diff --git a/examples/gcoap/Makefile b/examples/gcoap/Makefile
index bcb3c4731e673..8c93d4e46f7fe 100644
--- a/examples/gcoap/Makefile
+++ b/examples/gcoap/Makefile
@@ -14,17 +14,36 @@ RIOTBASE ?= $(CURDIR)/../..
 USEMODULE += netdev_default
 
 # use GNRC by default
-LWIP ?= 0
+LWIP_IPV4 ?= 0
+LWIP_IPV6 ?= 0
 
-ifeq (0,$(LWIP))
+ifeq (,$(filter 1, $(LWIP_IPV4) $(LWIP_IPV6)))
   USEMODULE += auto_init_gnrc_netif
   # Specify the mandatory networking modules
   USEMODULE += gnrc_ipv6_default
   # Additional networking modules that can be dropped if not needed
   USEMODULE += gnrc_icmpv6_echo
 else
-  USEMODULE += lwip_ipv6
   USEMODULE += lwip_netdev
+
+  ifneq (0,$(LWIP_IPV4))
+    USEMODULE += ipv4_addr
+
+    USEMODULE += lwip_arp
+    USEMODULE += lwip_ipv4
+    USEMODULE += lwip_dhcp_auto
+    CFLAGS += -DETHARP_SUPPORT_STATIC_ENTRIES=1
+
+    # not included when using IPv4-only, but required by CoAP
+    USEMODULE += random
+  endif
+
+  ifneq (0,$(LWIP_IPV6))
+    USEMODULE += ipv6_addr
+
+    USEMODULE += lwip_ipv6
+    USEMODULE += lwip_ipv6_autoconfig
+  endif
 endif
 
 USEMODULE += gcoap
diff --git a/examples/gcoap/client.c b/examples/gcoap/client.c
index d22c62eac0d32..8538135645051 100644
--- a/examples/gcoap/client.c
+++ b/examples/gcoap/client.c
@@ -141,18 +141,48 @@ static void _resp_handler(const gcoap_request_memo_t *memo, coap_pkt_t* pdu,
     }
 }
 
-static bool _parse_endpoint(sock_udp_ep_t *remote,
-                            const char *addr_str, const char *port_str)
+static bool _parse_endpoint(sock_udp_ep_t *remote, const char *addr_str, const char *port_str)
 {
+    bool is_ipv4 = false;
+    bool is_ipv6 = false;
+
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
     netif_t *netif;
+    if (strstr(addr_str, ":") != NULL) { /* IPv6 might contain '.', but IPv4 cannot contain ':' */
+
+        /* parse hostname */
+        if (netutils_get_ipv6((ipv6_addr_t *)&remote->addr, &netif, addr_str) < 0) {
+            puts("gcoap_cli: unable to parse destination ipv6 address");
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        is_ipv6 = true;
+        remote->netif = netif ? netif_get_id(netif) : SOCK_ADDR_ANY_NETIF;
+        remote->family = AF_INET6;
+    }
+#endif
+
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV4
+    if (!is_ipv6 && strstr(addr_str, ".") != NULL) { /* IPv4 */
 
-    /* parse hostname */
-    if (netutils_get_ipv6((ipv6_addr_t *)&remote->addr, &netif, addr_str) < 0) {
+        /* parse hostname */
+        if (netutils_get_ipv4((ipv4_addr_t *)&remote->addr, addr_str) < 0) {
+            puts("gcoap_cli: unable to parse destination ipv4 address");
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        is_ipv4 = true;
+        remote->netif = SOCK_ADDR_ANY_NETIF;
+        remote->family = AF_INET;
+    }
+#else
+    (void)is_ipv6;
+#endif
+
+    if (!is_ipv4 && !is_ipv6) {
         puts("gcoap_cli: unable to parse destination address");
         return false;
     }
-    remote->netif = netif ? netif_get_id(netif) : SOCK_ADDR_ANY_NETIF;
-    remote->family = AF_INET6;
 
