About growing fed up of wireless input sh*t!

[Brumby]

I do not understand the need for wireless mice and keyboards for desktop machines. What wire clutter? Please.

"Please"?

I might suggest you do not offer disdain upon others from your narrow outlook.  If all you ever use your desk space for is the keyboard and mouse, then fine.

I, however, have a multi-function work space and 3 of the four most common work modes require the keyboard to be out of the way.  I resisted wireless for a long time - but now I have embraced it, my transitions between work modes have become far less onerous.

[David Hess]

My oldest Logitech wireless keyboards and mice still work but my newer sets, 660 Cordless Desktops, die after a couple years and I am on my last spare.  I actually gave up on the mouse part and started using a wired G300 gaming mouse a couple years ago but now I am on the second G300 mouse also.  If Logitech's quality was any good, which is debatable, it is much worse since at least 2010.  You know something is wrong when third parties are selling replacement parts for your products.  (1) Apple falls into this catagory as well with their chintzy chargers and dongles.

I will probably keep using G300 mice as long as they are available but my next keyboards will be wired mechanical units perhaps from Redragon.

(1) Logitech has never sold a good mouse cable but at least their switches used to be good.

[TerraHertz]

For desktops my preference is wired keyboards and mice. Security and reliability.
But for laptops, I prefer wireless mice. Logitech M185 work well enough imo. Though I've found there are some environments they just won't work, presumably due to RF interference. Hence I carry a backup wired mouse in the laptop bag.
The mousepads always present on laptops, are one form of interface I flatly refuse to use except in absolute emergencies. They're an ergonomic disaster even when working properly - which they often don't.
Touch screens are more workable, but I still don't like them because it's so easy to accidentally start some process you didn't intend. Plus fingerprints on the glass, and gorilla-arm syndrome.

The M185 uses a single AA battery, and alkalines seem to last a very long time. If you remember to turn the mouse off when not in use.

[sleemanj]

I currently use a house brand super cheapo budget wireless keyboard and mouse (Necessities brand bought from The Warehouse for those in NZ)... they are actually possibly the best pair I have used.  In fact they were so good that at the time I thought they MUST have been a rebadge of some superior brand but I was never able to find any the same.

Really good on batteries  (but of course I always have a supply, the mouse runs flat ever maybe 2-3 months, the keyboard... I don't know, I don't recall changing them it is so infrequent), but the mouse is comfortable and even has a three-stage resolution switch, and the keyboard just feels good is full size, nicely spaced keys.  I hate changing keyboards usually, of course, as a programmer, muscle memory is a bitch when the keys moved on you, but this one really just felt like my old Logitech.

https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/necessities-brand-wireless-keyboard-and-mouse-combo-black/R2115287.html#q=keyboard&start=1

I keep meaning to go grab a couple of spare sets to stockpile in case they stop selling them.

Only thing which would be good would be dedicated media keys, but I can live with a Fn-combo. 

I've used wireless for many years, I'd never used wired again long term, especially not mouse, too many mugs and stuff went over the edge due to cord entaglement.

[hans]

Years back I had a wireless desktop mice. It ate 2xAA batteries every 2 weeks or so. That's 1 pack of 4 batteries per month, which costs like 2-3 euro at a discount store. Easily 25 per year to use a freaking mice.

And what for rechargeable batteries are made? 

Why do you think the batteries lasted only 2 weeks?
I don't even have enough remote controls and other gadgets around the house to put these half used batteries in! The cells still measured 1.25-1.3V when you take them out. The rechargeable batteries I had at the time were only 1.2V cells.

This is what you get if you buy a wireless mice from a discount store, also. Bet there must be some conspiracy going on with their own battery sales /s

[wraper]

I don't even have enough remote controls and other gadgets around the house to put these half used batteries in! The cells still measured 1.25-1.3V when you take them out. The rechargeable batteries I had at the time were only 1.2V cells.

Did you measure them under the load? Non rechargable batteries unlike rechargables have much worse current supplying capability. And when they are nearly empty, voltage may drop dramatically under the load. FWIW, wireless mouses sleep when are not moved and consume much higher current when active.
Not to say that Alkaline battery @ 1.3V (non loaded) remains less than 20% of it's capacity.

[VinzC]

Thanks for your input guys.

Reading all your comments, I'm tempted to summarize it just as Rerouter said:

Its a very mixed bag

It looks to me more like a lottery to find a good working keyboard/mouse.

But as was mentioned earlier about the need for wireless input on a desktop machine, there is my context, which I feel the need to mention — less to justify my choice rather than show a perfectly viable use case for going wireless. My setup is a desktop computer, which I use as a media player and all-in-one desktop/media/gaming computer (well gaming not that much lately but you get the picture). As a result the computer sits on a piece of furniture in front of my sofa. Between both space and a low table. Distance: 2 meters.

