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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nThe end-of-year holidays seem to be a great time for buying new technology or upgrading your existing gear.\u00a0 However, there are unexpected events that can occur when devices fail and you need a replacement.\u00a0 I recently encountered this situation.\u00a0 Most of us don\u2019t want to needlessly spend money trying to keep up with the latest technologies but some people believe that they absolutely must have the latest\u00a0Apple iPhone<\/a>\u00a0model.\u00a0 When it comes to home networking equipment, you probably already have a broadband Internet access router, but you might desire to have a faster router with new features.<\/p>\n On the other hand, there are those people who are electronic cheapskates and avoid upgrading at all cost.\u00a0 Examples would be those people you see still using a flip-phone or carrying around a\u00a0portable CD-player<\/a>\u00a0in their front-facing fanny-packs.\u00a0 There are those among us who have continue to use the same\u00a0DOCSIS<\/a>\u00a01.0 cable modems and broadband routers they purchased when they first got residential Internet access back in 2001.\u00a0 This can be frustrating to a cable MSO who may want to get their subscribers to upgrade their modems to DOCSIS 3.0 and upgrade their home routers in order to help move toward IPv6.\u00a0 I often wonder if the cable\u00a0MSOs<\/a>\u00a0wished they had a way send an electrical spike through the\u00a0Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial<\/a>\u00a0(HFC) network, frying the power supply of the old\u00a0Customer-Premises Equipment<\/a>\u00a0(CPE), in an effort to help speed up refresh of legacy devices.\u00a0 The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if that is in-fact what happened the last time my cable modem failed.<\/p>\n When you go to refresh your residential broadband Internet router you will probably do so with the goal of obtaining\u00a0IEEE 802.11ac wireless<\/a>\u00a0connectivity.\u00a0 The IEEE 802.11ac specification allows for 5GHz wireless LAN communications at speeds up to 1Gbps.\u00a0 Currently, most 802.11ac systems use the\u00a0Wave 1<\/a>\u00a0frequency channel width, but\u00a0Wave 2<\/a>\u00a0devices are coming that have nearly double the throughput as a result of doubling the channel frequency width.\u00a0 This becomes more useful as broadband Internet service speeds continue to increase and most home routers have gigabit Ethernet interfaces.<\/p>\n If you have purchased a laptop, smartphone, or tablet in the past year or two, it likely already has an 802.11ac radio inside.\u00a0 In 2014, devices like\u00a0Apple MacBooks<\/a>\u00a0,\u00a0Google Nexus<\/a>, and\u00a0Samsung Galaxy S5<\/a>\u00a0started to come with 802.11ac radios.\u00a0 In early 2015, the\u00a0Apple iPhone 6<\/a>,\u00a0iPad Air 2<\/a>, and\u00a0Samsung Galaxy S6<\/a>\u00a0also now have 802.11ac radios.\u00a0 If you have an older wireless router in your home, it probably supports\u00a02.4GHz 802.11b\/g<\/a>\u00a0and perhaps\u00a0802.11n<\/a>.\u00a0 To obtain 802.11ac wireless connectivity to the Internet for devices in your home, you will likely need to upgrade your home router hardware.<\/p>\n As more mobile devices contain 802.11ac radios and more\u00a0Wireless Access Points<\/a>\u00a0(WAPs) are upgraded, more devices will start using this faster wireless medium.\u00a0 The industry is now starting to see increased 802.11ac market adoption in enterprises and for Internet users.\u00a0\u00a0ABI Research predicted<\/a>\u00a0that a tipping point has occurred and that after 2015 more mobile devices would support 802.11ac than 802.11n.\u00a0 There seems to be a slight delay between when an end-node supports a wireless technology and when it gets implemented in the access network infrastructure.\u00a0\u00a0Infonetics predicts<\/a>\u00a0that 2016 will be the year when 802.11ac starts to surpass 802.11n in wireless access points.<\/p>\n It is also likely that all of your mobile devices support IPv6 by default on their wired and wireless interfaces.\u00a0 It is equally likely that the devices with the 802.11ac wireless connectivity are also some of the newest devices and as such, have IPv6 connectivity already built in.\u00a0 The graphs of the\u00a0number of 802.11ac devices<\/a>\u00a0predicted to be shipped and the\u00a0number of IPv6-enabled networks<\/a>\u00a0look remarkably similar.