Residential proxy and ASN glossary

The ID number of a network that runs its own routing on the internet. Comcast's main residential network is AS7922. On Broadband Proxies, asn-7922 in the username selects exits on that network.

A group of IP prefixes run by one operator under one routing policy. Large ISPs often run several, for example after a merger. See ISP mergers and ASNs.

The protocol networks use to tell each other which IP prefixes they can reach. Public BGP data shows which ASN announces an address, and that is how an IP is tied to an ISP.

A block of consecutive IP addresses written with a slash, such as 203.0.113.0/24. A /24 holds 256 IPv4 addresses, and an ASN announces its prefixes through BGP.

The two versions of IP addresses. An IPv4 address looks like 198.51.100.7, while an IPv6 address is longer, such as 2001:db8::1.

An address the ISP can change from time to time, for example after a router restart. Most US home connections receive dynamic addresses.

A setup where an ISP places many customers behind one shared public IPv4 address. It is common on mobile and fixed-wireless networks, so one IP can stand for many homes.

The American Registry for Internet Numbers. It assigns IP addresses and AS numbers in the United States, Canada and parts of the Caribbean.

Lookup services that return the registered holder of an IP block or an ASN. RDAP is the newer, structured version that ARIN and the other registries now offer.

A free tool from the RIPE NCC that shows routing data for any IP or ASN worldwide, including the prefixes an ASN announces. Our ISP pages cite it for AS numbers.

A public database where networks list their ASNs, peering points and contacts. It helps confirm which company operates an ASN and what kind of network it is.

The Federal Communications Commission's public map of fixed and mobile internet availability, built from provider filings. Our city pages use its data as of December 31, 2025.

The FCC program under which providers report, twice a year, where they offer service. These filings feed the National Broadband Map.

A place where fixed internet service can be installed, such as a house or an apartment building. FCC coverage percentages are shares of these locations.

A city, town or similar area defined by the US Census Bureau and identified by a code called a GEOID. Our city pages match FCC data to these places.

The standard cable networks use to carry internet over coaxial cable. DOCSIS 3.1 is common today, and some operators have started DOCSIS 4.0 in selected markets.

A cable network design with fiber to the neighborhood and coaxial cable into the home. Comcast and Spectrum run mostly HFC networks.

A connection where optical fiber runs all the way into the home. AT&T Fiber and Verizon Fios are large US examples.

Internet carried over telephone copper lines. It is slower than cable or fiber, and many US telephone companies are retiring it.

Home internet delivered by radio, from a tower to an antenna or receiver at the home. In the US this includes 5G home internet and local wireless ISPs.

An IP address that an ISP assigns to a home subscriber, rather than to a server in a data center. Sites usually see it as ordinary household traffic.

A proxy that sends your request out through a residential IP. Broadband Proxies sells US residential proxies billed per GB; see residential proxies.

A static IP registered to an ISP but hosted on a server, so it stays the same for weeks. Broadband Proxies does not sell ISP proxies; see ISP proxies vs residential by ISP.

A proxy on an IP owned by a hosting or cloud company. Sites can easily recognize it as server traffic rather than home traffic.

Choosing the network of your exit IP by its AS number. ASN availability varies by network, city and time of day; the checkout shows what is online, and no IP count per ISP is published. See how ASN targeting works.

Choosing the city of your exit IP, such as city-houston in the username. City availability varies; the checkout shows what is online.

Choosing an exit by US ZIP code, such as zip-19103 for central Philadelphia. It is the narrowest location option, so fewer devices match at any moment.

A mode where your exit IP changes instead of staying fixed. Each new connection gets an IP from the pool, usually a different one; to get a new IP on every request, send one request per connection (turn off keep-alive).

A mode that keeps the same exit IP for a while, set with session- and ttl- in the username. On Broadband Proxies it lasts up to 30 minutes (the IP can change earlier, for example if the home device goes offline).

The single host you connect to; it forwards each request to an exit IP. For Broadband Proxies it is gw.broadbandproxies.com: use 7777 for HTTP or HTTPS and 7778 for SOCKS5.

A protocol that relays any TCP connection, web or not. Broadband Proxies supports HTTP, HTTPS (CONNECT) and SOCKS5.

Your own server addresses, saved in the account, that can connect without a username or password. It suits servers with fixed IPs.

A database that maps IP addresses to places. Two databases can place the same IP in different cities, so check the ASN of an exit as well; see how to check it.