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Data Feed and Internet Connection Quality with ADSL 2+
I have been checking out the quality of my internet connection with my service provider and learned some stuff that I thought might be useful to be aware of if one would like to have a reliable internet connection.
First, I use IQFeed and have an ADSL 2+ internet line with originally a 15.9 Mbit download speed.
What I learned was that the ideal line should have a Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) value of 10 or above. Next, the line should ideally have a noise level of 1 decibel per 100 meters, or 109.36 yards.
What I was told is that my connection is 1230 meters, or 1345,14 yards, from the central with a noise level of 13 decibel on download and 6 decibel on upload, which is within acceptable good values.
The SNR value was 8.3, which is below ideal values. I was therefore recommended to lower the internet speed to 14 Mbit or below. I chose 13,5 Mbit which gave a SNR value of 12.4. Well above value 10.
End of story.
Laurus
Edit: I would like to add that ping tests with IQFeed Diag Utility gives now averages of 158-160 ms. Also note that my service provider could have pushed my line up to 18 Mbit, but this would give low SNR values and an unstable line.
“If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinions for or against anything.” - Hsin Hsin Ming
I see a lot of people ask if their internet connection is fast enough for trading. The question is misunderstood, people equate bandwidth to "fast". More bandwidth is great for download or watching a movie, youtube, game, whatever.... but bandwidth has no real benefit in trading.
What matters more in trading is latency (ping times). You can measure your ping time by going to Pingtest.net - The Global Broadband Quality Test and then click in Chicago, and run a test. That will give you a rough idea of the latency between you and your orders hitting the exchange, or how far behind the market you are in terms of delayed quotes.
For people inside the United States, the average is probably around 50ms ping to Chicago. The closer you are to a metropolitan area (like being close to Dallas, being close to Atlanta, being close to Los Angeles, etc) then the better off your ping will likely be. The next factor is how far that city is from Chicago. Obviously, the closer (physical distance) the shorter the ping.
There is little you can do as an end user. In terms of DSL, Cable Modem, Satellite, and FiOS, I would rank it in order of preference like so:
- FiOS
- DSL
- Cable
- Satellite
In fact, Satellite is not a viable option for a trader, the latency is just too huge. If you are able to get FiOS in your area, do it.
Just to add, people in Europe can expect latency of around 200ms to Chicago. To give some perspective to the ping test Mike performed, here's my ping result this morning to Chicago (the speed is quite "good", given the normal ping of around 200ms. I suppose it has to do with the fact that it's Saturday morning, 8 am here. ):
See my Ping results to Chicago, from Lagos; My ISP has a direct cable link to the London Internet Exchange, but I connect to their service through their Wireless Access Point infrastructure. ... Very poor, very very poor ... so, what do I do ?
@lolu, from what I have seen in your Journal, your style of trading will not be affected by the Ping to any detrimental degree.
I scalp and have no problem with 250ms of Ping. I actually get 'better' fills than when I use NT under SIM (in other words NT's SIM's algorithms are harsher than Live where I have NT Sim set with exchange delay of 250ms)
Thank you for the PingTest.net. I tried to find Omaha, Nebraska where I am connected to IQFeed (IQFeed data feed servers are located in both Omaha and Bellevue, Nebraska), but the closest I could get was Sioux City, Iowa.
The 159ms result is interesting, because this is within the 158-160ms average result I get with the IQFeed Diag Utility.
Laurus
“If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinions for or against anything.” - Hsin Hsin Ming
Here is another link which IQFeed recommended using for testing connection reliability: 2Wire.com: Speed Meter
Run the test several times to get an average. The average should be less than 20% difference between the high and low.
In general if connection drops below 500kbps there will be problems with IQFeed as 500kbps is the minimum connection that is required for IQfeed to connect and stay connected.
Laurus
“If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinions for or against anything.” - Hsin Hsin Ming
