Does a wireless network keyboard exist

  • Thread starter Thread starter Metspitzer
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Metspitzer

I have a WDTV player that sometimes needs a keyboard. You can plug a
USB keyboard.

I just bought a smart TV that is supposed to do Youtube, but I haven't
used it yet. I can see where a keyboard may come in handy. The TV
has a USB port, but I haven't tried that yet.

I also have my TV tied into my HDTV and have had times when I was just
playing video to the TV that being able to control the computer with a
remote would have been handy and being able to control it with a
keyboard would be a good second choice.

I could see the need for a keyboard that could just communicate with
the router and a choice of what IP to control.

Does this happen?
 
I have a WDTV player that sometimes needs a keyboard. You can plug a
USB keyboard.

I just bought a smart TV that is supposed to do Youtube, but I haven't
used it yet. I can see where a keyboard may come in handy. The TV
has a USB port, but I haven't tried that yet.

I also have my TV tied into my HDTV and have had times when I was just
playing video to the TV that being able to control the computer with a
remote would have been handy and being able to control it with a
keyboard would be a good second choice.

I could see the need for a keyboard that could just communicate with
the router and a choice of what IP to control.

Does this happen?
Click to expand...

If there is a USB port and it works for a keyboard when you plug in a
wired USB keyboard, I see no reason a cordless keyboard for a desktop or
laptop that uses a USB wireless dongle shouldn't work. I don't know
about the range but my wireless keyboard/mouse would work across the
room when I watched movies on my computer's large screen monitor from
my bed. O_o

TDD
 
If there is a USB port and it works for a keyboard when you plug in a
wired USB keyboard, I see no reason a cordless keyboard for a desktop or
laptop that uses a USB wireless dongle shouldn't work. I don't know
about the range but my wireless keyboard/mouse would work across the
room when I watched movies on my computer's large screen monitor from
my bed. O_o

TDD
Click to expand...
That is not what I was shooting for. I was just wondering if the
technology exists yet for one keyboard to control many devices that
also communicate with the router by sending signals directly to the
router.

As a side note, I don't think the USB port on my TV will take a
keyboard, but it would be useful if it did.
 
That is not what I was shooting for. I was just wondering if the
technology exists yet for one keyboard to control many devices that
also communicate with the router by sending signals directly to the
router.

As a side note, I don't think the USB port on my TV will take a
keyboard, but it would be useful if it did.
Click to expand...

Gee! Perhaps I have drainbamage? Now I understand, it's the router you
want to hook a keyboard to. Many devices have a web browser control
interface. I have a wireless router that my laptops can use to control
other computers/devices that have a control interface that a web browser
can communicate with. There is also Telnet that works over a network
connection for gear that can use it. It would be an interesting project
for home theater applications. I think a good source for such things is
the Smart Home site. ^_^

http://www.smarthome.com/

TDD
 
I have a WDTV player that sometimes needs a keyboard. You can plug a
USB keyboard.

I just bought a smart TV that is supposed to do Youtube, but I haven't
used it yet. I can see where a keyboard may come in handy. The TV
has a USB port, but I haven't tried that yet.

I also have my TV tied into my HDTV and have had times when I was just
playing video to the TV that being able to control the computer with a
remote would have been handy and being able to control it with a
keyboard would be a good second choice.

I could see the need for a keyboard that could just communicate with
the router and a choice of what IP to control.

Does this happen?
Click to expand...

I've a logitech mini wireless keyboard. Not near as good as some of
their keyboards, but, hey, it's a mini and gets the job done. More
than some of them, palm jobs for wearing like a ring while text-ting
or something. I had to run two remote receivers, the keyboard that's
supposed to be integrated for an old logitech mouse receiver - I
couldn't handle it's touchpad, and the mini keyboard couldn't handle
the old mouse IR remote receiver. It just works, even if two
receivers, so I'll take it.

Also have remote programmable IR power relays I assign to keys on the
television remote keypad to power up power strips for feeding banks of
equipment. With that you'd have the option to turn off what isn't
being used (I special order them from Hong Kong).

Both are cheap.

USB hub or splitters for routing a keyboard signal out of it's
receiver, between IR multiples of PC, TV box, and TTL
flatscreen. ...Sounds exactly like someplace I don't want to go, like
a bad dream with an expensive programmable remote control, in the
future, that's now made into keyboard.

Get USB wire extensions if needed and check out the logi mini. Comes
with a tumbnail receiver, way powerful and way beyond line of sight
hinderances some of the old gear favored. Plug the tumbnail in as
needed. Sounds like some of your gear isn't totally demanding of
keyboard control; that Yahoo is duplicated stuff if you're close
enough or care to toss a mini PC build into the mix. I do, run it all
-- amps, display, a ton of other boxes, all remotely through a
dedicated PC with an X2 AMD I got off Ebay. Only nothing's
networked.
 
Gee! Perhaps I have drainbamage? Now I understand, it's the router you
want to hook a keyboard to. Many devices have a web browser control
interface. I have a wireless router that my laptops can use to control
other computers/devices that have a control interface that a web browser
can communicate with. There is also Telnet that works over a network
connection for gear that can use it. It would be an interesting project
for home theater applications. I think a good source for such things is
the Smart Home site. ^_^

http://www.smarthome.com/

TDD
Click to expand...
On second thought, instead of a keyboard, this seems like the job of a
smartphone. Let the smartphone control the devices by sending the
signal to the IP.

Although I don't use if very much, the cursor over each letter of the
onscreen keyboard for the WDTV takes forever. The WDTV live does have
a web interface, but it works by looking at the computer screen
instead of operating what is on the TV screen. It is useless. The
USB port for a keyboard is more useful, but I have to get off my ass
to use it.
 
On second thought, instead of a keyboard, this seems like the job of a
smartphone. Let the smartphone control the devices by sending the
signal to the IP.

Although I don't use if very much, the cursor over each letter of the
onscreen keyboard for the WDTV takes forever. The WDTV live does have
a web interface, but it works by looking at the computer screen
instead of operating what is on the TV screen. It is useless. The
USB port for a keyboard is more useful, but I have to get off my ass
to use it.
Click to expand...

Well, are you could get a 10" tablet with WiFi and access the wireless
network connected to your entertainment gear. I have an entertainment
system router laying around here somewhere that's supposed to let you
send video from your computer network to your TV. I'm going to dig out
a lot of my gear this weekend to move it around and I'll take a look at
it and see if it might be the sort of thing you could use. We have a big
Sony TV here I have to repair and the entertainment router is another
project I had to put on the back burner. ^_^

TDD
 
I could see the need for a keyboard that could just communicate with
the router and a choice of what IP to control.

Does this happen?
Click to expand...

Not easily, because computers do not treat ethernet communications the
same was as they treat usb communications.

They way data centers get around this problem is with KVMs. KVMs allow
you to share 1 keyboard/mouse/monitor with multiple computers. They
are basically big breakout boxes that have 1 keyboard/mouse/monitor
input, with multiple keyboard/mouse/monitor outputs (you need to wire
up everything individually). Data centers typically go one further and
get KVM over IP, which are small computers with KVMs built into them,
that you can log into remotely via another computer.

Thus, if you set up your KVM next to your router, and ran additional
usb wires next to your cat5 ethernet cables, you could potentially do
what you want, via a wireless keyboard/mouse.

However, if your devices can accept bluetooth input (or a bluetooth
usb), you are better off getting something like the Logitech K810
keyboard, which can pair and switch between 3 different bluetooth
devices.
 
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