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Latency reference

Trading latency by broker.

Your latency to your broker is determined by one thing: the physical distance between you and your broker's server datacenter. This page maps each major broker to their Equinix datacenter and the optimal TradersProxy node for each.

Knowing your broker's datacenter is the first step to understanding whether you have a latency problem — and exactly which proxy node closes the gap.

Jump to the tableWhat is trading latency?
5 DCs
Equinix facilities where most retail brokers co-locate: NY4, LD4, TY3, SY4, SG1.
Physics
A packet crosses ~100 km/ms in fibre. New York to London is 70+ ms at the speed of light.
The fix
A TradersProxy node near the broker DC reduces your effective latency to that node's distance.
Reference data

Broker datacenters & optimal proxy nodes

Datacenter codes refer to Equinix facilities. MT4/MT5 server hostnames often include these codes directly (e.g. ny4-mt4.pepperstone.com). Verify your specific server in MT4 under Tools → Options → Server.

Note on latency figures: Direct latency ranges are approximate and depend on your ISP routing. With TradersProxy, your effective latency becomes the distance from your location to the proxy node — which is typically much shorter than the distance to the broker's DC from distant regions. Figures shown are realistic ranges for retail connections.
Broker Primary DC Other DCs Optimal TP Node From Asia (direct) From Europe (direct) From Americas (direct)
IC Markets NY4 LD4 SY4 SG1 NY4 node for Americas & Europe; SG1 node for Asia 160–280 ms (to NY4) 80–120 ms (to NY4) 5–30 ms (to NY4)
Pepperstone NY4 LD4 TY3 SY4 Match your MT4 server: NY4, LD4, or TY3 node 20–60 ms (to TY3) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 5–30 ms (to NY4)
Exness NY4 LD4 NY4 node or LD4 node depending on your server 160–280 ms (to NY4) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 5–30 ms (to NY4)
Axi NY4 LD4 NY4 node or LD4 node depending on your server 160–280 ms (to NY4) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 5–30 ms (to NY4)
XM NY4 LD4 NY4 node or LD4 node depending on your server 160–280 ms (to NY4) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 5–30 ms (to NY4)
FP Markets SY4 NY4 SY4 node for APAC; NY4 node for Americas 5–30 ms (to SY4 from AU/NZ) 180–260 ms (to SY4) 200–300 ms (to SY4)
OANDA NY4 LD4 NY4 node for Americas; LD4 node for Europe 160–280 ms (to NY4) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 5–30 ms (to NY4)
Tickmill LD4 NY4 LD4 node for Europe; NY4 node for Americas 160–240 ms (to LD4) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 70–100 ms (to LD4)
Darwinex LD4 — LD4 node 160–240 ms 5–25 ms 70–100 ms
Swissquote LD4 — LD4 node 160–240 ms 5–25 ms 70–100 ms
Interactive Brokers NY4 LD4 TY3 Match your gateway region: NY4, LD4, or TY3 20–60 ms (to TY3) 5–25 ms (to LD4) 5–20 ms (to NY4)
FTMO (prop) LD4 NY4 LD4 node for Europe; NY4 node for Americas 160–240 ms 5–25 ms 70–100 ms
MyForexFunds (prop) NY4 — NY4 node 160–280 ms 80–120 ms 5–30 ms
The 5%ers (prop) LD4 — LD4 node 160–240 ms 5–25 ms 70–100 ms
Reference

Equinix datacenter codes explained

These are the five facilities where most retail forex and CFD brokers co-locate their matching engines.

NY4 Equinix New York / New Jersey IC Markets, Pepperstone, Exness, Axi, XM, OANDA, Interactive Brokers, Tickmill, MyForexFunds, FP Markets (secondary)
LD4 Equinix London (Slough) Pepperstone, Exness, Axi, XM, Tickmill, OANDA, Darwinex, Swissquote, Interactive Brokers, FTMO, The 5%ers, IC Markets (secondary)
TY3 Equinix Tokyo Pepperstone, Interactive Brokers — best for Japan and South Korea traders
SY4 Equinix Sydney FP Markets, IC Markets (secondary), Pepperstone — best for Australia and New Zealand traders
SG1 Equinix Singapore IC Markets (Singapore server), some brokers offer SG servers on request — best for Southeast Asia traders

How to verify your own broker's datacenter

Not every broker publishes their datacenter location. Here is how to identify it yourself:

  1. Find the server hostname in MT4/MT5. Go to Tools → Options → Server tab. The hostname (e.g. live.icmarkets.com or ny4-mt4.pepperstone.com) is your broker's server address. The datacenter code is often embedded directly.
  2. Run a traceroute to the hostname. Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) and run tracert hostname (Windows) or traceroute hostname (macOS/Linux). The final hops will include datacenter infrastructure names — Equinix, Internap, or Zayo references are common. Look for location codes in the reverse DNS of the last few hops.
  3. Geolocate the IP. Note the IP address of the destination (last hop in traceroute) and look it up at a BGP/IP geolocation service. Most will resolve to the correct city and ASN.
  4. Ask your broker's support directly. Most trading support teams will tell you which Equinix facility they use if you ask. The language to use: "Which Equinix datacenter does your MT4 matching engine run in?"

Once you know the datacenter, select the matching TradersProxy node in your account settings. The proxy node near your broker's DC is the one that minimises the final hop latency.

Why the datacenter matters more than the country

Two brokers "in the US" might be 80 ms apart from each other if one uses a Chicago datacenter and the other uses Equinix NY4. "US" is too broad a category for latency purposes. What matters is which specific facility — ideally which physical cage — your broker's matching engine sits in.

This is why broker-specific latency optimisation always starts with this question: which datacenter? Not which country, not which city. The specific Equinix (or Interxion, or Coresite) facility is the variable that determines whether a proxy node placed nearby will meaningfully reduce your fill latency.

For more on how latency translates into execution quality differences across trading styles, read the latency and jitter guide.

FAQ

In MT4 or MT5, go to Tools > Options > Server tab. The hostname shown (e.g. live.icmarkets.com or ny4.pepperstone.com) is your broker's server. The hostname often contains the datacenter code: ny4 for Equinix New Jersey, ld4 or lon for London, sg for Singapore, ty for Tokyo, sy for Sydney.

From Southeast Asia, brokers on Equinix SG1 (Singapore) or TY3 (Tokyo) give the lowest latency. IC Markets offers a Singapore-region server. Pepperstone has Tokyo and Singapore servers. From most of Asia, expect 5-30 ms to Singapore and 20-60 ms to Tokyo.

IC Markets uses Equinix NY4 (New Jersey) as their primary server and also offers servers in LD4 (London), SY4 (Sydney), and SG1 (Singapore). Choose the server closest to your TradersProxy node for minimum round-trip latency.

Pepperstone offers servers in multiple Equinix datacenters including NY4 (New Jersey), LD4 (London), TY3 (Tokyo), and SY4 (Sydney). The specific server address in your MT4/MT5 settings determines which datacenter your orders actually go to.

It depends on your location relative to the broker's datacenter. Traders in Asia connecting to an LD4 London broker can see 200-280 ms direct latency. Using a TradersProxy node near LD4 reduces this to the latency from Asia to the proxy node (50-120 ms) — a significant reduction. Traders already geographically close to the broker's DC see smaller improvements.