What Is A Residential Proxy?

If you work in the blogging industry, you must unlock some country-lock websites. Sometimes, it is for competition analysis, and sometimes, it is for content analysis. No matter what you want to do, a cheap residential proxy is your way to go. But what is a residential proxy? 

Well,

A residential proxy is an IP address assigned to a natural home or device, making online activity appear as if it’s coming from an actual user rather than a data center.

Well, then, how does it work? Is it safe to use? Read on to learn about it.

What Is A Residential Proxy?

A residential proxy network is a type of proxy network made up of real IP addresses supplied by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). These IP addresses are linked to actual locations worldwide, either at the country or city level.

A residential proxy network is an internet tool that makes it look like you are browsing from a different home or location. It’s like borrowing someone else’s address so websites think you’re in a different place.

IP addresses are often linked to physical locations and are part of networks of various sizes. These locations can range from local areas to a global scale. 

A reverse web proxy, commonly used with residential proxies, enhances security and performance by receiving client requests and directing them to the correct servers, all while hiding the client’s IP address.

Even though billions of devices connect to the internet simultaneously, their IP addresses can still reveal the device’s location. So, every time you go online, details like your browser preferences, cookies, and IP address are logged. It’s kind of like a paid VPN.

What Is The Difference Between A Residential Vpn And A Residential Proxy?

VPNs allow you to choose which country you want to appear to be browsing from. On the other hand, residential proxies make it look like the IP address genuinely comes from the country it claims to be from.

This makes residential proxies less likely to raise suspicion when using streaming services, radio, or other entertainment platforms.

What Is A Residential Proxy Used For?

Residential proxies help with tasks like accessing geo-restricted content. They also ensure secure web scraping, manage multiple social media accounts, and improve browsing privacy. That’s why it is mainly used for:

• Staying anonymous: They help protect your privacy by making it look like you’re browsing from a different location.
• Collecting data: Do you need to gather information from websites, like monitoring competitors or tracking prices? Residential proxies let you scrape public data without getting blocked.
• Ad verification: You can check if ads on your page are legit and block any suspicious ones that might harm your business’s reputation.
• Scalping: Some people use residential proxies when bypassing storefront IP blocks to hide their bots.
• Managing social media: If you’re juggling multiple social media accounts, proxies let you manage them from different locations without getting flagged.

Are Residential Proxies Illegal?

Residential proxies are not illegal, but how they are used can determine their legality. Using mobile residential proxies for legitimate purposes, like improving privacy or managing multiple accounts, is generally legal. However, using them for hacking, fraud, or bypassing restrictions in ways that violate terms of service can be illegal. It’s essential to ensure you’re using them in compliance with local laws and the rules of the platforms you’re accessing.

How Does A Residential Proxy Work?

A residential proxy works by routing your internet traffic through an actual IP address provided by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) rather than using a data center IP. Here’s how it works:

• Request Routing: When you request to access a website, your request is first sent to the residential proxy server.
• IP Masking: The residential proxy server then forwards your request to the target website using its IP address, which appears as a genuine residential address.
• Receiving Data: The website returns the response to the residential proxy server.
• Forwarding Data: The residential proxy server then returns this response to you.

This process makes it look like your browsing activity is coming from the location of the residential proxy’s IP address. It helps you to hide your real IP address and improve privacy.

Types of Residential Proxy

All those talks about the benefit of residential proxy got you thinking about which type to get, right? Well, there are many types, such as:

Residential Proxies

These use IP addresses provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and are linked to real residential addresses. They are useful for tasks requiring high anonymity and a genuine location, such as web scraping, ad verification, and bypassing geo-restrictions.

ISP Proxies

These are similar to residential proxies but are provided directly by ISPs. They offer high-speed connections and are generally more reliable, making them suitable for high-bandwidth activities and accessing content restricted to specific regions.

Smartproxy

Smartproxy is a popular residential proxy provider known for its large pool of IP addresses and user-friendly services. It offers rotating and static proxies for various use cases, including web scraping and managing multiple accounts.

Bright Data

Bright Data offers various proxy solutions, boasting over 72 million dedicated proxies worldwide. This is one of the best SEO proxy. Their extensive network includes residential, mobile, data center, and ISP proxies catering to various needs. This diversity allows users to access content securely, perform large-scale web scraping, and conduct high-reliability and performance market research.

How Much Does A Residential Proxy Cost?

The cost varies depending on the provider. However, here is the costing idea of the above-mentioned residential proxy provider:

Proxy Type/Provider	Pricing Information
Residential Proxies	Typically, it costs $5.00 per IP per month. These are often priced higher due to their speed and reliability.
ISP Proxies	Pricing varies widely based on the number of proxies and types (residential, mobile, data center, ISP). Residential proxies generally start at $500 monthly for a smaller pool, with costs increasing for larger volumes. Custom quotes are available for specific needs.
Smartproxy	Starts at around $1.75 per month for a basic plan with a set amount of traffic. Custom plans are available for higher usage and additional features.
Bright Data	Pricing varies widely based on the number of proxies and type (residential, mobile, datacenter, ISP). Residential proxies generally start at $500 monthly for a smaller pool, with costs increasing for larger volumes. Custom quotes are available for specific needs.

Outro

Now, you know what a residential proxy is, right? So, use it in the right way. Don’t forget there are legal and illegal sides to it. Please don’t get carried away with it and use it illegally. Otherwise, it will disadvantage you more than it benefits.