This page reports the address your browser actually used to reach IPFerret. If you see an IPv6 address below, your connection negotiated end-to-end IPv6 all the way to this server. If it is an IPv4 address, then somewhere on the path — your device, your router, your ISP, or an intermediate hop — IPv6 was unavailable and the request fell back to v4. There is no scripted probing or third-party call: we simply read the source address of the request that delivered this page.
216.73.216.116We received your request over IPv4. That's still common — most consumer networks dual-stack and will use whichever works.
Reading your result
The badge above shows one of two outcomes. IPv6 means this request arrived over a 128-bit address and you are ready for IPv6-only destinations. IPv4 only means the request arrived over a 32-bit address; that is still extremely common and nothing is broken, because the global internet remains dual-stack and IPv4-only sites continue to work for you. The address shown is exactly what a server sees as your origin — note that on many home networks an IPv6 address is your device's own globally-routable address, whereas an IPv4 address is usually shared behind your router's NAT or your carrier's CGNAT.
Why does IPv6 matter?
IPv4 provides only about 4.3 billion addresses, and the central pools were exhausted years ago. IPv6 widens the address space to 128 bits — an essentially unlimited supply — which is why carriers, mobile networks, and large content providers have steadily shifted traffic onto it. For end users the practical wins are fewer layers of address translation, simpler peer-to-peer connections (handy for gaming, video calls, and self-hosting), and a path that avoids the congestion and port-sharing limits of carrier-grade NAT.
How to enable IPv6
If you tested as IPv4-only but expected v6, work down the path one hop at a time. The most common blockers, in roughly the order worth checking:
- Confirm your router has IPv6 enabled. Most modern routers default to it, but some ISP-supplied units ship with it switched off or stuck on an older transition mechanism.
- Ask your ISP whether they hand out native IPv6. Some still do not, and a few only offer it on request or on newer plans.
- If you use a VPN, confirm it actually carries IPv6. Many tunnel only IPv4 and either drop v6 or, worse, let it bypass the tunnel — a leak you can confirm with the tools below.
- Check that your device itself has IPv6 enabled in its network settings; it is occasionally disabled by corporate policy or a past troubleshooting step.
Frequently asked questions
Does an IPv4 result mean IPv6 is broken?
Usually not. Dual-stack networks keep both protocols available and choose whichever the destination supports, so an IPv4 result here just means v6 was not on the path to this server. Your normal browsing is unaffected.
How does this test decide?
It reads the source address of the request your browser used to fetch this page. IPv6 format means the connection was v6 end to end; IPv4 format means it travelled over v4. No scripted probing is involved.
Why might a VPN make IPv6 disappear?
Many VPN clients tunnel only IPv4 and drop or ignore IPv6. If your network has v6 but the VPN does not carry it, you appear as IPv4 — and a VPN that ignores v6 can also let it bypass the tunnel entirely, which is a privacy leak.
Related tools
Confirm your VPN is not leaking v6 with the DNS leak test and WebRTC leak test, work with addresses using the IPv6 toolkit, and see the full picture of how you appear online on the what is my IP page.