ISP proxy

An ISP proxy combines two properties. According to address databases, the IP belongs to an ordinary ISP (the ISP's ASN), as with a residential proxy. But the address runs on a server, so it is stable and does not drop off the network.

Such addresses are usually issued for a term, a week or a month, and the IP does not change during that whole time. This is convenient for long work from one place.

The difference from a datacenter proxy lies in who owns the network: datacenter addresses belong to a hosting provider, and websites can see this by the ASN.

In Prokso pay-per-GB plans, residential addresses come from a shared pool of devices: these are not ISP proxies but ordinary home IPs.

How to recognize an ISP address yourself

Paste the address into the "Check any IP" field on the My IP page. The page shows the country, the city and the ISP with its network number. If you see the name of an ordinary internet provider, databases treat the address as a home one. If you see a hosting or cloud company, it is a server address, whatever the seller calls it.

Also look at reverse DNS. A name like static.example-host.net or vps123 gives a server away even when the ASN looks like an ISP. Such names are covered in the reverse DNS article. Check several addresses from one set at once: if they all come from one /24 block and one ASN, a website will link them to each other just as easily.

How address types differ in practice

What to check before long work from one address

For an ISP address it matters that the city from the database, the browser time zone and the profile language do not contradict each other. The My IP page shows the time zone by IP and by browser side by side, so a mismatch is visible right away.

Pay attention to the size of the network as well. Websites spot a small ISP with a few blocks, where all the addresses are rented out, faster. More on network numbers in the ASN article.

In Prokso pay-per-GB plans the IP comes from a shared pool, and a sticky IP is held for 1 to 120 minutes. For longer work, be ready for the address to change within the same country.