Wi-Fi for scalping: convenient, until the one bad second

[Amanhasnoname]

Wireless works fine for email and video. For execution-sensitive trading, it adds a layer of uncertainty that a cable removes.

Interference from other networks, microwave ovens, thick walls and a crowded channel can all cause brief stalls. Packet loss triggers retransmission, which means delays of hundreds of milliseconds at random moments. Most of the time nobody notices. In the middle of a fast move, it's the difference between a fill and a miss.

Switching to a wired Ethernet connection is one of the cheapest upgrades available. A cable and a free port on the router solve most of the problem.

Where wiring isn't practical, a few steps help: use the 5 GHz band, sit close to the access point, and keep other heavy devices off the network during sessions.

Also worth checking is the router itself. Old units with overloaded memory can cause lag spikes that look like broker issues.

It's dull advice, but it works. Is your trading machine wired, and did it change anything?