The internet is vast, and it connects millions of devices. Even so, you can trace back the location of every device using its IP address. That’s because every time you move into a new home and sign a contract with an ISP (Internet Service Provider), they will assign you a numeral label called an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which will allow you to send and receive information on the internet.
Whenever you are accessing the internet without a proxy, you are giving away your real IP address and all the information that comes with it. Proxies are an important tool for increasing your online security because they allow you to browse the internet safely, anonymously, and you can access geo-restricted content.
What Are Residential Proxies?
Similarly to any other type of proxies, when you buy residential proxies, they will mask your real IP address. Any information you send or receive will first go through the proxy, which will display its IP address instead of yours. To understand the difference between residential proxies and other types of proxies, you first need to know what a residential IP address is.
A residential IP address is an IP address provided by an ISP and not a data center. It can be tied to a physical device like a desktop computer. IP addresses are registered in a public database that allows a website’s security system to check a visitor’s provider, network, and location. When you use another type of proxy like a data center proxy, the security system will verify your IP address and see that it’s tied to a company that owns data centers, so they’ll know that you’re using a proxy.
Residential IP addresses, on the other hand, tend to be viewed as real people, so they’re less likely to be viewed as spam or suspicious activity, which carries some benefits.
Benefits
You might want to hide your real IP address for various reasons. Maybe it’s just for security reasons, or you want to access geo-restricted content. Perhaps you are the owner of a company, and you want to use a proxy to scrape data or run multiple accounts from the same device. Whatever your reasons may be, opting for residential proxies has some significant benefits:
Market Research
Web scraping helps you collect data that helps your company stay ahead of the competition. Ad verification allows you to test your ads from multiple IP addresses tied to different locations. For SEO purposes, you can verify your website’s ranking in the search results, as well as the websites of your competitors.
Social Media Platforms
Another reason why people choose to get residential proxies is that they can use them to manage multiple accounts on social media platforms from the same device. They can change their location and increase their following.
Special Offers
As you probably already know, sites that sell flight tickets, sneakers, and many other things will present different offers according to your location. A residential proxy server will allow you to see and take advantage of those offers. If you’re the owner of an e-commerce business, you’ll want to compare your prices with those of competitors, and if you’re a regular consumer, you can use your residential proxy to save money on your next trip or shopping spree.
