IPv6 28 November 2014

Are You Buying Home Electronics That Are Ready For IPv6?

By Dan YorkDirector, Internet Technology

US-RETAIL-BLACK FRIDAYAre you buying home electronics that are ready for IPv6?  At this time of year there are many sales both offline and online that offer dramatic discounts on home electronics and devices of all types.  Massive TVs, audio equipment, computers, home networking equipment… you name it… the opportunities are tempting!

As you consider whether that particular purchase is just too good to pass up, we would also suggest you ask:

  • Will it work with IPv6?

The truth is that the “Internet of Things” (IoT) is happening all around us and the “connected home” or “smart home” is becoming a reality.  As more and more connected devices get added to the home, there will be a need for more and more IP addresses… and ultimately homes will need to make the move to IPv6.

Hopefully when that happens all of your shiny home electronics equipment will work fine over IPv6!

To make sure you are prepared, we’d encourage you to do some research on any device that will be connected to a network and find out, if you can, whether it works with IPv6.

If you are going to be purchasing a new home wireless router, the UNH InterOperability Lab (IOL) has a helpful list of IPv6 Ready home routers that they have certified… but those may not be the latest and greatest releases that are on sale in the massive sales that are happening.

It may be hard to discover… but we would strongly encourage you to ask the question… and wherever you can make sure that the electronic devices that you bring in your home today will be able to work on the IPv6 networks that are already being deployed to homes all around the world!

And if you haven’t already started with IPv6, we’d encourage you to visit our Start Here page and learn how you can begin!

Image credit: diariocriticove on Flickr

Disclaimer: Viewpoints expressed in this post are those of the author and may or may not reflect official Internet Society positions.

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