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remaker's avatar
remaker
Roku Guru
3 years ago

IPv6 Live in RokuOS 12.0!

Spent a few hours this morning doing packet traces from my Roku Ultra 4800X to see what might us IPv6. I was susprised. 

Of course, whether or not IPv6 is selected may depend on how fast each server responded, so this is an observation, not an authoritative viewpoint. That said:

I see that locally there are multicast advertisements to ff02::fb (Spotify Conenct, Airplay)  and ff02:16 (ICMPv6 Multicast listener). So it can share with IPv6 locally!

IPv6 destinations observed

2600:9000:2146:4a00:15:74ef:49c0:93a1 (Amazon Cloudfront - Hulu)
2600:1f14:631:1700:4705:5a9a:fb4a:ded2 (Amazon)
2a04:4e42:4c::375 (Fastly)
2600:1406:3a00:5::17c0:e40a (Akamai)
2607:f8b0:4005:80b::200e (Google)
2a04:4e42:2d::760 (Fastly)
2600:1901:1:c36:: (Google)
2600:9000:2146:b800:9:f47e:5080:93a1 (Amazon Cloudfront)

Roku UX and check for update: IPv4 Only.

Netflix UX, streaming: No IPv6

Hulu UX and stream on IPv6 (Amazon Cloudfront)

YouTube no IPv6

HBOMax stream IPv6 (Akamai)

Prime Video no IPv6

Spotify IPv6 2607:f8b0:4005:80b::200e (Google) 

Roku Channel Live TV IPv6 (Amazon Cloudfront)

AppleTV no IPv6

Pandora no IPv6

So, it looks like it's not just a test, but it's live and sending real traffic on IPv6. 

I assume it will NOT work on an IPv6 only network but that may be my next test.

 

Apparenly, not all 12.0 players (yet) have IPv6 activated.

See fo  yourself at the IPv6 Secret menu: Home five times, FF, Down, RW, Down, FF.

Supported 12.0 players: https://support.roku.com/article/228844467

tv & player wifi

19 Replies

  • jt240z's avatar
    jt240z
    Channel Surfer
    3 years ago

    We really need the addition of IPv6 support for all current devices.  More and more carriers are switching over and some are not even allowing IPv4 anymore.  My T-Mobile hotspot defaults to IPv6 only.  If not for some large amounts of reading I would not have known that this was my problem.  Others may just give up on Roku and move on to firestick or Apple TV which do support it.  

  • lohphat's avatar
    lohphat
    Streaming Star
    3 years ago

    Progress is progress!  Thanks for your efforts.

    I mostly watch YT and my home is IPv6 enabled and most of my PC traffic to the large CDNs is over IPv6.

    • remaker's avatar
      remaker
      Roku Guru
      3 years ago

      I was shocked that my Roku YouTube traffic was all IPv4. Not sure why that was the case.

  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    2 years ago

    The support pages claim that IPv6 is "available" in Roku OS 12, and lists the models that support it. I have three 4670X Ultras, two of which had IPv6 enabled back when you posted this, neither of which has it enabled now.

    IPv6 support

    Dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6 addressing is available on some Roku streaming devices. Refer to the list below for streaming devices that support this feature. If your device is not on the list, then it only supports an IPv4 address. If you do not know your device's model number, learn how to locate the model number on your Roku device.

    Dual-stack capable streaming devices: 3800X, 3822R, 3900X, 3901PH, 3910X, 3920X, 3921X, 3930X, 3931X, 3932X, 3940X, 3941X, 3941X2, 3950X, 3951X, 3960X, 3960X, 3960X2, 4662X, 4670X, 4700X, 4701X, 4800X, 4802X, 4850X, 7000X, 8000X, 9100X, 9101X, 9102X, 9104X, A000X, C000X, D000X, E000X, G000X, H000X, J000X, K000X

    • iXe8ta's avatar
      iXe8ta
      Channel Surfer
      2 years ago

      One of mine is allegedly supported, but no matter what I do in the secret menu, it doesn't actually get an IPv6 address from my router.

      Also, the Linux kernel has supported IPv6 since 1996. Why doesn't Roku support IPv6 in all its models that still receive updates?

      • Anonymous's avatar
        Anonymous
        2 years ago

        I don't really see any reason for Roku to support IPv6 unless the old threat of running out of IPv4 address space is back. Do you know anyone whose ISP refused to allocate an IPv4 address? Is there an app you'd like to add but can't because their CDN isn't dual-stack? 

        I was just wondering if they jumped the gun on their claim of "availability", or if their list of supported models is inaccurate. And I still wonder why it was activated on two of my Ultras for a while, but not the third. I'd like to see it working on all 3 if it's supposed to.

  • iXe8ta's avatar
    iXe8ta
    Channel Surfer
    2 years ago

    Still not on the Roku Premiere, though.

     

    I wonder if Roku ever said why.

    • remaker's avatar
      remaker
      Roku Guru
      2 years ago

      They haven't said anything at all. Looks like they are activating on randomly selected units and collecting data, which is not uncommon for systems with a very large footprint. They may also be testing for connectivity before managing full activation. Misconfigured IPv6 could lead to poor experiences, which Roku wants to avoid.

      Test your own IPv6 health using https://test-ipv6.com. If your home network has issues, Roku won't activate.