Lately I’ve been having incredibly annoying problems with my mouse. It freezes up, causing me to have to get up, go behind the computer, unplug it, and plug it back in. It’s started to happen between every five and fifteen minutes, which is starting to crack my mind.
I’m going to start by replacing the little dongle that adapts between the USB and serial(? – round, less than a cm in diameter, little pins) port. But I’ve been considering bagging it entirely and buying a cordless mouse. (I have way too many cables already.)
Is it good? Is it worth it? Are cordless mice of good quality? How about cordless keyboards? Do they run well on rechargeable batteries?
If you got the extra budget, then go for it. They are good and reliable and they feel just like regular (corded) mice/keyboards. The power source depends on the manufacture.
One problem that might come up is that because cordless mice have their own internal power source, they have a built in power-saving mode that will result in a slight delay when moving your mouse. This can result in control problems in computer games, but if you are a geezer you might not care about that.
if you can’t keep AA batteries in your house, don’t get a battery-powered one. especially if you have a baby in the house. it’s gotten so bad sometimes, between losing the mouse and running out of batteries, that i just set my computer where i can control the cursor via the number keys to the very right of the keyboard. but i can’t remember how i set it up to do that; so you’ll have to ask someone else.
I have that Logitech mouse & keyboard and they work great. The mouse does go thru some batteries (I use alkaline, not rechargable) depending on how much you use it, but I think its well worth it to not have a damn mouse cord!
However, you need to find what’s causing your mouse to freeze up, because it’s probably not the mouse itself. BTW, that dongle thing is converting the USB to a PS2 mouse port, not a serial port (serial mouses are ancient!)
Try plugging the mouse into a USB port (i.e. w/o the dongle) and see if that works better (you’ll have to restart Windows and might need a new driver). If it does you either have some kind of software conflict or a defective motherboard.
I use a Logitech cordless mouse that just sits in its recharging cradle for a while when the batteries get low. Came bundled with a wireless keyboard, too.
And Phage is wrong, at least about the latest generation of cordless mice. The refresh rate is every bit as good as a corded mouse. No lag time at all.
I got a cordless mouse a couple years ago. I’m on my computer a lot, so I ended up having to charge the batteries almost every day. It was a total PITA. There were so many times that I forgot to charge the batteries and ended up having to plug the wired mouse back in to use my computer, that I eventually just left the wired mouse in permanently. The wireless mouse is sitting at the bottom of a pile of junk in my spare room - where it’s been since a month after I bought it.
I have the Logitech Cordless MX wireless mouse and keyboard combo. I like it a lot.
It comes with a cradle that attaches to both your PS/2 ports (one for keyboard, one for mouse) AND it plugs into a regular wall outlet. The cradle serves as a recharger for the mouse, and also as the receiver for the signals from both the keyboard and mouse. The range on this thing is pretty good, depending on where you put the cradle. If it’s got a line-of-sight, it works at least anywhere in my room (~10 feet), and possibly further away.
I have had the set for nearly six months, and I’ve not noticed any slowdown or lag from either the mouse or keyboard, and that includes playing online multiplayer games. I have changed the batteries in the keyboard perhaps three times, and I haven’t changed the batteries in the mouse at all (we’re talking heavy use here…probably an average of at LEAST 6 hours a day for most of that time).
This is what you want. I’m using the MX700 mouse which is bundled in this package and it works excellent. Smoothing motion and no problem what so ever with gaming. As it has been said, the goes into a power save mode after a while and there’s half-a-second delay before the pointer starts moving. This has never been a problem for me since it takes a while for it go into power save mode and it never does so midmove so to speak.
Matt, I have the same mouse you’re thinking of. The problem with the batteries is a real one; if the batteries die, you can’t use the dadblasted thing until they’re replaced. So of course, if you do buy it, make sure you always have at least one set of backup batteries (two to a set).
