Ever wondered why your computer has an IP address or why there’s such a heated debate about using IPv4 vs. IPv6? Well, let’s break it down because picking the correct IP address type can affect your home computer usage and your online business.
Table of Contents
What is an IP Address?
First off, an IP address is just like your home’s street address, but for the internet. It’s how your devices find each other both at home and on the Internet. You’ve probably seen numbers like 192.168.1.1; that’s an IPv4 address. But what’s so special about these numbers?
IPv4, or Internet Protocol version 4, has been around since the dawn of the internet. It uses 32-bit addressing, which gives us about 4.3 billion unique addresses. You’ll see it written like this: 192.168.1.1. Four numbers separated by dots, each number between 0 and 255. With the explosion of internet-connected devices, we are slowly running out of IP addresses under IPv4. It’s like trying to give every individual in their country a unique street address, but only a certain number of addresses exist.
Now, let’s go over IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6. This is where things get interesting. IPv6 uses 128-bit addressing, providing a practically infinite number of addresses. Think of it like going from a single country to an entire galaxy worth of addresses. IPv6 addresses look like this: 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334. As you can tell, it is much longer and uses colons instead of dots as a separator. Besides the vast number of addresses, IPv6 brings better routing, simpler configurations in some cases, and improved security features.
Why does IPv4 vs. IPv6 matter?
You might be thinking, “Why should I care about these IP versions?” Here’s the thing: IPv6 can lead to faster connection times since there’s no need for NAT (Network Address Translation), which can slow down IPv4 connections. Alternatively, IPv4 is far better supported in our current global network implementation. With more devices than ever needing an IP address, eventually, IPv6 will become commonplace. If you’re setting up a network, preparing it for compatibility with IPv6 is probably a good idea as more addresses begin to use this new standard.
The Transition from IPv4 to IPv6
Transitioning sounds daunting, right? But let’s be realistic – it’s more about gradual change than an overnight switch. Many networks run both protocols at once in a dual-stack environment. Your router probably already supports this, allowing devices to connect using either IPv4 or IPv6. IPv6 has features like stateless address auto-configuration, simplifying setup for users and network admins.
However, you probably do not want to mix IPv4 and IPv6 since that makes administering the network more confusing. That’s why we recommend you stick with just one or the other, even if your network supports both simultaneously. We’ll discuss this in more detail in the next section.
Real-World Impact
Of course, there are some benefits to running a newer IP addressing system. IPv6 supports IPsec natively, which enables easier setup for VPNs and offers better security protocols right out of the gate. Additionally, this virtually eliminates the concern of running out of valid addresses—we will never run out of IPv6 addresses in any meaningful timeframe.
On the other hand, IPv4 is well-established, with most infrastructure still prioritizing IPv4 compatibility over IPv6. Running IPv6 in your home network makes little to no sense for these reasons:
- More than enough addresses: The chance you will need more than a few thousand IP addresses in your home is slim to none.
- Easier to remember and type: When accessing devices over the network at home, you likely will not have DNS records configured for your devices. This makes typing IP addresses especially easier with IPv4 vs. IPv6.
- Management is easier: It is easier to track and manage which devices have which IP addresses. Setting up rules and custom configurations is better documented and faster using IPv4.
- Maximum compatibility: Some smart home and older network devices do not have updated logic to work with IPv6 addresses. Those devices will either work erratically or not at all with an IPv6-only system.
Why You Should Know This
Let’s not forget the everyday networking aspect. Learning about IP addresses isn’t just for tech geeks. It’s about understanding how the everyday devices around you work. Knowing networking is a huge step up in fixing most digital connectivity problems. Your phone, laptop, and smart TV all use these protocols. A basic understanding can help you troubleshoot or better organize your home network. As we move towards a more connected world, IPv6 is slowly changing how we access and configure this future, which makes it easy to get lost. That’s why learning the difference and how IPv4 vs. IPv6 might affect you is essential.
Web Hosting: Why IPv4 is Preferable vs. IPv6
For web hosting, IPv4 often holds an edge for practical reasons. The internet is predominantly built on IPv4, so most users and services still primarily use this protocol. This means:
- Broader Compatibility: A significant portion of the internet infrastructure, including many older devices and networks, still only supports or prioritizes IPv4. Hosting with IPv4 ensures your site remains accessible to all users.
- SEO and Traffic: Search engines like Google can index IPv4 sites more reliably due to the higher prevalence of IPv4-capable crawlers. This can influence your site’s visibility and traffic.
- Cost and Availability: Though scarcer, IPv4 addresses are still more readily available in the web hosting market than the sometimes more complex setup required for IPv6. Many providers will throw in a huge IPv6 subnet for free with their VPS, but they do so knowing exactly how little worth it has. We include an IPv4 address at no cost with our Managed VPS Hosting – we know how valuable this is, so it is the standard across all of our plans.
- Legacy Systems: Many businesses rely on legacy systems that might not support IPv6, making IPv4 a safer bet for uninterrupted service.
While IPv6 will eventually become more commonplace, and its adoption is growing, sticking with IPv4 or at least ensuring your hosting uses IPv4 is the best choice for business owners aiming for maximum reach and reliability.
Wrapping Up
IPv4 vs. IPv6 isn’t just a tech debate – it’s about how we access the Internet now and in the future. Whether you’re a business owner looking to streamline your network or someone who wants to understand why their smart TV needs an IP, this knowledge is power.
- IPv4:
- Extremely commonplace
- Backward compatible going back decades
- The best choice for home networks
- Available in limited quantities for businesses
- IPv6:
- Virtually unlimited supply of addresses
- Newer, more efficient, and faster routing
- Features the latest security protocols
- Harder to remember and share
- Worse choice for businesses and hosting
At this point, IPv4 is the clear choice if you don’t want to spend days/weeks studying networking to understand how IPv6 to IPv4 translation works, learning the different and confusing reserved IPv6 subnets, or if you care about your business getting maximum exposure. IPv6 is a nice idea of how the future will work one day, but we are not nearly there yet.