VOIP - IP version

I have not seen any mention of !P v6 or IP v4 on any discussion on VOIP so I have re-joined this forum to ask a question.

When we get (or are forced to have) VOIP telephone over FTTP (not yet available via Openreach for my address - last heard they were still negotiating to use the overhead power distribution pole in my garden for fibre, this is currently used by Openreach for telephone) for both voice and Internet I assume we will get a new router. Swish have installed fibre ducts in the road so that is still potentially an option.

I have no real issue with IPV6 on the external service into my home but I prefer to continue use IPV4 on my home network due to the additional protection against inbound traffic due to the router blocking inbound traffic. I am also not certain that my heating controls (available via my phone through the Honeywell server) will continue to work as they only support as far as I know IP4.

My internal network has my Evohome heating controls, a NAS, and several TVs plus a PVR all currently using IPv4 for catch-up services and would also need to be looked at and these may not all work over IPv6.

Well, if you want something on VOIP and ipv6, this contains some discussion, but it's a bit heavy https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1417486/2/Kirs... . This indicates that most of the protocols and kit for VOIP are ipv6 capable already.

ipv4 and ipv6 will coexist on the internet for years to come and Fig 1 in the referenced document shows an ipv4-ipv6 boundary interface unit. These will be in place right now and operating transparently. Shoot me down in flames, but I would guess that the majority of the internet is working on ipv6 already, only translating to ipv4 close to pesky customers. So from that perspective, we are close to the endgame for ipv4, because FTTP supports and indeed I have a dual ipv4 ipv6 service. Although the endgame will probably take decades to conclude.

Ultimately, I expect service to the premises to become ipv6 only, at which point customer routers may well accommodate by incorporating an ipv4-ipv6 boundary interface operating much like NAT, at a time when most enduser devices will be ipv6 capable anyway. All speculation on my part. But already, I think we should be checking that any tcp/ip devices and systems we buy are ipv6 capable, although I think any ipv4 kit you have right now will reach a natural End-of-Life long before it is obsoleted by cessation of ipv4 support.

I understand it differently

The transport be it IPv4 or IPv6 is irrelevant to VOIP, if both the customer and the VOIP provider have IPv6 enabled then it will typically use it end to end, if IPv4 is only available then it will use that. Currently some ISPs only provider IPv4 to the end user so until they all have added IPv6 support most companies are not going to limit themselves to just IPv6 customers.

I struggle to see how that is different?

In reply to a post by steelej02:

I have no real issue with IPV6 on the external service into my home but I prefer to continue use IPV4 on my home network due to the additional protection against inbound traffic due to the router blocking inbound traffic.

That is an often misquoted reason with no factual basis, whilst IPv4 NAT does implicitly prevent inbound connections to LAN devices it is trivial to block IPv6 from the WAN with firewall rules. I would expect consumer routers to do so by default, certainly AVM on their FRIZT!Box routers and Mikrotik do on their SOHO & mid-range routers too.

In reply to a post by tdw42:

I would expect consumer routers to do so by default, certainly AVM on their FRIZT!Box routers and Mikrotik do on their SOHO & mid-range routers too.

Asus routers do by default also.

In reply to a post by DFScale:

I struggle to see how that is different?

One example, I said if IPv4 is used its used end to end and if IPv6 is used its used its used end to end whereas you said

In reply to a post by DFScale:

I would guess that the majority of the internet is working on ipv6 already, only translating to ipv4 close to pesky customers.

I would suggest IPv4 is still the most used protocol.

I had been a network security specialist for many years until I retired about 5 years ago but that was just as IPv6 was beginning to be available. I have several devices on my current IPv4 local network which do not mention IPv6 in their documentation. These include two quite recent LG TVs, a much older TV that can all connect to the Internet and a Humax PVR and a Honeywell Evohome heating controller that all use IPv4 and I am not sure whether any of these are capable of IPv6. My Synology NAS may do, and my two Dell laptops certainly will support IPv6.

I am not yet in a position to get FTTP from Openreach (they need to negotiate a pole sharing with the Electricity DNO that owns the pole) but could from Swish as they have installed fire ducting in the road. I currently am using FTTC with a Plusnet router with an IPv4 internal network.

I am just wanting to know what to expect in terms of compatibility with the routers that will be supplied when we are forced to go to VOIP. If the routers provided support either firewall rules or IPv4 on the local LAN then I know what to do (at least in principle). If they expect to use IPv6 on the internal LAN then I can see many problems.

NAT on the router prevents inbound traffic. I am quite happy to set up firewall rules in the router but I am certain that none of our non technical friends will know what to do unless this s the default configuration. I have not yet had access t an IPv6 router that is likely to be provided by an ISP or VOIP provider.

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by tdw42:

I would expect consumer routers to do so by default, certainly AVM on their FRIZT!Box routers and Mikrotik do on their SOHO & mid-range routers too.

Asus routers do by default also.

I support many friends and family locally having been a network architect for 30 years until I retired and I can personally confidently access a router and make changes but none of my friends would have a clue how to do it! I have never had access to IPv6 though. None of us NEED inbound connections for day to day use.

If the DEFAULT is for ISP/VOIP provided routers is to block inbound traffic then that is the answer I was looking for. Is this actually the case however?

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by tdw42:

I would expect consumer routers to do so by default, certainly AVM on their FRIZT!Box routers and Mikrotik do on their SOHO & mid-range routers too.

Asus routers do by default also.

Indeed and all stateful firewalls block unsolicited incoming traffic by default on IPv6 and IPv4. NAT doesn't really add any security. Also we should remember that IPv6 gives us trillions of IP addresses in our own homes, so even if the firewall was open to all IPv6 incoming traffic, it would take some doing to find legitimate IPv6 addresses to connect to.

I'm running IPv6 and I get no attempts to connect or scan my IPv6 address space.