You’ve got many proxies to consider when you’re aiming to hide your IP address. You’ll especially need one if you’re running a business and need help gathering data. The great news is that you can consider residential proxies for web scraping.

A residential proxy helps give you more control over finding online data. But what are residential proxies, and what makes them so useful?

Residential proxies help you get online with another person’s IP address. This solution is a unique option to explore regarding privacy, and the benefits of residential proxies are plentiful. But you should also consider when you should use these proxies.

What Are Residential Proxies?

Let’s start our discussion on residential proxies by looking at these. A residential proxy is a proxy server or intermediary that works between a client that requests online content and the server that provides it. It’s a gateway that works between the user and the internet, keeping outside parties from trying to enter a private network.

In other words, you won’t use your real IP address when you use this proxy server. You’re hiding your location, protecting you from exposing your IP address.

What makes a residential proxy distinct is that it uses an IP address from an Internet Service Provider or ISP. No data centers are needed here. You’re getting real IP addresses from actual locations, so you can pass off the feeling that you’re actually from somewhere.

Specifically, the way how residential proxies work entails you borrowing the IP address from another device from someone else. Your proxy address can be the same as one used by a desktop or laptop computer, tablet, smart television set, or anything else that connects to the internet.

Using residential proxies for privacy is great, but you’ll also find it easier for you to do more online when you have one. Whereas a traditional datacenter proxy might be easy for outside parties to block, a residential proxy is harder for those sources to detect.

So, instead of worrying about having a proxy that might be detected after a while, you’re using a rotating list of IP addresses. You can borrow an address from one of many devices, with that address varying over when you’re using something. Your secure residential proxy ensures you’re not revealing more about yourself than you want to.

How Residential Proxies Work

The general concept of residential proxies is intriguing, but you might be wondering how residential proxies work. The good news is that the process is similar to what you’d get from any other IP switching process but with a slight twist.

What Are Residential Proxies - scheme

We’ve planned a simple explanation to help you see how one of these proxies can operate:

  1. You will start by connecting to a residential proxy. You can select the type of residential proxy you want to use and how often you’ll switch between IPs.
  2. The proxy will then route your online traffic through another server. In this situation, the proxy will identify the IP address of another item being used by someone else.
  3. The proxy changes the IP address in your connection request.
  4. You’ll then be online with your IP address appearing as something different than yours. In this situation, you seem to come from another residential device elsewhere. The setup makes it look like you’re still a normal user, but you’re in a different spot.

These proxies offer added security, plus you can configure your proxy to whatever settings you need. Your proxy provider can offer full details on everything you can do and how you can configure your work.

Key Benefits of Using Residential Proxies

Now that we have residential proxies explained, we can look at some of the great reasons why these proxies are so valuable. Here are some great benefits of residential proxies:

  • You’ll stay anonymous when you’re online because your real IP address and location are hidden. Proxy anonymity is necessary for when you’re dealing with more sensitive online communications.
  • It’s easy to target multiple locations at a time. Since you’re using residential IP address info, you can go to any physical location and check on anything in a local spot.
  • You can also access content that might be restricted in your area. Since you’re being identified as from another location, you can reach content without dealing with whatever restrictions are in your spot.
  • The risk of your IP being blacklisted is minimal. Since you’re not using a datacenter IP, you’re not at risk of losing access to things after a while.
  • Businesses can also use a residential proxy for SEO monitoring purposes. You can see how your business appears in search results in a local area.

All these points show how residential proxies are useful. It’s no surprise that people are flocking to these proxies because they are extremely efficient and capable of keeping you safe while online.

Residential Proxies vs. Datacenter Proxies

Understanding residential proxies: The Complete GuideThe odds are you’re reading this guide because you want to know what makes residential proxies so different from datacenter proxies. You’re more likely to find a datacenter proxy because it’s something that has been around longer than other choices. But a residential proxy pool will still be useful when you get a suitable choice.
Let’s look at a few of the more prominent differences between these two choices:

