I'm running Windows 11 on a Dell system, and I've noticed something odd during boot. When I press F12 to access UEFI boot options, I see two Network Interface Cards (NICs) listed: one for IPv4 and another for IPv6. I only have one RJ45 port. Can anyone explain why this is happening?
3 Answers
IPv4 and IPv6 are just different protocols for network communication. The system is giving you a choice for which one you'd like to use. It's basically the same NIC, just showing you both options.
Your motherboard has a single onboard NIC, but it can support both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. That's why you're seeing two options in the UEFI boot menu, even though you have just one physical port.
Oh ok, thank you 🙂 I was looking inside thinking, "WELL WHERE THE SECOND ONE!?"
You have one NIC with both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. It’s displaying this as two separate options, but it's still just one interface. That's normal for modern hardware!
Oo thank you!
Thank you 🙂