V5 Generation
The Freebox version 5 was released in April 2006 and expanded the possibilities of the modem. It is now divided into two boxes connected together via high-speed Wifi MIMO or PLC: the first box provides Internet access, Wifi connection and a phone line; the separated box is a digital video recorder, with advanced TV features like timeshifting, or video on demand. It also supports video games, either specifically designed for the Freebox or using emulation of discontinued video game systems (Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy).
The multimedia element is able to read HDTV IPTV streams and includes a Terrestrial Numerical Television demodulator, can serve as a home A/V broadcasting station, includes a 40Gb hard drive for recording and time-shifting, and a load of A/V ports.
The Network element is an Ethernet hub and a wifi hotspot.
The two elements can be linked via Ethernet, wifi or High-Speed Networking Over the Mains.
The telephony offer via the Freebox offers various services such as free calls between Freebox subscribers and towards the fixed numbers in Metropolitan France, and also free over 100 foreign countries (USA, Canada, UK, Spain, China, India, South America, etc.).
According to Alexandre Archambault from Free, the Freebox is "nothing other than the return to the fundamentals of the DSL", whose initial objective was "to connect via a single support several types of terminals, therefore several types of services: telephone (telephony), microcomputer (Internet access), television set (television transmission, video on demand, pay per view...), hi-fi system (radios, etc.)".
Therefore, it is much more than a simple ADSL modem, which can only make the interface between a computer and the Internet. Free general conditions describe it as "an electronic instrument being used as interface between the data-processing and or audio-visual equipment of the user and the network of Free Telecom".
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