5 ms·

I felt the same way about wireless mice for a LONG time, but technology has improved significantly. With 2.4Ghz instead of blutooth, the reliability and latenc

I felt the same way about wireless mice for a LONG time, but technology has improved significantly. With 2.4Ghz instead of blutooth, the reliability and latency problems are gone. Wireless mice, at the high end, have no more latency than a wired mouse. No issues with reliability in my years of owning them. The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. Once you've experienced a proper wireless mouse, going back is impossible. They're so freeing. You can move in any direction and amount with NO resistance. Never fight the cable again. It's the way mice were meant to be. Wireless keyboards are a bit more dubious. In theory they can have way better battery life due to the size, but in practice most still use crappy bluetooth so they have shit polling rates. I wish I could have it though, because it's more clutter on my desk and constantly gets in the way. I move my board around a lot to put down notepads, eat, etc. EDIT: To be clear, my battery life is a result of using an ultralight mouse with a small internal battery, for game reasons. If you want one with AAA/AA, you'll likely get months out of it no problem.

JohnFen 3y ago
> The battery also lasts a week or two That's not remotely long enough for it not to be a pain to manage. Being battery-powered is my primary objection to wireless mice and keyboards. That said, I do have a use case where the presence of cords are a larger problem than the hassle of being battery-powered and use a wireless mouse and keyboard there. But for everything else, nothing beats a cord.
- Night_Thastus 3y ago
  In practice, I find that it's really a non issue. With a traditional wired mouse, you keep it plugged in all the time. In this case, you only keep it plugged in an hour or two every week or two. It can still be used while charging. So when charging it's not any different than a wired mouse.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- f001 3y ago
  The mouse I use can charge wirelessly from a special mouse-pad. I’ve never had to think about batteries as a result. Pricey though. Combined the mouse / charging pad were close to $300 CAD
  - JohnFen 3y ago
    Using a mousepad at all is a nonstarter for me, and I avoid wireless charging generally because of the power waste that comes with it (I know, I'm weird). Cords on my mouse and keyboard (aside from the one use case I mentioned) give me exactly no trouble anyway, so wireless stuff solves no problem I generally have.
    - f001 3y ago
      That’s fair. For a keyboard I agree: mine has Bluetooth I’ve never used before. For a mouse though the lack of a cable is nice for playing FPSes and my work setup does double duty as my gaming setup.
- jonathanlydall 3y ago
  I used to really enjoy my Razer wireless mouse with charging dock and ability to revert to cable. That was until I stepped away from my computer (on my desk at home) to have dinner and came back an hour later to it being dead (mouse buttons worked, just didn’t pick up movement). I contacted support and they couldn’t offer any kind of support, I asked if they could do a firmware reset and they said not possible. This was about 9 years ago now and last piece of Razer hardware I ever bought.
- z500 3y ago
  I don't know what they're talking about, my mouse takes a couple AA batteries and I can count on one hand the times I remember changing them out.
  - Night_Thastus 3y ago
    I'm using an ultralight mouse with a small internal battery, not AA's. For one with a AAA I got a few months out of it.
- vel0city 3y ago
  Only high poll rate wireless gaming mice have battery life that low. Most wireless mice I've used can last months on a single or dual AA batteries. The Kensington trackball I'm using right now will last nearly a year on a single pair of AA batteries, I have some rechargeable NiCads in it currently that have been going for a few months and still have a good charge left. My wife gets about a year of usage on her Microsoft Bluetooth mouse. My Logitech MX Anywhere 2 mouse would last me a few months on a single charge before swapping to this trackball. A recharge took like an hour or so, normally I'd get the low battery notification like in the morning, plug it in when I went to go to lunch, and it would be fully charged by the time I got back and be good for a few months. Or I'd get it near the end of the day, plug it in overnight, and it would be good for a few months. Really not a hassle in the slightest.
bigstrat2003 3y ago
> Once you've experienced a proper wireless mouse, going back is impossible. They're so freeing. You can move in any direction and amount with NO resistance. Never fight the cable again. It's the way mice were meant to be. I have used a wireless mouse (I have one right now cause it's what work bought me). It is no better than a wired mouse.
- dmbche 3y ago
  I'm also very happy to never charge it or reconnect it to my computer through some GUI.
  - PhasmaFelis 3y ago
    My $20 wireless keyboard/mouse combo has run for years off of one set of batteries, and is instantly recognized by any OS the moment you plug in the dongle.
    - bigstrat2003 3y ago
      Agree about the dongle thing, but years on a single set of batteries? That has to be an exaggeration, that or you somehow found the glorious golden mouse crafted by the gods themselves. I've never seen any device last for years on a single set of batteries, not even the lowest power of devices.
      - tboughen 3y ago
        My parents' Casio calculator is 40 years old, and still on its original battery. It does not have solar power. It is still used weekly or so!
      - vel0city 3y ago
        I used to use a M705 mouse from Logitech. It has a three-year rated battery life on a single pair of regular AA batteries. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m705-wireless-mouse.910-001935.html https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m705-wireless-m... This M550 mouse is rated for two years using the Bolt wireless adapter. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m550-signature-wireless-mouse.html https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m550-signature-... The K400 keyboard+trackpad I have routinely lasts at least couple of years despite only rated for 18 months, but it didn't get as much usage as a regular kb+m as it was mostly used as a couch keyboard or as a quick debugging combo for working on machines on a workbench. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/keyboards/k400-plus-touchpad-keyboard.920-007119.html https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/keyboards/k400-plus-...
talent_deprived 3y ago
Been using a wireless mouse, Logitech m325, for years, including gaming and it's connected through a USB transfer switch and still works great! I agree on keyboards, I use wired.
therein 3y ago
> The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. That is surprising. I could have sworn we were way above that threshold now. I remember using some wireless Logitech mice that I never powered off manually and they lasted over 6-7 months of all day usage on one or two AA-batteries.
- Night_Thastus 3y ago
  Mine might be a bit less because I crank it to 1000 poll/s and play a lot of games. If you don't do any gaming and are fine with 125/s, you'll get a lot longer life. My last mouse that used one AAA lasts ~3 months on a battery.
jwells89 3y ago
> The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. Granted that I'm not the most avid gamer, the mouse I use on my gaming PC setup is a Logitech G604 Lightspeed which gets the better part of a year on a single Eneloop Pro AA battery, which I can swap out for a charged battery in seconds when it finally runs out of juice.
tejohnso 3y ago
Just today my Thinkpad Trackpoint Keyboard II arrived and you might be interested to know, it uses 2.4Ghz OR bluetooth. The feel is great, and for me it's awesome because I don't have to accommodate a second keyboard layout. I'm either using a Thinkpad laptop or this Thinkpad keyboard, both with Trackpoint and the same layout / feel.

