Using residential proxies can not only help us improve the security of online activities, but also overcome various geographical restrictions. It has many advantages. However, some users still do not understand the purpose of residential proxies and how to choose a good residential proxy. This article will give you the answer.
What are residential proxies?
A residential proxy sits between your device and the internet, acting as an intermediary that routes your network through a unique IP address assigned by your internet service provider. These proxies then simulate a real user’s connection, making you appear to be from a different location.
Using a residential proxy can help you protect your privacy by masking your real IP address. It’s great for accessing blocked or geo-restricted content. A residential IP address is a special numeric label assigned to devices that connect to the internet through a home internet service provider.
How a Proxy Residential Server Works
Proxy residential servers work like other proxy servers. The main difference is that a residential proxy is not a dedicated machine in a server farm but a real device sharing its connection with other users.
The process of routing traffic through residential proxies follows the steps below:
1.The user makes a request for a specific webpage or online resource through a residential proxy server.
2.The residential device acting as a proxy server intercepts the request and forwards it to the destination.
3.The destination server processes the request—which has the IP of the proxy server—and sends the response back to the proxy.
4.The proxy forwards the server’s response back to the user.
Types of Residential Proxies
Unlike datacenter proxies, residential proxies can simulate the behavior of real users, which is very useful for tasks that require a high degree of anonymity. Below are different types of residential proxies that you can choose from:
1. Mobile Residential Proxies
Mobile residential proxies use IPs assigned by cellular networks and are ideal for tasks that require simulating the behavior of mobile devices.
This type of residential proxy is suitable for app testing, location-specific data collection, and accessing mobile-only content.
2. Static Residential (ISP) Proxies
Static residential proxies, also known as ISP proxies, are assigned a fixed residential IP address and are ideal for long-term tasks that require consistency.
This proxy type is ideal for managing multiple accounts, monitoring price changes on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, or maintaining a stable connection when accessing websites with advanced anti-bot mechanisms.
3. Rotating Residential Proxies
Rotating residential proxies automatically switch IPs on each request or at predetermined intervals, making them ideal for large web scraping projects.
Rotating proxies are often used for web scraping and accessing geo-restricted targets. However, this residential proxy type only defines the rotation feature.
4. Dedicated Residential Proxies
Dedicated residential proxies provide exclusive access to a single residential IP address, providing full control and consistency for sensitive tasks.
Dedicated proxies are ideal for scenarios that require a consistent IP address, such as managing high-value accounts, doing ad verification, or collecting data from websites with complex anti-proxy mechanisms.
5. Shared Residential Proxies
Shared residential proxies allow multiple users to access the same pool of IP addresses, making them a cost-effective solution for low-risk projects.
These shared residential proxies are suitable for tasks such as SEO monitoring or simple browsing, where high anonymity or exclusive IP access is not a priority.
Is it legal to use residential proxies?
Using residential proxies is generally legal, but it depends on how you use them.
Residential proxies are often used for legitimate purposes, such as web scraping, price monitoring, or ad verification. However, they can also be used for illegal activities, such as fraud, spamming, or phishing.
It is important to note that using residential proxies for illegal activities is illegal and can result in serious legal consequences. In addition, some websites and online services may block traffic from known proxy servers (including residential proxies) to prevent abuse and maintain the integrity of their platforms.
Therefore, if you use them for legitimate purposes and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the websites and online services you visit, then it is generally legal. However, if you use them for purposes that violate the terms and conditions of the websites and online services you visit, then it is illegal.
Why use residential proxies?
Using residential proxies has the following advantages:
1. Residential proxies provide additional security
Residential proxies provide additional security for everyone when you access the Internet. The websites you visit cannot generate browser fingerprints to identify and track your activities.
Likewise, since your IP address and location are masked, malicious third parties cannot access sensitive data on your device.
2. Residential proxies improve privacy protection
Using residential proxies is a proactive way to protect your privacy on the Internet. It can help you hide your real IP address, with high anonymity and privacy, because you will not leave digital footprints that can be used to track you.
3. Access geo-restricted content
Some content is inaccessible to certain users in certain locations. Using residential proxies can help you bypass geographical restrictions and make you appear to be from a different region to access geo-restricted content.
4. Web scraping
Many users use residential proxies for web scraping, however, many modern websites have advanced technology to detect scraping activities and block your IP address. Therefore, rotating residential proxies is an ideal tool for scraping large amounts of data without triggering anti-bot measures.
Pros and Cons of Using Residential Proxies
Like all proxies, residential proxies have their pros and cons.
