Whether your ISP supports IPv6 determines whether IPv6-specific privacy considerations even apply to you — and the check itself is quick, once you know the right order to work through.
The fastest direct check
The simplest test is visiting an IPv6-only endpoint directly — NetRiskScan's dual-stack tools do this automatically as part of the IPv6 Leak Test, forcing a connection that can only succeed if your entire path (device, router, and ISP) genuinely supports IPv6 end to end.
If that fails, check each layer
- Device. Confirm your operating system has IPv6 enabled — it's on by default on virtually all current systems, but can be disabled by policy or manual configuration.
- Router. Confirm your router itself supports and has IPv6 enabled — some older or budget router firmware ships with it disabled or entirely unsupported.
- WAN prefix. Check whether your router actually received an IPv6 prefix from your ISP — if the router supports IPv6 but never got a prefix assigned, that points squarely at the ISP side.
- DNS. Confirm your resolver returns AAAA records (IPv6 addresses) for lookups — see IPv6 DNS for how this fits together.
- ISP documentation. Many ISPs publish IPv6 rollout status directly — worth checking if the above steps suggest the gap is upstream of your own equipment.
Why the order matters
Working from your own device outward isolates the problem faster than guessing — if your device and router both check out but no prefix arrives, you've narrowed it to the ISP without needing to troubleshoot your own equipment further.
FAQ
Is it a problem if my ISP doesn't support IPv6?
Not inherently — IPv4 remains fully functional, and if IPv6 isn't available at all, there's no IPv6-specific leak risk either, since there's no IPv6 path to leak through.