     /* parse port */
     remote->port = atoi(port_str);
@@ -223,12 +253,34 @@ int gcoap_cli_cmd(int argc, char **argv)
         printf("CoAP open requests: %u\n", open_reqs);
         printf("Configured Proxy: ");
         if (_proxied) {
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
             char addrstr[IPV6_ADDR_MAX_STR_LEN];
-            printf("[%s]:%u\n",
-                   ipv6_addr_to_str(addrstr,
-                                    (ipv6_addr_t *) &_proxy_remote.addr.ipv6,
-                                    sizeof(addrstr)),
-                   _proxy_remote.port);
+#else
+            char addrstr[IPV4_ADDR_MAX_STR_LEN];
+#endif
+
+            switch (_proxy_remote.family) {
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV4
+            case AF_INET:
+                printf("%s:%u\n",
+                       ipv4_addr_to_str(addrstr,
+                                        (ipv4_addr_t *) &_proxy_remote.addr.ipv4,
+                                        sizeof(addrstr)),
+                       _proxy_remote.port);
+                break;
+#endif
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
+            case AF_INET6:
+                printf("[%s]:%u\n",
+                       ipv6_addr_to_str(addrstr,
+                                        (ipv6_addr_t *) &_proxy_remote.addr.ipv6,
+                                        sizeof(addrstr)),
+                       _proxy_remote.port);
+                break;
+#endif
+            default:
+                assert(0);
+            }
         }
         else {
             puts("None");
@@ -249,7 +301,12 @@ int gcoap_cli_cmd(int argc, char **argv)
             _proxied = false;
             return 0;
         }
-        printf("usage: %s proxy set <addr>[%%iface] <port>\n", argv[0]);
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV4
+        printf("usage: %s proxy set <IPv4 addr> <port>\n", argv[0]);
+#endif
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
+        printf("usage: %s proxy set <IPv6 addr>[%%iface] <port>\n", argv[0]);
+#endif
         printf("       %s proxy unset\n", argv[0]);
         return 1;
     }
@@ -287,7 +344,12 @@ int gcoap_cli_cmd(int argc, char **argv)
         }
 
         if (_proxied) {
-            uri_len = snprintf(proxy_uri, 64, "coap://[%s]:%s%s", argv[apos], argv[apos+1], uri);
+            if (strstr(argv[apos], ":") != NULL) { /* IPv6 might contain '.', but IPv4 cannot contain ':' */
+                uri_len = snprintf(proxy_uri, 64, "coap://[%s]:%s%s", argv[apos], argv[apos+1], uri);
+            }
+            else {
+                uri_len = snprintf(proxy_uri, 64, "coap://%s:%s%s", argv[apos], argv[apos+1], uri);
+            }
             uri = proxy_uri;
 
             gcoap_req_init(&pdu, &buf[0], CONFIG_GCOAP_PDU_BUF_SIZE, code_pos, NULL);
@@ -338,9 +400,20 @@ int gcoap_cli_cmd(int argc, char **argv)
         return 0;
     }
     else {
-        printf("usage: %s <get|post|put> [-c] <addr>[%%iface] <port> <path> [data]\n",
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV4
+        printf("usage: %s <get|post|put> [-c] <IPv4 addr> <port> <path> [data]\n",
+               argv[0]);
+#endif
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
+        printf("usage: %s <get|post|put> [-c] <IPv6 addr>[%%iface] <port> <path> [data]\n",
                argv[0]);
-        printf("       %s ping <addr>[%%iface] <port>\n", argv[0]);
+#endif
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV4
+        printf("       %s ping <IPv4 addr> <port>\n", argv[0]);
+#endif
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
+        printf("       %s ping <IPv6 addr>[%%iface] <port>\n", argv[0]);
+#endif
         printf("Options\n");
         printf("    -c  Send confirmably (defaults to non-confirmable)\n");
         return 1;
diff --git a/sys/net/application_layer/gcoap/gcoap.c b/sys/net/application_layer/gcoap/gcoap.c
index 23dbcba156503..efc4e01291a06 100644
--- a/sys/net/application_layer/gcoap/gcoap.c
+++ b/sys/net/application_layer/gcoap/gcoap.c
@@ -149,7 +149,19 @@ static void *_event_loop(void *arg)
 
     sock_udp_ep_t local;
     memset(&local, 0, sizeof(sock_udp_ep_t));
+
+#if defined(SOCK_HAS_IPV4) && defined(SOCK_HAS_IPV6)
+#error "Due to limitations in the gcoap API it is currently not possible to use a dual stack setup"
+#endif
+
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV4
+    local.family = AF_INET;
+#endif
+
+#ifdef SOCK_HAS_IPV6
     local.family = AF_INET6;
+#endif
+
     local.netif  = SOCK_ADDR_ANY_NETIF;
     local.port = CONFIG_GCOAP_PORT;
     int res = sock_udp_create(&_sock_udp, &local, NULL, 0);