Wi-Fi Proxy 101: How to Set up Proxy Server on Android for Wi-Fi

Are you looking for the best proxy to use for accessing the Internet anonymously while connected to a Wi-Fi network? Then stick to this page to discover the best residential and datacenter proxies you can use for that.

Best Wi-Fi Proxies


Overview of Best Proxies for Wi-Fi Networks


Best Residential Proxies for Wi-Fi
  • Soax: 8.5+ million IPs in Pool – <Starts from $75 per 5GB | $15 Per GB> – Clean proxy pool
  • Bright Data: 72+ million IPs in Pool – <Starts from $300 for 20GB | $15 per GB> – Best Overall Residential Provider in the Market
  • Hydraproxy: 5+ million IPs in Pool – <Starts from $5 per 1GB | $5 Per GB> – Offers cheapest residential proxies on the list
Best Private Proxies for Wi-Fi
  • Highproxies: <Starts from $1.40 per proxy monthly> – Most affordable provider on the list
  • Proxy-Seller: <Starts from $1.80 per proxy monthly> – Good location support
  • MyPrivateProxy: <Starts from $2.49 per proxy monthly> – Green energy provider on the list

Are you the kind of person that can’t do without Wi-Fi? Let face, anywhere you go from office to airport, hotels, and even coffee shop, there is a Wi-Fi network you can connect to enjoy unlimited Internet connection for free. However, while doing that, just know that your activities are being tracked.

And for some Wi-Fi networks, you might be restricted from accessing certain content such as school Wi-Fi that will stop you from streaming movies. Because of the privacy and restrictive concern, you will need proxies to carry out your tasks anonymously without the Wi-Fi admin knowing what you are doing.

When it comes to proxies you can use for accessing the Internet via Wi-Fi networks; there is a lot of option out there for you to choose from. This is because most Wi-Fi networks do not have the technology to effectively detect and block proxies – except you are using a low-quality proxy that would be detected by your target site, you should be OK.

However, there are some proxy servers that are best when accessing Wi-Fi as they can be undetectable to both the Wi-Fi network and your target sites. Let take a look at what Wi-Fi proxies are and the reason you would need them.


What is a Wi-Fi Proxy?

Wi-Fi Proxies

One thing you need to know is that the term “Wi-Fi proxy” is a marketing term and not a technical one. A WiFi proxy is a regular proxy server and has nothing special about them technically, Proxy servers are web servers that act as an intermediary between your computer and web servers on the Internet, for residential proxies, Wifi Proxy means the IP from Wifi proxy pool.

When using proxy servers, your requests are being routed through the proxy server, which then routes it to the intended website, masking your real IP address with its own IP address, thereby keeping your IP anonymous.

Proxy servers are used for surfing the Internet anonymously with your IP hidden so that your activities do not only remain hidden but also make it possible for you to bypass IP-based restrictions.


Why Use Proxies for Wi-Fi Networks

Are you wondering why you will need proxies to use proxies when connecting to a Wi-Fi network? Forget your target site for a second; you need to use either proxies or VPN when connected to a Wi-Fi network because of the reasons below.

  • Bypass Wi-Fi Network Restrictions

Bypass Wi-Fi Network Restrictions

Some Wi-Fi networks act the same way your ISP work by having sites you are not allowed to access. Generally, Wi-Fi networks in schools and workplaces have a list of blacklisted websites that users are not allowed to access.

If you are in such a situation where you have been deprived of access to a website you want to access, then you can use a proxy server to bypass the restriction and access the content you want.

  • Avoid Tracking by Wi-Fi Networks

Tracking by Wi-Fi Networks

You need to know that Wi-Fi networks themselves are proxy servers and can read the content of your web traffic. If there is a bad guy as a Wi-Fi admin, he could track your activities and use it for malicious acts. For this reason, you should make use of proxy servers so that you are shielded from online tracking by Wi-Fi admins.


Best Residential Wi-Fi Proxy Services

The proxies you should use would be determined by your target site and project-specific requirements. If your task requires residential proxies, then this section of the article has been written for you. Below are some of the residential proxy services you can buy proxies for Wi-Fi networks.


Soax

Soax Logo for all proxy

  • IP Pool Size: Over 8.5 million
  • Locations: 100+ countries
  • Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
  • Bandwidth Allowed: Starts at 5GB
  • Cost: Starts from $75 monthly for 5GB

Soax Residential Proxy Overview

The Soax proxy network is one of the best proxy services you can buy residential proxies from for accessing Wi-Fi networks. The proxies this service offer you are elite proxies that hide the fact that they are proxies – and your requests are routed through devices of real Internet users. This service has support for over 100 countries across the globe and has over 5 million IP addresses in its pool.

One thing you will come to like about this service is that it is a new service when compared to the other providers discussed in this article but has been able to develop itself in a short while into becoming one of the best residential & mobile proxy providers in the market. Interestingly, its proxies are quite affordable.

Read more, Find the Best Mobile Proxy Services

Bright Data

Bright Data - Luminati

  • IP Pool Size: Over 72 million
  • Locations: All countries in the world
  • Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
  • Bandwidth Allowed: Starts at 20GB
  • Cost: Starts from $300 monthly for 20GB

brightdata residential network

Formerly known as the Luminati Networks, Bright Data is considered a market leader in the proxy market with proxies in all of the proxy categories. Their residential proxy pool is one of the largest, with over 72 million IP addresses in it sourced from all of the countries across the globe.

