Routing your connection through another device is bound to slow down your connection. You must prepare for this and consider what types will be faster for your tasks. Some tasks, such as application testing, have limited options as they require a mobile connection. Knowing how to maximize mobile speed specifically for these purposes is crucial.

While 5G remains faster on paper, 4G mobile proxies are still quite fast while remaining budget-friendly. This article explains how mobile internet and mobile proxies, by extension, work and what you can do to improve the speed of your 4G proxies.

How mobile internet works

Mobile Internet is a wireless connection delivered to smartphones, tablets, and routers via cellular tower networks. Towers use devices called macrocells to constantly transmit radio signals across their coverage area. Mobile devices communicate with them to find an optimal connection speed to the Internet. 

If the mobile device moves to the coverage of another tower, he connects to it to improve the performance. Since the back-and-forth communication is constantly happening, the mobile device may need to reconnect to the tower even if he hasn’t moved to another coverage area.

Such setup dictates that mobile IP addresses, strings of characters identifying each device online, are dynamic. It simply means that the IPs are changing over time, usually dictated by the user disconnecting or the tower redistributing IPs to increase the overall performance.

Such a process is especially important for advanced uses such as running proxies, as, among other things, it often means a slower connection. However, the high demand for fast wireless Internet has incentivized mobile carriers to improve the technology.

The first generation (1G) uses old analog standards to improve radio communications. It didn’t support the Internet yet.

The second generation (2G) significantly improved text messaging and introduced Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), which was a predecessor of mobile Internet.

The third generation (3G) of mobile Internet was the first one that allowed internet connections to be fast enough for video calling, proxies, and other advanced uses. To this day, 3G proxies are sold by some providers.

The fourth generation (4G or 4G LTE) introduced Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls and a huge jump in bandwidth and overall performance. Although introduced in 2010, 4G internet is still the most developed mobile internet network.

The fifth generation (5G) internet uses a network of smaller cell stations rather than towers, which should reduce their costs in the future. It’s the best-performing generation in all aspects. However, many providers need to rethink their networks, contributing to the low adoption of 5G.

Mobile 4G proxies

4G proxies are intermediaries that use mobile devices to route traffic. Even if you use a PC with a landline internet, you can send your network requests to a proxy 4G, which will be completed on your behalf. The target server will not know your identity – IP address and location.

Furthermore, websites will think it’s a mobile device connecting, so you will have access to mobile versions of them. You’ll also be able to run mobile apps and other mobile-specific services.

Compared to other types, most notably datacenter ones, mobile proxies are slower. However, they compensate with access possibilities and highly legitimate mobile IPs. The newest generation of mobile proxies – 5G, is very promising in terms of speed, but there are other considerations to make before buying.

4G proxies vs 5G proxies

While there are 5G proxy options on the market, 4G proxies are still a better choice. Firstly, 4G proxies, due to a better internet network, provide a larger selection of locations. 5G is best developed in large cities in Western Europe and the USA. If you need some other locations, you will need to choose 4G.

Location choice is closely related to speed. You will get a better connection to a target server if your mobile proxy is close by, and since 4G has better coverage, it’s more likely it will be close. 

There’s also the question of blending in with the crowd. Most internet traffic still uses 4G, so if you don’t want to stand out with your proxies, it’s a better idea to choose 4G. If it means you’ll get fewer CAPTCHAs or other restrictions, the performance loss is worth it. 

How to speed up a mobile proxy?

The best way to compensate for the performance loss when using 4G proxies is to optimize all other aspects of your proxy choice. As with all proxies, there are a lot of mistakes one can make when choosing proxies, so here are a few tips before you start experimenting on your own.

Purchase from a trusted provider

Not all providers sell the same quality proxies. Even if they are all labeled as 4G, datacenter, or other types, the performance may be significantly different. The best option is to take a free trial from multiple providers and compare the performance of their mobile proxies.

Another thing to look into is whether mobile proxies are sourced ethically. Some providers, especially cheaper ones, use unfair ways to source mobile IP addresses from unsuspecting people. Check whether the provider you use has a legitimate scheme of compensating those who provide IP addresses.

Choose nearby location

A network hop is when a request travels from one network device, such as a server or a router, to another. The fewer such hops, the faster the connection. Geographical distance increases the number of network hops, so you must seek mobile proxies as close to your target server as possible.

It’s best to look for mobile proxy providers that show what mobile carriers are used with their proxies. It will enable you to check the carrier to understand what areas they cover more specifically.

Conclusion

Since 5G proxies still have significant drawbacks, it’s best to look for how to maximize the mobile internet speed of 4G connections. Understanding how mobile proxies work and how they differ from other types is crucial for this task.