JohnFen 3y ago

> The battery also lasts a week or two That's not remotely long enough for it not to be a pain to manage. Being battery-powered is my primary objection to wireless mice and keyboards. That said, I do have a use case where the presence of cords are a larger problem than the hassle of being battery-powered and use a wireless mouse and keyboard there. But for everything else, nothing beats a cord.

Night_Thastus 3y ago
In practice, I find that it's really a non issue. With a traditional wired mouse, you keep it plugged in all the time. In this case, you only keep it plugged in an hour or two every week or two. It can still be used while charging. So when charging it's not any different than a wired mouse.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
f001 3y ago
The mouse I use can charge wirelessly from a special mouse-pad. I’ve never had to think about batteries as a result. Pricey though. Combined the mouse / charging pad were close to $300 CAD
- JohnFen 3y ago
  Using a mousepad at all is a nonstarter for me, and I avoid wireless charging generally because of the power waste that comes with it (I know, I'm weird). Cords on my mouse and keyboard (aside from the one use case I mentioned) give me exactly no trouble anyway, so wireless stuff solves no problem I generally have.
  - f001 3y ago
    That’s fair. For a keyboard I agree: mine has Bluetooth I’ve never used before. For a mouse though the lack of a cable is nice for playing FPSes and my work setup does double duty as my gaming setup.
jonathanlydall 3y ago
I used to really enjoy my Razer wireless mouse with charging dock and ability to revert to cable. That was until I stepped away from my computer (on my desk at home) to have dinner and came back an hour later to it being dead (mouse buttons worked, just didn’t pick up movement). I contacted support and they couldn’t offer any kind of support, I asked if they could do a firmware reset and they said not possible. This was about 9 years ago now and last piece of Razer hardware I ever bought.
z500 3y ago
I don't know what they're talking about, my mouse takes a couple AA batteries and I can count on one hand the times I remember changing them out.
- Night_Thastus 3y ago
  I'm using an ultralight mouse with a small internal battery, not AA's. For one with a AAA I got a few months out of it.
vel0city 3y ago
Only high poll rate wireless gaming mice have battery life that low. Most wireless mice I've used can last months on a single or dual AA batteries. The Kensington trackball I'm using right now will last nearly a year on a single pair of AA batteries, I have some rechargeable NiCads in it currently that have been going for a few months and still have a good charge left. My wife gets about a year of usage on her Microsoft Bluetooth mouse. My Logitech MX Anywhere 2 mouse would last me a few months on a single charge before swapping to this trackball. A recharge took like an hour or so, normally I'd get the low battery notification like in the morning, plug it in when I went to go to lunch, and it would be fully charged by the time I got back and be good for a few months. Or I'd get it near the end of the day, plug it in overnight, and it would be good for a few months. Really not a hassle in the slightest.

