Test your IPv6 connection

What the IPv6 test checks

The internet runs on two address systems. IPv4 has about 4.3 billion addresses, and they have run out, so providers share them or add IPv6, which has a vastly larger supply. A connection that supports both is called dual-stack. Most modern devices support IPv6, but whether it works depends on your provider and your router.

The test asks three small web addresses to report which of your addresses they see. One is reachable over IPv4 only, one over IPv6 only, and one over both. Together they show whether each protocol works for you and which one your browser picks when it has a choice.

How the score works

• 2 points if your IPv4 connection works.
• 4 points if your IPv6 connection works.
• 1 point if the dual-stack address answers.
• 3 points if your browser prefers IPv6 when both are available, which is what current standards recommend.

What the results mean

IPv4 only: you are using the older system. Everything still works, because almost all sites support IPv4. It does mean you may share an address with other customers, and port forwarding may not work. Some providers offer IPv6 as a setting in the router or account.

IPv6 and IPv4: your connection is dual-stack. Your browser tries IPv6 first and falls back to IPv4 within a fraction of a second if needed. This is the best setup today.

IPv6 only: rare, and usually seen on mobile networks that translate IPv4 for you. Some older sites may be slow or unreachable.

IPv6 and privacy: an IPv6 address can reveal more than an IPv4 one, because some devices put a fixed hardware-based identifier inside it. Modern systems use temporary privacy addresses that change. A VPN that only handles IPv4 can also leak your real IPv6 address, so test with the VPN on.

How the test works

Your browser requests a tiny JSON answer from three names on this site: ipv4.globeproxy.com, ipv6.globeproxy.com and ds.globeproxy.com. The answer contains only the address the request came from. Nothing is stored, no cookies are set and no third party is involved. The page works out the score in your browser.

Why IPv6 matters

IPv4 was designed in the early 1980s and has about 4.3 billion addresses. Every connected phone, laptop and camera wants one, so providers now share addresses between many customers using carrier-grade NAT. That works for browsing but gets in the way of hosting a game, running a camera or reaching your home network from outside.

IPv6 gives every device its own address, which removes the need for sharing. Many large sites and networks already carry a large share of their traffic over IPv6, and if you have it, most of your browsing probably uses it without you noticing.