Log in
Log inIP Scrambler: Everything You Need To Know & How To Get One
An IP scrambler is a device that scrambles your IP with each new connection. Unfortunately, much like lightsabers, they don’t exist. You can’t randomly shuffle your IP address because IP addresses don’t work like that. That seemingly random string of numbers in your header isn’t actually random.
The good news is, there’s something just as effective that actually exists. Rotating proxies hide your true IP address and change with each request you send. This protects your anonymity and privacy on the internet.
The Best IP Scrambler Is a Rotating Proxy
Every connection request on the internet shows the IP address from which it was sent, so simply scrambling your IP address won’t work. A proxy server acts as an intermediary between your device and the websites you’re trying to access. When you use a proxy server, your device will send its request to the proxy server.
How a proxy works as a “scrambler”
- The proxy server will hide your IP address by changing it to a different one, called a proxy IP address.
- Then, the proxy server will send your request to the website.
- When the website sends a response, it will go to the proxy server and send it to your device.
- If you change your proxy IP address often enough, you’ll effectively be “scrambling” it.
If you want to change your IP address with every request, you’ll need a massive number of proxy IP addresses or a rotating pool of proxy IP addresses. Rotating proxies randomly select a different IP address for each request from a pool of proxies.
Types of Proxies to Scramble IP Addresses
There are many different types of proxies. You don’t need to understand all of the technical details to decide which is right for you, but you need to know a little about them to make an informed decision. Here’s a look at the different features of proxies and which works best to effectively scramble your IP address.
Data center proxies
Data center proxies are IP addresses that originate in data centers. A data center has a network of servers with their own IP addresses. Data center proxies are fast, so they’re great for use cases where speed is most important, like gaming. They’re also easy on the wallet since they’re the cheapest type of proxy you can buy.
Data center proxy considerations
While data center proxies have a lot of advantages, they also have some disadvantages.
Easily identifiable: They’re easily identified as data center proxies. For some use cases, this doesn’t matter, but it’s a big problem for others.
Bad actors: Unfortunately, bad actors have often used proxies for nefarious purposes such as ad fraud and black hat hacking. Because of this, some websites completely ban data center IP addresses.
Sometimes quick to be banned: Data center IPs are not the type of IP addresses most people use to access the internet, so they can raise some red flags. Some websites don’t ban them outright, but if they detect suspicious activity from a data center IP address, they’ll ban the entire subnet. If you’re using a pool of data center proxies from the same subnet, you’ll be shut down even if you rotate them.
The best data center proxies with Rayobyte
Rayobyte offers over 20,000 unique subnets spread across 9 ASNs, so you never have to worry about not having enough diversity. If you’re banned on one subnet, you’ll automatically be rotated to another. Our data center proxies also have unlimited bandwidth, so restricted performance is never an issue.
Residential proxies
Residential proxies are the most authoritative type of proxies. These IP addresses are assigned to users by their internet service providers (ISP). Most people connect to the internet via residential proxies, so they don’t appear suspicious to websites. If you’re interested in how to set up an IP scrambler, rotating residential proxies are your best option.
By setting up a pool of rotating residential proxies, you can attach a different residential IP address to each request you send out. This mimics typical user behavior, so you probably won’t get blocked using this method.
Residential proxy considerations
Although residential proxies are the gold standard for rotating proxies, they have some drawbacks. The biggest disadvantage to using residential proxies as an IP scrambler is the price. They’re more expensive than data center proxies, mainly because they’re more difficult to source.
Residential proxies have to be sourced directly from end-users, and it’s a complicated process if you do it ethically. At Rayobyte, we set the standard for ethical business practices in the proxy industry. We ensure that our end-users give their full and complete consent to use their IP address. They have control over what their IP address is used for, and they can revoke their consent at any time.
Some companies lure end-users in by offering a free app, and somewhere in tiny font in the terms of service (TOS,) they end up “agreeing” to the use of their IP address. Other even more unethical companies steal IP addresses outright. Being associated with that unethical and illegal behavior can harm your reputation. Even worse, once a company has shown they’re unethical, why would you trust them with your sensitive data?
Why ethical residential proxies are the gold standard
Although they may be more of an investment, residential proxies are worth it for the security and speed. You’ll have no trouble with your web scraping needs with residential proxies like those Rayobyte offers.
ISP proxies
ISP proxies are like a hybrid between residential and data center proxies. Like residential proxies, they’re issued by ISPs. However, they’re not assigned to individual users. Instead, they’re hosted in a data center like data center proxies. Like data center proxies, they’re fast, so they’re good for use cases where speed is important.
Because they’re associated with ISPs, they don’t have the lack of authority that plagues data center proxies. ISP proxies don’t involve end-users, so they aren’t hard to source like residential proxies. Rayobyte partners with eight trusted ASNs to provide diverse and easy-to-maintain proxies.
Rotating ISP proxies
Rotating ISP proxies are the same as ISP proxies except for one factor: for every new request, a new IP is given, allowing you to cycle through our pools of proxies.
Rotating Vs. Static Proxies
When choosing a proxy, you’ll also need to decide between rotating and static proxies.
Static proxies
Static proxies are great if you want a proxy to provide additional security and anonymity.
