IPv6 lets more devices use the internet
There are twoInternet Protocol (IP)types: IPv4 and IPv6.
What does an upgraded IP do?
Is IPv6 better than IPv4?
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Let’s look at what these terms mean and how they’re different.
What IPv4 and IPv6 Mean
IPv4 stands forIP version 4.
It was developed byDARPAand started being used in 1983, and is still widely used today.
One wayIPv6is different from IPv4 is in the structure of the address.
Instead of allowing a 32-bit address like IPv4, IPv6 supports 128-bit addresses.
This means more IP addresses can be created with IPv6 vs IPv4.
It’s highly unlikely that we’ll run out of them anytime soon.
Here are some other distinctions:
Is IPv6 More Secure Than IPv4?
IPv6 and IPv4 both suffer from address flooding, man-in-the-middle attacks, packet captures, and more.
IPv6 includes built-in support forIPSec(Internet Protocol Security), which is the same thingVPNsuse to encrypt data.
It might seem that IPSec immediately makes IPv6 superior, but IPSec implementation is only recommended, not required.
Plus, it can be used IPv4, too, so there’s little difference there.
An auto-configuration feature is supported by IPv6, which lets devices generate an IP address based on theirMAC address.
This could potentially be used by hackers or third-party companies to track people by their hardware.
However, IPv6 has the upper hand when it comes to using NDP vs ARP.
IPv4 suffers from ARP-related issues like spoofing, MAC flooding, and MAC duplicating.
IPv6 improves on this by using theSecure Neighbor Discovery (SEND) protocolto secure NDP with cryptographically generated addresses.
There’s a lot more on this inthis Super User thread.
You don’t need to prepare your machine for IPv6 or learn anything new about IP addresses in general.
you might monitorGoogle’s stats on IPv6 adoptionto see the upward trend of IPv6 use by Google users.
Look for the option in yourrouter’ssettings.
Google Wifi, for example, includes a toggle to enable IPv6 in theAdvanced networkingarea of the app.
Another area where you might use an IPv6 address is when changingDNS servers.
This list offree and public DNS serversinclude some examples of companies that offer IPv6 versions of their DNS servers.
