Last Updated on August 13, 2024 by theadmin
Using a Residential IP VPN
You’re using a VPN. That’s good! But what if you want to take your experience up a notch? There are many different types of VPNs out there, and it can be difficult to find the right one for you. You have two main options: datacenter IP addresses or residential IP addresses. This blog post will cover things that you should know before making your decision so that you can make the best choice for yourself.
A VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and is a service that allows you to connect your device, such as a laptop or smartphone, to another network over the internet. VPNs allow users to send encrypted traffic between networks and provide security benefits against threats from eavesdropping among other things.
Do I Need a Residential IP VPN?
VPN services are accessed by using an IP address assigned by the server hosting them in order for devices on your local network to connect. It sounds technical but in practice using a VPN is a very simple indeed. In fact there’s literally thousands of elderly people with no interest in technology who use VPNs everyday to access things like the BBC iPlayer.
The primary reasons that people use VPNs are to :
- Protect their personal information online.
- Hide their identity when using the internet.
- Bypassing blocks and filters based on their physical location.
While potentially any VPN will protect your personal information when online, the other requirements will often require a specific IP VPN service to work properly.
There’s a IP VPN Service for Every Situation
So if it’s confidentiality and privacy you need, then any decent VPN should suffice. Most of the paid VPNs are pretty secure and will protect your connection whether you’re using it at home or when travelling. Outside your home is the most important time to use a VPN as you’ll likely be using all sorts of potentially insecure Wifi access points. So when connecting from places like bars, airports, hotels and coffee shops then always use a VPN but especially if you’re accessing confidential information like email, bank accounts or payment sites.
Any VPN, as long as it’s set up correctly will encrypt all the data that you send and receive online. This will function from any application including a browser, email client or messaging app – the data is encrypted from your device to the VPN server itself. Anyone intercepting or accessing your data will not be able to read any of it including usernames, passwords etc.
However if you want to accomplish more than just privacy then it’s likely you’ll have to consider other factors when choosing a VPN service. This could include the type of IP address assigned, if it’s shared or dedicated, where it’s located and even the speed of the connection too. For many it won’t be all that important but for lots of tasks these elements can be crucial to success.
What’s the Difference Between Residential and Datacenter IP Addresses?
An important point, which will often be crucial in whether a VPN works correctly is how the IP address is classified. Remember when you connect to a VPN, your real location (and IP address) is hidden. You will effectively be using the IP address of the VPN server, which is great for anonymity but may affect what you can do or access online.
Most standard home internet connections are assigned a ‘residential IP address’ from their Internet Service Provider (ISP). These are usually by far the best IPs to use for most situations because they’re trusted and indicate a normal human customer.
Get a VPN with Residential IP address
Unfortunately the vast majority of VPNs will use a ‘datacenter IP address’ allocated for commercial use. Although these work perfectly well on a technical level, they’re often flagged as proxies or VPNs when you use them to visit the sites. This can often lead to your account being blocked or disconnected as many websites don’t like people hiding their true addresses with VPNs and proxies.
Residential IP VPN
So basically although a standard VPN (with a datacenter IP) will provide you with anonymity, many websites will determine that you’re likely to be using a VPN. Yet a VPN with a residential IP address will be even more anonymous as you’ll look like any standard home user too. There’s a popular one here called IPBurger if you want to see an example. There is one more caveat, if lots of people are using the same VPN address that can raise flags too.
What is a Dedicated IP Address ?
Most home connections have a single residential IP address which is shared by all the devices on that local network. So your router/broadband connection will have a single address which your computer, laptop, tablet or games console will ‘piggyback’ in order to get online.
Most home connections have a single residential IP address which is shared by all the devices on that local network. So your router/broadband connection will have a single address which your computer, laptop, tablet or games console will ‘piggyback’ in order to get online.
Yet the address is pretty much unique, nobody else will be using that IP address anywhere on the internet. Which is why you’ll see the IP address being traced by the police in crime dramas on the TV.
However in order to save money, proxies and VPNs tend to share addresses and rarely assign one per user. If you use a popular VPN like NordVPN then you’ll generally be sharing the same address with thousands of others at the same time. This doesn’t matter in many cases and it does mean that you can get a super fast VPN from someone like NordVPN for a few euros a month.
Sometimes it does matter, particularly if you’re sharing with thousands of users who may be using the same sort of websites as you. The classic example is when people using a popular VPN all connect to something like BBC iPlayer . If suddenly ten thousand people connect to the BBC iPlayer to watch Eastenders simultaneously, it’s going to look suspicious.
So some companies are now providing VPNs and proxies with dedicated IP addresses for your use only. They do tend to be more expensive, because obviously the cost of the IP address isn’t shared among lots of users. This is particularly relevant with residential addresses which cost more anyway because they’re difficult to obtain. The cost though has fallen considerably over the last couple of years and you can actually get your own fixed, residential IP VPN or residential IP proxies for a few dollars a month now from some companies.
What is a Obfuscated VPN Service?
A VPN service that offers obfuscated servers is designed to hide the fact that you are using a VPN from internet service providers (ISPs), governments, or streaming services that block VPN connections. These specialized VPN servers encrypt your data and disguise your VPN traffic to make it appear like regular internet traffic, ensuring that your VPN usage remains undetected.
Obfuscation is used to bypass Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and other anti-VPN technologies that might be employed to block VPN connections. This technology is often used in scenarios where strict internet restrictions are in place, such as in countries with heavy internet censorship or specific networks that prohibit VPN usage.
How to Get a Static Dedicated IP Residential Service
This is pretty much the gold standard for anonymity, privacy and the best for operating without being detected. It’s what the serious marketers use, or the eBay, Ticket scalpers or sneaker heads use to buy and sell or operate multiple social media accounts. For every extra dedicated residential IP you control, you have effectively another identity online. To buy stuff, promote stuff or sell stuff – in essence the people making money with multiple identities have residential IP VPNs to use.
One thing is certain though, whatever your budget for a VPN IP address you should certainly stay away from the free stuff. Providing server hardware and IP addresses costs money, if you find something for free it will be the lowest quality possible and will seek to extract money in other ways. At best your computer or device will get riddled with adware or more likely malware designed to harvest user credentials and passwords. It won’t be free when the owners empty your Paypal or bank account.