Consumer IPv6 routers fail to make the grade

As the Internet reaches the end of IPv4 addresses and transitions use IPv6 it's running into a problem with consumer grade home networking equipment that just doesn't make the grade, CIO reported. The site said that consumer electronics vendors "have procrastinated in providing IPv6 support for a long time" and now most devices certified as IPv6-compliant by the IPv6 Forum are "full of implementation bugs."

The lack of movement has put ISPs like cable operators in a touchy position because consumers are likely to purchase and deploy products that don't meet the need IPv6 needs. The article does note that industry associations such as CableLabs are "working to fix the problems."

"Most of the new low-cost consumer-grade routers of the last few years have insufficient memory to support an adequate set of IPv6 features and even those routers that do, it's not in the vendor's best interest to spend development dollars on adding features to an older product with laser-thin margins," said Frank Bulk, technology and product development manager for Premier Communications.

For more:
- CIO has this story

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