Help center

Setting up your ProxyBox takes about 5 minutes:

1. Plug it in: Connect the included USB-C power adapter. The LED pulses blue while it boots, then turns solid green when it is ready (about 90 seconds on first boot).
2. Create an account: Go to proxybox.us/signup.
3. Pick a pairing path: The iOS app, the desktop Web Bluetooth page at proxybox.us/pair, or the captive Wi-Fi portal (join ProxyBox-Setup-XXXX from any device). See Three ways to pair for details.
4. Hand over Wi-Fi: Pick your home network in the pairing flow and enter the password. The box joins your Wi-Fi and registers with the API.
5. Start using it: Your proxy credentials appear in the dashboard. Configure your browser or tools with the provided address, port, username, and password.

Bluetooth is used for initial Wi-Fi configuration and local device management:

1. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your phone.
2. Open the ProxyBox app and tap "Connect via Bluetooth."
3. Your device will appear as "ProxyBox-XXXX" where XXXX matches the first 4 characters of your sticker claim code.
4. Tap to pair. The LED on your ProxyBox will flash green to confirm the connection.
5. Once connected, you can configure Wi-Fi credentials, check device status, or run diagnostics without needing internet access.

Bluetooth range is approximately 30 feet. If you have trouble connecting, move closer to your ProxyBox. If BLE keeps failing, you can also pair from desktop Chrome / Edge / Opera at proxybox.us/pair, or by joining the captive Wi-Fi network ProxyBox-Setup-XXXX. See Three ways to pair.

Claiming links your ProxyBox hardware to your account. This enables:

• Remote monitoring and management through the dashboard
• Proxy credentials generation for your device
• VPN configuration and key management
• Firmware updates delivered automatically
• Bandwidth monitoring and health alerts

Each device can only be claimed by one account at a time. If you need to transfer a device to a different account, unclaim it first from your dashboard, then claim it on the new account.

ProxyBox has minimal requirements:

• Internet: Any broadband connection (cable, fiber, DSL). Minimum 10 Mbps recommended.
• Wi-Fi: A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network with a known password.
• Power: Standard power outlet. The device draws about 5 watts.
• For setup: An iPhone (iOS 16+) with the ProxyBox app, OR a desktop browser with Web Bluetooth (Chrome / Edge / Opera), OR any device that can join a Wi-Fi network for the captive portal.

No special router configuration is needed. ProxyBox handles NAT traversal automatically through its relay infrastructure.

About 5 minutes on average, end-to-end. Roughly:

• 30 seconds to plug in the box
• ~60 seconds for first boot to finish (LED goes from pulsing blue to solid green)
• 2 minutes to open the iOS app, pair the box, and enter your Wi-Fi password
• ~60 seconds for the box to join your network and register with the API

If your box was pre-configured for your Wi-Fi at order time, you can skip the pairing step entirely; it will just join your network on power-up. Either way, the longest single wait is the first boot.

Two different things, and they live on the same setup card:

• Box ID - a 4-character physical identifier like 48F2. It is printed on the sticker on the bottom of your ProxyBox, it appears in the Bluetooth pairing list as ProxyBox-48F2, and it is the suffix of the captive Wi-Fi network ProxyBox-Setup-48F2. The Box ID is how you recognize the device.
• Claim Code - a 6-character setup code like 48F2-K3. It is your Box ID plus a 2-character check, so the API can confirm you are the legitimate owner of the box you are trying to claim. You enter this once during pairing.

In short: Box ID = which box this is. Claim Code = proof you bought it. The Claim Code is only used during the one-time claim flow; after that it goes away.

The captive setup network appears within about 60 seconds of power-on, but on the very first boot it can take up to 90 seconds. Try these in order:

1. Wait the full 90 seconds from the moment you plugged it in. First boot does extra one-time work.
2. Check the power LED. If it is dark, the device is not getting power; try a different USB-C cable, then a different wall adapter (avoid USB hubs).
3. Pull down to refresh your Wi-Fi list (iOS) or click the Wi-Fi icon again (macOS / Windows). Some operating systems cache scan results.
4. Move within ~10 feet of the box while you scan; ProxyBox-Setup is a low-power 2.4 GHz network.
5. Power-cycle. Unplug, wait 10 seconds, plug back in, give it the full 90 seconds again.

