How to Get a Fake IP Address?

How to Get a Fake IP Address with VPNs & Proxies in 2024

Published on: September 1, 2023
Last Updated: September 1, 2023

How to Get a Fake IP Address with VPNs & Proxies in 2024

Published on: September 1, 2023
Last Updated: September 1, 2023

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The IP address of any device is a form of identification for that device when on the Internet.

By default, your IP address is open to the website or platform you are accessing on the internet.

With this, your location can be traced, and also your activities when online can be tracked, thereby depriving you of privacy.

In countries or locations where certain contents are banned, your IP address is used to deprive you of access to these geo-targeted contents.

Using your real IP address when surfing the internet exposes you to some censorship level, enabling easy denial to access the content of interest.

It also allows cybercriminals to pick up information about you through malware and enables them, hack your device.

To avoid exposing yourself to these dangers on the internet, using a fake IP address online will greatly help.

If you want to fake your IP address, this article is for you, as it talks about faking your IP address and ways to go about it.

What Does an IP Address Tell You?

IP Address

The internet today is becoming more insecure and less private, as there are more concerns about data privacy online.

For this reason, internet privacy advocates are constantly raising awareness of online privacy.

Their movement has helped many understand how governmental bodies, internet service providers, and websites have compromised their information on the internet.

The more people become aware of the privacy risk they are exposed to when using real IP addresses, the more the need to replace these real IP addresses with a fake one.

It is difficult for your data and real identity to be discovered and accessed on the internet when using a fake IP address.

This protects you from privacy evaders like the government, your internet service providers, the website you are accessing, and also hackers on the internet.

If you are a privacy-conscious internet user, you can employ any of the abovementioned solutions to change and scramble your IP address, thereby faking your IP address.

How to Get a Fake IP Address: The Solutions

There are several types of services on the internet that can be used to fake IP addresses.

These services hide the real IP address of the user and provide a different IP address that belongs to this service provider.

Service providers that aid in faking IP addresses are grouped into different categories.

Here are the categories of these service providers.

  • VPN Service to get a fake IP address
  • Proxies to mask your IP Address
  • The Onion Router (TOR

Some of these services providers are paid for, while some others are free to use. The paid ones are usually fast and secure, with exceptional use cases, while the free ones are slow and risky. 

Free Solutions for Faking IP Addresses that are Risky and Slow

  • Free Web Proxy solutions such as Proxysite, KProxy, and Hidester
  • Free P2P VPN that share your networks such as Atlas VPN, Tuxler VPN, Hola VPN, and Betternet VPN

How to Get a Fake IP Address with a VPN

VPN

VPN means Virtual Private Network. It is a private network software that allows users to browse the internet freely with a different IP address from their real IP address.

Once you connect to a VPN service, the VPN automatically hides your real IP address, then routes your request through its private IPs before delivering it to the intended website or platform.

Your traffic is encrypted to protect your request from being tracked and hacked by eavesdroppers and hackers, respectively.

For users to use VPN services, a software will be installed on the users’ devices. That way, the user can access the VPN service and its features, acting as a middle man while bypassing restrictions and operating at the system’s level.

A VPN service ensures that users can browse the internet with a more secure connection and also stay anonymous at the same time. This is arguably the best and easiest way to fake their IP address and still enjoy a secure connection.

VPN service allows users to seamlessly access geo-targeted content on the internet, as users can freely browse the internet from different countries and bypass geo-blocks and restrictions.

Today, there are several VPN software readily available that one can use to surf the internet. However, it is important to be aware of the VPN service you choose to use when surfing the internet.

Some VPN services may not offer the needed use cases or provide adequate security against cyber-attacks or eavesdropping from your internet service internet provider or even the government agencies.

Therefore, it is best to use VPN services that are paid for and also possess advanced features such as a private DNS server, no-log policy, kill switch, and leak protection.

This way, you are certain that your data is safe when surfing the internet.

There are mainly two types of VPN services, based on the source of the IP addresses provided to users. The two main VPN services are Residential VPN and Datacenter VPN.

Datacenter VPN

The datacenter VPN service is a Virtual Private Network service that is designed to route users’ requests on the internet through IP addresses that data centers own.

