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: Use ProxyBox Connect for iPhone when installed, 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 device.
2. On iPhone, open ProxyBox Connect for the guided Bluetooth flow. On a desktop, open the Web Bluetooth pairing page at proxybox.us/pair in Chrome, Edge, or Opera and choose "Connect via Bluetooth."
3. Your device will appear as "ProxyBox-XXXX" where XXXX matches the first 4 characters of your sticker claim code.
4. Select it 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
• Private Wi-Fi and HomeVault availability for the device
• 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: ProxyBox Connect for iPhone, 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 pairing page (or join the setup Wi-Fi network), 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-XXXX 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 connection details, health, and settings. People run a box at home and a second box at a parent's house; that works fine. Service and any legacy entitlement are shown per box so you always know which locations are covered.

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

1. Plug it in.
2. Open the pairing page at proxybox.us/pair, select your device, then Change Wi-Fi. It 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 just plug in at the new house without re-pairing, the box will sit waiting for its old Wi-Fi and eventually open the captive setup network (ProxyBox-Setup-XXXX) 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 and authenticates with a username and password. HTTPS destinations keep their normal browser-to-destination encryption through the tunnel. Plain HTTP does not, so use HTTPS destinations for sensitive traffic.

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, and talk to your ISP. ProxyBox registers as one more device and waits for authorized proxy 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 Access connection, such as a browser or automation tool configured with your credentials, 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 Pro supports 5 GHz.

This does not limit your client devices. Your laptop, phone, or anything else using Proxy Access can be on 5 GHz, 6 GHz, Ethernet, or even cellular. The box just needs its own 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 outgoing secure connections to our infrastructure for proxy traffic, firmware updates, and health check-ins. No port forwarding, no NAT punching, no UPnP, and no router configuration are required.

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.

You can claim your hardware, complete setup, and see its basic health before service is confirmed. When service is active, the app shows the managed connection features available for that box.

• Hardware setup and ownership stay separate from service billing
• The app shows the exact capabilities and service state for each box
• Firmware releases remain staged and managed for supported hardware

Your ProxyBox remains yours: your home IP is used only by you and the people you intentionally share it with. Nobody else is placed on your connection.

Open ProxyBox, select your box, and review its service status. Availability, pricing, and any billing terms are confirmed separately before you activate or change service. Existing monthly and Lifetime customers keep the entitlements already attached to their boxes.

If you already have a subscription purchased through Apple, open iOS Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions and choose ProxyBox. Service stays active through the end of the paid period. Existing subscriptions billed directly by ProxyBox can still be managed from Plan & billing.

Hardware sales are final and non-refundable. If your ProxyBox arrives damaged or defective, email support@proxybox.us and we'll make it right under warranty. You can cancel recurring service through the platform that bills it; service remains active through the end of the paid period.

• No traffic-content logging: We don't inspect or store the content of your Proxy Access traffic.
• Clear transport boundaries: HTTPS destinations retain their normal TLS protection through the proxy; plain HTTP is not end-to-end encrypted.
• 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.

Firmware releases are staged in small canary batches. Depending on the release, a box may receive an update over the air or through a prepared card; the dashboard is the source of truth for what is available.

• Checked for package integrity before installation
• Rolled out gradually so field results can be reviewed
• Documented with a firmware version and release notes

You can check your current firmware version in the dashboard. Do not assume every canary release supports automatic rollback; keep the last known-good card until the new version is boot-proven.

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: HTTPS protects browser traffic to the destination. Plain HTTP has no end-to-end content encryption.

What the current release handles:

• Proxy Access (HTTP/CONNECT): The forwarding path necessarily handles connection metadata such as the destination host and port. For HTTPS destinations, page contents remain inside TLS between your client and the destination. A plain-HTTP request does not have that protection and can expose request content along the proxy path.
• 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.
• Check the route: Private Wi-Fi — Here exits at your current location. Private Wi-Fi — My home makes an extra secure trip through your Home ProxyBox, so its speed is also limited by the home connection's upload speed.
• Check for heavy usage: If someone is streaming 4K video on your home network, it will affect proxy speeds.
• Geographic distance: The farther you are from your ProxyBox, the higher the latency. This is normal for a remote connection.

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.