bigstrat2003 3y ago

> Once you've experienced a proper wireless mouse, going back is impossible. They're so freeing. You can move in any direction and amount with NO resistance. Never fight the cable again. It's the way mice were meant to be. I have used a wireless mouse (I have one right now cause it's what work bought me). It is no better than a wired mouse.

dmbche 3y ago
I'm also very happy to never charge it or reconnect it to my computer through some GUI.
- PhasmaFelis 3y ago
  My $20 wireless keyboard/mouse combo has run for years off of one set of batteries, and is instantly recognized by any OS the moment you plug in the dongle.
  - bigstrat2003 3y ago
    Agree about the dongle thing, but years on a single set of batteries? That has to be an exaggeration, that or you somehow found the glorious golden mouse crafted by the gods themselves. I've never seen any device last for years on a single set of batteries, not even the lowest power of devices.
    - tboughen 3y ago
      My parents' Casio calculator is 40 years old, and still on its original battery. It does not have solar power. It is still used weekly or so!
    - vel0city 3y ago
      I used to use a M705 mouse from Logitech. It has a three-year rated battery life on a single pair of regular AA batteries. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m705-wireless-mouse.910-001935.html https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m705-wireless-m... This M550 mouse is rated for two years using the Bolt wireless adapter. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m550-signature-wireless-mouse.html https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/mice/m550-signature-... The K400 keyboard+trackpad I have routinely lasts at least couple of years despite only rated for 18 months, but it didn't get as much usage as a regular kb+m as it was mostly used as a couch keyboard or as a quick debugging combo for working on machines on a workbench. https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/keyboards/k400-plus-touchpad-keyboard.920-007119.html https://www.logitech.com/en-us/products/keyboards/k400-plus-...

talent_deprived 3y ago

Been using a wireless mouse, Logitech m325, for years, including gaming and it's connected through a USB transfer switch and still works great! I agree on keyboards, I use wired.

therein 3y ago

> The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. That is surprising. I could have sworn we were way above that threshold now. I remember using some wireless Logitech mice that I never powered off manually and they lasted over 6-7 months of all day usage on one or two AA-batteries.

Night_Thastus 3y ago
Mine might be a bit less because I crank it to 1000 poll/s and play a lot of games. If you don't do any gaming and are fine with 125/s, you'll get a lot longer life. My last mouse that used one AAA lasts ~3 months on a battery.

jwells89 3y ago

> The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. Granted that I'm not the most avid gamer, the mouse I use on my gaming PC setup is a Logitech G604 Lightspeed which gets the better part of a year on a single Eneloop Pro AA battery, which I can swap out for a charged battery in seconds when it finally runs out of juice.

tejohnso 3y ago

Just today my Thinkpad Trackpoint Keyboard II arrived and you might be interested to know, it uses 2.4Ghz OR bluetooth. The feel is great, and for me it's awesome because I don't have to accommodate a second keyboard layout. I'm either using a Thinkpad laptop or this Thinkpad keyboard, both with Trackpoint and the same layout / feel.