How your order reaches your broker, the path it takes
The short answer
When you click Buy, your order crosses your router, your provider and other networks to reach your broker. Any network can lose a piece of it, and then your chart and next order wait. A traceroute shows where on that path the delay builds up.
Your order crosses several networks, and any of them can lose a piece of it.
Your order crosses several networks you do not control. If one of them loses a piece of it, your platform waits and sends it again. These are the steps, in order.
- Your platform sends the order as small pieces of data.
- Your router passes them to your internet provider.
- Your provider hands them to other networks, at points where two networks meet.
- The final network is your broker’s, and its servers receive the order.
Each router your order passes through is one stop on the path. Which networks sit in between depends on your provider and your broker.
Pieces of data going to one destination need not all take the same path. So your delay can change from one moment to the next.
A traceroute shows whether the delay starts on your line or further away.
A traceroute lists each router between your computer and a server, with the time each takes to answer. So you can see where on the path the time builds up.
You need the name or address of one of your broker’s servers. Your broker’s support can tell you which.
Run a traceroute
- 01
Open a command window
On Windows, open Command Prompt. On macOS or Linux, open Terminal.
- 02
Run the command
Type the command, a space, then your broker server’s name or address. Press Enter.
- Windows
tracert- macOS and Linux
traceroute
- 03
Read each line
Each numbered line is one router, with three times. The tool sends three small pieces of test data to each router and prints the time for each. Times that rise along the list show where the delay builds up.
A row of asterisks means that router sent no answer.
- 04
Run it again later
The path can change, so compare two or three runs at different times. A changing path can explain a delay that comes and goes.
A jump in the times shows where your delay begins.
Use this table to read your own result line by line.
| What you see | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Three times on a line | The time to reach that router, once for each of three pieces of test data |
| The last line | The time to reach the server itself, if it answers. This is roughly your ping, the time data takes there and back |
| A jump partway along | Where the time starts to lengthen, which is where to look first |
| A row of asterisks | That router sent no answer. Some routers never reply to test data |
| One slow or empty line | Some routers limit how often they answer test data, so run it again |
| The number of lines | It varies by provider and broker, so compare your own runs with each other |
A traceroute from a command window shows the direct path from your computer to that server. It does not go through Traders Proxy.
The farther your broker, the longer each wait after lost data.
Distance sets the least time data needs to go there and back. A lost piece of data makes your platform wait about that long before it sends the piece again.
So a far broker makes every lost piece cost you more time. The panel shows both ideas for any two of our cities.
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.
A proxy does not shorten the path, but it recovers lost data inside your broker’s city.
- YouYour city
- Your internet connects you to our server
- Our server near youNearest city
- Our servers connect to your broker
- Your brokerBroker’s city
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 proxy does not remove any routers, and your data still travels the whole distance. We don’t promise lower ping. Distance sets the minimum.
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.
Your order waits on that short local link instead of the whole way. Trading ports go first when a server is busy, and broker addresses stay warm in memory.
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.
Data lost between you and our server is recovered between those two. 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.
Prices and orders are delayed separately, so check each one.
Prices travel from your broker to your platform, and orders travel the other way. So a chart that lags and an order that arrives late are two separate delays. The table shows which is which, and how to check each.
| What differs | Prices | Orders |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Broker to your platform | Your platform to your broker |
| What you notice | A chart that lags | An order that arrives late |
| How to check it | Compare two views of the same price | Ping your broker’s server and log your trades |
Tick data latency covers the price side.
Your broker’s system decides what happens to an order once it arrives, and we cannot see it. So we make no claim about your place in the queue. We do not promise that a proxy makes an order arrive earlier.
Keep reading
- How Traders Proxy worksThe connection, one step at a time.
- How to measure broker latencyA method you can repeat on your own platform.
- Co-location vs a trading proxyWhat each one changes, and what neither does.
Frequently asked questions
How many routers are normal on the way to my broker?
There is no standard count. It depends on your provider and your broker, and we have no source for a typical number. Compare your own runs over time instead.
Does a proxy shorten the distance?
No, your data still travels the whole distance. 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.
Why is one line slow in my traceroute?
It may not be a problem. Some routers limit how often they answer test data, or do not answer at all. Judge by the last line and by repeat runs.
Does the path my order takes decide my place in my broker’s order queue?
Your broker’s system decides that once the order arrives, and we cannot see inside it. The path sets when the order arrives, and Traders Proxy does not promise to make that earlier.
Is a late chart the same as a late order?
No. Prices travel from your broker to you, and orders travel the other way. They are separate delays, so measuring one does not measure the other.
Does a traceroute show the path through Traders Proxy?
No. Only the trading app you set up uses Traders Proxy. So a traceroute from a command window shows the direct path from your computer to the server you name.
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.
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.
Telegram (trade-signal channels) blocked or throttled by an ISP, state or office firewall
“MTProxy allows users to circumvent internet censorship that restricts Telegram access in certain regions. It does so by masking Telegram's IP and obfuscating user traffic, making it significantly harder for ISPs and governments to detect outgoing connections pointing to Telegram servers.”
Why a proxy does not change this. Telegram in one tap on every plan. Telegram’s own proxy type is included on the 2-device and 5-device plans.
- Telegram in one tapBoundary
Where it stops. Telegram in one tap on every plan, plus Telegram’s own proxy type on the 2-device and 5-device plans. A network that inspects traffic can still block it.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn, tracertChecked
- man7.org, traceroute(8), Linux manual pageChecked
- SS64, traceroute on macOSChecked
- Wikipedia, TracerouteChecked
- IETF standard 6298, computing the wait before lost data is sent againChecked
- M2 Optics, latency in single-mode fibre (light covers about 200 km each millisecond)Checked