<\/p>\n As residential broadband CPE gets upgraded, it provides a prime opportunity to purchase CPE that supports IPv6.\u00a0 There are two IETF standards that come into play where residential network equipment is concerned.\u00a0 IETF\u00a0RFC 7084<\/a>\u00a0(formerly RFC 6204), Basic Requirements for IPv6 Customer Edge Routers specifies how a CPE device should behave when connected to an IPv6 service and offers IPv6 downstream to the home devices.\u00a0 This RFC also suggests that CPE should implement IETF\u00a0RFC 6092<\/a>, Recommended Simple Security Capabilities in Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) for Providing Residential IPv6 Internet Service.\u00a0 Consumers would benefit from these basic stateful security behaviors from their IPv6 routers.<\/p>\n The\u00a0IPv6 Ready<\/a>\u00a0logo program for CPE<\/a>\u00a0exists and includes extensive\u00a0testing and verification<\/a>\u00a0of IPv6 functionality of consumer devices.\u00a0 There are several approved testing labs, such as the\u00a0InterOperability Laboratory (IOL) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH)<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0CableLabs<\/a>.\u00a0 The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) formed an\u00a0IPv6 Transition Working Group in 2011<\/a>\u00a0to help promote the use of IPv6 in consumer devices.\u00a0 They publish their\u00a0CEA-2048, Host and Router Profiles for IPv6<\/a>.\u00a0 One can check out the published testing results to determine if their CPE devices have conforming IPv6 capabilities.<\/p>\n If you are in the market for a new home gateway, then you will need to determine if it has satisfactory support for IPv6 features.\u00a0 Prior to the\u00a0World IPv6 Launch in June of 2012<\/a>, there were\u00a0five vendors<\/a>\u00a0that pledged their support to create IPv6-capable CPE for subscribers and help support IPv6 adoption.\u00a0 These five vendors are listed below, along with some of these vendor\u2019s 802.11ac products that support IPv6.<\/p>\n Cisco<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0WAP371<\/a><\/p>\n D-Link<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0AC5300<\/a>,\u00a0AC3200<\/a>,\u00a0AC3150<\/a>,\u00a0AC1750<\/a>,\u00a0AC1200<\/a><\/p>\n NEC AccessTechnica, Ltd.<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0AtermWG 1800HP<\/a><\/p>\n Yamaha Corporation<\/a>\u00a0:<\/p>\n ZyXEL Communications Corp.<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0AC1600<\/a><\/p>\n The good news is that there are now many manufacturers who are selling dual-protocol CPE devices.\u00a0 The following are several other vendors that have IPv6-capable 802.11ac CPE.<\/p>\n ASUS<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0RT-AC5300<\/a>,\u00a0RT-AC3200<\/a>,\u00a0RT-AC3100<\/a>,\u00a0RT-AC88U<\/a>,\u00a0RT-AC87U<\/a>,\u00a0RT-AC68U<\/a>,\u00a0RT-AC66U<\/a><\/p>\n Belkin\/Linksys<\/a>\u00a0(formerly Cisco\/Linksys) :\u00a0AC 1750<\/a>,\u00a0AC 1600<\/a>,\u00a0AC 1200<\/a><\/p>\n Billion Electric Co. Ltd.<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0BiPAC 8800AXL<\/a>,\u00a0BiPAC 7800DXL<\/a><\/p>\n Netgear<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0AC5300<\/a>,\u00a0AC3200<\/a>,\u00a0AC3000<\/a>,\u00a0AC1900<\/a>,\u00a0AC1750<\/a>,\u00a0AC1200<\/a><\/p>\n TP-LINK<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0AC3200<\/a>,\u00a0AC2600<\/a>,\u00a0AC1900<\/a>,\u00a0AC1750<\/a>,\u00a0AC1200<\/a><\/p>\n There are also several open source router platforms that support IPv6.<\/p>\n DD-WRT<\/a>,\u00a0FreeWRT<\/a>,\u00a0M0n0wall<\/a>,\u00a0OpenWRT<\/a>,\u00a0pfSense<\/a>, and\u00a0Tomato<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before you purchase a new device, you will want to verify that it is compatible with your service provider.\u00a0 Each service provider that offers IPv6 service wants to make sure that their subscribers are using properly-configured CPE devices with the latest firmware that operates properly when connected to their network.<\/p>\n Comcast has had an\u00a0IPv6 trial<\/a>\u00a0since as early as 2010, and Comcast has offered production dual-protocol Internet access since 2013.\u00a0 Comcast also provides a\u00a0page that shows DOCSIS 3.0 compatibility<\/a>\u00a0and, therefore, IPv6 support.\u00a0 Comcast also lists a few devices that\u00a0they recommend for use<\/a>\u00a0as an IPv6-capable home gateway.