What happens if an ISP isn't IPv6?
IPv4 (Internet Protocol version 4)
Uses 32-bit addresses, written as four numbers (e.g.,
192.168.1.1)Supports about 4.3 billion unique addresses
Has been the backbone of the internet since the early 1980s
Relies heavily on NAT (Network Address Translation) because addresses ran out
Still widely used, but increasingly strained
IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6)
Uses 128-bit addresses, written in hexadecimal (e.g.,
2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334)Supports an enormous number of addresses (enough for virtually every device on Earth)
Designed to reduce or eliminate the need for NAT
Includes built-in support for security (IPsec) and auto-configuration
Better suited for IoT, mobile devices, and peer-to-peer networking
Why this matters (especially for P2P)
IPv6 makes it much easier for devices to connect directly to each other, which improves peer-to-peer applications like real-time communication, decentralized networks, and autonomous systems. IPv4, by contrast, often forces traffic through intermediaries because of NAT, adding latency and complexity.
In short:
IPv4 = older, limited address space, still dominant
IPv6 = modern, massively scalable, designed for today’s connected world