Welcome to a thread for those that trade via mobile device either exclusively or as an alternative to their PC / home setup to share their experiences and help others avoid pitfalls and costly mistakes .
Count me in as one of those "others" since Im in need of a way to execute all my charting and trading with a cellphone but have nearly zero knowledge of where to start .
Heres my dilemma - I have a PC trading computer at home with a cable modem and use esignal for charting with my brokers (MBT) platform to place and manage trades . Problem is that I work most trading hours and that takes me away from land and my PC . I assume the best solution for me would be to get a phone and use that for trading while Im away from my desk doing my thing .
My cellphone is a samsung circa 2005 old school plain vanilla flip phone , thats all I know about cellphones so Im starting from scratch . Any helpful advice from those with experience or questions from others with the same needs as I is appreciated by me and Im sure many others , thanks .
Can you help answer these questions from other members on futures io?
This will be a journal about attempting to use the iPAD for trading discretionary. I find there are times during the day that I wished I had remained in touch with the markets while working and entered some positions or trades. I always carry my laptop …
I think an iPad makes a lot of sense if you are more than just a casual trader, and you are mobile. I don't have one, but I am not mobile. I use my cell phone when I am out to check on quotes, but it is too small to effectively manage positions from.
If you use NinjaTrader, there are a couple of solutions but the only one I can think of right now is this one:
I use teamviewer with my Ipad, allows you to remote control your PC at home, works with Apple and Android. For non commercial use the app is free of charges. Pretty fast and reliable https://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx
The following user says Thank You to redratsal for this post:
You can trade on the go with a smartphone (many brokers offer iphone and/or android clients).
there are however a few problems to consider:
Lag: the wireless internet connection over a cell phone has huge latencies (1000ms is pretty common here, don't know about the us), so any scalping will not work
Screen size: Order management usually is working well, but charting will suck. if you depend on a clear chart picture, it will not suffice
Of course you can use remote software to connect to your trading computer on the go. But desktop operating systems and applications are not built with touch input in mind, combined with a much larger screen than the remote device it will most likely be a pain to work with.
PS: looks like others were faster , and i didn't think of tablets
Never thought about remote PC access , interesting . 1000ms of lag time for quotes ? Doesnt sound like a problem since I trade a 1H or higher tf but faster is always best .
An iphone sounds reasonable but feedback I have from users says they're overkill as far as capablities are concerned and too expensive . Thats another question I have - I know it depends on your carrier but do I need to subscribe to web access and charting and platform separately ? I dont trust cellphone salesmen (sorry) and would rather take the advice of those with experience first hand .
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Well depending just how 'mobile' you are, an iPad using Wi Fi instead of 3G means no monthly fee, so just a one time cost of the iPad. I would recommend it over a phone, having tried to use my Droid X to manage orders.... and using TeamViewer on a phone would be very painful. If this is more than a once or twice a week for 5 minutes type of thing, go for the iPad.
Mike
thanks I did not know they offered it.......I have been using Jump Desktop......$20........and I trade off my desktop at home from the iPad, about 1 sec delay but great battery life and the desktop does all the work, also I dont have …
The following user says Thank You to cory for this post:
I also use TeamViewer on my iphone 4. Mainly just to monitor charts on my laptop when Im in another room, at the gym or catching some sun outside. Have even used it to execute trades via Ninjas Charttrader on occassion.
Will also be using TeamViewer on the Samsung Series 7 Slate to monitor/trade/review my trades when it becomes available next month.
I try not to worry , it never solves anything . I guess if you're careful thats good enough , that and not having the whole wad in one account but enough to cover margin and breathing room .
Im looking into teamviewer to start and since I need to upgrade Its a tossup between an iphone and a droid . Prolly an iphone though since evryone else in my house has one . Ill start from there , with the wifi , and see where I land .
What do you mean by 'Problem is that I work most trading hours and that takes me away from land and my PC' in your OP?
Are you on a boat or flying a plane when you say you are away from land.
'Cause I looked at trading while on a cruise ship (via satellite) recently, but the lag and connection reliability were not good enough. Technically possible, but not reliable enough yet.
I am definitely not as technically sophisticated at fast trading like a lot of the traders on this site. But, I use my phone all day long, checking charts and news articles on a position im in or may be interested in. As of right now I can trade within my Scottrade Mobile App, but it's not hugely dynamic for trading, but thats ok for me since I trade in a short term swing mentality.
The app I use the most is called the Personal Finance app by BishiNews. Good basic charts and up to the minute news articles on stocks, markets and commodities . The news feature is it's best feature.
Everything I do on my mobile is on an Android based HTC Thunderbolt. I love this phone, lots of storage and a larger than most screen size. Also, 4G in areas with coverage.
Hope you find a way to trade on the go!
The following user says Thank You to TheDoberman for this post:
I connect to a hosted Win2003 using iPad and iPhone via RDP using a client by 2x.com (free in appstore)
Tried out 4 or 5 of the others before I decided on this one, mostly for the mouse functionality since its probably the most challenging when using a touch screen device if your fingers are fatter than the mouse cursor!
Overall I'd say this setup is better for monitoring the market or your trades than for order entry. You could easily do both - I just don't feel comfortable trading directly from a wireless connection due to the risks, mostly if something goes wrong and I need quick simultaneous use of keyboard/mouse.
Using wifi at home 15ms vs 3G ~300ms
The following user says Thank You to GotItForCheap for this post:
I am currently trading stocks with Interactive Brokers and have started playing with their mobile solution. Looks like it supports most of the current mobile platforms. The iPad application looks pretty good so far from my initial investigation. I am not sure if I am ready to trade live with it, but it could be useful if that is all one has available.
, and i didn't think of tablets
