Enable IPv6 on LAN? (router settings)

esuhl

I'm familiar with IPv4, but not so much with IPv6. As I understand it, IPv6 has so many possible unique addresses that there's no need for NAT.

I seem to have both an IPv4 and IPv6 address from my ISP. On my router, there's the option to disable IPv6 on the LAN side (it's enabled by default).

But... NAT seems to work well. I'm never going to run out of IPv4 addresses on my local network. I presume IPv6 will work with NAT to translate to local IPv4 addresses. And IPv4 addresses on the LAN are easier for humans to deal with (fewer characters, more memorable).

So... is there any reason to enable IPv6 on my LAN? Is there any reason not to?

dj1471

There's no reason not to enable it. I have it enabled, as a user you don't notice any difference. There are some technical benefits to using it over IPv4, especially that you avoid the overhead that NAT adds to your connectivity.

Each individual device on your network will get a globally unique IPv6 address which it will use to talk out to the Internet (sites / services that are IPv6 enabled anyway, which isn't many).

You can see if it's actually working by visiting:
http://ipv6test.google.com/

were

There are less ipv6 security products, less support, and ipv6 is less supported by vpn companies, so there is a possibility that information which should be anonymised by using ipv4 and a vpn, could bypass the vpn connection via ipv6. As time goes on ipv6 will be as secure as it is adopted by more companies.

Ipv6 cant really be removed, but can be disabled.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929852/how-to-disable-ipv6-or-its-components-in-windows

here is how to test of you network browsing status
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929852/how-to-disable-ipv6-or-its-components-in-windows

I_have_spoken

My company (3,500 staff) hasn't even looked at IPv6, I doubt anything in your home needs it.

Chino

I_have_spoken wrote: »

My company (3,500 staff) hasn't even looked at IPv6

Reassuring to learn that your company's following in the finest tradition of British industry.

spenderdave

ipv6 site accessibility is increasing quite quickly now - test a few of them at http://ipv6-test.com/validate.php Google, Wikipedia and many of the major sites have been ipv6 enabled for years - but see moneysavingexpert.com isn't... I have turned it on on my own websites.
If your ISP supports ipv6 then you will connect by ipv6 rather than ipv4. There is little reason not to.

DoaM

I_have_spoken wrote: »

My company (3,500 staff) hasn't even looked at IPv6,

Is that because they're all using Linux Mint?

DoaM

spenderdave wrote: »

If your ISP supports ipv6 then you will connect by ipv6 rather than ipv4. There is little reason not to.

I'm on BT Infinity ... my HH4 mentions IPv6, but only that it is disabled (and there's no option to enable it). Does this mean the BT network doesn't currently support IPv6?

S0litaire

DoaM wrote: »

I'm on BT Infinity ... my HH4 mentions IPv6, but only that it is disabled (and there's no option to enable it). Does this mean the BT network doesn't currently support IPv6?

BT does support IPv6 (they have their own block of IPv6 addresses 2a00:: )

BT has only enabled IPv6 on the HH5 and Smart Hub (HH6) at present. Around 85% of the BT network has IPv6 enabled. (I think it's around that mark)

But personally it's currently more hassle than it's worth!

This forum decided to block my IPv6 address yesterday so I could not post until I disabled it.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

This forum does not like ip6 addresses. I use a prior browser to view.

spenderdave

This forum, as I said, is not enabled for ipv6, like many other sites. If you have ipv6 set up as you should it will automatically fall back to ipv4 for all non-ipv6 sites, you should have no problem accessing moneysavingexpert.com, it works fine here.

Sky broadband (now fully ipv6 enabled) with Sky SR102 router.