# How do I set up a US proxy?

> How to set up a US proxy: gateway, port and a username with state, city or ZIP, in curl and Python. Lodestate: no KYC, crypto, 1 GB $1.50.

- URL: https://lodestate.com/how-to-set-up-a-us-proxy/
- Last updated: 2026-11-02
- Publisher: Lodestate (https://lodestate.com)

From a crypto top-up to the first US IP in six steps, with commands you can paste.

*First request through a Texas IP*

```
# HTTP gateway, state of Texas, rotating
$ curl -x http://gw.lodestate.com:7777 -U "USERNAME-country-us-state-tx:PASSWORD" "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"
```

**Quick answer — How do I set up a US proxy?**

To set up a US proxy, point your tool at `gw.lodestate.com`, port 7777 for HTTP or 7778 for SOCKS5. Log in with your password and a username such as `USERNAME-country-us-state-tx`. **Lodestate** sells the access from $0.52/GB as of November 2026. No KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents. Pay in crypto.

## What do I need before I start?

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Gateway host | `gw.lodestate.com` |
| HTTP / HTTPS port | `7777` |
| SOCKS5 port | `7778` |
| Username format | `USERNAME-country-{cc}-state-{state}-city-{city}-zip-{zip}-asn-{asn}-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}`; every segment after the country is optional |
| Login options | Username and password on every plan, or an IP allowlist (up to 10 IPs). Sub-users with their own credentials and traffic cap. API keys you can revoke at any time |
| Protocols | HTTP, HTTPS (CONNECT) and SOCKS5 |
| Where credentials appear | Credentials appear in your dashboard as soon as you buy a plan from your confirmed crypto balance |
| Test target | `https://api.ipify.org?format=json` returns the exit IP |
| Smallest plan | 1 GB for $1.50 |

## How do I go from payment to the first US request?

1. **Top up in crypto** — Open the checkout, pick a coin (BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, XMR) and top up at least $1. Nobody asks for ID, a selfie or documents.
2. **Buy a residential plan** — The 1 GB plan ($1.50) is enough to test every targeting level. Credentials appear in your dashboard as soon as you buy a plan from your confirmed crypto balance.
3. **Copy your username and password** — Or add your own IP to the allowlist and connect without a password.
4. **Add targeting to the username** — Append state, city, ZIP or ASN segments, as shown in the table below.
5. **Test with curl** — One request to an IP-echo service through the gateway must return a US IP.
6. **Reuse the settings in your tool** — Python, a scraper or a browser all need the same four values: host, port, username, password.

## How do I build the proxy username?

**Start from your base username and append segments in the order of `USERNAME-country-{cc}-state-{state}-city-{city}-zip-{zip}-asn-{asn}-session-{id}-ttl-{minutes}`, leaving out those you do not need.** Rules the gateway applies:

- Values are lower case, with `_` instead of spaces: `city-san_antonio`.
- `asn-` takes the number only: `asn-7922` for Comcast's AS7922.
- `session-` takes 1 to 32 letters or digits that you choose.
- `ttl-` is in minutes. Sticky sessions last up to 30 minutes, set per session with the ttl parameter; the IP can change earlier.

The ZIP segment has its own guide: [what is ZIP code proxy targeting](https://lodestate.com/what-is-zip-code-proxy-targeting/ "ZIP code proxy targeting explained, with examples").

### Which username gives which US exit?

| Goal | Username |
| --- | --- |
| Any US home IP | `USERNAME-country-us` |
| One state (Texas) | `USERNAME-country-us-state-tx` |
| One city (San Antonio) | `USERNAME-country-us-state-tx-city-san_antonio` |
| One ZIP (60614, Lincoln Park, Chicago) | `USERNAME-country-us-zip-60614` |
| One ISP in one state (Comcast in Colorado) | `USERNAME-country-us-state-co-asn-7922` |
| The same Miami IP for 10 minutes | `USERNAME-country-us-state-fl-city-miami-session-mia01-ttl-10` |

## How do I test a US proxy with curl?

**Send one curl request through the gateway: if the reply shows a US IP, the setup works.** The first command uses the HTTP port; the second uses SOCKS5.

*curl through the HTTP and SOCKS5 ports*

```bash
# HTTP proxy, Texas, rotating
curl -x http://gw.lodestate.com:7777 \
  -U "USERNAME-country-us-state-tx:PASSWORD" \
  "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"

# SOCKS5 proxy, same exit (socks5h resolves DNS through the proxy)
curl -x socks5h://gw.lodestate.com:7778 \
  -U "USERNAME-country-us-state-tx:PASSWORD" \
  "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"

# where does a geolocation database place the IP?
curl -x http://gw.lodestate.com:7777 \
  -U "USERNAME-country-us-state-tx:PASSWORD" \
  "https://ipinfo.io/json"
```

In the ipinfo.io reply, `region`, `city`, `postal` and `org` show the state, city, ZIP and AS number that its database gives the exit IP. Two databases can disagree on the city or ZIP of the same IP.

## How do I use a US proxy in Python requests?

**Pass the proxy URL to `requests` through the `proxies` argument; the same URL serves HTTP and HTTPS targets.** Each `requests.get()` call opens a new connection, so a rotating username gets a new home IP each time. A sticky username keeps one IP.

