4 Simple Ways To Get a Fake IP Address

Your IP address is your unique device identifier online — kind of like a mailing address. Generally, it’s not something you have to think much about, but there are plenty of reasons someone might want to change their IP address. 

Obtaining a fake IP address can help you preserve your privacy, bypass censorship, unblock international streaming libraries, get the best online prices, and more. 

In this article, we’ll explore the best ways to get a new IP address and explain why using a trustworthy VPN provider is the easiest and most secure way to obtain a fake IP. 

Best VPNs to quickly change your IP address

1. Use a VPN

A virtual private network, or VPN, is a service that routes your web traffic through secure servers to help keep your activity private.

VPNs are the simplest and most secure way to hide your IP address, and they’re also the most flexible — you can make your traffic appear as if it’s coming from any country or region your VPN provider has a server in.

There are several different VPN choices on the market, available at various price points. We recommend avoiding free VPNs: Free services may earn revenue by selling user data, which defeats the point of using a privacy service in the first place.

2. Use a dedicated IP address

A second option for getting a different IP is using a dedicated IP address — also known as a static IP address. Typically, most home Wi-Fi networks utilize dynamic IP addresses, which change over time as the internet service provider (ISP) reallocates addresses. Static IP addresses remain the same.

There are two main ways to obtain a dedicated IP address. The first is through your ISP. Many offer dedicated IP services for an additional cost.

The second option is to use a VPN with a dedicated IP feature. In general, we recommend using a VPN, as it allows you to take advantage of both the dedicated IP and the VPN’s other security features, such as password sharing and the ability to easily change IP addresses.

3. Use a proxy

A proxy server is a server that acts as a middleman between your device and the internet. Your internet traffic passes through the proxy server and then on to its actual destination, making it appear as if the proxy's IP address is yours.

Proxy servers are fairly similar to VPNs, in the sense that you connect to both before your traffic goes out to the wider internet. However, proxies are more simplistic and typically aren’t as secure as a VPN, for several reasons. First, VPNs enable you to select from a range of servers located in various regions. Second, VPNs are encrypted, whereas proxies may not be.

4. Use Tor Browser

Tor Browser is a web browser specifically designed to maximize privacy. Tor Browser routes your internet traffic through the Tor network — a network of encrypted servers that helps anonymize your activity. Tor routes your traffic through several of these servers, which not only gives you a new IP address but also makes it nearly impossible to trace your browsing back to you.

Tor Browser is highly secure, but it does have some significant downsides. The main issue is that it’s incredibly slow — the process of routing traffic through multiple servers in different locations causes significant lag. Compared to other solutions, such as VPNs, this can make using it a frustrating experience.

However, some VPNs offer specialty servers, called Onion over VPN or Tor over VPN, for safely connecting to the Tor network.

How do I check if my IP has changed successfully?

The simplest way to check if your IP address has changed is to use a tool like the website What Is My IP Address. This website displays your IP address immediately upon visiting. If you’re using a VPN service, the dashboard should display your unprotected IP address and then the new protected IP once you’ve connected to a VPN server.

Fake IP address vs. IP spoofing

An IP address is a string of characters that identifies each device connected to the internet. IP spoofing refers to forcibly modifying an IP address to make it appear different from what it is. The term “IP spoofing” generally (although not always) refers to changing IP addresses in the context of cybercrime, to make it appear as though the traffic is legitimate.

This differs from obtaining a fake IP address, as the “fake” IP address typically obtained is a real IP address belonging to a legitimate device, such as a VPN server. Obtaining a fake IP using a VPN or one of the other methods above is more secure and private than IP spoofing.

FAQs

Bottom line

If you’re looking to get a fake IP address, a secure VPN is the safest and easiest way to do so. VPNs enable you to easily switch your IP address, as well as provide a host of additional security and privacy features. Other solid options for changing your IP include Tor Browser and a proxy server. However, these tools lack the more robust features, privacy, and performance of the best VPNs.