53 ms·

What will it take for wireless keyboards and mice to use Bluetooth? Most ship with their own custom dongle. A single port MacBook, for example, doesn't really

by melling 10y ago

What will it take for wireless keyboards and mice to use Bluetooth? Most ship with their own custom dongle. A single port MacBook, for example, doesn't really make sense until Bluetooth devices become more popular.

m_eiman 10y ago
I suspect the problem is that many (most?) PCs don't have Bluetooth built-in, so to sell PC peripherals you'll need to either bundle a BT dongle, be very explicit about requiring one, or bundle a (probably cheaper) non-BT dongle. Seems to be getting better though; a quick look at the local price comparison site gave 419 wireless keyboards, 296 of which are using Bluetooth.
cjblomqvist 10y ago
Quite often nowadays devices have BT support but also offer a "dongle" or usb connection point as well (in case your computer doesn't have BT). It's a solved problem I believe since BT LE (low energy) I believe. Now it's just a matter of market adoption.
moron4hire 10y ago
Microsoft makes a Bluetooth keyboard that is ok. Not great, but there aren't many options. Dell makes a Bluetooth "travel" mouse that is actually pretty good. A little small, but lots of buttons. I've also found that many proprietary dongle keyboards work over USB-OTG on Android phones.
rasz_pl 10y ago
bluetooth hid profile requires a software stack rivalling IPv4 in complexity. Legacy Bluetooth is really bad for anything other than BT hardware manufacturers profits. LE simplified everything and made things bearable again, no more encapsulation 4 layers deep just to send 5 bytes.
BostonEnginerd 10y ago
The problem with Bluetooth for peripherals is that they on PCs, the pairing happens in user space so they're useless when you need to adjust the BIOS settings or select a different operating system from GRUB.
- MrQuincle 10y ago
  So, we need BIOS support for Bluetooth. :-)
wlesieutre 10y ago
There are some decent options for bluetooth mice at least. I'm using a Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Mouse[1] with my Macbook Air, and the thumb swipe gesture works well for switching spaces. It's something of a poor man's Magic Mouse for those of us who rely on having a middle mouse button. [1] https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/mice/sculpt-comfort-mouse/h3s-00003 https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/mice/sc... ($20 on Amazon)
joesmo 10y ago
Apple's accessories are already bluetooth. I'm working with a magic trackpad 2 here and it skips all the time, as expected. Magic trackpad 1 did the same. So did my previous kinesis bluetooth keyboard. So does audio. Oh right, it's OS X that can't handle bluetooth. Or RF in the case of Logitech products. Hell, they have trouble keeping wifi on. What you wish for is already here and it's already shitty, at least on OS X.
- tblt 10y ago
  My Bluetooth devices work flawlessly with my iMac, including the Magic Mouse/KB etc. What's your RF environment like?
  - haikuginger 10y ago
    > What's your RF environment like? That's what my initial thought was too. Sounds like severe 2.4GHz pollution.
  - joesmo 10y ago
    I'd say it's the environment too, but this happens at various locations across the country consistently with multiple types of Macbooks. Also, at these same exact locations, I have no problem using bluetooth with my Android phone, further reducing the likelihood that it's the environment. Finally, all the threads about OS X bugs relating to BT/RF/WiFi problems that have been reported for years but ignored by Apple, including reports by Apple's own beta testers, are a further indication that this is an actual problem and that a lot of people are having it.
    - jon-wood 10y ago
      I've had issues with a non-bluetooth wireless keyboard when plugging the receiver into my laptop directly which go away when it's connected via a USB hub a little distance away, which makes me think the laptop itself is causing interference.
      - FireBeyond 10y ago

by melling 10y ago

m_eiman 10y ago

I suspect the problem is that many (most?) PCs don't have Bluetooth built-in, so to sell PC peripherals you'll need to either bundle a BT dongle, be very explicit about requiring one, or bundle a (probably cheaper) non-BT dongle. Seems to be getting better though; a quick look at the local price comparison site gave 419 wireless keyboards, 296 of which are using Bluetooth.

cjblomqvist 10y ago

Quite often nowadays devices have BT support but also offer a "dongle" or usb connection point as well (in case your computer doesn't have BT). It's a solved problem I believe since BT LE (low energy) I believe. Now it's just a matter of market adoption.

moron4hire 10y ago

Microsoft makes a Bluetooth keyboard that is ok. Not great, but there aren't many options. Dell makes a Bluetooth "travel" mouse that is actually pretty good. A little small, but lots of buttons. I've also found that many proprietary dongle keyboards work over USB-OTG on Android phones.

rasz_pl 10y ago

bluetooth hid profile requires a software stack rivalling IPv4 in complexity. Legacy Bluetooth is really bad for anything other than BT hardware manufacturers profits. LE simplified everything and made things bearable again, no more encapsulation 4 layers deep just to send 5 bytes.

BostonEnginerd 10y ago

The problem with Bluetooth for peripherals is that they on PCs, the pairing happens in user space so they're useless when you need to adjust the BIOS settings or select a different operating system from GRUB.

MrQuincle 10y ago
So, we need BIOS support for Bluetooth. :-)

wlesieutre 10y ago

There are some decent options for bluetooth mice at least. I'm using a Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Mouse[1] with my Macbook Air, and the thumb swipe gesture works well for switching spaces. It's something of a poor man's Magic Mouse for those of us who rely on having a middle mouse button. [1] https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/mice/sculpt-comfort-mouse/h3s-00003 https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-us/products/mice/sc... ($20 on Amazon)

joesmo 10y ago

Apple's accessories are already bluetooth. I'm working with a magic trackpad 2 here and it skips all the time, as expected. Magic trackpad 1 did the same. So did my previous kinesis bluetooth keyboard. So does audio. Oh right, it's OS X that can't handle bluetooth. Or RF in the case of Logitech products. Hell, they have trouble keeping wifi on. What you wish for is already here and it's already shitty, at least on OS X.

tblt 10y ago
My Bluetooth devices work flawlessly with my iMac, including the Magic Mouse/KB etc. What's your RF environment like?
- haikuginger 10y ago
  > What's your RF environment like? That's what my initial thought was too. Sounds like severe 2.4GHz pollution.
- joesmo 10y ago
  I'd say it's the environment too, but this happens at various locations across the country consistently with multiple types of Macbooks. Also, at these same exact locations, I have no problem using bluetooth with my Android phone, further reducing the likelihood that it's the environment. Finally, all the threads about OS X bugs relating to BT/RF/WiFi problems that have been reported for years but ignored by Apple, including reports by Apple's own beta testers, are a further indication that this is an actual problem and that a lot of people are having it.
  - jon-wood 10y ago
    I've had issues with a non-bluetooth wireless keyboard when plugging the receiver into my laptop directly which go away when it's connected via a USB hub a little distance away, which makes me think the laptop itself is causing interference.
    - FireBeyond 10y ago