How much does latency matter for scalping?
The short answer
This page shows how much latency, the time your order takes to reach your broker, matters for scalping. A smaller profit target puts a larger share at risk. Traders Proxy can’t shorten distance, but our server in your broker’s city recovers lost data locally.
The smaller your target, the more of it a delay puts at risk.
The price keeps moving while your order travels to your broker. Divide how far the price moves in that time by your target. The answer is the share of your target that the delay exposes.
Say the price moves 1 pip while the order travels and your target is 4 pips. A quarter of your target is exposed, or a fortieth with a 40-pip target. These are example numbers, not measurements.
The price can move your way or against you in that time. The sum shows how much is exposed, not which direction it goes. If the share is tiny, delay is not your problem.
Your own numbers show how much a delay matters to your trading.
- 01
Write down your target
Use the smallest profit target you trade, in pips or points. That is where a delay takes the biggest share.
- 02
Measure your ping
Ping is how long data takes to go there and back. Follow check ping to your broker’s server at your busiest hour, and note the average and the highest reading. The highest reading shows how long your worst waits are.
- 03
Estimate the move
On your chart at that busy time, estimate how far the price moves in one second. Scale it to your ping. A tenth of a second is a tenth of that move. That is how far the price can go while your order travels.
- 04
Divide
Divide that move by your target. The result is the share of your target that a delay of that length exposes.
Ping is only one part of the delay. Your broker’s handling and your platform add their own.
Scalpers feel a delay first, because their targets are smallest.
A delay is a share of your target, so the smaller the target, the larger the share. Use the table to see what your style should measure first.
| Style | Target | Share one delay takes | What to measure first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scalping | Small | Larger | Ping, and its highest reading, at your busiest hour |
| Day trading | Medium | Middle | Ping around scheduled releases |
| Swing trading | Large | Smaller | Whether the platform stays connected |
The sizes are relative, not measurements. Your own target decides your own row.
Only some parts of the delay are yours to shorten.
This table splits the delay into parts, so you can see which ones you can act on.
| Part | What sets it | What can shorten it |
|---|---|---|
| Distance to your broker | How far you are from your broker’s server city | Moving your platform nearer, for example a VPS in that city. Traders Proxy does not shorten it. |
| Your own line | Your provider, your home network and how busy they are | Fixes on your side, found by testing at different hours. |
| Your broker’s server | How busy your broker’s trading system is | Your broker. Ask what its own figure includes. |
| Your platform | The terminal, your robot and your computer | Your own setup. |
Distance is the part no software can change. The panel works out its minimum for any two of our cities. If that minimum alone is a big share of your target, only moving your platform nearer will shrink it.
The maths of ping
01
Your broker’s distance sets a minimum time for every order
Light in a cable travels about 200 km every millisecond. Your order goes there and back, so every 1,000 km adds at least 10 ms.
What it means for youPhysical distance dictates your latency floor. Fibre travel times remain constant regardless of routing tools.
minimum there and back (ms) = distance (km) ÷ 100
02
One lost piece of data makes everything wait
When a packet drops, your platform pauses while requesting a retransmission across the full distance. Consecutive drops double this waiting penalty. Incoming price ticks stall during the exact seconds volatility peaks.
wait 1× → 2× → 4× → 8×
03
Our server in your broker’s city recovers lost data locally
Our server in your broker’s city opens the final connection to your broker. On a quiet connection, a repeat loss doesn’t double the wait.
What it means for youWhen a piece is lost near your broker, our server recovers lost data inside that city instead of from your computer.
distance set by physics · recovery in your broker’s city is ours
Try your own distance
Singapore to London is about 10,850 km in a straight line, so at least 108 ms there and back. No order can reach your broker and hear back in less. Real routes are longer.
We don’t promise lower ping because distance sets the minimum. Local recovery in your broker’s city covers only the connection between our server and your broker. The repeat-loss fix covers the first few tries on a quiet connection, after the first repeat try.
What a delay costs also depends on your broker’s execution mode. MetaQuotes says the broker sets the mode for each instrument (MetaTrader 4 help).
