# The internet needs IPv6 and so does your home network

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-internet-needs-ipv6-and-so-does-your-home-network/
- Published: 2026-10-25T16:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T16:52:55+00:00
- Original publisher: Engadget
- Original article: https://www.engadget.com/2293285/internet-home-network-needs-ipv6/
- Topics: Gadgets

## Key points

- IPv6 addresses ease pressure on the exhausted IPv4 system.
- Google says just under 51% of users connect via IPv6.
- IPv6 may help some gaming and smart-home connections.

## Summary

IPv4 addresses were exhausted as the internet grew, so home routers and internet providers use address sharing to connect many devices through fewer public addresses. IPv6 provides a vastly larger pool and can give each device its own address, which may help with connections that struggle when network address translation gets in the way.

IPv4 has 32-bit addresses and its final blocks were allocated in 2011; IPv6 uses 128-bit addresses and was standardised in 1995. Google measured IPv6 use at just under 51 per cent on 17 October 2026, up from about 33 per cent in 2020, though adoption varies widely by country. Most modern routers support both systems, but enabling IPv6 will not make Wi-Fi faster, and the article says there is no compelling reason to change a working network.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.