What is a Subnet?

A subnet (subnetwork) is a logically segmented portion of a larger network, identified by a common network prefix in the IP addresses. In proxy contexts, subnet diversity refers to how many different subnets the proxy pool spans, which directly impacts detection resistance.

Subnets, Prefixes, and Block Risk

IP addresses within the same subnet share a common prefix. For example, 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.200 share the /24 subnet 192.168.1.0/24. The subnet mask or CIDR notation defines how many bits represent the network portion versus the host portion. In proxy terms, websites can identify related IPs by their subnet. If multiple proxy IPs share a /24 subnet (same first three octets), a target website can block the entire subnet after detecting suspicious activity from any single IP in that range.

If five of your requests through gate.hexproxies.com:8080 all exit from IPs in the 45.32.100.x range, a target blocking that /24 subnet knocks out all five. Greater subnet diversity means less correlation between your assigned IPs.

Subnet Diversity as a Quality Metric

Subnet diversity is a critical quality metric for any proxy pool. A pool with thousands of IPs but only a few subnets is far more vulnerable to wholesale blocking than a smaller pool spread across hundreds of subnets. Hex Proxies maintains broad subnet diversity across all proxy products, minimizing the risk that blocking one IP affects others in your allocated pool.