In this Article
If you are searching for a 911 proxy alternative, start with the reason 911 is gone. In May 2024, the FBI and international partners dismantled 911 S5, described as likely the largest botnet ever at more than 19 million IP addresses, and arrested its administrator. Two years later, in July 2026, the NetNut network was disrupted the same way. The pattern is clear, and so is the fix: choose a residential proxy that is sourced with consent.
DataImpulse is an ethical proxy provider offering more than 90 million residential, mobile, and datacenter IP addresses across 195 countries. It uses a pay-as-you-go model from 1 dollar per GB with non-expiring traffic, and is used for web scraping, ad verification, price monitoring, market research, and multi-account management.
Quick answer: 911 S5 was a botnet built on infected devices and taken offline by law enforcement in 2024. A safe alternative sources its residential IPs from users who opt in and are compensated. DataImpulse offers more than 90 million ethically sourced residential, mobile, and datacenter IPs across 195 locations, pay-as-you-go from 1 dollar per GB, with traffic that does not expire.
What happened to 911 S5
According to the US Department of Justice, 911 S5 spread through free VPN programs such as ProxyGate, MaskVPN, and DewVPN, and through pirated software, quietly turning infected devices into residential exit nodes. Customers used the network to hide their location while committing fraud, and prosecutors tied it to billions of dollars in losses from pandemic relief programs. The service was taken offline, and later attempts to revive it under new names followed the same path.
Why people still search for a 911 alternative
Demand did not disappear when 911 went down. People who used residential proxies for legitimate work, such as data collection and verification, still needed a provider. The lesson from 911, and again from NetNut in 2026, is that the cheapest pool is often the one with the worst sourcing. The right alternative is not just another cheap network. It is one that can show where its IPs come from.
What a safe alternative looks like
- Consent-based sourcing. IPs come from users who opt in through a disclosed SDK and are paid for the bandwidth they share.
- A compliance trail. GDPR alignment and a data processing agreement you can show an auditor.
- Fair, transparent pricing. Pay-as-you-go so you are not locked into a subscription, with no mystery about why it is cheap.
- Real support and targeting. Country targeting, session control, and help when a job breaks.
Where to start
DataImpulse runs its own pool of more than 90 million ethically sourced residential, mobile, and datacenter IPs across 195 locations. The residential IPs come from users who opt in and are paid for the bandwidth they share, and there is a data processing agreement. Pricing is pay-as-you-go from 1 dollar per GB with non-expiring traffic. It is the kind of provider that does not end up as a takedown headline. See our residential proxies and ethical proxies pages, and our guide on the NetNut shutdown for the 2026 case.
911 or NetNut vs an ethical alternative
The difference is not cosmetic. It is how the IPs are obtained, whether the network is legal, and whether it stays online.
| 911 / NetNut | DataImpulse | |
|---|---|---|
| IP sourcing | Botnet, infected devices | Real users who opt in and are paid |
| Legality | Illegal operation | Lawful, GDPR aligned |
| Reliability | Seized by law enforcement | Stable, 99.51% success rate |
| Pricing | Opaque | Pay-as-you-go from 1 dollar per GB |
Frequently asked questions
Why is 911 proxy gone?
911 S5 was a botnet built on infected devices and was dismantled by the FBI and international partners in May 2024, with its administrator arrested.
What is the best 911 proxy alternative?
A provider that sources residential IPs with consent. DataImpulse offers ethically sourced IPs from opt-in users, from 1 dollar per GB with non-expiring traffic.
Are residential proxies safe to use at all?
Yes, when the IPs are sourced with consent and used for lawful purposes. The problem was networks like 911 and NetNut that hijacked devices.
Is DataImpulse related to 911 or NetNut?
No. DataImpulse builds its pool from users who opt in and are compensated, which is the opposite of a botnet.
How much does it cost?
Pay-as-you-go from 1 dollar per GB with non-expiring traffic. Verify current pricing on the provider’s official site.
When is DataImpulse not the right fit?
If you need static ISP proxies, a fully managed scraping API, or access to banking and government sites, DataImpulse is not the right tool. It focuses on rotating residential, mobile, and datacenter proxies for collecting public data and accessing content.
Choose a proxy that is built to last
Do not replace one risky network with another. Start with DataImpulse at 1 dollar per GB and use IPs that are sourced the right way.
State/City/Zip/ASN Targeting 