If the network still does not appear, try the desktop browser pairing path or contact support. Have your Box ID handy.

No problem. Email support@proxybox.us with:

• Your order number (or the email you ordered with)
• Your Box ID, if you can read the 4-character code on the sticker

We will verify the device belongs to you and reissue a fresh claim code. Usually the same business day.

Yes. There is no limit. Each box is claimed independently and shows up as a separate device in your dashboard, with its own proxy credentials, VPN keys, and bandwidth stats. People run a box at home and a second box at a parent's house; that works fine. Premium subscriptions are per-device, so each box you want premium features on needs its own subscription (or a Lifetime credit applied).

Just bring the box with you. At the new place:

1. Plug it in.
2. Open the iOS app, tap your device, then Change Wi-Fi. The app re-pairs over Bluetooth and hands the box your new SSID and password.
3. Done. Your residential IP changes to your new home IP automatically; nothing on the dashboard or in your proxy clients needs to be updated.

If you forget the app and just plug in at the new house, the box will sit waiting for its old Wi-Fi and eventually open the captive setup network again so you can hand it the new credentials from any phone.

Your proxy credentials are shown in your dashboard under the device details. You'll have a proxy address, port, username, and password.

For Chrome/Brave: Use an extension like SwitchyOmega or FoxyProxy. Add a new proxy profile with your ProxyBox credentials as an HTTP/HTTPS proxy.

For Firefox: Go to Settings > Network Settings > Manual proxy configuration. Enter your ProxyBox address and port.

For system-wide: On macOS, go to System Settings > Network > Proxies. On Windows, go to Settings > Network > Proxy.

Your proxy uses HTTP CONNECT tunneling, so it works with both HTTP and HTTPS traffic. The proxy itself authenticates with username and password. Your actual web traffic stays encrypted end-to-end as normal.

Log into your dashboard, click on your device, and look for the "Proxy" section. You'll see the proxy address (host:port), your username, and a button to reveal or copy your password. You can also regenerate your proxy password if you think it's been compromised.

Yes. ProxyBox works with any tool that supports HTTP/HTTPS proxies. Common examples:

• Puppeteer: Pass --proxy-server=http://your-proxy:port as a launch arg
• Selenium: Set the proxy in your WebDriver capabilities
• cURL: Use -x http://user:pass@your-proxy:port
• Python requests: Pass the proxies dict with your credentials

Since this is your own residential IP, websites see a real home connection, not a datacenter IP that has already been flagged and blocked.

If your proxy connection is timing out, check these things in order:

1. Is your device online? Check the dashboard. The status indicator should be green.
2. Is your home internet working? The ProxyBox routes traffic through your home connection, so if that's down, the proxy won't work.
3. Are your credentials correct? Double-check the proxy address, port, username, and password from your dashboard.
4. Is your firewall blocking it? Some corporate networks block outgoing proxy connections. Try from a different network.
5. Power cycle: Unplug your ProxyBox for 10 seconds, plug it back in, and wait 2 minutes for it to reconnect.

No. ProxyBox sits behind your router, like any other client device on your home Wi-Fi. Your router still does what it has always done: hand out addresses, manage Wi-Fi, talk to your ISP. The ProxyBox just registers as one more device on the network and waits for proxy / VPN requests. You do not need to reconfigure your router, plug anything into it, or open ports.

No. Your normal home traffic - Netflix, Zoom, browsing, gaming on your phone or laptop - is not routed through the ProxyBox. None of it touches the device.

Only requests that explicitly target your proxy (a browser configured to use your proxy address, an automation tool with your credentials in it, or a VPN client connected to your ProxyBox) flow through the box. Everything else takes the normal path through your router and out to the internet, exactly like it always did.

