Question

Answer

A slow Internet connection can result in...

• Dropped ticks on the live data stream (data loss).
• Long waits when downloading historical data.
• Failed historical download requests due to connection timing out.
• Data lags (prices updates falling seconds behind).

Regardless of your needs and demands within Investor/RT, a faster Internet connection will result in a much smoother experience.

From my own personal experience, I recently made a change in both carrier and technology (DSL to cable modem) at my residence.  The difference was extraordinary and has made a huge difference with many of things I do.  Uploads and downloads that previously took 30 minutes now take a few seconds.  My download speed went from 5Mb/s to 24Mb/s and my upload speed went from less than 1Mb/s to over 11Mb/s.  And my monthly charges actually went down in this transition believe it or not. 

You may already be taking advantage of the fastest connection available to you, but if you're not (or you're not sure), look into it.  Check with your service provider to see if there's anything faster is available.  Check with their competitors to see what they provide and don't hesitate to make a change if warranted.  And hold the carrier accountable for what the speed they promise.

All too often I find myself logged in remotely with a user with a substandard connection speed (much less than 1Mb/s download speed).  These users are trying to download 30 days of tick data on the ES and wondering why they're not getting the data.  DTN, for example, sends this data back in one large chunk which commonly exceeds 250mb.  A request of this magnitude simply causes problems for users with slow Internet connections.  Make sure you've done your homework and obtained the best available in your situation.

And if you're looking for a good resource to test the speed of your current connection, SpeedTest.net is a good site to use.  You can see an example of my results in the image above.  The download speed (vs upload speed) is certainly the most important factor when it relates to Investor/RT.  I would recommend a speed of 8Mb/s or faster if available.  You'll be able to function with far less, even less than 1Mb/s, and many currently do.  But if something faster is available, I would strongly consider getting it.  And of course this will help in areas outside of Investor/RT, such as browsing the web, downloading email attachments, watching a good Investor/RT video :).