Keyboard & Mouse Combo

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530
I want a keyboard and mouse combination device. That would work through the Wifi reliably. I'm sure that would mean that I would need to install something on the computer to tell it the existence of the device. I also don't want to pay a million dollars. I've seen those USB dongle devices, but those are mostly 6ft max.

Edit: I use our Android tablets with Unified. And those are OK. But they are a bit sketchy, and you must open the app, and make sure the WIFI is running, and its too many steps for the wife. It's just inconvenient.
 
Solution
Calculagator
I think the Logitech k400 is about the best you can get. It's a usb dongle, but has 30ft range or so. Mine works fine from across the room. Some bluetooth keyboards may have a longer range, but they all seem to have difficulty staying paired.
Sort by date Sort by votes
Calculagator

Calculagator

Admirable
Nov 18, 2014
2,508
1
8,960
I think the Logitech k400 is about the best you can get. It's a usb dongle, but has 30ft range or so. Mine works fine from across the room. Some bluetooth keyboards may have a longer range, but they all seem to have difficulty staying paired.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530


There has to be a better product. 30ft is not enough. 'Bluetooth' would seem like they would have limited range, but maybe I need education.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Calculagator

Calculagator

Admirable
Nov 18, 2014
2,508
1
8,960
Maybe if you could explain what you are trying to do it would help. If you need more range than 30 ft, how can you even see what you are typing? The solution may be to move the computer and use a longer cable to the display. There may be other custom solutions, but they certainly won't be easy. Wifi is really not designed for keyboard/mouse style use. Anything with a powerful enough radio for the sort of range you seem to want will eat batteries.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530
My AVR Receiver and HDTV is connected to my computer as a 2nd monitor. I can control them via remotes with my cellphones and tablets. But it would just be so much easier especially for my wife, if there was as always connected version sitting around the living room. She never uses, or figures out how to use the cell-phone version. She always runs back to use the actual computer. The current version is not wife-compatible.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530


I'm looking into these 2.4ghz items... but usually the range is not more than 30ft. I see some of the smaller combo versions that have the mouse and the keyboard together. But there has to be a way to get more than 30ft. I can wire the USB a bit farther, down the way.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Calculagator

Calculagator

Admirable
Nov 18, 2014
2,508
1
8,960
How far away is your computer if you cannot use a wireless keyboard? Perhaps you could run a USB extended with your HDMI cable and connect a receiver near your TV so that you wouldn't have signal problems.
Any situation that must have a longer range than a k400 must use WiFi. WiFi adds both significant complexity and power drain, which cannot be avoided. You have to choose either short range (30 ft) and simple or long range and complex.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530


My HDMI cable is 75ft and goes under the house. But as the crow flies through walls, its about 50-some feet to the living room area.

On an older HTPC: Before I upgraded the last time to this Win-7-PC. This was a Long-time-ago and then I used to have a USB-Remote that worked on some sort-of 2.4ghz freq. or something. It promised 60ft range. I think I can recall it had some interference with my telephones. Although I used a USB extender, and put it on the ceiling in my hallway, to actually get the range that it needed through the walls. I wouldn't mind doing something like that again.

My WIFI router is on the ceiling in the same spot.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Calculagator

Calculagator

Admirable
Nov 18, 2014
2,508
1
8,960
You might be able to use a usb over ethernet hub with a wireless bridge or someone may even make a usb/wifi device. I doubt it would work well, but for a basic keyboard/mouse, it could be enough. You could possibly put in a ethernet usb hub next to you wifi router and get enough range from there.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530


I just thought of a way to do it: In preparation for an earlier switch over to Cat6 from HDMI extension. I ran two Cat6 cables under the house. My 1st attempt to switch to Cat6 did not work. This is off topic, but I believe I know why that didn't work. So I'm still on straight HDMI. However the wires are still there. I had a Cat6-STP cable under the house for a long time that I used as a audio cable, than I repurposed it for the above. I'll keep that for the Cat6 future switch over.

But I installed another 23AWG cable that was not shielded, that I figured out was not good enough for the HDMI-Cat6 installation, that I could likely use for a USB extension. See this product:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030313&p_id=6042&seq=1&format=2

Then I could use that to plug in a USB dongle in the living room area. Wallah...

Edit:... No never mind. I didn't read the fine prints. It's old stuff. USB 1.1 only. Also it recommends I use my sheilded cable... d'oh. The USB 2.0 versions are very expensive.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
R

robertkjr3d

Distinguished
Feb 28, 2013
35
0
18,530
I looked at it again, and I thought that the K400 will probably work with the old USB extender wired up to the ceiling and down the hall a bit, it would give enough ummph to just work to the area in question.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom