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Knowledge document #573

Configuring IPv6 in the FRITZ!Box

The FRITZ!Box supports the internet protocols IPv4 and IPv6. If possible, the FRITZ!Box establishes a native IPv4 and a native IPv6 internet connection, for example using Dual Stack. Only if the internet service provider no longer allows IPv4 internet connections, the FRITZ!Box will only establish an IPv6 internet connection, for example using Dual-Stack Lite (DS-Lite).

It is only necessary to configure IPv6 manually if the IPv6 internet connection could not be configured automatically, IPv6 is used with a tunnel protocol on an IPv4 Internet connection, or a special configuration is to be implemented.

Observe the following information on the different IPv6 connections and proceed as described in the subsequent measures.

Note:All instructions on configuration and settings given in this guide refer to the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box.

1 IPv6 connection options of the FRITZ!Box

In the FRITZ!Box, you can configure native IPv4 and IPv6 internet connections or an IPv6 connection over a tunnel protocol. Various settings are available:

Using a native IPv4 connection

If the setting "Use native IPv4 connection" is selected, the FRITZ!Box establishes IPv4 and IPv6 internet connections:

  • The FRITZ!Box establishes a native IPv4 connection first.
  • If the internet service provider announces the IPv4 address of a 6RD gateway to the FRITZ!Box via DHCPv4, the FRITZ!Box also establishes a 6RD tunnel for IPv6 in addition to the IPv4 connection.
  • If the internet service provider does not announce a 6RD gateway to the FRITZ!Box, the FRITZ!Box also tries to establish an IPv6 connection using Dual-Stack in addition to the IPv4 connection.
  • If neither a 6RD tunnel nor a native IPv6 connection is achieved, then the FRITZ!Box does not establish an IPv6 connection.

The setting "Use native IPv4 connection" makes sense if IPv4 is supported on the internet connection and it is not known which IPv6 settings the internet service provider expects.

Using a native IPv6 connection

If the setting "Use native IPv6 connection" is selected, the FRITZ!Box establishes a native IPv6 internet connection and also attempts to establish an IPv4 connection using DS-Lite:

  • The FRITZ!Box establishes a native IPv6 connection first.
  • If the internet service provider announces an AFTR address to the FRITZ!Box via DHCPv6 or the setting "Establish IPv4 connection via DS Lite" is enabled and an AFTR was entered manually, the FRITZ!Box also establishes an IPv4 connection using DS-Lite in addition to the IPv6 connection.
  • If the internet service provider does not announce an AFTR address to the FRITZ!Box and the native IPv6 connection cannot be established, the FRITZ!Box establishes a native IPv4 connection.

The setting "Use native IPv6 connection" makes sense if a native IPv6 connection and IPv4 using DS-Lite is supported on the internet connection.

Using IPv6 with a tunnel protocol

If the setting "Use IPv6 with a tunnel protocol" is selected, the FRITZ!Box establishes a native IPv4 internet connection and also establishes a tunnel for IPv6. When using a tunnel protocol, the FRITZ!Box packs IPv6 packets into IPv4 packets and sends them via the IPv4 internet connection to a special gateway that unpacks the packets again and forwards the IPv6 data they contain to the IPv6 area of the internet.

The FRITZ!Box supports various tunnel protocols:

  • 6to4: 6to4 is a tunnel protocol that can be used with all IPv4 internet connections. It is not necessary to register with a service provider. The IPv4 address of the FRITZ!Box is rendered on an IPv6 address space according to a prescribed mechanism. This means that every change to the IPv4 address also changes the IPv6 address space of the FRITZ!Box.
  • 6RD: The 6RD tunnel protocol is based on the tunnel protocol 6to4, but it can only be used if the IPv4 internet service provider offers a 6RD gateway. Unlike with 6to4, the same gateway is always used with 6RD.
  • 6in4: The 6in4 tunnel protocol can only be used if the IPv4 internet service provider offers a 6in4 gateway. Unlike 6RD, with 6in4 the gateway must always be configured manually.

The setting "Use IPv6 with a tunnel protocol" makes sense if the internet service provider does not support IPv6 on the connection.

2 Setting up an IPv6 connection in the FRITZ!Box

  1. Click "Internet" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Account Information" in the "Internet" menu.
  3. Click on the "IPv6" tab.
  4. Enable the option "IPv6 support enabled". If IPv6 support is already enabled, IPv6 is already enabled. In this case you do not need to adjust the IPv6 settings.
  5. Configure the IPv6 internet connection according to the instructions of your internet service provider. If you do not know which IPv6 settings are required for your internet service provider, enable the option "Use native IPv4 connection".
  6. Click "Apply" to save the settings.

3 Adjusting the IPv6 settings for the home network

  1. Click "Home Network" in the FRITZ!Box user interface.
  2. Click "Network" in the "Home Network" menu.
  3. Click on the "Network Settings" tab.
  4. Click the "IPv6 Addresses" button.
  5. Enable the option "Assign unique local addresses (ULA) as long as no IPv6 connection exists (recommended)".
  6. Enable the options "Enable DHCPv6 server in the FRITZ!Box for the home network" and "Only assign DNS server".
  7. Click "OK" to save the settings and on the FRITZ!Box, confirm that the procedure may be executed if asked to do so.

4 Configuring IPv6 in the network device

IPv6 is enabled by default in Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and other modern operating systems; it is used parallel to IPv4 and preferred by modern devices. We recommend the following settings for IPv6 communication with the FRITZ!Box:

Windows 11

  1. Click (Start) and then (Settings) in the Windows task bar.
  2. Click "Network & Internet" in the "Settings" menu.
  3. Click "Advanced network settings".
  4. Click "More network adapter options" in the section "Related settings".
  5. Right-click the network adapter that connects the computer to the FRITZ!Box.
  6. Click "Properties".
  7. Select "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)".
  8. Click "Properties".
  9. Enable the options "Obtain an IPv6 address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically".
  10. Click "OK" to save the settings.

Windows 10

  1. Click (Start) and then (Settings) in the Windows task bar.
  2. Click "Network & Internet" in the "Settings" menu.
  3. Click "Change adapter options" in the section "Change your networking settings".
  4. Click the arrow next to the (Change view) button in the menu bar and select "Details".
  5. Right-click the LAN or Wi-Fi connection that lists the network adapter that connects the computer to the FRITZ!Box under "Device Name".
  6. Click "Properties".
  7. Select "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)".
  8. Click "Properties".
  9. Enable the options "Obtain an IPv6 address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically".
  10. Click "OK" to save the settings.

macOS

  1. Open the "System Preferences" in the Apple menu.
  2. Click on "Network" in the "System Preferences" menu.
  3. If the computer is connected to the FRITZ!Box via Wi-Fi, select "Wi-Fi" in the left-hand window.
    • If the computer is connected to the FRITZ!Box using a network cable, select "Built-in Ethernet" in the left-hand window.
  4. Click "Advanced".
  5. Switch to the TCP/IP settings page and select "Using DHCP:" from the drop-down list "Configure IPv4". Select the option "Automatically" from the drop-down list "Configure IPv6".
  6. Click "OK" to save the settings.

Linux and other devices (for example NAS systems)

  1. Configure the device to automatically obtain an IPv6 address and a DNSv6 server via SLAAC und DHCPv6. Refer to the manufacturer for information on how to set it up, for example consult the manual.
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