What Are ISP Proxies?
ISP proxies (also called static residential proxies) are IP addresses issued by Internet Service Providers to data centers. They combine two properties that are usually mutually exclusive: the speed and uptime of datacenter proxies with the trust score of residential IPs.
A standard datacenter proxy uses an IP from a hosting provider like AWS or OVH — easily identifiable as non-residential. A residential proxy uses an IP assigned to a real household by an ISP — trusted by websites but dependent on the uptime of that household's connection. ISP proxies sit in the middle: they are hosted on datacenter-grade infrastructure but registered under an ISP's ASN, so they appear as legitimate consumer IPs to target websites.
How ISP Proxies Are Created
ISP proxies originate from partnerships between proxy providers and Internet Service Providers. The ISP allocates a block of IP addresses — registered under its residential ASN — and these IPs are hosted on high-performance servers in data centers. The result is an IP that:
- Is registered to a consumer ISP (e.g., Comcast, BT, Deutsche Telekom) in public WHOIS and IP databases
- Resolves to a residential ASN when queried via IP intelligence services
- Has near-100% uptime because it runs on enterprise hardware, not a home router
- Offers consistent, low-latency performance with no bandwidth bottleneck
This architecture is what makes ISP proxies unique. When a website checks the IP against databases like MaxMind, IP2Location, or IPinfo, it sees a residential classification — not a datacenter flag.
ISP Proxies vs Other Proxy Types
| Property | Datacenter Proxy | Residential Proxy | ISP Proxy |
|---|---|---|---|
| IP source | Hosting provider (AWS, OVH) | Real household (ISP-assigned) | ISP-assigned, hosted in DC |
| Trust score | Low (easily flagged) | High (real consumer IP) | High (ISP-registered) |
| Speed | Very fast | Variable (home connection) | Very fast |
| Uptime | 99.9%+ | Variable | 99.9%+ |
| IP rotation | Usually static | Rotating or sticky | Usually static |
| Cost | Low | Higher (per GB) | Medium-High (per IP) |
| Best for | High-speed bulk tasks | Scraping protected sites | Long sessions, account management |
Key Advantages of ISP Proxies
High Trust, Low Detection Risk
Because ISP proxy IPs belong to residential ASNs, they pass the first layer of detection that most anti-bot systems apply: ASN classification. IP intelligence databases classify them as residential, not datacenter, which means they don't trigger the immediate suspicion that a known hosting-provider IP would.
Consistent Performance
Unlike standard residential proxies that route through home connections (with variable bandwidth and latency), ISP proxies run on datacenter infrastructure. You get sub-millisecond internal latency, gigabit throughput, and reliability you can depend on for production workloads.
Static IP Assignments
Most ISP proxies are sold as static IPs — you keep the same address for the duration of your subscription. This is critical for use cases where you need to build IP reputation over time, maintain persistent sessions, or manage multiple accounts that must appear to come from the same location consistently.
No Bandwidth Dependency on End Users
Standard residential proxy pools depend on peer-to-peer networks where real users share their bandwidth. This creates variability in speed, introduces ethical considerations, and means the pool can shrink when fewer peers are online. ISP proxies have none of these constraints.
Common Use Cases for ISP Proxies
Account Management
When managing multiple social media, e-commerce, or marketplace accounts, each account should appear to originate from a unique, stable residential IP. ISP proxies are ideal because they provide static addresses with residential classification — exactly what platforms expect from legitimate users.
Ad Verification
Verifying that advertisements display correctly requires accessing websites from IPs that won't be flagged as bots. ISP proxies provide the residential trust needed to see ads as real users would, combined with the speed to check thousands of placements quickly.
Sneaker and Retail Bots
Limited-release purchases on sneaker sites and retailers require IPs that pass strict bot detection. ISP proxies offer the residential trust score needed to avoid detection, with the speed advantage of datacenter hosting to ensure fast checkout times.
Price Monitoring at Scale
Continuous price monitoring across e-commerce sites benefits from ISP proxies because you can maintain long-lived connections to track prices over time. The static nature of ISP IPs means you won't trigger "new visitor" checks on every request.
SERP Monitoring
For SERP tracking where you need to simulate a consistent user checking search results from a fixed location, ISP proxies provide the geographic stability and residential classification that search engines expect.
When NOT to Use ISP Proxies
ISP proxies are not the right tool for every job:
- Large-scale rotating scraping: If you need millions of unique IPs with per-request rotation, rotating residential proxies are more cost-effective
- One-time bulk data extraction: For tasks where you scrape once and don't need to revisit, standard rotating proxies offer better value
- Speed-only workloads: If the target site doesn't have anti-bot protection and you just need raw speed, datacenter proxies are cheaper and equally fast
How to Use ISP Proxies with ProxyHat
ProxyHat's gateway at gate.proxyhat.com supports ISP proxy access. Connect via HTTP on port 8080 or SOCKS5 on port 1080.
Python Example
import requests
# ISP proxy connection via ProxyHat gateway
proxy = "http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@gate.proxyhat.com:8080"
session = requests.Session()
session.proxies = {"http": proxy, "https": proxy}
# The same IP persists across requests (static ISP proxy)
for i in range(3):
resp = session.get("https://httpbin.org/ip", timeout=15)
print(f"Request {i+1}: {resp.json()['origin']}")
Node.js Example
import axios from "axios";
import { HttpsProxyAgent } from "https-proxy-agent";
const agent = new HttpsProxyAgent("http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@gate.proxyhat.com:8080");
// Static IP — same address on every request
for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
const { data } = await axios.get("https://httpbin.org/ip", { httpsAgent: agent });
console.log(`Request ${i + 1}: ${data.origin}`);
}
For advanced configuration options, refer to the ProxyHat documentation or use the Python SDK / Node SDK.
ISP Proxy Detection: How Sites Identify Them
While ISP proxies have higher trust than datacenter IPs, they are not invisible. Advanced anti-bot systems may detect them through:
- Behavioral analysis: Automated request patterns from a "residential" IP still look automated
- IP reputation databases: Some databases specifically track ISP proxy ranges
- CGNAT detection: ISP proxies sometimes share IP ranges with CGNAT pools, which can raise flags
- Usage pattern correlation: If the same static IP sends requests 24/7 without variation, it doesn't match typical consumer behavior
The best defense is combining ISP proxies with realistic anti-detection practices — proper headers, realistic timing, and browser fingerprint management.
Key takeaway: ISP proxies bridge the gap between datacenter speed and residential trust. They are the optimal choice when you need static, high-performance IPs that pass residential IP checks — especially for account management, ad verification, and persistent monitoring tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ISP proxies the same as residential proxies?
Not exactly. Both have IPs registered under ISP ASNs, but residential proxies route through real home connections, while ISP proxies are hosted on datacenter infrastructure. ISP proxies are faster and more reliable, but typically static rather than rotating.
Why are ISP proxies more expensive than datacenter proxies?
The ISP-registered IP addresses are scarcer and require partnerships with Internet Service Providers to obtain. This limited supply, combined with the higher trust score, commands a premium over standard datacenter IPs.
Can websites detect ISP proxies?
It is harder for websites to detect ISP proxies compared to datacenter proxies, because they pass ASN checks as residential. However, advanced systems can still flag them through behavioral analysis and specialized IP reputation databases.
How many ISP proxies do I need?
It depends on your use case. For account management, allocate one ISP proxy per account. For monitoring tasks, the number depends on how many concurrent sessions and geographic locations you need to cover. See our pricing page for plan options.
