum speed of 8 Gb/s to each subscriber. . (Contrary to what one might fear, it is extremely rare for a concentration point to be saturated. It is all the more rare the higher the speeds, since the consumption peaks are all the shorter.)
On the other hand, if they also share 10 Gb / s in upstream speed at SFR, they share “only” 1244 Mb / s at Free. The risk of saturation is statistically just as low, but not only does this allow SFR to now offer 1 Gb/s (1000 Mb/s) to each subscriber, compared to 700 Mb/s at Free, but it also gives great room for improvement at SFR. In Switzerland, where the XGS-PON technology is widely deployed, the operators Swisscom and Salt offer a symmetrical speed of 8 Gb/s without any problem.
Wired network: SFR Box 8X advantage
Also, for the few Internet users who really need to exceed 1 Gb/s on one or more devices, it’s simpler and more economical with the SFR Box 8X. Not only does SFR provide the necessary SFP+ module free of charge, but it is also a 10GBASE-T module with an RJ45 socket. All you need is a Cat.5e or Cat.6 cable at less than 5 euros to connect a computer pre-equipped with a 2.5, 5 or 10 Gb/s Ethernet interface, or to add a PCI- Express, Thunderbolt or USB for 50 (2.5GbE) to 150 euros (10GbE).
In addition to the same 4 Ethernet ports at 1 Gb/s, the Freebox Delta also has an SFP+ slot, but it does not provide sufficient power (2.5 watts) for an RJ45 module. You must therefore connect your box to another SFP+ interface (a PCI-Express card at 140 euros, a Thunderbolt adapter at 190 euros, a switch or a media converter), through an optical fiber or a DAC . Equipment intended for professionals, distributed by specialized retailers, and more expensive.
SFR provides a 10GBASE-T SFP+ module (10 Gb/s Ethernet) free of charge upon request
Self-hosting: Free advantage
Very high speed amounts lend themselves well to self-hosting. With 1 Gb/s or even 700 Mb/s of upload, you can host your personal cloud at home without making any concessions on performance compared to Apple iCloud, Google Drive/Google Photos, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.
Unfortunately, the possibilities of self-hosting are random at SFR. Due to IPv4 address exhaustion, it uses the carier-grade NAT (CG-NAT) and does not systematically assign a public IPv4 address to its subscribers. And it does not always assign IPv6, which could compensate for this lack. Some subscribers are therefore not directly accessible from the Internet, without them being able to determine this easily in advance (the most reliable being to consult a neighbor).
Free sometimes shares an IPv4 address between 4 subscribers, but this address is public (each has a quarter of the 65,536 ports), and you can obtain a “full stack” IPv4 in a few clicks. In addition, IPv6 is generalized at Free.
Wi-Fi: SFR Box 8X advantage
It was too early for Wi-Fi 6 when the Freebox Delta launched in December 2018, while Wi-Fi 6 made its debut in mid-2019. It could have been upgraded since, but Free is still procrastinating: even the Freebox Pro, launched in March 2021, sticks to Wi-Fi 5. (The Freebox Pro is based on the same motherboard as the Freebox Delta, but the Wi-Fi is provided by an upgradeable Mini PCIe card.) “AC4400” Wi-Fi access point integrated into these two boxes offers a theoretical maximum speed of 1733 Mb/s on each of its two 5 GHz bands and 867 Mb/s on its band 2, 4GHz. Enough to reach nearly 1 Gb / s in optimal conditions.
The SFR Box 8X renews the Wi-Fi specifications of the SFR Box 8 launched in July 2019. It therefore embeds a Wi-Fi 6 access point offering a theoretical maximum speed of 4800 Mb/s on its 5 GHz band. and 1200 Mb/s on its 2.4 GHz band. In practice, the Wi-Fi 6 controllers of devices (computers, smartphones, etc.) offer at best a theoretical maximum speed of 2400 Mb/s, enough to reach 1.5 Gb/s in optimal conditions. Provided that the access point is correctly interfaced inside the box.
Wi-Fi repeaters: tied
All Internet service providers have reacted to the rise of mesh Wi-Fi systems such as Netgear Orbi, Google Wifi or Amazon eero, used to ensure optimal Wi-Fi coverage in the four corners of a home, by offering Wi-Fi “repeaters” worthy of the name.
