I was wondering if anyone else was having problems with getting disconnected from the PATS system? During trading hours I am constantly getting disconnected from the quotes server or the host (at least 10 times a day). The system will automatically reconnect within 20 or 30 seconds, but if I need to place an order during these times, they obviously won't go through. I also have problems with orders not going through when there is no disconnect message in the messages log. I try to place the order and get an "N" followed by a 1 digit number for the order number, meaning the order didn't go through. When I call the PATS tech support, they tell me that the order was never received on their end but their servers are all working fine and they haven't had any similar complaints. Some of their techs have told me I need a faster computer (800 MHz) but I'm running a 550 PIII with 384MB of RAM, which another tech from the company said should be more than enough. (The minimum requirements are a Pentium 300MHz with 128MB of RAM so I figure I should be safe, but besides, what does that have to do with connection problems?) I also called my ISP and they ran some tests and said everything was fine (I'm connected via DSL with a static IP address). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
trading with pats is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. not a question of IF but WHEN will disaster occur???
Of course they do have a lot of complaints, but why should they admit such issues ? They prefer to suggest that you have a bad ISP, bad operating system or something like that. PATS reliability seems to vary from broker to broker. Each broker (FCM) runs his PATS servers on his own hardware und internet connection. Sometimes too many customers are run on a certain PATS server which leads to really unexpected results. There have been a number of such reports posted here by several ET members.
Whos the FCM? My ib clears through rcg. I had problems, but its been reliable for the last 2 months. Wasnt logged on today. Unless you understand what the isp is testing i would not just trust them either. Search et for pingplotter and there has been some info on checking your connection to your fcm host server. I do still get a disconnect sometimes, but not more than a couple a day, and usually back on in less than 5 seconds. I really dont know if my connection problem was fcm server or my isp (dsl)connection, it just went away. If you are just starting i would not be too eager to trade under those conditions. That frustration wont help to keep a clear head.