IPv4 vs. IPv6 Addresses
IPv6 was designed to be the future-generation protocol that fixes the limitations and flaws in IPv4. Considering the fact that these protocols cannot communicate with each other, IPv4 will not become obsolete anytime soon. Here are the important variations between these two protocols:
1. Address style
IPv4 addresses are numbers with binary bits separated by dots. IPv6 addresses, on the other hand, are alphanumeric and separated by columns (:).
2. Security
Security is constructed into the IPv6 protocol, whereas, with IPv4, safety is dependent on the application.
3. Checksum
IPv4 has checksum fields, and IPv6 has none.
4. Size of IP addresses
IPv4 addresses are 32-bit by design, while IPv6 addresses are 128-bit.
5. Mobile compatibility
IPv4’s use of the dot-decimal notation makes it less suitable for cell networks. IPv6 is hexadecimal; the colon-separated notation makes it more appropriate for mobile networks.
Example addresses:
- IPv4 (127.0.0.1) and IPv6 (2001:0db8:0000:0000:0000:ff00:0042:7879)
Both protocols, however, can coexist on a network.
What is My Internet Protocol (IP) Address?
As you most likely already know, your IP address is the address or logical area of your computer when it’s related to the Internet. The networking software program or hardware must know your IP address if you want to connect and go online. Thankfully, you don’t need to know your IP address whenever you go online, like a password. However, in case you ever need to know what it is, you can always search online.
Websites and networks also need to know your IP address in the same digital way that computers do. IP addresses are part of TCP/IP, the protocols that networks communicate that permit us all to surf the internet. Think of it as a common online language. Read below this comprehensive guide to find out about your IP address.
Table of Content
- What is my IP address?
- What is an IP address?
- Why you should change your IP address?
- How to find my IP address?
- How do I find my public IP address?
- IPv4 vs. IPv6 Addresses
- Why hasn’t IPv6 been fully implemented yet?