Introduction

We’re thrilled to announce a much-anticipated update to PortDroid—IPv6 support for a range of our tools! Over the years, we’ve heard from many of you that IPv6 capabilities are a feature you’ve been eager to see. We’ve listened, and today we’re rolling out IPv6 support on some of your favorite features, namely Traceroute, Ping, Port Scanner, and Certificate Viewer.

What is IPv6?

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol, the system that provides an identification and location system for computers on networks and routes traffic across the internet. IPv6 replaces the older IPv4 and offers a much larger address space while solving many of the challenges the Internet faces as it continues to grow.

IPv6 has lots of advantages, however as addresses are longer they are more difficult to type in. All text entries in PortDroid support copy and paste and IPv6 is now supported in many of the context menus allowing for quick running of tools without having to manually type or copy and paste an address in.

✅ Tools with IPv6 Support

Traceroute

The Traceroute tool now fully supports IPv6, allowing you to trace the route your data takes over the IPv6-enabled internet. Just like with IPv4, you can identify where potential issues might exist in the network.

Ping / Ping Graph

Our Ping tool now works seamlessly with IPv6 addresses, giving you the round-trip time it takes for your packets to travel to an IPv6-enabled host and back.

Port Scanner / Multi-IP Port Scanner

PortDroid’s Port Scanner also joins the IPv6 club. Now, you can scan for open ports over IPv6 just as you would with IPv4, expanding your ability to secure your network environment.

Certificate Viewer

Check SSL certificates on IPv6 hosts to ensure the security of your encrypted communications with our Certificate Viewer.

❌ Tools Without IPv6 Support

Local Network Scanner

Although it would be ideal to have IPv6 support on the Local Network Scanner, the address space of IPv6 makes it challenging to brute-force detect alive hosts efficiently. Hence, it’s not currently included as an option.

Wake-On-Lan

This tool doesn’t currently support IPv6, primarily because the Wake-on-LAN standard itself doesn’t include IPv6 compatibility. Afraid there isn’t much we can do about that one…

Reverse IP Lookup

We’re actively working on adding IPv6 capabilities to the Reverse IP Lookup tool, but as of now, it remains IPv4-only.

Conclusion

We’re excited to bring IPv6 support to PortDroid, a step that opens up new avenues for network analysis and security. While not all tools currently offer IPv6 support, we’re committed to expanding these capabilities in future updates. As always, your feedback is essential to us, so please continue to share your thoughts and help us make PortDroid better for everyone.

Stay tuned for more updates, and happy networking!