Each browser profile needs a dedicated residential proxy. The proxy ensures Meta sees each profile as a device in a distinct physical location.
Why proxies
Without a proxy, all profiles share the same IP — Meta associates them and a block on one contaminates others. Residential proxy simulates a real home user at a real location: more reliable for ad accounts than datacenter proxy.
Datacenter vs Residential:
- Datacenter: fast, cheap, but easily identified as automated traffic. Burns in high-volume profiles.
- Residential: slower and more expensive, but simulates a real device. Standard for paid traffic.
Add a proxy
In /proxies/new, use the format protocol://user:pass@host:port:
http://user:pass@198.51.100.1:8080
socks5://user:pass@198.51.100.1:1080Supported protocols: http, https, socks4, socks5.
After saving, click Test — AdFlow returns the detected IP, country, and latency. Green status = ready to link to a profile.
Traffic light status
| Status | Color | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Green | Connected, latency ≤ 500ms |
| Slow | Yellow | Connected, latency > 500ms |
| Failed | Red | No connection or timeout |
| Not tested | Gray | Never tested since setup |
Slow doesn’t mean unusable. Residential proxies fluctuate at peak hours. Only consider replacing if it stays slow for 24+ consecutive hours or if linked profiles have publish errors.
Failed: check credentials before replacing — host, port, username, and password. A typo is the most common cause.
When to rotate the IP
Rotating too early wastes a healthy IP history. Too late burns the profile. The 3 real signals and the false ones that mislead.
3 real signals
- Rising latency with jitter (not isolated spikes) — record the baseline when the proxy is fresh. When latency exceeds 50% above baseline across 3 consecutive sessions, it’s serious.
- Persistent BM anomaly — extra verification requested across 3 logins in a week, on different accounts? Flagged IP. Underrated symptom: automatic ad reviews taking 4-8h instead of 30 minutes.
- Cross-checked external score — IPQS + Scamalytics + ipinfo.io. Rule: 2 of 3 must fail.
False signals — don’t rotate
- ROAS drop coinciding with creative swap (control the creative variable first)
- 1487 error or mass rejection (it’s creative/account, not IP)
- Single captcha (only becomes a signal across 3 consecutive sessions)
- Isolated 500/503 that disappeared by itself
Lifecycle by type
| Type | Cycle |
|---|---|
| Datacenter | Zero (already burned for Meta) |
| Static ISP | 30-60 days |
| Dedicated residential (sticky) | 30-45 days heavy |
| Mobile (4G/5G) | 60-90 days (best reputation) |
Practical rule: preventive rotation every 30 days under heavy use. Cheaper to rotate before the problem than to debug a restricted account.
The nuance nobody talks about: the lifecycle isn’t just the IP — it’s the combination IP + browser fingerprint + cookies + behavior. Rotating only the IP while keeping the same browser fingerprint is more suspicious than continuing with the old IP.