Pros:
1. Higher anonymity and privacy. Residential proxies improve the privacy and anonymity of online activities by hiding the user’s real IP address.
2. Corporate network protection. Protect corporate networks from various online threats without investing in expensive hardware.
3. Reduced risk of IP blocking and blacklisting. Residential proxies are less likely to be identified as proxies by various websites. Therefore, there are fewer blocks.
4. Access to geo-restricted content. Residential proxies change the user’s IP address and virtual location to make it appear that the user is from a different region to access content restricted to a certain region.
Cons:
1. Lack of encryption. Since proxy servers only replace your IP address, they do not have full encryption capabilities.
2. Reduced speed. Residential proxies can be slower than other types of proxies because they rely on the Internet speed of the assigned IP address.
3. Cost. Residential proxies are more expensive than data center proxies.
4. Complex configuration. Some residential proxy servers are very complex and require certain configuration skills, usually under the supervision of IT experts. This usually comes at a cost.
5. Limited availability. Proxy servers may not be available due to laws and regulations in certain regions and countries.
6. Legality. Some activities of residential proxies, such as web scraping, are illegal in some areas. It is essential to understand local laws and regulations before performing such tasks.
What are residential proxies used for?
1. Data collection
The rapid development of the Internet has promoted the application of big data, and data collection has become a hot industry. But with the popularity of web crawlers, website owners will take corresponding measures to limit data crawling.
2. Price monitoring
Price tracking and price monitoring can help you effectively capture the daily changing market price range and consumer purchase preferences for prices.
3. Market research
Market research is an important part of business strategy. Only by truly understanding the market can we formulate targeted marketing strategies and business development strategies to better help brands. Especially for companies doing business globally, the accuracy and timeliness of data are crucial.
4. Rush to buy goods
Since merchants’ sales are usually regional and there are many buyers, the chance of successful purchases through conventional means is very low. In order to increase the success rate, you usually need to open multiple accounts on the robot to make purchases. But merchants usually do not allow this behavior and will block suspicious accounts.
5. Brand protection
In order to maintain brand reputation and reduce customer churn, enterprises/brand merchants need to log in to major platforms and regional websites to promptly clean up counterfeit and shoddy products or clearly distinguish them from counterfeit goods.
6.SEO Optimization
Socks5 proxies are great for traffic-intensive work, such as web crawlers and SEO campaigns. With an Internet proxy, you can turn on web crawler software to automatically explore websites. Use local proxies to conduct website audits, research competitors, grab SEO data, or view search engine rankings in any country.
7.Social Media
Social media is a popular channel that can help companies enhance their brand image. However, social media sites often have access restrictions, which can affect companies from promoting their business, products, events, etc. through social media.
8.Ad Verification
Due to the frequent occurrence of false clicks on ads around the world, ad verification is essential to ensure that your ads can reach real audiences as expected.
Best Residential Proxy Providers Recommended
922proxy is the best residential proxy provider, it has more than 200 million real residential IPs and supports multiple protocols such as SOCKS5/HTTP(S). We are always committed to providing customers with the best residential IPs and serving more than 10,000 companies around the world. If you want to use the best residential IP, please sign up and use 922 S5 Proxy now！
Why choose 922proxy?
1.Real Residential Proxies
922 S5 Proxy has over 200 million real residential IPs from 190+ countries/regions around the world.
2.Stable Uptime
922 S5 Proxy’s IP is guaranteed to work 99.9% of the time, expanding your business without hassle for any use case.
3.High Speed & Unlimited Concurrency
922 S5 Proxy provides high-speed transmission of 20-50M/s per IP address, with unlimited concurrency.
4.Multi-Tool Integration
922 S5 Proxy has partnered with more than 800 tools for perfect compatibility.
5.Unlimited Sub-Accounts
922S5 Proxy supports creating unlimited sub accounts to share IP in business plans
922proxy Residential Proxy Products and Prices
1.Static Residential Proxies：$0.16/IP/Day
Stable and reliable residential proxies valid for 7~30 days
2..Residential Proxies：$0.77/GB +Free 100GB
Billing based on traffic, supports random and sticky rotation modes
3.Residential Proxies (Business)：$0.77/GB
No deduction if not used, valid forever.
4.Unlimited Residential Proxies：$79/Day Upgrade
Unlimited IP and unlimited traffic using residential proxy.
Conclusion
Residential proxies have a wide range of uses, such as data collection, price monitoring, social media, etc. It is also important to choose a residential proxy provider. Here we recommend a reputable and reliable residential proxy provider for you to use with confidence.