*Rotating and sticky US sessions with requests*

```python
import requests

GATEWAY = "gw.lodestate.com:7777"
PASSWORD = "PASSWORD"
ECHO = "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"

def proxies_for(username):
    url = f"http://{username}:{PASSWORD}@{GATEWAY}"
    return {"http": url, "https": url}

# rotating: a new connection per call, usually a new Texas home IP
rotating = proxies_for("USERNAME-country-us-state-tx")
for _ in range(3):
    print(requests.get(ECHO, proxies=rotating, timeout=30).json()["ip"])

# sticky: the session id keeps one New York City IP for up to 10 minutes
sticky = proxies_for("USERNAME-country-us-state-ny-city-new_york-session-nyc01-ttl-10")
for _ in range(3):
    print(requests.get(ECHO, proxies=sticky, timeout=30).json()["ip"])
```

For SOCKS5, install `pip install "requests[socks]"` and use `socks5h://USERNAME-country-us:PASSWORD@gw.lodestate.com:7778` as the proxy URL.

## How do I set a US proxy in a browser or a scraping tool?

**Enter the same four values, host, port, username and password, in the tool's proxy settings.**

- **Firefox:** Settings, Network Settings, Manual proxy configuration. Put `gw.lodestate.com` and port 7777 in HTTP Proxy and tick "Also use this proxy for HTTPS". Firefox asks for the username and password on the first page.
- **Firefox and SOCKS5:** Firefox has no SOCKS username field, so use the HTTP port or the IP allowlist.
- **Chrome and Edge:** they read the operating system's proxy settings and prompt for the login.
- **Scrapy:** set `request.meta["proxy"]` to `http://USERNAME-country-us:PASSWORD@gw.lodestate.com:7777`.

Crawl design for US sites is covered in [which US proxies work best for web scraping](https://lodestate.com/best-us-proxies-for-web-scraping/ "Best US proxies for scraping public data").

## Why does my US proxy return a 407 error or time out?

**A 407 means the gateway refused the login; a timeout or an early error usually means a wrong port or an unreachable target.** Check these in order:

1. **407 Proxy Authentication Required:** a password typo, or a username segment the gateway rejects (capital letters, a space, a misspelled city id).
2. **Error right after connecting:** SOCKS5 traffic sent to port 7777, or HTTP sent to port 7778.
3. **No IP for the place:** no home is online in that ZIP or city right now. Widen to the city, then the state.
4. **Allowlist login stopped working:** your own IP changed. Add the new one, or log in with the password.
5. **One site never loads:** Banking, government and payment-portal sites, plus SMTP (email-sending) ports 25, 465 and 587 are blocked.

## How much should a first test cost?

**$1.50 for 1 GB covers a full test of every targeting level, and it costs less per GB than the paid trials we found.** According to Lodestate's check of 29 October 2026, NodeMaven's $3.50 trial gave 750 MB, or $4.67/GB. ProxyEmpire's $1.97 trial gave 150 MB, or $13.13/GB.

No free trial — test with the 1 GB plan, which costs more than the minimum top-up and is paid at its exact price. From 5 GB the rate drops to $0.75/GB, half the 1 GB rate. Prepaid residential and rotating-mobile traffic never expires: unused GB stay on your account until you use them. All tiers: [how much do US residential proxies cost per GB](https://lodestate.com/pricing/ "US residential proxy prices per GB and per plan").

### What does a first US residential test cost per GB?

| Option | Price | Traffic | Price per GB |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lodestate 1 GB plan | $1.50 | 1 GB | $1.50/GB |
| NodeMaven paid trial | $3.50 | 750 MB | $4.67 |
| ProxyEmpire paid trial | $1.97 | 150 MB | $13.13 |

*Prices checked on October 29, 2026.*

Trial terms read on each provider's page on 29 October 2026; price per GB computed by Lodestate.

## How do I set up a dedicated mobile port instead?

**A dedicated 4G/5G port works the same way, with its own host, port and login shown in your dashboard.** The username needs no targeting segments: the carrier is fixed when you buy the port. The IP changes when you rotate it, by link, API call or timer, as shown in [how do I rotate a mobile proxy IP](https://lodestate.com/how-to-rotate-a-mobile-proxy-ip/ "Rotate a mobile proxy IP by link, API call or timer").

## What else do people ask when setting up a US proxy?

### Should I use the HTTP port or the SOCKS5 port?

Use HTTP on port 7777 for scrapers and browsers; it reaches HTTPS sites through CONNECT. Use SOCKS5 on port 7778 for apps that only speak SOCKS, with `socks5h` so DNS lookups also go through the proxy.

### Can I connect without a password?

Yes. Username and password on every plan, or an IP allowlist (up to 10 IPs). Sub-users with their own credentials and traffic cap. API keys you can revoke at any time.

### How do I get a new IP on every request?

Each new connection gets an IP from the pool, usually a different one; to get a new IP on every request, send one request per connection (turn off keep-alive). In Python, call `requests.get()` per request rather than reusing one `Session` for a rotating username.

### Which sites can I not reach through the proxy?

Banking, government and payment-portal sites, plus SMTP (email-sending) ports 25, 465 and 587. Everything else must follow [what the acceptable use policy allows](https://lodestate.com/acceptable-use/ "What Lodestate proxies may and may not be used for").

### Do unused GB expire if I pause my project?

No. Prepaid residential and rotating-mobile traffic never expires: unused GB stay on your account until you use them.

**Get your first US IP** 1 GB for $1.50, every targeting level included. No KYC; top up in crypto from $1. [Buy the 1 GB plan](https://lodestate.com/pricing/ "How much do US residential and mobile proxies cost?")

## Sources

1. [Buy proxy with crypto (trial: $3.50 for 750 MB)](https://nodemaven.com/proxies/buy-proxy-with-crypto/) — NodeMaven (2026-10-29)
2. [Pricing (trial: $1.97 for 150 MB)](https://proxyempire.io/pricing/) — ProxyEmpire (2026-10-29)

---

Lodestate: Lodestate is a US proxy provider: residential IPs in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. with state, city, ZIP code and ASN targeting, and dedicated T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon 4G/5G mobile ports. No KYC: no ID, no selfie, no documents. Paid in crypto.