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How to check that your proxy works

A quick checklist to verify your proxy is connected, your IP has changed, your speed is acceptable and there are no DNS leaks.

Order a 4G proxy, €30 / month See pricing

Step 1 — Check your IP address

The first thing to verify: does the outside world see the proxy's IP instead of yours?

In a browser: visit a site like whatismyipaddress.com or api.ipify.org. The IP shown should be different from your real IP and should be identified as a mobile or residential address.

With curl (HTTP proxy):

curl -x http://user:pass@host:port https://api.ipify.org

With curl (SOCKS5 proxy):

curl --socks5-hostname user:pass@host:port https://api.ipify.org

If you are a ShadowProxy customer, the dashboard shows your current public IP directly — no external site needed.

Step 2 — Test the speed

A proxy adds a hop between you and the target, so some latency is expected. But a good 4G proxy should still be fast enough for browsing and scraping.

Quick latency check:

curl -x http://user:pass@host:port -o /dev/null -s -w "Connect: %{time_connect}s\nTTFB: %{time_starttransfer}s\nTotal: %{time_total}s\n" https://www.google.com

Typical values for a 4G proxy: connect under 200 ms, TTFB under 500 ms, total under 1 second for a simple page.

Step 3 — Check for DNS leaks

Even when your traffic goes through the proxy, your DNS queries might still go through your ISP — revealing your real location. This is a DNS leak.

How to test: visit dnsleaktest.com through the proxy and run the extended test. You should see DNS servers belonging to the proxy's carrier or a public DNS, not your ISP.

How to fix: use SOCKS5 with remote DNS resolution (the --socks5-hostname flag in curl, or the equivalent in your application). This routes DNS queries through the proxy too.

Step 4 — Test with your target site

The ultimate test: does the proxy work on the site you actually need it for?

  • Social media: log into a test account through the proxy. Check that you can browse, post and interact without being asked to verify your identity.
  • Scraping: run a small batch of requests. Check that you get real HTML responses, not CAPTCHA pages or 403 errors.
  • Sneaker sites: load the product page and verify you reach the real page, not an anti-bot challenge.

ShadowProxy dashboard features

If you use ShadowProxy, your dashboard shows everything you need without external tools:

  • Current IP — the public IP your modem is using right now.
  • Signal strength — the 4G signal quality, so you know if the connection is solid.
  • Data usage — how much of your 200 GB you have consumed this month.
  • IP rotation — one-click rotation with the new IP displayed within seconds.
  • Connection status — online/offline indicator so you can tell immediately if the modem is connected.

Get started in three steps

  1. Create your account

    An email address is enough. Confirm it: that is where we send your credentials.

  2. Order and pay

    A 4G proxy for 1 to 12 months, paid by card or with your balance.

  3. Test and use

    Follow the steps above to verify everything works. Your modem goes live within 24 hours, often within minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Another question? Write to us at contact@shadowproxy.fr.

My IP does not change after connecting — why?

Check that your application is actually routing through the proxy. Browser extensions, system proxy settings and per-app configurations are separate. Also verify the proxy address and credentials are correct.

How do I check for a DNS leak?

Visit a DNS leak test site (like dnsleaktest.com) while connected through your proxy. If you see your ISP's DNS servers instead of the proxy's, your DNS queries are leaking. Use SOCKS5 with remote DNS resolution to fix this.

What speed should I expect from a 4G proxy?

Typical 4G speeds range from 20 to 80 Mbps download, with 30–60 ms latency. Actual speeds depend on signal strength, carrier congestion and distance to the modem.

The proxy works in my browser but not in my script — what is wrong?

Most likely an authentication issue. Make sure your script sends the proxy credentials (username and password) with every request. Some HTTP libraries require explicit proxy auth configuration.

How do I test a SOCKS5 proxy?

Use curl with the --socks5 flag: curl --socks5-hostname user:pass@host:port https://api.ipify.org. The --socks5-hostname variant also routes DNS through the proxy, preventing leaks.

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