Why Your VPN Isn’t Hiding Your Location: The IPv6 Router Issue and How to Fix It

Published: November 14, 2025 | Updated: November 14, 2025

Introduction: The Frustrating VPN Location Mismatch

You’ve set up a VPN to mask your online presence, expecting it to cloak your IP address and location for privacy, streaming, or security. But when you check your IP on a site like whatismyipaddress.com, the IP shows as your VPN’s—yet the detected location stubbornly remains your actual city or region in the UK.

What’s going on? This isn’t a VPN failure; it’s often a sneaky side effect of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) being enabled on your router.

In this guide, we’ll explain the IPv6 problem, why it bypasses your VPN, and provide step-by-step instructions to disable IPv6 on routers from the UK’s major broadband providers:

• Sky Broadband
• BT
• EE
• Vodafone
• TalkTalk
• Virgin Media
• Plusnet
• Hyperoptic

Disabling IPv6 forces your devices back to IPv4-only traffic, which your VPN can fully control. Note: While IPv6 is the future of the internet, disabling it won’t break most services today.

What Is IPv6 and Why Does It Break Your VPN?

IPv6 is the successor to the aging IPv4 protocol, designed to handle the explosion of internet-connected devices with a vastly larger pool of IP addresses. UK ISPs like BT and EE are rolling it out via “dual-stack” setups, where your router handles both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic simultaneously.

Here’s the catch: Most consumer VPNs (e.g., ExpressVPN, NordVPN) primarily tunnel IPv4 traffic through their servers, encrypting and rerouting it to mask your location. IPv6 traffic, however, often bypasses the VPN tunnel entirely because:

• Your router assigns global IPv6 addresses directly from your ISP, independent of your VPN.
• Devices prefer IPv6 when available (it’s “faster” by design), so they leak your real IPv6 address and location.
• Geolocation databases can pinpoint IPv6 addresses to your ISP’s region—often more precisely than IPv4 due to less NAT sharing.

Result? Your VPN IP (IPv4) looks masked, but IPv6 leaks your true UK location (e.g., London instead of New York). This affects browsing, streaming (e.g., Netflix detecting your region), and privacy tools.

Disabling IPv6 on your router stops this leak by reverting to IPv4-only, ensuring all traffic routes through your VPN. It’s a simple fix, but always reboot your router and devices after changes, and test your setup afterward.

Why UK Users Are Hit Hard by This

UK broadband is rapidly adopting IPv6—providers like BT (via Openreach) and EE lead the charge, with over 50% of connections dual-stack by 2025. If you’re on full fibre (FTTP) or ultrafast plans, IPv6 is often enabled by default. Smaller providers lag, but the issue is widespread.

Step-by-Step Guide: Disabling IPv6 on UK Broadband Routers

Access your router’s admin panel by entering its gateway IP (usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.254) in a web browser while connected to your home Wi-Fi. Log in with the default credentials (often “admin” and the password on the device sticker). Changes require admin access; if locked, contact your ISP.

We’ve focused on the most common routers per provider. Steps may vary slightly by model or firmware—check your manual or ISP support if needed.

Additional Tips and Caveats

• Test After Changes: Use ipleak.net or dnsleaktest.com to verify no IPv6 leaks and location matches your VPN server.
• Device-Level Disable: If router tweaks fail, turn off IPv6 on PCs (Windows: Device Manager > Network > Properties > Uncheck IPv6), Macs (System Settings > Network > Advanced > TCP/IP > Configure IPv6: Off), or mobiles.
• Re-Enable Later?: IPv6 improves speeds for some sites—revisit once your VPN adds full support.
• Other Providers: For NOW Broadband (Sky reseller), follow Sky steps; Zen or Community Fibre users should check their router docs.
• Seek Help: If stuck, your ISP’s app or support line can remote-access. Avoid third-party firmware unless experienced.

Last updated: November 2025. Router interfaces evolve; verify with your provider.