In this respect, SFR’s “Smart WiFi Repeater” is like the Box 8X it complements: austere, but modern (Wi-Fi 6). And conversely, the “Pop Wi-Fi repeater” is nice, but it logically sticks to Wi-Fi 5. Free provides a free copy on request, while SFR rents it out for 3 euros/month (i.e. 36 euros/ year, everyone will do their own calculations).
NAS functions: Free advantage
The SFR Box 8X does better than the Freebox Delta on many criteria, but the trend is reversed as soon as we approach the functions and services provided. The Freebox Delta thus offers advanced NAS functions: VPN server, storage and file sharing in the local network or via the Internet, BitTorrent and Usenet downloading. This via the Freebox OS web interface or the Freebox, Freebox Connect or Freebox Files mobile applications. It even integrates virtualization, which allows it to host all kinds of services, such as Plex, a home automation gateway, etc. With its four slots for 2.5-inch SATA hard drives or SSDs, it can therefore replace a dedicated NAS (Synology, Qnap, Asustor, etc.).
SFR does not even mention the functions of its box. It is assumed that its USB-C port allows, as often, to connect an external hard drive or SSD in order to store and share files in a local network.
TV decoder: Free advantage
The SFR Fiber Power 8 to 8 Gb/s offer comes with the new SFR Box 8X router, but it inherits the existing SFR Box 8 TV decoder. We therefore find the box integrating a speaker connected to 2 5 W speakers, with voice assistants Amazon Alexa and OK SFR. It supports 4K HDR Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos audio and… Wi-Fi 5. Its proprietary software provides optional access to certain video-on-demand services, including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video or OCS. For other services like YouTube, you will have to rely on its Google Chromecast compatibility. SFR is betting on football with preferential rates on Amazon Prime, beIN Sports or RMC Sport packages.
At Free, the Freebox Delta subscriber is now spoiled for choice. At the launch, he had to buy in 1 to 48 months a Freebox Player at 480 euros integrating a large Devialet speaker. It is now offered for rent for 6.99 euros/month (so it is better to buy it if you want to keep it for more than 5 years and 8 months). But the subscriber can also choose the small Player Pop, under Google TV, included in the offer, or the Apple TV 4K, under tvOS, for purchase for 2.99 euros/month for 48 months (i.e. 143 .52 euros).
Package of services: Free advantage
But it is with the bouquet of services included that the Freebox Delta offer stands out. In addition to a wide range of television channels (including 50 “TV by Canal” channels), also accessible on iPad and connected television via the Oqee TV application, the offer actually includes Netflix Essentiel and Amazon Prime Video, as well as Canal+ Series for 1 year and Disney+ for 6 months. Cafeyn, an on-demand digital press service, completes the offer.
Price and eligibility: Free advantage
Finally, it is not on the price that we separate these two offers. The SFR Fiber Power 8 offer remains effectively billed at 34.00 euros/month for one year then 50.00 euros/month, while the Freebox Delta is billed at 39.99 euros/month for one year then 49.99 euros/month , excluding options. However, the Freebox Delta takes advantage if you are already a subscriber or if you want to subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Cafeyn, in which case you save 5 to 24 euros / month.
In short, SFR’s offer is suitable for those who prefer Wi-Fi 6, 10 Gb/s Ethernet, the additional uplink speed of 300 Mb/s or the simplicity of the Box 8X. The offer of Free is more advantageous for all the others, with its bouquet of functions and services much more provided.
One decisive criterion remains: eligibility. Free has certainly not bet on the most durable fiber optic technology (in the very long term), but it has deployed it on its entire network, which claims 23 million connectable sockets. While at the time of publication, SFR indicates that only ” almost 2 million of its 26 million FTTH or cable sockets are eligible.
Fibre, Câble
RED box Fibre
3 jours
Débit jusqu’à 1 Gb/s
Sans Player TV
Téléphonie vers 100 destinations
Fibre
Bbox must Fibre
2 semaines
Débit jusqu’à 1 Gb/s
180 chaînes de TV incluses
Téléphonie vers 110 destinations
Fiber, Cable
SFR Fiber Box 7,500 Mb/s
Flow rate up to 500 Mbps
160 TV channels included
Telephony to 100 destinations
All internet boxes
To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.