> Aren't those Fritz!Box routers (common in Europe) precisely examples of "shitty routers with terrible security?"

Not at all. They had security bugs, sure, but not constantly. Each device has a randomized admin password from the factory. Some changes require physical hardware access because one needs to press a button to confirm. They support the hardware for ages. Their 7490 model just got a feature firmware update. The model is 13 years old!

In Germany, if you ask someone where his router is he might not know what you talk about. But he understand if you asked about "your fritzbox". (Even in cases where they have something else.)

But enough of the glazing. In 2024 they got sold to private equity. Lets see how the enshittification will treat them.