Just spent two days going through the "experience" of trying to get market data via eSignal, and... it doesn't work. First, the cost: $176 + $10 NYSE + $10 AMEX + $10 NASD + $10 options + $25 one-time activation fee = $241/first month, $216 thereafter. It's not bad, if it could be used with TWS and for additional market data via API. I've spent hours going through installation, restarting TWS, and chatting with IB and eSignal support. I've ended the "experience" when eSignal support informed me that I'll need to use an old 32-bit version of TWS (which I also think would have 4 GB RAM limit for TWS while I'm way past that). Tried with the main/current 64-bit version of TWS and the first issue is getting "dbcapi.dll cannot be loaded" error. I copied "dbcapi_64VC14.dll" from eSignal installation folder and the error went away, but then got another error: "IBesignalConnector08.dll" cannot be loaded. That's where neither IB nor eSignal support were able to help, except directing me to the old 32-bit version of TWS. I gave up at this point. I also tried to use eSignal software itself, mainly with options as that's what I'm currently trading, but the charts seem to be based only on the trades, not mid-prices or bid/ask, so the data is sporadic and looks like a scatter plot, even for liquid options like on SPY. Here are 5-min and 1-day charts, for a LEAP option, just to illustrate the issue, though they don't look much better for more liquid options: I haven't found a way to view charts based on mid-prices, though forgot to ask support is there is a way to do so. In the end I had to request a refund for their product/service, which comes with 30-day refund policy. Though I'm a bit concerned because others complain about not getting refunds and still being billed, while eSignal support also refused to provide refund immediately and told me that the subscription will expire in 30 days and I will get the refund 5-7 days after that. I just told the support guy that I feel sorry that he has to work for such shitty company. Here are other eSignal reviews, or rather complaints: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.esignal.com
Years ago, I tried to channel data from here to there and I got all those error messages and dll problems and 32 64 bits problems.... Finally I just paid data to both esignal and tws. And just spend my time trading rather than fixing connectivity problem
My TWS is already super-slow while set to use 10 GB. I usually have hundreds of option combos in my portfolio and watchlists , and TWS seems to spend a lot of time updating, synchronizing and displaying all the data, or whatever its doing. I tried various RAM settings and can't imagine going down to 4GB... Also, if eSignal wouldn't let me display option/combo history in charts at mid-prices then it wouldn't be useful to me, with just the trade data.
Thanks. I do get option data via IQFeed , and using it separately from TWS. Though their data also doesn't contain mid-prices when downloading tick history, as they only provide historical data and ticks based on trades, not quotes (for options).
I had an issue with this a few years ago, when eSignal changed Futures Symbols, and IB would no longer accept them. I got around this, by creating my own eSignal Watchlist with the eSignal quotes, thus replacing the missing IB quotes (no longer visible), and executing on the eSignal Charts. It works! You certainly gotta do some "artistic work", but it works. IB could care less about this, so you have to be resourceful...
Why do you need eSignal? Would it make sense to look for some 3rd party software that supports both eSignal and IB -- uses eSingal for data and then IB to place orders? I think NinjaTrader or MultiCharts can be configured that way.
I mainly wanted to post a review for others; as there is very little info online on eSignal feature in IB/TWS. At the same time I gained appreciation for the main data available in TWS as its the only way I found to view historical options/combo charts based on mid option prices, thus creating quite accurate charts. For example you can chart historical pricing of a butterfly. It’s painfully slow though. All other solutions are based on option trade data which is scarce and inaccurate since there are barely any trades in an hour for any specific option out there. You’d never be able to chart a butterfly pricing over time.