forex-scalping.com

A second internet line is cheaper than a missed exit

Home internet fails. A cable gets cut, a router crashes, a provider has an outage. For a scalper with open positions, even five minutes offline can be costly.

A backup connection is the obvious defense. A mobile hotspot is the minimum. A second wired or fiber line from a different provider is better, since the failure modes are independent.

Switching has to be fast. Some routers support automatic failover: when the main line drops, traffic moves to the backup within seconds. Without it, manual switching takes a minute or two, during which nothing is visible.

Even with a backup, there's a catch. A change of connection changes the IP address, and some brokers' platforms treat that as a new session or require re-authentication. Testing the failover under realistic conditions shows how smooth it is.

The cost of a data plan for a backup is small relative to the exposure it protects.

A last resort, the broker's phone line for closing positions, is worth having on hand. Many brokers have a dealing desk that accepts verbal instructions.

Having a plan, written down, saves precious minutes in an emergency.

What's the backup if the main internet line drops with a position open?

My main line is fibre and the backup is a 4G router from a different provider, sitting on the desk with its own power supply. I learned the hard way that a phone hotspot isn't enough on its own. The one time my fibre went down during a trade, my phone was charging in another room and it took me nearly three minutes to get connected again.

The router I use now has automatic failover, and when I tested it by pulling the cable during a demo trade the platform reconnected in about ten seconds. The broker didn't ask me to log in again, but my VPS session did drop, which is worth knowing if you trade through one.

I also wrote my broker's dealing desk number on a card stuck to the monitor, along with my account number. I've never had to use it, but in a power cut the router and phone would both still work, and having the number in front of me means I wouldn't waste time searching their website while a position is open.