The only nuance: when you actively use the proxy heavily (e.g. running scrapers), that traffic counts against your home upload bandwidth like any other upload would.

On the standard ProxyBox, setup is 2.4 GHz only. Its Wi-Fi radio is 2.4 GHz, so the box needs a 2.4 GHz SSID it can join, and the captive setup network it broadcasts during onboarding is also 2.4 GHz. ProxyBox Roam supports 5 GHz.

This does not limit your client devices. Your laptop, phone, or anything else using the proxy or VPN can be on 5 GHz, 6 GHz, Ethernet, or even cellular. The box just needs its own one connection to your network on 2.4 GHz.

If your router has 2.4 and 5 GHz on the same SSID with the same password, that just works. If you have separate SSIDs, point the box at the 2.4 GHz one.

ProxyBox is outbound only. It establishes a single outgoing TLS connection to our relay infrastructure and rides that connection for everything: your proxy traffic, your VPN traffic, firmware updates, heartbeats. No port forwarding, no NAT punching, no UPnP, no router config of any kind.

If you are on a normal home network, this just works. If you are on a corporate or campus network with strict egress filters, the box needs outbound TCP 443 to *.proxybox.us.

Same goes for clients connecting to your proxy: they connect outbound to our relay, which then routes through your box. You never expose your home IP directly to the internet.

1. Install WireGuard: Download the WireGuard app for your device (available on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux).
2. Generate a config: In your ProxyBox dashboard, go to VPN > Create Connection. Give it a name (e.g., "My Laptop").
3. Import the config: You can scan the QR code with the WireGuard app, or download the .conf file and import it manually.
4. Connect: Toggle the connection on in WireGuard. All your traffic will now route through your ProxyBox and exit from your home IP.

Free tier users get 1 VPN connection. Premium users get up to 5 simultaneous connections.

The easiest way to set up VPN on a phone:

1. Create a VPN connection in your ProxyBox dashboard.
2. Click "Show QR Code" next to the connection.
3. Open WireGuard on your phone and tap the + button.
4. Select "Create from QR code" and scan the code from your screen.
5. Give the tunnel a name and tap "Create Tunnel."

The QR code contains your complete VPN configuration including encryption keys. Don't share it or let anyone photograph it.

Yes! The proxy and VPN are independent features that both route through your ProxyBox. You might use the VPN on your phone for general browsing while using the proxy on your laptop for web scraping. Both will exit from your home IP, and both can run simultaneously without conflict.

Both route your traffic through your ProxyBox, but they work differently:

• Proxy: Works per-application. You configure specific apps (browsers, tools, scripts) to use it. Best for web scraping, automation, and per-app routing.
• VPN: Routes ALL traffic from your device through the tunnel. Best for general privacy, accessing your home network remotely, and whole-device protection.

The free tier includes:

• Full residential proxy access using your home IP
• 1 WireGuard VPN connection
• Dashboard monitoring and device management
• Automatic firmware updates

In exchange for the free service, your device shares a small portion of idle bandwidth with the ProxyBox network. This only happens when you're not actively using the proxy or VPN, and it never affects your connection quality.

Go to your dashboard and click "Upgrade to Premium" or visit the pricing page. You can choose monthly ($10/mo) or Lifetime ($149 one-time). Payment is processed securely through Stripe. Your premium features activate immediately after payment.

Go to Account → Billing and click Cancel Subscription. Premium features stay active through the end of your current billing period; after that the device drops back to the free tier. No retention emails, no clawbacks. You can resubscribe at any time and keep the same device, settings, and history.

Hardware sales are final and non-refundable. We do not offer a money-back guarantee on the device. If your ProxyBox arrives damaged or defective, email support@proxybox.us and we'll make it right under warranty. You can cancel your subscription at any time; premium features stay active through the end of the current billing period.

