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Power cuts and the machine without a battery

A trade is open, the storm hits, the lights go out. The computer shuts down mid-session. The internet router is dead too.

Stops on the server will protect the position, but anything managed on the client side stops. Trailing stops freeze, and manual exits are impossible until power returns.

A UPS, an uninterruptible power supply, keeps the computer and router running for a while. A small unit gives 10 to 30 minutes, enough to close trades or ride out a short outage. It also smooths voltage dips that can crash a machine.

A laptop has a built-in battery, which is a partial solution, provided the router is also covered.

Phones with a mobile data connection and the broker's app serve as a last line of defense. Having it installed, logged in, and tested before it's needed is the key.

The cost of a basic UPS is modest next to the cost of one uncontrolled loss.

What's the plan if the power goes out with positions open?

Power cuts can interrupt trading at the worst moment, leaving open positions without monitoring. For traders running EAs on a home computer, a power cut stops the EA completely, including any trailing stops or exit logic handled by the terminal. Server side stops and take profits still work, since they are stored at the broker, but anything managed by the EA does not. That is a strong argument for always having a hard stop on the server for every position, even if the EA manages exits more precisely. It ensures that the worst case is limited even if the computer goes down.

I live somewhere with unreliable power, so I learned this the hard way a few years ago when a cut came with two positions open in the middle of New York hours. The laptop battery kept the machine alive, but the router died, and for about forty minutes I had no way to touch the trades. Both had server-side stops, which is the only reason it ended with a small loss.

My plan now has three layers. Every trade gets a stop on the server before anything else. A small UPS powers the router and modem, which gave me roughly 25 minutes in a test, and my phone is set up with the broker's app already logged in and a hotspot ready. I tested the hotspot by switching the router off on a demo day to see how long it took to reach the position.

I also write the broker's phone desk number on a card by the screen, because in a real emergency I wouldn't want to look for it.