An example of data centers where datacenter VPNs source for their IP addresses is Amazon AWS. The datacenter VPN is cheap to use because the IP addresses are always in abundance and cheap to obtain.

However, datacenter IP addresses have limited use cases, as they are not as effective as one would want them to be.

This is because they are easily detectable and will be blocked or blacklisted once detected.

This implies that datacenter IP addresses can’t be used to access websites with advanced anti-spam systems and protocols that detect traffic from proxies to avoid them being detected and the users’ project gets affected.

Some of the best datacenter VPNs in the market today include NordVPN, and Surfshark.

Residential VPN

The residential VPN is a Virtual Private Network service that uses residential IP addresses to route users’ internet requests.

These IP addresses are gotten from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), making them difficult to detect.

Residential IP addresses are mostly gotten from P2P networks, thereby enabling the traffic of the residential VPN users to be routed through the devices of the Internet Service Providers networks.

This gives residential VPN great usability for several use cases because they are mostly undetectable and difficult to block. They are the best for browsing websites that datacenter VPNs can’t access.

However, residential VPNs are pretty expensive compared to datacenter VPNs. Some of the best residential VPNs in the market today include Tuxler and NetflixVPN.

Free VPN Services

The best types of VPN service to use are the paid VPN services, as most free VPNs are weak and may expose you to more risk on the internet.

However, there are still several free VPN online that can be trusted. They provide fair services and use cases and can be used for less tedious activities on the internet.

Interestingly, there is no such thing as a free lunch because these free VPNs, in one way or the other, may cost you some money if you use them for advanced purposes.

Some types of free VPNs put several restrictions on the features they offer, such as speed limits, bandwidth limits, or the servers available to be accessed.

For users to unblock those restrictions, they would be required to pay certain fees.

There are other types of free VPNs, popularly known as peer-to-peer VPNs, that don’t restrict their services. An example of a free VPN is Tuxler VPN.

VPN users can use these types of VPN services one hundred percent free; however, the users will have to agree to certain terms and conditions considered as “dark agreement” in the VPN world.

Some of these agreements involve the VPN service provider being granted access to share users’ internet connection or real IP addresses with other users.

This slows down such users’ internet speed and also exposes these users’ privacy. This is very risky and could cause more damage than gain.

How to Get a Fake IP Address with Proxies

A proxy server which is also referred to as simply a proxy is a server that acts as a middle man for delivering users’ requests on the internet by sitting between the users’ computers and the intended websites.

Proxies are also used to mask IP addresses and work almost like a VPN service. However, proxies can be used without you downloading any app or software to your devices, unlike in the case of a VPN.

Internet users with proxies configured to their devices have their web requests routed through the proxy’s servers whenever a request is sent.

In the process of this, the users’ IP address is changed with a different IP address.

A major difference between proxies and VPNs is that proxies are specially designed for Internet marketing tasks where faked IPs must bypass strict security protocols.

Whereas VPNs are created for personal use.

There are several types of proxies in the market today, which are listed below.

Datacenter Proxies

Datacenter Proxies

The datacenter proxies are the earliest types of proxies and the most common types in the proxy market.

These proxies are known for being cheap and are the cheapest types of proxies one can get in the market.

Datacenter IP addresses are gotten from datacenters the same way datacenter VPN sources for their IPs.

However, unlike datacenter VPNs, datacenter proxy IP addresses are sold with their ports. If a port is blocked, the user can’t retrieve that port and will have to purchase another.

Datacenter proxies are mostly static IPs, unlike the residential proxies that are rotational.

Just like the datacenter VPNs, the datacenter proxies are inefficient for most proxy use cases, therefore, making them easily detectable and blocked.

As a proxy user, if you plan on using proxies for strict websites with strong security protocols, it is best to avoid using datacenter proxies.

However, if you need proxies for general use cases that require fast connections, datacenter proxies are the best for you due to their lightning speed.

Examples of the best datacenter proxy providers in the market today are Blazing SEO proxies, MyPrivateProxy, and InstantProxies.

Residential Proxies

Residential VPN

Residential proxies are proxy servers that users peer-to-peer network to route users’ requests to the intended websites or applications.

