How to Tell a Datacenter IP from a Home IP: ASN Lookup Step by Step

Step 1: What an ASN is and who is behind it

The internet is made of many independent networks. Each one has its own routing policy and is called an autonomous system (AS); its number is the ASN. ARIN describes an autonomous system as a group of one or more IP prefixes run by one or more network operators with a single, clearly defined routing policy, and says operators need an ASN to control routing inside their networks and to exchange routing information with other ISPs. RFC 1930 gives the same definition.

That gives you the idea. An IP address is just a number, but the ASN it belongs to tells you whose network is responsible for it. Behind an ASN is a registered organization: a cloud provider, or a broadband operator that serves ordinary customers. Deciding datacenter or home starts with who that organization is.

• Sources:
• ARIN: Autonomous System Numbers
• RFC 1930: Guidelines for creation, selection, and registration of an Autonomous System

Step 2: Look up the ASN and organization

ipinfo.io pages and its API return ASN data for an IP. In IPinfo's Core API documentation the as object has four fields: asn is the autonomous system number (for example AS16276), name is the organization's official name (for example OVH SAS), domain is its official domain, and type is its category, one of hosting, isp, education, government or business. Enter the IP and read name and type for a first answer.

bgp.he.net is Hurricane Electric's BGP toolkit. An ASN page such as bgp.he.net/AS6939 shows the organization name, country of origin, the IP prefixes the network originates and announces, and the BGP peers observed. When a name does not tell you enough, the address ranges a network announces and who it connects to often help more.

• Sources:
• IPinfo Core API documentation
• Hurricane Electric BGP Toolkit, AS6939 page

Step 3: Read labels like hosting and isp

A network-type label answers one question: what kind of network owns this address. hosting means a hosting or datacenter network used for servers and applications. isp means the network belongs to an internet service provider. education, government and business are institutions. Some databases also use residential and mobile.

IPinfo's article is clear on the limits: a hosting classification tells you the network belongs to a cloud or hosting operator, and the isp type helps separate datacenter addresses from residential ones, but ASN ownership alone is not enough to confirm that an IP is being used as a datacenter proxy. A label is a lead, not a verdict.

Detector pages also show scores. Each score comes from that tool's own model, with its own scale, data and thresholds, so do not compare scores across tools or treat one as a final judgment of an IP. To understand a score, read that tool's own documentation.

• Sources:
• IPinfo: detecting datacenter proxies

Why 'isp' is not always home broadband, and why labels change

Many people see type: isp and assume a residential IP. That is a common misreading. isp only says the network belongs to an operator, and operators run home broadband, business lines and datacenter services alike, so both home and business lines can show as isp. Proxy302's IP purity check page treats it the same way: home and business ISP lines both show as ISP.

A label changing over time is not strange either. ARIN's page says an organization that acquires assets using ARIN-registered IP addresses or ASNs may request a transfer of those resources, so the registered holder of an address block can change and databases update the organization name. Add that each database has its own sources and update rhythm, and a single lookup only reflects one database at one moment.

• Sources:
• IPinfo: detecting datacenter proxies
• ARIN: Mergers and acquisitions transfers
• Proxy302 IP purity check page

A worked example: reading one lookup

Say you look up an IP and get asn AS3209, name Vodafone GmbH, type isp. Your first reaction: a consumer-facing telecom operator, not a cloud provider, so it does not look like a datacenter IP. But do not stop at 'home broadband': an operator runs both home and business lines, and these three fields cannot tell them apart.

Now another case: asn AS16276, name OVH SAS, type hosting. This is the example IPinfo's documentation uses for these fields. The organization is a hosting company and the type is hosting, so both point to a datacenter. When the two agree the conclusion is fairly solid. When they disagree (an organization name that sounds like an operator but a hosting type), look at more sources, reverse DNS and the address range.

The measured table below reads the same way: all seven exits are registered to telecom or broadband operators, none to a cloud provider. Note that a name such as AT&T Enterprises, LLC carries 'Enterprises': organizations under an operator are themselves split between home and business, which is why the name alone is not enough.

• Sources:
• IPinfo Core API documentation

A checklist for telling a datacenter IP

1. Check the ASN's organization

   A cloud or hosting company leans datacenter; a consumer-facing broadband operator leans home or business line.

2. Check the network-type label

   hosting leans datacenter. isp needs more checking, because home and business lines can both be isp.

