What are Subnet Proxies?
Subnet proxy services are the proxy services that offer users IPs from the same IP subnet. A majority of the services that offer subnet proxies are datacenter proxies, as they have more control over their IP addresses than residential IPs. However, there are still some residential proxies that offer users IPs from the same subnet. I would advise you to speak to the customer agent of your residential proxy provider of choice to enquire if they offer subnet proxies.
- For more detail about the residential IPs and residential proxies, You can read this post – Datacenter proxies vs Residential proxies.
What is the Danger of Using Subnet Proxies?
As stated earlier, some providers see having IPs from different subnets as a selling point. So have you asked yourself why subnet proxies are treated with such dislike? It turns out that IPs from the same subnet are seen as related.
The typical use case is the sneaker copping, such as Nike, Adidas, and Supreme. If the IPs are from the same subnet, they Will be blocked.
This is a problem because for some web services, if they record abuses from a few IPs from the same subnet, instead of blacklisting the IPs used in the abusive behavior, they block the full subnet as a whole. This means that if all of your IPs are from the same subnet, then you can use any of the other IPs for the web service again. This is not the same with IPs from different subnets.
When Does Using IPs from the Same Subnet Makes Sense?
If you own a group of computers or Internet-enabled devices and you want each to have unique IP addresses and but are still related, then using subnet proxies is the best way to achieve that.
Also, for session-based projects that require you to log in, rotating IP within the same subnet would not put you in more trouble that you would be in if you rotate across IPs from different subnets. Some use them for bypassing anti-spam systems and being put under less scrutiny.