The IP addresses used by these peer-to-peer networks are assigned to these residential proxy provider ISPs.

Most residential proxy providers offer rotational IP addresses, unlike the datacenter proxies that offer static IPs.

These rotational IP addresses are dynamically assigned to the proxy users from the proxy provider’s IP pool.

Residential proxies are the best types of proxies for bypassing anti-spam systems, geo-location blocks, and ISPs’ restrictions because they are not easily detected or blocked.

They also offer high-level security and anonymity. 

Due to this, residential proxies are pretty expensive compared to datacenter proxies. The best residential proxy providers in the proxy market today include Bright Data, Smartproxy, and Shifter.

Web Proxies

Web Proxies

A web proxy is a proxy type that offers a free proxy service; however, users are not given access to choose IP addresses used on their device.

They are one of the most popular proxies in the market. The web proxies are accessed from the users’ browser environment.

This implies that for a proxy user to access web proxies, the user must use the web proxy provider’s website and then browse the Internet from the website.

Web proxies are tab-specific, which means that web proxies will only ensure that your IP address is hidden for the tab where the web proxy website is being accessed when surfing the internet.

Your IP address is only available in the tab used to access the web proxies, and for that reason, only that tap is masked, and your IP is hidden.

Web proxies can be frustrating to use sometimes, as it requires you to repeat the same process to access the service whenever you switch tabs.

Also, they are usually filled with advertisements. Some of the best web proxies in the market today include Hidester and Whoer.

Free Proxy List

Free proxy lists are compilations of free proxies one can access the Internet with and maintain absolute anonymity.

These proxies help you save cost as they are completely free to use; however, they are very risky, and such be avoided as much as possible.

They are not as efficient or reliable as other types of proxies and are extremely slow.

They are easily detectable and blocked, as it is common for a free proxy to work for some minutes and cease to work the next minute.

Their security system is porous, and it can also be very frustrating to use. 

Free proxies do not require authentication for users to access their services, unlike the paid proxies, which use either IP authentication or username or password authentication.

Therefore, it is normal that users of free proxies share the IPs used with a large group of people that don’t even know each other.

This exposes users’ data to strangers and puts them at high risk when surfing the internet. An example of a free proxy is the Free Proxy List which is also the most popular free proxy in the market.

The Onion Router (TOR) 

The Onion Router (TOR) 

The Onion Router (TOR) is an anonymity network used to fake IP addresses, as it enables users to have anonymous communication when surfing.

It works by masking users’ IP addresses and replaces them with different IP addresses.

The Onion Router (TOR) functions more like a P2P network; when routing users’ requests, the request is routed through several nodes (servers) in the network to ensure that the request is not traced and doesn’t leave footprints behind.

The Onion Router (TOR) has more than 7,000 nodes that a users’ requests can be routed through.

The Tor network is very effective and efficient, as it ensures that tracing their users’ activities on the internet is pretty difficult.

It is an open-source software whereby users have to use the Tor browser or its Firefox extension to access the services offered.

Conclusion

When surfing the internet, your IP address is available online by default, which means you are never anonymous.

Whenever you visit a website or an application, you automatically submit your IP address to the platform you visit.

With this, the websites, your internet service providers, and even government agencies can easily eavesdrop or access your data.

In some other cases, some contents on the internet are restricted to specific geo-locations, and you can’t access them if you are not in these accepted locations. 

To avoid such, it is best to provide a different IP address when surfing the internet.

This means you will be faking your IP address to bypass geo-blocks or restrictions and ensure you stay completely anonymous when surfing the internet.

Using any of the methods mentioned above will help you fake your IP address effectively.

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Written by Jason Wise

Hello! I’m the editor at EarthWeb, with a particular interest in business and technology topics, including social media, privacy, and cryptocurrency. As an experienced editor and researcher, I have a passion for exploring the latest trends and innovations in these fields and sharing my insights with our readers. I also enjoy testing and reviewing products, and you’ll often find my reviews and recommendations on EarthWeb. With a focus on providing informative and engaging content, I am committed to ensuring that EarthWeb remains a leading source of news and analysis in the tech industry.

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