• No traffic logging: We don't inspect or store the content of your proxy or VPN traffic.
• Encryption everywhere: All communication between your devices and ProxyBox uses TLS 1.3. VPN traffic uses WireGuard's state-of-the-art encryption.
• Device authentication: Your ProxyBox authenticates with our servers using HMAC-based signatures, preventing impersonation.
• Token rotation: Login sessions use refresh token rotation with reuse detection. If a token is stolen and used, all sessions for that account are automatically revoked.
• VPN key encryption: Your WireGuard private keys are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM.

Firmware updates are delivered over-the-air (OTA) and applied automatically during low-usage periods. Each update is:

• Cryptographically signed to prevent tampering
• Verified before installation by the device
• Rolled out gradually (canary releases to catch issues early)
• Reversible. If an update causes problems, the device can roll back to the previous firmware.

You can check your current firmware version in the dashboard. Updates typically happen within 24 hours of release.

Two-factor authentication is on our roadmap and will be available soon. In the meantime, we strongly recommend using a unique, strong password for your ProxyBox account. Our refresh token rotation system provides an additional layer of session security. Any suspicious token reuse automatically locks out all sessions.

Short version: your traffic is end-to-end encrypted between you and the destination. We cannot read what is inside it.

Longer version, by mode:

• Proxy (HTTP CONNECT): The proxy sees the destination hostname and port (because it has to know where to connect you), and how many bytes flowed. It cannot see URLs, headers, or page content because that traffic is wrapped in TLS that terminates between your browser and the destination server.
• VPN (WireGuard): Encrypted between your client and your ProxyBox. The relay only sees encrypted UDP packets. Your ProxyBox at home then forwards to the open internet exactly the way any other device on your home network would.
• Heartbeats & telemetry: Aggregate device health (uptime, signal strength, CPU temp, byte counts), never the content of your traffic. Stored encrypted at rest.

Full details, retention windows, and what we do NOT log are in the privacy policy.

If your device shows offline:

1. Check the LED: A solid green LED means it is running. No LED means no power. Blinking red means an error.
2. Check Wi-Fi: Confirm your home Wi-Fi network is up and the password has not changed. If you changed Wi-Fi recently, re-pair the box using "Change Wi-Fi" in device settings.
3. Check your internet: Verify that other devices on your network can access the internet.
4. Power cycle: Unplug the ProxyBox, wait 10 seconds, and plug it back in. Give it 2 minutes to reconnect.
5. Router restart: If nothing else works, restart your router and then power cycle the ProxyBox.

If the device still shows offline after these steps, contact support.

Wi-Fi can be less reliable when the box is far from the router. Try these fixes:

• Move closer: Place the ProxyBox closer to your Wi-Fi router. Walls and floors reduce signal strength significantly.
• Check signal strength: Your dashboard shows Wi-Fi signal strength. Anything below -70 dBm is weak.
• Stay on 2.4 GHz: The box's Wi-Fi radio prefers 2.4 GHz, which also has the longest range. Make sure your router exposes a 2.4 GHz SSID with the same password your box knows.
• Reduce interference: Microwaves, baby monitors, and dense Bluetooth traffic can fight 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Move the box a few feet if performance is poor.

Proxy speed depends on your home internet speed. Here's how to maximize it:

• Check your home speed: Run a speed test on a device connected to the same network. Your proxy speed can't exceed your home upload speed.
• Move the box closer to the router: A weak Wi-Fi signal adds latency and drops throughput. The dashboard shows live signal strength.
• Upgrade to Premium: Free tier users share bandwidth. Premium users get dedicated, priority bandwidth.
• Check for heavy usage: If someone is streaming 4K video on your home network, it will affect proxy speeds.
• Geographic distance: The further you are from your ProxyBox, the higher the latency. This is normal for any proxy or VPN.

A blinking red LED indicates an error state. The blink pattern tells you what's wrong:

• 1 blink: No network connection. Check your Wi-Fi password and signal.
• 2 blinks: Can't reach ProxyBox servers. Your internet may be up but our API is unreachable. Check status.proxybox.us.
• 3 blinks: Firmware error. Power cycle the device. If it persists, contact support.
• Solid red: Hardware failure. Contact support for a warranty replacement.