Thomas M said:
I'm considering getting a wireless keyboard and mouse. I'm looking at
some IR devices from Microsoft and Logitech. I have several
questions:
1) How good are wireless keyboards and mice?
2) What are the drawbacks and things to watch out for?
3) How often do the batteries need to be recharged?
4) How many recharges can the batteries take?
5) When the batteries can't be recharged again, do you have to buy a
new device?
I will be installing a wireless network later this year, so I don't
want to get any Bluetooth devices. I know that Bluetooh is all-band
interference for WiFi devices, which can be a problem for wireless
networks. However, theory is often different from practice. I've
heard good and bad when it comes to using both Bluetooth and WiFi
devices in the same location, so I'm curious as to how well Bluetooth
keyboards and mice will co-exist with WiFi networks in practice. Do
they interfer with the network? Would the signals given off by the
WiFi access point interfer with the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse?
--Tom
If the high price of a cordless keyboard is worth the esthetics of not
having a cord run along the monitor and over the desk, I wouldn't bother
getting a wireless keyboard. While some mice drivers include software
that alerts you to when the battery level is low in the mouse, they
might not warn you when the battery gets low in wireless keyboard.
You'll end up wondering why keystrokes are missed and why a game or
application isn't reacting smoothly, not knowing that it's because your
battery is low until the keyboard becomes completely unresponsive.
There's been many a time when I would be banging on a keyboard wondering
why it isn't working only to find the battery level was too low. You'll
also go through more batteries if you include a wireless keyboard.
Wireless mice are great in that the cord is eliminated so you don't feel
like you are pushing it against the resistance of having to also move
the cord around. If you are in tight quarters, you don't have a cord
pushing against your system case or other object and having to mickey
mouse around with the mouse to find how to move it around to keep the
cord from snagging or rubbing. Some wireless mice are heavy and some
are much lighter. At one point, I trialed IBM (which is made by someone
else with IBM's logo slapped on it), Microsoft, and Logitech cordless
mice. The IBM was the heaviest, and its power-saving cycle was polled
so you couldn't shake it out of sleep mode until it next polled the
mouse (i.e., you could end up moving the mouse a LOT for about 2 seconds
before the mouse pointer on the screen started moving), and it goes to
sleep far too soon. The Microsoft was a bit lighter but I didn't like
its sleep mode, either; went to sleep too fast. I settled on the
Logitech cordless mouse (the one that is symmetrical so it can be used
on left or right side) because it was lightest and would take longer to
go to sleep and it would come out of sleep more quickly (and maybe why
battery life isn't great). Also, the lighter the wireless mouse (with
batteries) the less fatigued is your fingers and wrist.
I didn't have the IBM or Microsoft long enough to determine what was
their battery life. The Logitech's batteries go dead after 17 to 22
days when using alkaline batteries and go dead after 14 to 18 days when
using rechargable batteries. Games usually have you constantly moving
the mouse so you'll be at the short-end of the battery life if you play
games a lot. Logitech suggests you use a light or white surface for the
mouse, but I've yet to see white mouse pads with a gel wrist rest (which
I require to prevent soreness). Obviously you need to get rechargable
batteries so as not to keep buying more alkalines, but be sure to get
ones that have the amperage capacity or greater that is quoted for the
device. Get 2 sets of rechargables so you can have one set charged and
ready for when the ones in the mouse get too low. Logitech now has a
model that sits in a cradle to recharge the batteries (because they've
realized that battery life is just too short). Of the IBM, Microsoft,
and Logitech, the Logitech is the easiest to pop open the cover and
replace the batteries. One wireless mouse (don't remember if the IBM or
Microsoft) had the batteries slide in and under the case which made
removing the batteries much more difficult. The other one of the two
had a much more difficult panel to remove to get at the batteries; I
kept pondering when the cover would break in trying to pop it off. The
Logitech's cover plate snaps out easily, the batteries are not covered
at all with the cover plate removed, and you can just smack it into your
hand to remove the batteries although it is easy to use your fingers to
get at the batteries.
I also had gaming problems with different wireless mice. With the IBM
and Microsoft, there was a lag or jerkiness when quickly rotating your
view. Upping the sampling rate in Device Manager for the mouse device
did not help. I tried reverting to the PS/2 std. mouse driver and that
didn't help, either. So for those that notice a "lag" in games when
using a wireless mouse, get a different wireless mouse. The Logitech
proved very smooth whether using the PS/2 std. mouse driver included in
Windows or Logitech's own Mouseware, and there was no lag even at the
slowest sampling rate. So it is the hardware that determines whether
the wireless mouse is smooth moving or not. In that regard, Logitech
was far better than the IBM or Microsoft wireless mice and was the
clincher to use that one.
Although it sounds like I am biased to the Logitech wireless mouse,
that's because it has proven the best one for me. I had one but it
broke (I got pissed and tossed it into wall; I go through keyboards and
mice about every 6 months). I wanted a wireless mouse with a longer
battery life as I was getting annoyed at having to swap the rechargable
every 2 to 3 weeks. That's why I tried the IBM wireless mouse. Sucked.
Then I tried the Microsoft wireless Blue mouse. Better but not nearly
as smooth in gaming as the Logitech. So I got forced back to the
Logitech because I needed its features and behavior more than I needed
longer battery life. I don't know if their cordless mouse and their new
one with a recharging cradle are about the same weight. A wireless
mouse that is lightweight is very important for me as it reduces the
fatigue on my little finger in having to grasp the mouse when lifting it
to move it (one of the reasons that I like trackballs better but haven't
found one smoother or tougher than the Kensington Expert Mouse but don't
like its button placement, and their newer models are just too stiff or
resistive to rolling the ball).
