IPv6 Test: See If Your Connection Is Ready
Most networks now run “dual stack,” which means they can speak both IPv4 and IPv6. That’s good news, because the world ran low on new IPv4 addresses years ago and the internet has been slowly moving to IPv6 ever since. Still, it’s not obvious whether your device, router, and provider are actually using IPv6 on a real web page. That’s where a quick IPv6 test helps—no guesswork, just a simple verdict.
When you press go on an IPv6 check, the tool asks your browser to fetch content over IPv6 and IPv4, compares what arrived, and reports what the path looked like. It doesn’t change your settings. It just observes how your connection behaves right now and turns those observations into a clear result you can act on.
If you do have IPv6, the page will show your IPv6 address and confirm that requests succeed without falling back to IPv4. If you don’t, you’ll still get a working connection because IPv4 remains the default everywhere. The difference shows up when services prioritize modern protocols, ship new features, or when carriers start optimizing routes for IPv6 first. Knowing your status helps you stay ahead of those shifts.
What This IPv6 Test Actually Checks
The tool performs several small, fast checks that mirror how modern sites work. It requests tiny images or JSON over both protocols, times the responses, and compares which version the browser picked under “happy eyeballs” (the race algorithm defined in RFC 6555 and refined later). It also looks for an AAAA record in DNS, which is the IPv6 version of an A record. If your resolver returns AAAA and your stack can reach it, you pass. If not, you’ll see a plain-English message that explains where the chain breaks.
Signals You’ll See in the Output
You’ll typically see your detected IP version, a short latency snapshot, and whether DNS resolution for AAAA succeeded. If the page shows only an IPv4 address, the tool will note “No IPv6 detected” and suggest what to try next. If both addresses appear, it will indicate which path actually carried the request, not just what technically exists on your LAN.
Why the Browser’s Choice Matters
Even on dual-stack networks, the browser picks the path that responds first within a brief window. That means a flaky or filtered IPv6 route can silently push traffic onto IPv4. The test reveals that preference so you can tune the pieces you control, like your router firmware or DNS resolver.
IPv6 vs. IPv4: What Changes and Why It Matters
IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses written in hexadecimal and separated by colons, such as 2001:db8::1. IPv4 uses 32-bit dotted decimal like 203.0.113.10. The practical outcome is scale: IPv6 can address unimaginably more devices without resorting to layers of network address translation. That restores the end-to-end model, which makes some peer-to-peer and voice applications simpler to set up.
Address Types You’ll Encounter
Global unicast addresses route on the public internet, link-local addresses (fe80::/10) only work on your local segment, and unique local addresses (fc00::/7) are the IPv6 analogue of private RFC1918 space. Privacy extensions generate temporary addresses for outbound connections so long-lived identifiers don’t leak across sites. You don’t need to memorize any of this to use the web, but it helps when you read a test result.
Headers, MTU, and Extensions
IPv6 streamlines the base header and moves optional data to extension headers. Path MTU discovery remains important, and mis-sized tunnels can cause stalls. If you ever see “IPv6 present but packets time out,” an MTU mismatch on a tunnel or upstream link is a usual suspect.
How to Get IPv6 If You Don’t Have It
Your ISP or mobile carrier has to offer IPv6, and most now do. Start by checking your modem or router for an IPv6 toggle. Look for options like “Native,” “DHCPv6,” “SLAAC,” or “Prefix Delegation.” Update firmware before you flip the switch. On many home routers, IPv6 works the moment the WAN receives a delegated prefix, and your devices auto-configure themselves.
Steps That Usually Work
First, run the tool and note whether IPv6 appears at all. Second, enable IPv6 on your router and reboot it so it requests a prefix. Third, reboot one device and run the IPv6 check again. If it still fails, temporarily change your DNS resolver to a well-known one that publishes AAAA records consistently and test once more. If that helps, move the setting to your router so every device benefits.
What If Your Provider Doesn’t Offer IPv6 Yet
You can keep using IPv4 without losing access to the web. Some networks offer transition services like NAT64/DNS64 or provider tunnels, but they add moving parts and can backfire with PMTUD or firewall oddities. For most home users, waiting for native service is easier than building a tunnel that might be slower or fragile.
Reading the Output: Examples and Edge Cases
If the page shows both an IPv6 and an IPv4 address but calls out “prefers IPv4,” the race likely favored IPv4 due to latency or packet loss. Try again on wired Ethernet to rule out local Wi-Fi issues. If the page shows only an IPv6 address and some sites break, your DNS might be returning AAAA without working upstream routes. Flushing the router’s DNS cache or switching resolvers can clear that up.
Corporate Networks and Filters
Some enterprise firewalls allow outbound IPv4 but gate IPv6 until security tooling catches up. In that case, your laptop may autoconfigure a link-local IPv6 address that cannot reach the internet. The result will be “IPv6 present locally, unreachable to the web.” That’s a policy choice, not a failure of your device.
Troubleshooting Tips That Usually Work
Reboot the modem and router in that order. Confirm your router actually received a delegated prefix on the WAN page. Disable and re-enable the network adapter so it requests new IPv6 parameters. Make sure your firewall allows ICMPv6, which is used for neighbor discovery and path MTU discovery; blocking it breaks things in subtle ways.
Quick Checklist
Use this short list when you’re stuck and want to be methodical without going deep into logs.
- Confirm the router’s IPv6 mode is set to native or DHCPv6 with prefix delegation.
- Check that your LAN shows a global unicast prefix (not only fe80:: link-local).
- Verify your DNS resolver returns AAAA for common sites.
- Run the test again on a single device after a reboot.
- Try wired Ethernet to rule out Wi-Fi quirks and MTU issues.
Security and Privacy on IPv6
You don’t need NAT to be safe. Keep stateful firewall rules on the router so only responses to your outbound traffic get back in. Turn on privacy extensions on laptops and phones to rotate temporary addresses over time. The same good habits apply as on IPv4: patch devices, limit exposed services, and use encrypted protocols end to end.
One-Line Takeaway
Run a quick readiness check, read what it says about DNS and reachability, and either enjoy native IPv6 or follow the simple steps above to turn it on without drama.