Differences between IPv4 and IPv6

The Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is a protocol for use on packet-switched Link Layer networks (e.g. Ethernet).  IPv4 provides an addressing capability of approximately 4.3 billion addresses.

The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is more advanced and has better features compared to IPv4.  It has the capability to provide an infinite number of addresses.  It is replacing IPv4 to accommodate the growing number of networks worldwide and help solve the IP address exhaustion problem.

One of the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 is the appearance of the IP addresses.  IPv4 uses four 1 byte decimal numbers, separated by a dot (i.e. 192.168.1.1), while IPv6 uses hexadecimal numbers that are separated by colons (i.e. fe80::d4a8:6435:d2d8:d9f3b11). 
 

 
 

Below is the summary of the differences between the IPv4 and IPv6:
 

 IPv4IPv6
No. of bits on IP Address32128
Formatdecimalhexadecimal
Capable of Addresses4.3 billioninfinite number
How to ping ping XXX.XXX.XXXping6


Advantages of IPv6 over IPv4:

  • IPv6 simplified the router’s task compared to IPv4.
  • IPv6 is more compatible to mobile networks than IPv4.
  • IPv6 allows for bigger payloads than what is allowed in IPv4.
  • IPv6 is used by less than 1% of the networks, while IPv4 is still in use by the remaining 99%.



Related Articles:

Checking the computer’s IPv6 Address
How to verify if your system is capable of IPv6 connectivity
Linksys devices that support IPv6

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