What to do if I lose connection during a trade

[ShruggedAtlas]

This may not be the right place to place this question but what does one do if in the middle of a trade the internet goes out? This is not so much a technical question but it's related to the thought of connectivity as a procedure.

With regard to NinjaTrader Continuum setup - what should/can one do if in the middle of a trade the internet goes down and one wants to flatten positions?

- thanks and sorry if this is in the wrong area of the forum.

[NinjaTrader_Jesse]

Hello,

Thank you for the question.

In the case of an internet outage, the first step is always to contact the broker to manage your positions.

If you are unable to use the platform or connect, this would be the best course of action. After you have spoke with the broker and closed or managed your positions, I would recommend trying to reconnect or restart the platform.

If your computer is online but you are unable to connect, at this point I would recommend contacting support, otherwise if your whole computer or network does not have internet I would recommend restarting the modem or contacting the internet provider.

You would need to determine if the internet outage is a local issue I.E. your provider is currently down, or if this is a computer issue preventing the connection.


Please let me know if I may be of additional assistance.

[ShruggedAtlas]

Thank you for the advice! I suppose having the broker trading desk phone number very close at hand to be a useful protocol.

Also something i just thought of and will try to test. Since i already have ample battery backup options that will keep my computer running for roughly 30 minutes or more, the only backup I need is internet. My computer's network adapter is apparently compatible with Apples hotspot feature. I have found that when I plug my iPhone 5 into the USB 3.0 my computer automatically connects to my hotspot connection. After trading hours I will test this by turning off my modem and then as an extra test - I'll turn off power altogether and see how much time I have.

Anyone who has this ability may want to look into it in case of power or internet emergencies.

Thanks again!

[NinjaTrader_Jesse]

Hello,

Thank you for the advice on the power adapters that is a good idea.

I wanted to point out one thing with using power adapters.

If you are running on backup power I would highly recommend closing the platform correctly and completely shutting down the PC before the backup power runs out.

With windows in general, a hard shutdown like loosing power is always bad, in this case if the platform is open when the power is turned off this could lead to other issues like corrupted data or damaged files in your installation.

Just to be safe I always recommend turning the PC off while you have the chance, better to keep your existing files than loose a day trading fixing things.

With the mobile hotspot, yes please give this a try. In your case this may be helpful if you are in a bind, I would never recommend trading from a hotspot permanently but in a situation like this it may be helpful.

I look forward to being of further assistance.