What Are Residential VPNs and Residential IPs?

May 11, 2023 By Christine Margret No Comments 5 minutes

A residential VPN uses real IP addresses from internet service providers to route web requests. This makes users appear to be browsing from a specific location, just like any regular web user. To make things more precise, we’ll explain residential VPNs and IPs in detail below.

What are Residential VPNs and residential IPs

What is a Residential IP address?

A residential IP address is a unique and verified IP address assigned by an internet service provider to a user’s location. It contains specific details about the user’s previous internet activity, making it more credible than other VPNs when accessing geo-restricted content.

A traditional VPN, on the other hand, provides an unsafe IP address connected to a cloud service, making it harder to access geo-blocked content.

Shortly, a residential IP address is more reliable regarding location and previous internet activity, whereas a regular IP address is less dependable.

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What is a Residential VPN?

A residential VPN redirects a user’s internet traffic via different residential IP addresses than the actual IP address.

Residential VPNs are considered safe because they avoid data centers that are prone to breaches. However, users should trust the service’s company to secure their IP address and internet traffic.

How Does a Residential VPN Work?

A residential VPN works through Peer-to-peer networks. Wherein users agree to share their internet connection and IP address with the provider. In return, the users can use a verified IP address from any location worldwide.

Peer-to-peer networks allow devices to communicate directly without a third party. It connects users to a global nodes network run by volunteers. By using blockchain technology, these nodes act as VPNs and maintain the network’s security.

Residential VPNs vs. Residential Proxies – Key Differences

Residential VPNs and proxies are online privacy and security tools, but they function differently. A residential VPN routes a user’s internet traffic through different IP addresses.

This allows users to browse the internet using different IP addresses worldwide. Moreover, these VPNs are generally considered more secure because they encrypt a user’s internet traffic.

However, unlike a residential VPN, a residential proxy does not encrypt a user’s internet traffic. Instead, it only changes the user’s IP address and does not provide any additional security or privacy benefits.

Residential VPN vs. Regular VPN- Which One is Better?

When it comes to choosing between a Residential VPN and a Regular VPN, you should always consider your needs first.

For example, if a user wants a highly secure VPN that is difficult to detect, then a Residential VPN will be a better choice.

However, if the user wants a VPN that is faster, more reliable, and easier to use, a Regular VPN like FastestVPN should be considered.

Advantages of Residential VPNs

Here are some advantages of residential VPNs:

Better security: Residential VPNs use genuine residential IP addresses that are harder to detect, providing an extra layer of security and privacy.
Access to geo-blocked content: Residential VPNs allow users to access location-restricted content and services, such as streaming sites and online games, by masking the user’s location.
Improved anonymity: Residential VPNs provide better anonymity by using IP addresses associated with actual residences. Making it harder to track and identify individual users.
Enhanced credibility: Residential VPNs are credible for businesses and individuals conducting online activities. They provide verified IP addresses associated with legitimate residential locations instead of data centers that may be flagged as suspicious.
Reduced risk of IP blocking: Since residential VPNs use IP addresses that are assigned by legitimate ISPs, they are less likely to be flagged as suspicious and blocked by websites and services.

Disadvantages of Residential VPNs

While Residential VPNs offer many benefits, there are also some disadvantages to consider.

One major disadvantage is that residential VPNs can be slower and less reliable than regular VPNs due to the peer-to-peer architecture and the fact that the network relies on the performance of individual users.

Additionally, residential VPNs can be more expensive than regular VPNs since they require paying the users whose IP addresses are used in the network.

Another potential issue with residential VPNs is that the providers may collect more information about their users than regular VPN providers, as they can access both the users’ real IP addresses and the residential IP addresses used in the network.

Finally, some websites and services may still be able to detect and block residential VPNs, particularly if they have robust security measures in place.

Conclusion

Residential VPNs offer better privacy, security, and credibility, making them ideal if you want to avoid detection and website blocking. However, Regular VPNs are faster, more reliable, and easier to use. It’s important to consider the pros and cons of each option and select the one that fits your requirements. Ultimately, the right choice between residential and Regular VPNs will depend on your specific needs and online activities.