3. Check reverse DNS and the address range

   IPinfo's article lists reverse DNS and address-range history as further signals. Look at whether the hostname reads like a server or like a name an operator gives a customer line.

4. Check whether it is native

   A native IP has the same registration country, ASN country and exit country. It only describes whether those three match, and cannot say alone whether an address is residential or datacenter.

5. Cross-check with a second tool

   Databases disagree, so look the address up in two independent tools rather than trusting one.

Measured exits: which ASNs rotating residential traffic comes from

Proxy302's probe runs hourly; this check ran on 3 November 2026 at 18:18 UTC. For each country one request to Gemini went out through a rotating residential exit and the public Proxy302 entry; the table is here only to show what the ASN organization of an exit IP looks like. Only the first three octets of an IP are public. One sample per country, not an average; later checks will differ.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 hourly connectivity check

What to do with the result

If you are judging an address you already have: run the checklist and note the ASN organization, the type label, reverse DNS and whether it is native. If most point to a datacenter and you need an address that looks like a local broadband line, move to an address whose ASN belongs to a consumer-facing operator instead of refreshing the same one and hoping.

If you are choosing a proxy: ask for the real exit IP and check the ASN organization yourself with the method above, instead of going by the product name. A static IP can be tried for one day and stays fixed for the lease; a rotating exit changes, so look at several samples rather than one result.

If a service treats your address as a server address: first confirm which exit you are actually on (whether the proxy is in use and which line), then look up that exit's ASN organization and type. A proxy changes only the network address a service sees; a different address does not lift a restriction, and what happens to an account is up to the platform.

Common mistakes

Trusting one database: sources and update rhythm differ, two databases disagreeing is common, and relying on one invites a wrong call.

Reading only the organization name: an operator runs home and business lines alike, so a telecom name is not proof of home broadband, and a hosting-sounding name should still be read with the type label and reverse DNS.

Treating a score as a verdict: each tool's score comes from its own model, with its own scale and thresholds, and cannot be compared across tools or taken as the final word on an IP.

Believing the city: Proxy302's check page says the city is only an estimate from location databases, so lean on the country and the network type.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 IP purity check page

How to do it with Proxy302

If you need an address that looks like a local broadband line, do not rely on the word 'residential' in a seller's description; check who the ASN organization of the real exit IP is. Proxy302's static ISP IPs are registered to network operators and fixed for the lease; rotating residential uses a residential pool billed by traffic. The guides below explain the three types, how to check whether an address is native, and how to look at a proxy's exit field by field.

A proxy changes only the network address a service sees; what a platform does with an account is up to the platform.

• Residential, ISP and datacenter proxies compared
• What a native IP is and how to check
• Check your proxy IP, country and ISP
• IP purity check
• Static ISP proxies
• Rotating residential proxies

How to do it with Proxy302: steps

1. Step 1

   Open the static ISP or rotating residential product page and pick the region, traffic or lease term, and quantity. For per-IP products also choose HTTP or SOCKS5.

2. Step 2

   After the proxy is generated, open My assets and copy HOST, PORT, USERNAME and PASSWORD.

3. Step 3

   Open https://ipinfo.io/json through the proxy and check that the country and org fields (ASN and organization) are what you expected.

4. Step 4

   Then compare network type and native or broadcast on the IP purity check page. Two tools disagreeing is normal; go by your actual use.

5. Step 5

   In mainland China, first open the Helper tool on the Tools and checks page, click One-click acceleration, and keep it on while you use the proxy.

   • Helper tool guide

Prices and limits

Rotating residential starts at US$1.50 per GB on the Budget line and US$5 per GB on the Premium line; larger packages are cheaper per GB. A static ISP IP is US$0.50 for one day or US$7.99 for 30 days, the same in every country. A datacenter IP is US$0.25 for one day or US$3.99 for 30 days. Stock changes daily, so go by the order page. The smallest purchase is 1 GB of traffic or one IP for one day. Changing IP does not lift a restriction, undo a ban or raise a limit.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 product facts and price list

Proxy302 at a glance

Prices are in PTC, paid from the wallet; 1 PTC = US$1. There is no free trial: the smallest purchase is 1 GB of rotating residential traffic or one IP for one day. Checked on 4 November 2026.

• Sources:
• Proxy302 product facts and price list
• Proxy302 ISP for AI subscriptions: public catalog

FAQ

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