Travelling trader
This post has been prompted by this thread in the forum. I don’t know if you remember my post of 2/3 years ago, where I kitted out a holiday cottage so I could trade.
Why? I’ve learnt from past mistakes that if you see an opportunity you take it, in full. So while I’m still in my trading prime, I’d be a fool to turn down the opportunity. Plenty of time to enjoy it later. I also love travelling and of course I love sports trading, combining the two is just the perfect mix.
Trading away from your base
I first traded away from home successfully in 2005, but I had to fly by the seat of my pants. The technology wasn’t really up to it and when you get used to a certain set up it can all feel a bit alien. Poor broadband speeds, difficulty streaming video, half a ton of equipment.
By my last post things had progressed quite a bit. Broadband speeds have meant streaming has improved to be reliable enough virtually anywhere in the world, but I was still nervous enough to carry an army of equipment to cover every possible angle. But since then technology has leapt forward again. On my most recent trip, my entire trading set up, which exceeded the capability of a few years ago, fitted into a small rucksack. The wonders of technology!
My remote trading setup
Overtime I have settled in a standard set up. My main remote setup now consists of a laptop. This plugs into a displaylink monitor for a second screen that I can use, but I also have VPS and an iPad as part of my standard set up. I also have a mouse as I prefer that to a touchpad. I’ve experimented with various pointing devices but a good old fashioned wired mouse is still best for my trading. I also have a gamepad as Bet Angel can also work via keystrokes. This means I can use two hands at once. Depending on where I am, for how long and what I am doing; I’ll often bring along a keyboard. I’m a fast typist and write up all the work I do in various markets, so having something decent to type on is important. The following screenshot is my 2011 set up, the video further down talks about my current set up.
The laptop doesn’t really need to be that high spec, especially if you are using a VPS. The displaylink monitor allows me to view two screens very easily off a laptop. It only uses as USB port to provide both power and images to the monitor. I can trade straight off the iPad if I want, but I can also use this as a third monitor by using Air Display software. The iPad is kitted out with 3G so that expands my options.
I’m currently planning my movements for the summer. Not always, but I tend to dovetail my travels around key markets or meetings. But in general, technology now allows me to work from where-ever I want. This is how I imagined things may be in the year 2013.
Here is a video of my current setup: –
Category: Technology, Using Bet Angel