\u00a0 Comcast\u2019s\u00a0IPv6 Information Center<\/a>\u00a0also provides more information on IPv6 connectivity using their services.\u00a0 After you get everything hooked up and you want to test your IPv6 connectivity, use this site to\u00a0verify your IPv6 connectivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verizon FiOS has IPv6<\/a>\u00a0connectivity options for customers.\u00a0 Verizon\u2019s\u00a0web site states<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cVerizon Fios Quantum Gateway (model G1100) and Actiontec Gen 2 and Gen 3 Broadband Home Routers (model MI424WR Revisions E, F, G, I) are compatible with IPv6.\u201d\u00a0 Verizon sells IPv6-capable CPE devices through their\u00a0FiOS accessories site<\/a>.\u00a0 Verizon recommends that their subscribers test their IPv6 connectivity with the\u00a0http:\/\/test-ipv6.com\/<\/a>\u00a0web site.<\/p>\n AT&T<\/a>\u00a0offers dual-protocol DSL Internet connectivity to subscribers.\u00a0 AT&T provides\u00a0a page<\/a>\u00a0that shows a \u201ccompatibility matrix\u201d indicating IPv6 support in subscriber CPE.\u00a0 AT&T also\u00a0sells IPv6-capable routers<\/a>\u00a0to their customers as well as a\u00a0test page to validate<\/a>\u00a0IPv6 connectivity.<\/p>\n CenturyLink<\/a>\u00a0offers DSL Internet connectivity using their traditional 4-wire phone infrastructure as well as a\u00a01Gbps fiber service<\/a>.\u00a0 CenturyLink\u2019s IPv6 connectivity uses\u00a06rd<\/a>\u00a0(dual-stack IPv6 service is not available yet<\/a>).\u00a0 However, CenturyLink does has a\u00a0modem compatibility table<\/a>\u00a0that includes a column showing IPv6 capability.\u00a0 They also offer\u00a0a page<\/a>\u00a0to help you set up your IPv6 6rd service.\u00a0 If you have a ZyXEL C1000Z modem, there is a\u00a0separate page to guide you through the configuration<\/a>.<\/p>\n The above examples are of North American carriers, but there are also numerous\u00a0International ISPs that offer dual-protocol<\/a>\u00a0Internet connectivity.\u00a0\u00a0Free<\/a>\u00a0is a service provider in France that has offered dual-protocol Internet connectivity since as early as 2008.\u00a0 Free has provided 6rd-capable CPE to their subscribers in an effort to speed up the process of moving to IPv6.\u00a0\u00a0Orange offers their Livebox<\/a>\u00a0dual-protocol service, and\u00a0VOO<\/a>\u00a0in Belgium,\u00a0Deutsche Telekom<\/a>\u00a0in Germany,\u00a0Nebula<\/a>\u00a0in Finland all have dual-protocol connectivity.\u00a0 It is highly likely that your existing ISP already has some form of dual-protocol service for you.<\/p>\n The holidays are rapidly approaching and \u201ctis the season<\/a>\u201d to treat yourself to dual-protocol Internet access.\u00a0\u00a0Black Friday<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Cyber Monday<\/a>\u00a0might have passed, but you can still get good deals on CPE from your local electronics superstore or preferred online retailer.\u00a0 Before you buy, you will want to check that your service provider supports the CPE you are about to purchase.\u00a0 You will also want to be sure to check the fine-print of your device\u2019s capabilities and make sure it has IPv6 capabilities.\u00a0 You wouldn\u2019t want to purchase a device that lacks IPv6 support and go another 4-to-6 years with IPv4-only connectivity.\u00a0 If you do upgrade your home devices to support 802.11ac and IPv6, then you are set to have many blissful years of blazing fast Internet productivity and enjoyment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Upgrade Early and Often: The end-of-year holidays seem to be a great time for buying new technology or upgrading your existing gear.\u00a0 However, there are unexpected events that can occur when devices fail and you need a replacement.\u00a0 I recently encountered this situation.\u00a0 Most of us don\u2019t want to needlessly spend money trying to keep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":321,"featured_media":2088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[38],"class_list":{"0":"post-2085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ipv6-coe","8":"tag-ipv6","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGrowing Adoption of IEEE 802.11ac:<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nIPv6 CPE Standards and Certification:<\/h2>\n
IPv6-Capable CPE:<\/h2>\n
Carrier IPv6 Device Information:<\/h2>\n
Happy Holidays:<\/h2>\n