IPv4 versus IPv6 without the alphabet soup
A plain-language explanation of the two IP versions, why both still exist, and what dual-stack connectivity means for your devices.
IPv4 and IPv6 are two versions of the addressing system devices use to move traffic across the internet. They solve the same basic problem: identifying where packets are coming from and where they need to go.
They look very different because the newer system has room for vastly more addresses.
IPv4 is the familiar one
An IPv4 address looks like four numbers separated by dots, such as 192.0.2.10. Each section represents part of a 32-bit address.
When IPv4 was designed, roughly 4.3 billion possible addresses sounded enormous. The internet eventually connected far more phones, computers, routers, televisions, sensors, and cloud services than that address space could comfortably support.
The internet did not stop when the easy supply ran low. Providers and home routers leaned heavily on network address translation, or NAT. NAT lets many devices share one public IPv4 address. Your laptop may have a private address inside your home while your router presents a single public address to the wider internet.
That arrangement works remarkably well, but it adds translation and makes direct inbound connectivity more complicated.
IPv6 makes the address space enormous
An IPv6 address uses hexadecimal characters and colons, such as 2001:db8::10. It is 128 bits long, creating enough address space that conservation is no longer the central design constraint.
IPv6 also changes how networks handle tasks such as address configuration and neighbor discovery. It does not automatically make every connection faster or safer, but it gives modern networks a cleaner path away from layers of shared-address workarounds.
Why do we still use both?
The internet cannot switch every router, provider, application, and device at once. IPv4 remains deeply embedded, while IPv6 adoption continues network by network.
Many connections therefore use dual stack, where IPv4 and IPv6 operate side by side. A device can prefer IPv6 when the destination supports it and fall back to IPv4 when needed. Good implementations make that choice quickly enough that most people never notice.
Some providers use translation technologies to offer IPv6 to customers while still reaching IPv4-only destinations. Mobile networks have been especially active here because address pressure arrived early for them.
Does your public address identify you?
A public IP address identifies a network connection at a moment in time, not automatically a specific person. Addresses can change. Households share them. Carrier-grade NAT can place many customers behind the same public IPv4 address. VPNs and corporate gateways show the address of an exit network instead.
An IP can still be sensitive and useful for approximate network and location information, so it should be handled thoughtfully. IP Frog displays the address needed for your requested report but does not attach it to the anonymous speed-test summary sent for aggregate analytics.
What should you do with this information?
Mostly, let your devices handle it. If a service works over both versions, that is a healthy sign. If IPv6 is missing, it may simply mean your provider or router has not enabled it. If one version repeatedly fails while the other works, that is useful evidence for troubleshooting your router, firewall, VPN, or ISP.
IP Frog checks both paths separately so “the internet works” can become a more precise answer.