The mode decides whether a moved price ends in a new price or a requote. Ask your broker which mode your account uses.
For a scalper, our server recovers lost data inside your broker’s city, not shorten distance.
A backtest runs on your own machine, so no internet link can lose a piece of data during a news release. In live trading, one lost piece holds up every price update and order behind it. Everything waits while your computer sends it again across the world.
A lost piece of data costs more at a long distance. Your platform waits about as long as data takes to go there and back.
Then your platform sends the piece again, and everything behind it waits too. In a fast market, the price keeps moving during that wait.
Our server in your broker’s city opens a separate local connection to your broker. If data drops on that link, our server recovers it inside that city. Trading ports go first when a server is busy, and broker addresses stay warm in memory.
We don’t promise lower ping. Distance sets the minimum. Only moving your platform nearer your broker shortens a long distance. If a robot must run with your computer off, use a VPS.
You cannot paste four values into your platform while your chart is already frozen in a live trade. Set it up today while the market is calm. Then time it on your own screen during the next release.
If your trouble is a platform that hangs or drops, not a long distance, test your own platform. The connection check times a chart load without us first, and you need no account for that. The plans show what each one costs and includes.
If our server in your broker’s city is unreachable, your platform shows an error and your dashboard asks before using another city. If your broker prohibits proxies, don’t use one.
Next steps
- Compare with a VPSWhen each one is the right tool.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a ping that is good enough for scalping?
There is no honest cut-off. It depends on your target and on how fast your market moves. Do the sum above with your own numbers.
Will Traders Proxy help my scalping?
We don’t promise lower ping. Distance sets the minimum. Instead, our server in your broker’s city opens a local connection to your broker and recovers lost data there. Test it on your own platform and judge by your own numbers.
Do I need a VPS to scalp?
Only if you want your platform nearer your broker, or a robot must run with your computer off. A VPS in your broker’s city shortens the distance. You then trade on a remote desktop.
Does my broker’s execution speed matter as much as my ping?
Both add to the delay. You can measure your ping. Ask your broker what its own execution figure includes.
How do I measure my ping?
Find your broker’s server address, then ping it at your busiest hour. Check ping to your broker’s server gives the steps.
Field reports · Verified forum threads
Real forum reports, what our system does, and where it stops.
Every quote below links to the forum thread or vendor guide where it appeared. Underneath each quote, see which parts of our system work together on it and where our server stops.
High server delay, slow price feed or slow fills in cTrader
“The total time a message needs to travel from your application to our servers is the Server latency. Therefore this is the number you should consider.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Traders Proxy doesn't change your broker's prices, fills or spreads, and it doesn't promise lower ping.
Where it stops. We do not change cTrader server delay, tick frequency or fills. In cTrader, our server connects onward to Spotware’s cloud node.
Installer 'Proxy Server' popup and MQL5.community 403 on a VPS or datacentre address
“Using a SOCKS proxy in a browser, I can access the site without issues. Using the same proxy in the terminal, I still can't log in.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Traders Proxy carries your platform's trade-server connection. We don't promise it fixes installer downloads or MQL5.community sign-in.
- Only the app you set up is routedBoundary
Where it stops. The platform proxy setting applies after MetaTrader is installed. If the installer download is blocked, download the installer another way first.
'Trade context is busy' (error 146), including on manual trades
“Returns true if a thread for trading is occupied by another Expert Advisor, otherwise returns false.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Traders Proxy doesn't change how MetaTrader handles its trade requests.
Where it stops. Trade context is busy is MetaTrader’s own local lock when two scripts place orders at once. A proxy does not change it.
EAs on several terminals or brokers with one rented terminal per account and a DLL ban
“If a program launched on a Virtual terminal tries to call a function from any DLL, this EX4/EX5 program is immediately stopped due to a critical error. Any DLL calls are forbidden.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Traders Proxy is for people who run their platform on their own computer. It does not run robots for you.
Where it stops. Does not run an EA while your computer is off. Not a hosting service.