US Residential Proxy: How to Change Your IP Location
5 min. read
Updated on
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help MSPoweruser sustain the editorial team Read more
| Sponsored |
Every server you connect when online recognizes you by your IP address. It displays your location, internet service provider (ISP), and other information that could expose you to identity theft or hacking. To protect yourself, you change your IP address to a different location.
However, better security is one of many benefits of changing your IP location. Let’s dive into the features of a residential proxy, why sometimes it’s necessary to change your IP location, and how to buy a US residential proxy.
What is a residential proxy?
A residential proxy is a tool for masking the IP address of someone, or something, such as a bot, accessing the internet. This operates by routing traffic through an intermediary server, which can be any device that can take web traffic and forward it to another device or website.
When the activity is interrupted and diverted through a different device, the IP address of that device is transmitted to the target website rather than the actual origin device. This masks the real IP address of the website visitor from the websiteโand from security administrators, hackers, and others.
Features of a residential proxy
There are many valuable features of residential proxies. For example, when you utilize a residential proxy, you can browse the internet privately and safeguard your privacy using an adblocker. Websites will only see the proxy server’s IP address, not yours. This will prevent organizations from using your browsing habits to target you with advertising.
Moreover, employing a residential proxy can improve your internet security by reducing the ability for malicious actors to gain access to your device and network. Residential proxies are generally encrypted, meaning bad actors cannot observe your internet activity. A proxy shields your IP address from threats and prevents hackers from accessing your data. Considering the prevalence of cybercrime nowadays, you want to minimize becoming a victim.
Another great feature of residential proxies is their limitless bandwidth for downloading and uploading files. When you utilize residential proxies, you won’t have to worry about surpassing your data limit and incurring coverage charges. They provide speedier internet browsing, making them ideal for downloading huge files or streaming high-definition videos.
How does proxy allow you to change the IP location?
Any website you visit can determine your device’s IP address and the location from which you are browsing. If you do not want your location exposed to website operators, you can use a proxy to trick them into thinking you are in another place.
Not only will the proxy disguise your location, but it will also hide your IP address, rendering you anonymous to the websites you visit. You can instruct the proxy service provider to choose the false location randomly. Alternatively, you can select a specific country or city as your location, such as the US.
Why changing your IP location is helpful
You only need to conceal your IP address to achieve online privacy and anonymity. You may want to change your location to another country or city. Here are a few reasons why users change their IP location.
Complete market research
If you run a business, assume you intend to introduce your goods or services to the United States. You decide to conduct market research by accessing US websites specializing in the same product and extracting the required data.
However, some websites have been configured to exclude access from other sources. If you continue with the market research without changing your IP location, you will wind up with incomplete data and a wrong analysis.
Instead, you can obtain US proxies that conceal your IP address and identify your browser as in the United States. This makes your online business stronger and allows you to visit sites that would otherwise be prohibited and scrape comprehensive data.
Access geo-specific services
Some companies sell their items in specific places and only enable browsers within that area to access or purchase their products. You can use the same method described above to fool the website into thinking you are from that location and buying the goods.
This can also go for individuals who want to change their IP location to access streaming services anywhere or bypass bans. Streaming platforms, such as Netflix, frequently enable geo-restrictions on their content. This can either be a demand from the media producers, or they have to prohibit certain content in a region based on the media rules of that country.
With a residential proxy, you can easily change your device’s IP country to where the content you wish to access is available. This will modify your internet location, allowing you to unblock US Netflix and similar services because they will no longer be able to identify your specific area. As a result, you can watch your favorite shows no matter where you are.
Make public WiFi safer.
This is an instance where it is more necessary to utilize a residential proxy than not. Public WiFi is an ideal way to stay connected at all times. Since the majority of these services are free to use, they draw a large number of users. Yet, because they can target several people, these public WiFi networks also serve as a breeding ground for hackers.
Hackers on the network can intercept your online data transmission. They not only steal vital information but can also do financial harm. These criminals use your IP address to gain access to your device.
When you change your IP address, the hackers cannot trace your device using counterfeit IP. As a result, you can browse with confidence.
How to buy a US residential proxy
Using GeoSurf’s Residential IP proxy network, you may appear as a real user, remain anonymous, and avoid being discovered or blocked while performing data scraping, carrying out market research, or accessing blocked content.
Becoming a GeoSurf member allows you to access a vast pool of US residential proxies across different cities.
User forum
0 messages