14 DAY TRIAL // The IPv6 protocol was made because the IPv4 protocol was running out of character permutations that could be used as Internet addresses.
Still, it wasn't that long ago that IPv6 was still something of a protocol without hardware. TP-Link is more than willing to change this, having prepared a product line compatible with it.
The list of ASDL products is made up of the TD-W8968 300Mbps Wireless N USB ADSL2+ Modem Router, the TD-W8970 300Mbps Wireless N Gigabit ADSL2+ Modem Router, and the TD-W8980 N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit ADSL2+ Modem Router.
All of them support DHCP, Static, PPPoE, 6to4 and 6rd (all of them are applied by Internet Service Providers).
"The implication of every device having a unique IPv6 address is a boon for both home networks and mobile networks where latency is a factor," said Lewis Wu, country manager of TP-LINK USA.
"But, rather than rebuilding their systems, many carriers have stayed with IPv4 and NAT because they felt it was too costly to switch. That decision is becoming a mute point."
IPv6 offers a nearly limitless number of addresses, at the cost of a somewhat longer string of characters.
TP-Link's IPv6-supporting product list can be found on this page, and if people already own one of the pieces of hardware but don't have IPv6, they will probably gain access to a firmware update soon.
In addition to the ASDL products mentioned above, the N600 TL-WDR 3500/3600 dual-band router, the N750 TL-WDR4300 dual-band gigabit router, and the N900 TL-WDR4900 dual-band gigabit router are IPv6-compliant.
The company will no doubt see competition from the likes of Satechi, ASUS, Sony, D-Link, etcetera.
"With IPv6 every device has its own unique, globally accessible IPv6 address versus IPv4, which allows multiple devices to share the same IP address through NAT (network address translation)," TP-Link says in its press release.