Once this is done, visit , login if necessary, and click the Create Regular Tunnel link on the left. On the screen that appears, enter into the IPv4 Endpoint text field your public IP address (that is, your router's IP address). This will probably be listed directly beneath the text box on the Web page, so you can just copy and paste, or you can visit to view it. Then click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.

Assuming everything has worked correctly, you'll see a confirmation message. If things don't work, check your port forwarding and ensure your router or computer isn't blocking pings. If everything is OK, click the Tunnel Details button. Once the page that appears, scroll down to the heading that reads Example OS Configurations. Select your OS from the list and then follow the instructions to configure your computer to work with IPv6.

Once all that's been done, test your connection by visiting a handful of IPv6 sites, such as , or , and enjoy a small glimpse of the future.

Keir Thomas has been writing about computing since the last century, and more recently has written several best-selling books. You can learn more about him at and his Twitter feed is .