A static proxy IP address allows you to access the internet through one IP address. You essentially exchange your IP address for a different IP address. Your static IP address will be either a data center proxy or an ISP proxy. You can continue to use the same IP address as long as you need it.
However, static proxies aren’t a workable solution if you’re using proxies for use cases such as web scraping or shopping bots. Many websites have anti-bot technology that automatically bans IP addresses that display bot-like behavior. If your bot sends out requests faster than a human can, your static IP proxy address will get banned just as quickly as your real IP address.
Rotating proxies
Since a static proxy is the same alternative IP address each time you use it, it doesn’t function well as an IP scrambler. For that, you’ll need rotating residential proxies.
- Rotating proxies change either at set intervals or randomly with each request.
- You get extra security and anonymity with rotating proxies because your IP address constantly changes.
- You bounce from IP address to IP address, which makes them the equivalent of an IP scrambler.
Rotating residential proxies are excellent for use cases like web scraping or shopping bots since they use a different IP address for each request. Frequently changing IP addresses makes it appear that each request is coming from a different user, which will make your web scraper or shopping bot practically undetectable.
Shared Proxies Vs. Dedicated Proxies
When you purchase proxies, they’ll either be shared or dedicated.
Shared proxies
Shared proxies are a pool of proxies that different users can access. The IP address you’re using may be the same IP address someone else is using. The major concerns with shared proxies are performance and security.
- Speed concerns: If many other users are on the same server as you, it will slow down your connection.
- The “bad neighbor effect”: If someone using the same IP address as you gets banned, when you try to use it, you’ll be denied access as well. This can bring your connection to a screeching halt.
- Security: Security can also be a major issue with shared IP addresses. Shared proxies can expose your private data and sensitive information.
The main advantage of shared proxies is their price. They can range from being cheap to completely free.
Dedicated proxies
Dedicated proxies are reserved for your exclusive use. No one else will have access to them, so you don’t have the same security and performance issues. If you want the best performance and speed, dedicated proxies are your best option. The major disadvantage to dedicated proxies is that they’re more expensive.
Semi-dedicated proxies
Semi-dedicated proxies can be an effective compromise. Semi-dedicated proxies are shared among two or three users. You won’t have to deal with as much congestion and traffic as a fully shared server, so sluggishness won’t be an issue. If you use a proxy provider who carefully vets their clients, security issues won’t be as big of a concern, either.
If you’re watching your budget, you can get most of the benefits of dedicated proxies with semi-dedicated proxies and save money.
Free Proxies
Free proxies might sound like the perfect solution since you will need a lot of them to use as an IP scrambler. Unfortunately, free proxies have significant risks that make them unusable for almost all use cases. Some of the biggest problems with free proxies include:
Lack of security
Most free proxies don’t have a secure connection. They usually use HTTP connections instead of HTTPS. This means your connection isn’t encrypted. Your data is exposed during transit, leaving you vulnerable to hacking.
Exposure to malware
A free proxy server may contain malicious malware that can infect your device. Sometimes this is intentional. Bad actors have set up free proxy servers intentionally to spread malware. However, it can also be completely unintentional. Free proxy servers rely on advertising to pay for their service. Advertisers can use ads as a vehicle to install malware on your device without the server’s knowledge.
Poor performance
With all of the risks you take using a free proxy server, you’re likely to find that it’s not worth it. Free proxy servers are almost always overloaded, slow, and therefore unusable.
How to Get an IP Scrambler With Proxies
Since proxies are so important to your use case, it’s important that you find the right rotating proxy for you: Rotating ISP proxies or rotating residential proxies.
Rotating ISP proxies are ideal for: SEO monitoring, ad verification, market research, travel data aggregation and more.
Rotating Residential proxies can be used for: ecommerce web scraping,
Choosing an ethical proxy provider is the cornerstone of using rotating residential proxies as an IP scrambler.
Don’t hesitate to ask your proxy provider how they source their residential proxies. An ethical provider will have guidelines and will be happy to share them. At Rayobyte, we are completely transparent about our sourcing practices. You should also expect your proxy provider to ask why you’re using proxies — ethics are an all-around important thing for us at Rayobyte.
Rayobyte vets all of our customers to make sure they have legitimate use cases. You want the assurance of knowing your provider’s other customers are held to high standards. If you’re using dedicated proxies, you’ll definitely want this peace of mind.
Final Thoughts
Although a true IP scrambler doesn’t exist, a pool of rotating residential proxy IP addresses and rotating ISP proxies can achieve the same effect. You’ll be able to protect your privacy and anonymity on the internet by hiding your real IP address and switching out your proxy IP address frequently.
Whether you’re scraping the web or want to protect your identity, proxies can help you take control of your online activity. Rayobyte will partner with you to help you achieve your goals. We sell the best proxies on the planet. No one is willing to work harder for you. Our top-notch customer service team is there for you 24/7. Reach out today to find out which of our solutions is best for you.
The information contained within this article, including information posted by official staff, guest-submitted material, message board postings, or other third-party material is presented solely for the purposes of education and furtherance of the knowledge of the reader. All trademarks used in this publication are hereby acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.
