using a router to trade

Discussion in 'Trading' started by larrybf, Mar 21, 2003.

  1. My trading computer has always been connected to interactive brokers TWS without any others computers or programs connected. I am considering adding a computer plus using a router connected to my cable internet connection. Will this hurt or interfere with my trading platform connection?? question may seem dumb to some but my computer skills are limited..... thanks
     
  2. BKuerbs

    BKuerbs

    I'm using an almost identical configuration: two computers connected to an DSl-modem via router.

    Your router includes a switch or you connect your PC's via switch the the router?

    If you do not start downloading videos there will be no interference. The data TWS receives / transmits don't impose a big load on the router.

    I occasionally download programs, data-files etc. and even then I do not notice any delay.

    A good ISP is something to worry about, but not connecting a LAN to the internet.

    Regards

    Bernd Kuerbs
     
  3. I use a Linksis router. I have never had any problems.

    Just connect your computers into the router and then connect the router to your modem.

    (I have had some issues with the audio on Paltalk. I do not know if it is related to the router. Trading, software, and computer speed has worked just fine.)
     
  4. I have a Linksys router and use TWS with no problems at all.

    FRuiTY P.
     
  5. Ninja

    Ninja

    I have several computers (one of them my trading computer running TWS) connected to the internet via a SMC Barricade router with integrated switch. No problems and in fact one of the best IT investments I have ever made.
     
  6. H2O

    H2O

    Also working fine :

    2 computers and 1 laptop connected through a Logitech Cable Router.
    Connected to TWS and my second broker as well.
     
  7. speedy

    speedy

    I have a linksys with 3 pc's hooked up. Never had a problem.
     
  8. box

    box

    Roadrunner-->cable modem--->D-Link router/switch--->computer(s). No problems at all. In addition, the router (can) offer another layer of security. Shields Up is a great place to start: https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
    to check your computer for holes.
    alan
     
  9. just keep in mind that you wouldn't want to be connected to too many streaming video feeds or other resource hogs that might or might not interfere with your primary applications, namely TWS and its download / upload ticker information streams.

    Using Napster, Kaza, MiRC and other "persistent connection" applications will interfere in random patterns with your primary application's datastream. I wouldn't want to be scalping trades while downloading a DVD movie and still expect that there wouldn't be any interference.
     
  10. TGregg

    TGregg

    I've had hubs, routers and switches from different vendors, and all have worked. Right now I am running a 3com switched router with a printer port. I run TradeStation, TWS, and mIRC all without problems.

    Chances are, you won't have to configure your router at all, just plug it in. If you are using more than one computer, a switched router may likely be faster than a router with a hub in it (instead of a switch). Here's what those three terms mean (more-or-less, I'm far from a networking expert):

    Router: This device assigns an IP address to one or more computers "behind" it (on your LAN), gets an IP address from further "upstream" (from your ISP), and directs data from the net to the right computer. You need one of these things if you want to have more than one computer connected to a single internet connection.

    Hub: This device allows computers to talk to each other, kinda like stripping all the network cables and connecting them all. Every computer on a hub hears all the network traffic that every other computer does.

    Switch: This device is like an advanced hub. It allows computers to (more-or-less) directly connect to each other. Take a three computer network. If computer A wants to send a packet to computer C, then computer B will never hear it. That cuts down on traffic and explains why switches can be faster than hubs.

    So, to share a single net connection, you need a router and a hub or a switch. Many routers these days have a switch or a hub built-in. Check out the Hot Deals forum at http://forums.anandtech.com for great deals on Linksys hardware - you can frequently get a switched router (non-wireless) for less than $50, sometimes for nearly free.
     
    #10     Mar 21, 2003