Bright Data proxies are rotating proxies that either changes the IP address for you after every request or a specific period of time. It has one of the best session control systems in the market. In terms of speed, Bright Data is one of the fastest in the residential proxy market. Interestingly, it is quite compatible with most websites. It is also secure, reliable, and good at scaling up. However, it is considered expensive.


Hydraproxy

hydraproxy image logo

  • IP Pool Size: Over 5 million
  • Locations: over 100 countries
  • Concurrency Allowed: Unlimited
  • Bandwidth Allowed: Starts at 1GB
  • Cost: Starts from $5 monthly for 1GB

Hydraproxy residential service

Are you looking for a residential proxy network that does not have a minimum monetary commitment like the two above, thenHydraproxy is the service for you. From this provider, you can buy as small as 1GB for $5 – however, the more bandwidth you pay for, the lower the price per bandwidth becomes cheaper.

This service has high rotating ports as well as sticky ports that can maintain IP for up to 30 minutes. In terms of IP pool size, Hydraproxy has over 5 million IP addresses sourced from over 100 locations across the globe. The service has support for a proxy list generator.


Best Private Proxy Servers for Wi-Fi

Do you require private proxies for Wi-Fi access? In this section, we would be recommending 3 providers you can buy high-quality private proxies from for your tasks online. Private proxies are better in terms of account management, streaming, and online gaming.


Highproxies

Highproxies

  • Locations: 11 countries
  • Concurrency Allowed: Up to 100 threads
  • Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
  • Cost: $1.40 per proxy for a month

High Proxies for Private Proxies

Highproxies have been in the business for over 5 years. Highproxies is one of the top datacenter proxy providers in the market. Its proxies do not only provide you high anonymity but also offer you a high level of reliability and security. Highproxies offers datacenter proxies in many categories ranging from regular private proxies, shared proxies, social media proxies, and classified ad proxies.

The one you choose will depend largely on what you want, but we do not advise our readers to use shared datacenter proxies even they are the cheapest option you will get. Highproxies have over 75 data servers in 11 countries which you will have to choose the location at the time of purchase.


Proxy-Seller

Proxy seller Logo

  • Locations: up to 22 countries
  • Concurrency Allowed: not specified
  • Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
  • Cost: $1.80 per proxy for a month

Proxy-Seller Image

Datacenter proxy providers are not known to offer IPs in many locations across the globe. Proxy-Seller is one of the few providers that could offer you proxies from 22 countries from across North America, Europe, and Asia. One thing you will come to like about this service is that it has a flexible rental period starting from 1 week to up to 12 months.

The pricing is quite affordable, and the price drops as you pay for more IPs or rented the IPs for a longer period. Another thing you need to know is that Proxy-Seller offers IPv6 IP addresses together with IPv4 IP addresses. For most tasks, IPv4 IPs are the best for now.


MyPrivateProxy

Myprivateproxy

  • Locations: US and EU region only
  • Concurrency Allowed: Up to 100 threads
  • Bandwidth Allowed: Unlimited
  • Cost: $2.49 per proxy for a month

MyPrivateProxies Homepage

In the datacenter proxy market, MyPrivateProxy has proven to be one of the best. It proxies are some of the best Wi-Fi proxies you can use. It has a good location coverage in North America and a few locations in Europe. Currently, they have got over 200 proxy servers in 24 data centers.

While they offer shared proxies, our focus here is on their private proxies that are high quality. They use Intel Xeon servers running an enterprise-class Linux distribution. The proxy server software they use is the Squid proxy server.  Their proxies are quite fast, reliable, and secure. MyPrivateProxy servers run on wind power which makes it an earth-friendly service.


How to Set up Proxies Server on Android for Wi-Fi

YouTube video

Proxy usage is not as straightforward as Android as it is on PC. In fact, many do not even know that they can make use of proxies on Android. If you want to use a Wi-Fi network, below is the process you should follow to setup proxies. The exact procedure would depend on your Android version.

  • Go to “Settings” on your Android device and tap the “Network & Internet” menu.
  • You will see the Wi-Fi option; tap it and toggle the Wi-Fi ON. You will see a list of available Wi-Fi networks would be shown to you.
  • Tap and hold the Wi-Fi you want to connect to. This will bring up options – choose the “Modify Network” option.
  • Click “Advanced” and then “Manual.”
  • You will see a list of input fields for setting up the network. There is an option for hostname (proxy address/ IP), port, username, and password. These are the proxy-related settings, and you should fill them accordingly.
  • Save the settings and connect to the Wi-Fi, and you are good to go.

Related,


How to Set up Proxy Server on iOS for Wi-Fi

YouTube video

If you want to use proxies when connected to a Wi-Fi network using your iOS device, then follow the steps highlighted below.

  • Go to “Setting” and tap on “Wi-Fi.”
  • Toggle the Wi-Fi on, and you will see a list of available Wi-Fi. Connect to the one you want.
  • Now after connecting, tap it and select “HTTP Proxy.”
  • By default, it should be “OFF’. Change it to “Manual.”
  • This will open up the input boxes for you to enter the proxy address (IP), port, username, and password. Fill in the proxy details you got from your chosen provider.
  • Save the setting, and you are done.

Read more,

Sum-up

While you will want to save money on Internet access by using Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi networks also do have their own restrictions and tracking issues.

With the help of proxies, you can unblock services you have been blocked from accessing by the Wi-Fi admin. While you can potentially use any proxy server, not all would actually work in practice. The above providers are our recommended providers as they have proven to work quite well.

Popular Proxy Resources