As far as replacing them all the time, that doesn’t happen to me at all. Now, bear in mind that you can’t turn the mouse off; you disable it only by removing the batteries. Now, most of us aren’t gonna bother with that. I sure don’t. Mine is on all the time. However, I really don’t have to replace the batteries very often at all - certainly not as much as neutron star apparently had to.
The bottom line for me is that the cordless one eliminates the tendency for my wires to get all entangled. My desktop looks a lot better, and I have a larger range of motion.
I bought the Microsoft cordless package (yeah, I know but Fry’s had them on sale for $10 less than the Logitech set). I have had no problems whatsoever - the system works great. The set I have is powered by batteries only. The keyboard uses a single AA (still going strong after almost 4 months) and I’m on my second set of mouse batteries (2 AA). I play several types of games including FPSs and RTS mouse clickfests. There is no lag at all on the mouse - it works just as well as a corded mouse. I’d recommend it to anyone.
Another vote for the Logitech mouse and keyboard combo.
I have my computer in a closet, with a well-made access hole to the side for the monitor cable to pass through.
On my glass-top desk, I have a flat-panel monitor, a cordless keyboard, and a cordless mouse.
The keyboard and mouse are able to function quite well even though the receiver is behind the closed closet door.
The mouse gets weak every two or three months. The keyboard lasts six or eight months.
If you go with Logitech, get the combo. You can’t add a wireless keyboard to an existing wireless mouse.
I have a Logitech cordless optical mouse and it is the most satisfactory mouse I have had. It is the only cordless mouse I have had, so other brands might be fine. It uses 2 AA batteries and they last 3 or 4 months. One thing. Somewhere on the box was the note that a resting mouse uses a lot less power if it is on a white surface. I don’t know why but I do know that the laser turns off then, while on another color it doesn’t.
I used a cordless mouse when I was in college. The desk in my room had a full back, and all the wires for my keyboard, monitor, etc, had to hang down the front. I got the cordless mouse so there would be one less wire that I’d have to dick around with.
I liked the cordless mouse, but make sure that you have spare batteries around. My mouse ate its batteries in about a month or two. And when the batteries died, they died quickly.
After college, when I got a real computer desk, I put away the cordless mouse and got an optical one. No more batteries to buy and no more mouse ball to clean
I use the Logitech mx700 too, the only complaint I have is that it sometimes doesn’t move properly: the cursor will jiggle around a small area instead of moving to the desired location. lifting the mouse off the mouse pad (I use a 3M optical precise mouse pad in case you’re wondering) for half a second seems to fix it. Still a very annoying problem playing Quake 3, you’re just about to let an unsuspecting opponent have with the rail gun and the stupid mouse decides to stuff you up. Anyone experience this problem and were able to fix it?
I should have mentioned in my post that my experience may be atypical. I went on Pricewatch and found the absolute cheapest wireless mouse available. I haven’t tried any of the more expensive models. From what the rest of you are saying, though, they seem significantly better.
Getting back to the OP: Getting a cordless mouse in no way shape or form is going to necessarily fix your mouse problem. There’s probably one of two things going on:
Something’s wrong with the port or software. Just getting a new mouse isn’t going to fix that unless you driver is changed to a working version. But you can change the software without buying a new mouse. Cordless or not is completely immaterial.
Something is wrong with the mouse. So get a new one (for some reason, most people don’t understand the concept of “fix the old one”). Again, cordless or not, doesn’t matter in the least.
You understand, it’s like saying “My Honda’s wipers make a funny noise, should I get a Toyota?” Huh?
I agree that the problem is not with your mouse. I would also add another vote for the Logitech cordless mouse and keyboard. I’ve had no problems, no issue with refresh rate, and the mouse has a rechargeable cradle that gets it going in no time at all.
Mr Munshun, I have a similar problem. Sometimes, for a few seconds, the mouse will skip around the screen (it looks like it’s warping), while I’m trying to move the mouse where I want it. Oh, it’s a new logitech, if that matters.