  1. Datacenter proxies don’t link to ISPs.
    Whereas a residential proxy links to an ISP and connects to unique locations, a datacenter proxy doesn’t have an ISP link. The addresses in a datacenter proxy are also in a sequence, making them easier for outside parties to detect.
  2. You can switch IPs with ease with a residential proxy.
    You’ll appreciate how a residential proxy will keep you from dealing with CAPTCHA tests. If you use the same IP too often, you could be subject to one of these exams when trying to access certain spots.
    Whereas a datacenter proxy uses similar IPs, a residential proxy uses a variety of addresses. You won’t have to worry about those annoying CAPTCHA tests with a residential proxy.
  3. The block rate for a residential proxy is smaller than what a datacenter proxy holds.
    Since you’re using an actual residential IP address on a residential proxy, you’re less likely to be blocked by another site. Many websites and online platforms can spot datacenter proxies because their IPs are so common, but this isn’t the case for a residential one.
  4. It’s easier for you to use residential proxies for web scraping.
    One of the best practices for residential proxies involves web scraping, a process where bots can gather data from a website. You can send HTTP requests, recover HTML content, and figure out what leads are suitable.
    A residential proxy can help you complete web scraping tasks for outside monitoring and lead generation purposes. This online data is available to anyone, and a proxy will make it easier for you to gather that content.
  5. It costs more to use a residential proxy, but that’s because of the extra maintenance.

The total you’ll spend on a residential proxy will vary, but it could be twice as much as what a datacenter proxy charges. The extra cost is due to how a residential option requires more maintenance and work. That added expense will be worthwhile when you consider the advantages.

Common Use Cases For Residential Proxies

You’ve got the point about residential IP proxies and how beneficial they can be for you. But what use cases would you have for one of these proxies?
The residential proxy use cases out there are plentiful:

  1. You can monitor various price changes and other ecommerce functions.
    A residential proxy network can help you reach connections in multiple areas, helping you check on price changes, keyword result shifts, and other regional points. You can use this for your online business to see what you should charge for things in different areas or how you should use different keywords in certain spots.
  2. A residential proxy network can help you reach connections in multiple areas. It’s easy to reach geoblocked content in different spots through a residential proxy. Your proxy can work with any residential IP address in any country. By adjusting the settings on your proxy, you’ll reach a different spot where you can access video and business content that isn’t available in your local area.
  3. You can see how ads are performing in different areas. This third point is useful for business operators. A proxy lets you monitor how your ads perform in multiple places. You can confirm that your ads appear in the right spots and that said locations make sense.
  4. You can run multiple accounts on various platforms.
    The next use involves managing multiple accounts on a residential proxy. You might have many social media profiles on various sites. Using the same IP to manage all these profiles can make you look suspicious. A rotating proxy system improves how well you can check these accounts.

Types of Residential Proxies

Another point to explore involves how you’ve got an assortment of residential proxies to choose from. Let’s look at some of them:

  1. Static

    Static residential proxies use the same IP addresses. You can request a new proxy as necessary, but you’ll use the same one for a few hours or days at a time. This option gives you unlimited bandwidth in most situations.

  2. Rotating

    Rotating residential proxies use more IPs and can automatically rotate between them. A rotating proxy is best for cases where you need information from more places.

  3. Dedicated

    A dedicated proxy uses IP addresses that only you can access. These are new addresses that are not linked to other devices. This option adds to your privacy and can work faster, but prepare to spend more for it.

Residential Proxy Providers

You will find many great residential proxies out there, but be sure when finding them that you’re dealing with a group you can trust. You’ve got many choices to explore, including these:

  • Smartproxy
  • Oxylabs
  • SOAX
  • NetNut
  • Rayobyte
  • IPRoyal
  • Dataimpulse

Be sure to check out our listing of the Best Residential Proxy Providers in 2024 to learn more about these groups and what they provide. You can also look at how different groups offer free residential proxies.

How to Set Up Residential Proxies

Our last bit of business here is to look at the process you’ll need to get a residential proxy working. Here are some steps for getting your proxy running:

  1. Register your account with a residential proxy service provider.
    You may qualify to use free residential proxies, although the rules vary by provider.
  2. Create a name and password for each proxy you’ll use.
  3. You’ll get a cURL example that can run inside your computer.
    This step requires some coding work, but it’s easy to manage. Your proxy provider can give you info on how to make it work, as it only takes a few minutes to plan.
  4. Set up a location parameter for your proxy.
    The parameter can entail a city, country, state, or any other location.
  5. Add a session control feature.
    The session control parameter entails entering a command to a username string. You can use this to program how much time the session will last.

The steps for getting your proxy ready will vary by provider, but this is a general look at how well the process works. Check with your proxy provider for further details on how to make it work for you.

Conclusion

Residential proxies are great for how they can help you collect data and review info from various places. You can also avoid multiple geographic blocks and reduce the risk of your IP address being flagged for any reason.

Be sure to consider using a residential proxy for your data collection needs. You’ll find it easy for you to do more for your research needs when you have a plan that works for you.