I have a DSL connection now and I'm very happy with it. I am thinking about getting a satellite connection. What is the upside and downside to the system, and I've heard of "lag time". How long is it and does it interfere with your trading. I'm not a scalper, and a few seconds wouldn't be a problem. But a minute would. Thanks.
lol, if you are happy about your DSL connexion why are you thinking of a satellite connexion? For one thing, uploading to a satellite is expensive (usually you upload through phone line) and secondly satellites are not all that hot when the weather is bad. I would reconsider.
Especially in Florida...I worked at a firm whose NYSE came over satellite and every time there was a cloud patch there was latency
Had satalite when no other option was available. OK when you don't have other options but slow uplink 40 -50 kps download 350- 500 kbs. Wind would move dish thus loosing signal. Finally got cable at 1.5 mps and world of difference. Satalite only for last resort.
I used to get CME data over my two way satellite connection.They have a way to measure your lag time.It was usually about .7 of a second.The installation of the dish is critical to good performance.There are good installers and there are bad installers.A good installation can be tweaked to give average download speeds over 500kbps.Upload speeds will be poor,maybe only 30-40kbps.Satellite definitly suffers more "glitches"than other systems.DSL is better.
there are satellite systems that are truly two-way satellite, and not telephone uplink and satellite download, but they are rediculously expensive and you pay by the minute, mostly for use on ships and yachts and mountaintops, etc. For home use cable and dsl are the obvious way to go, although satellite gives you more tv channels in most areas.
http://directv.direcway.com/ I tried this system out at a retail store..... seemed to work fine. Also have had positve reports from people using it. It seems to be a good option if you cannot get cable etc.