Quick Answers

What Is a Residential IP Address?

A residential IP is an address an internet service provider assigns to a home connection. Websites trust it more than a datacenter IP because it looks like a real household.

By Team of Monkeys Editorial Updated 1 min read Affiliate disclosure

This guide contains affiliate links to Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

What Is a Residential IP Address illustration: a residential IP is an address an internet service provider assigns to a home connection 3jdej38j4

The short answer

A residential IP is an IP address that an internet service provider (ISP) such as Comcast, BT or Deutsche Telekom assigns to a home broadband line. Because it is registered to a consumer ISP, a website sees it as an ordinary household visitor.

Why it matters for proxies

Residential proxies route your traffic through these home addresses, so your requests blend in with real users. That is why they get past blocks that stop datacenter IPs, and also why they cost more, usually priced per GB of traffic.

How the provider got access to those home connections matters. Reputable providers pay people or apps for consent. Criminal networks have built "residential proxies" from malware-infected devices, which law enforcement has taken down.

A monkey meets a proxy server for the first time (animated GIF) 3jdej38j4
A monkey meets a proxy server for the first time. GIF via Tenor

Also known as

Home IP, household IP, consumer IP, ISP-assigned IP, "resi" IP.

Learn more

Affiliate disclosure: Team of Monkeys is an affiliate of Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte. Links and banners marked as sponsored, and links to Geonode, Webshare and Rayobyte in the text, use our referral links, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our explanations and comparisons are written to be useful whichever provider you choose.

Editorial note: Proxy providers change their pools, features and prices often, so treat any figures here as typical ranges at the time of writing and confirm current terms with the provider before you buy.
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