Picking a VPS region using traceroute and ping samples
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2026 8:32 am
Choosing a VPS location by guessing is common. Measuring is better and takes about 30 minutes.
Steps:
1. Find your broker's trade server address. In MT5: File → Open an Account, or check the server name in the login dialog. Support can give the IP.
2. Get trial VPS instances in two or three locations (London, Frankfurt, New York, Amsterdam, wherever is plausible).
3. From each, run:
- ping [server IP] -n 100 (Windows) to get average and max.
- tracert [server IP] to see the route.
4. Compare: average ping, max ping, number of hops, and stability (variance).
5. Also check MT5's reported ping from each location.
What to look for:
- Lowest average is good, but consistency matters too. A location with 3 ms average and 50 ms spikes may be worse than one with 6 ms and no spikes.
- Fewer hops usually means more stable.
Most brokers serving European clients host in London (LD4/LD5) or Amsterdam. US brokers often in New York (NY4).
Did you measure before choosing your VPS?
Steps:
1. Find your broker's trade server address. In MT5: File → Open an Account, or check the server name in the login dialog. Support can give the IP.
2. Get trial VPS instances in two or three locations (London, Frankfurt, New York, Amsterdam, wherever is plausible).
3. From each, run:
- ping [server IP] -n 100 (Windows) to get average and max.
- tracert [server IP] to see the route.
4. Compare: average ping, max ping, number of hops, and stability (variance).
5. Also check MT5's reported ping from each location.
What to look for:
- Lowest average is good, but consistency matters too. A location with 3 ms average and 50 ms spikes may be worse than one with 6 ms and no spikes.
- Fewer hops usually means more stable.
Most brokers serving European clients host in London (LD4/LD5) or Amsterdam. US brokers often in New York (NY4).
Did you measure before choosing your VPS?