Building proxies - phones VS dongles
Let’t compare Pros and Cons of phones and dongles (modems) when building 4G/5G proxies on them.
Dongles (modems)
Dongles (modems) PRO’s:
- easy to set up (insert a SIM card and go)
- anonymity (no Google accounts)
- cheap hardware
- less cables
Dongles (modems) CON’s:
- no 5G, unless you buy expensive modems.
- big tech companies stopped developing new dongles around 2018, so present dongles are often cheap 4G LTE pieces with LTE cat.4
- lower LTE category (in general) so worse perception / slower speed, they need antennas or a GSM booster
- a PC is needed to manage the 4g proxy farm
- a good USB hub is needed to connect the modems with the PC (unless you use 4g/5g LAN routers..)
- a trick with IMEI is needed when the Carrier sells a DATA plan for Phones/Tablets.
- difficult to find for some areas (e.g. the USA) for some Carriers.
Phones
Phones PRO’s
- high speed out of the box because of 5G or higher LTE category (LTE cat. 12..20)
- no need to use a PC for management; phones can connect to a VPS on their own
- no need to buy a good USB hub; wall chargers are enough
- native OS TCP fingerprint
- easier to find and buy than modems (critical in some areas)
- fit in with Carrier Data plans (for Phones/Tablets)
- 4g proxy farm survives short electricyty outages
Phones CON’s
- more expensive than a modem
- hastle with initial set up (fake Google accounts for 100 phones is a nightmare)
- rooting might be needed to unlock some tasty features
- changing OS TCP fingerprint can be tricky.
- battery health issues