Is there a way to filter all computers on a specific IPv6 network in Google Analytics?

[BrianAlpert78]

Is there a quick way of filtering the IP addresses for all the computers on a network that's using IPv6? I want to filter out visits to our websites from the devices on our office network, but each computer (and phone and tablet) seems to have a different address. It _looks _like they all start the same way, though. One computer is xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:aaaa:aaaa:aaaa:aaaa, another is xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:bbbb:bbbb:bbbb:bbbb, my phone is xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:cccc:cccc:cccc:cccc, etc.

Does this mean that xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx is the address for our network as a whole, and I can just set up a Google Analytics filter for "IP addresses starting with..."? Or would doing that also filter out hits from, like, every visitor within a 20 mile radius of our office?

If I need to simply put in the individual addresses for each and every device, I will. I'm just hoping it doesn't come to that.

Thanks!

[usklellsailel]

It looks like you've identified a common prefix in the IPv6 addresses on your office network, which is a good start. However, keep in mind that the first part "xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx" is just a subnet identifier, and devices within that subnet will have different addresses for the remaining sections.

To filter out visits from your office network in Google Analytics, you can use the "IP addresses starting with..." approach, but make sure to include the common prefix specific to your office subnet. For example, if your office network is identified by "xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx," you can set up a filter for "IP addresses starting with xxxx:xxxx:xxxx:xxxx." This should help you isolate visits from devices within your office network without affecting others in the vicinity.

[BrianAlpert78]

Ah, that makes sense. I'll look into how our network is set up.

Thanks!

[ThompsonPaul]

Those individual machine IP addresses are for identifying the computers to each other and to the server inside your network (called the LAN or Local Area Network). The IP address you need to block in Google Analytics is the one that connects the LAN to the outside internet. Unless your network has an unusual setup, using the browser of any computer or device connecting to the network (including phones using WiFi) to type "what is my IP" into the address bar will return the same IP address for the all the machines inside the network. (Large companies occasionally have multiple outside connections, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're dealing with.)

In addition, most commercial internet connections use static IP addresses so the IP "shouldn't" change, but anytime major changes or outages occur, it's a good idea to doublecheck the IP address to be sure it's stayed the same.

Make sense?

Paul

Sidenote: this is one of the main security purposes of a router. It routes all those internal machines' connections out to the internet through a single IP address, so the nasties out on the internet don't have access to an IP address for an individual machine that they can use to direct attacks against it. Thus the network admin only has to protect one device from direct attack from the nastyweb - the router - instead of having to protect every machine individually.