There's an advantage with wireless and this kind of setup: only one wireless keyboard/mouse combo that you carry with you across the room lets you control your computer remotely (ofc best with large TV screen and large fonts...) from anywhere in the room. And the Trust keyboard had a fairly long range compared with anything else I've had.

All of this kind of sucks with cables. Hence going wireless with a keyboard/mouse combo and one that takes little place is even better. Moreover my computer case only has two USB sockets on the front. As most keyboards don't come with any USB hub, wired input devices would go in pair.

So the number of possibilities are very reduced. The only one wired keyboard that comes with a USB hub, which I've found in nearby shops is an Apple Aluminium keyboard. I had a USB trackball that unfortunately started to cause troubles with buttons recently (I might attempt at repairing it some day) so I resorted to using a USB mouse, connected to the keyboard.

So far, in my own case, this is the only setup that's going to last, I believe.

[HighVoltage]

I have many Logitech Performance MX Mice is use for years and none of them have failed so far.
Keyboards I only use with cable

[Richard Crowley]

I have a small-form-factor notebook computer (Lenovo Yoga 13) with limited USB connectivity. I use a Microsoft Bluetooth mouse with it (so I don't have to waste a USB input just for the mouse).  The MS mouse intermittently just stops working for no apparent reason. Sometimes it will go for weeks without a hitch, and sometimes it will quit several times in a week. 

When it quits, I have to cycle the computer Bluetooth off and back on, and re-pair the mouse.  I just had to do this a few minutes ago before writing this.  I have a very low opinion of Bluetooth because of this.   

[wraper]

When it quits, I have to cycle the computer Bluetooth off and back on, and re-pair the mouse.  I just had to do this a few minutes ago before writing this.  I have a very low opinion of Bluetooth because of this.   

Do you use USB3.x flash or external hard drive when that happens? If cable or device is poorly built, they may introduce a ton of interference which may prevent bluetooth and wifi from working normally. In any case, I would try to update Bluetooth driver and mouse firmware.

[digsys]

I've rolled out ~50-80 Logitec MK520s over the last 10+ years, and have never had a kbd or mouse battery go flat in under 1-2 yrs, all used for
40+ hrs a day. In the very beginning, we did have a couple? die in under a year, but I forgot what the cause was. Battery batch? Early firmware?
I have low use stations that are now at 5+ yrs, I don't use rechargeables. I'd rarely (never if I could help it) use corded again.

[tautech]

The Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard EX90 I seem to have had forever has been great....well the keyboard anyway as traditional mice now drive me nuts so I've been using a corded Trackman Wheel for years.
IIRC the EX90 mouse was fairly hungry on batteries chomping through a set every few months while the keyboard seems to last forever on a set, maybe 6 months- a year.
I only bought this package so I could stow it easily off the bench and TBH I mostly use it on my knees and it's been through hell, dropped and all covered in gunk but I've never had stuck keys or problems with it.

I've just fished out the box it came in and the only info I could find to indicate how old it is was Logitech pamphlets with 2006 on them.  Since I joined the forum in 2013 it's had nearly daily use and typed 99% of all my posts plus of course the bulk of my business use.
To get the best from Logitech products you need have their bloated Setpoint software package installed and that's a pain if you've only got a slow internet connection to download it.
However it does pop up a flag when batteries are getting low and it's an ample warning as mine went off a couple of weeks back and another set are parked ready and waiting for when they're really needed.
I'd have no hesitation in getting another one.

[TheWelly888]

I've rolled out ~50-80 Logitec MK520s over the last 10+ years, and have never had a kbd or mouse battery go flat in under 1-2 yrs, all used for 40+ hrs a day.

How do you manage to use a keyboard for that long each day? 

[apis]

I got an old Logitech G700 which you have to change battery in basically every day (it also had nickel in the scroll wheel which made it unusable).

G700 is a gaming mouse, hence short battery life. But it can be charged over microUSB cable and used as wired mouse as well. Basically you should plug the cable when not using it to charge.

Yeah, it's a gaming mouse (lots of buttons!), but I don't think that explains why the battery life is so poor. I have had no problem with the M590 or G602, but I haven't had them for that long. The G602 has a very good battery life despite it also being a gaming mouse (it's similar to the G700 but sadly lacks a nice feature that lets you put the scroll wheel in "freewheel mode" which is fantastic).

The short battery life of the G700 was the biggest complaint on their user forum. I'm ok with replacing the battery once a day even if it's a bit annoying. I use it at home and always have charged batteries around. The bigger problem was the nickel in the metal the scroll wheel was made of, that eventually made my fingers bleed. Took me a while before I realised what was causing it. The mouse I had before was from Microsoft and it had a metallic logo insert in the back of the mouse which also caused a rash.

It's a real shame, the G700 is the best mouse I've ever used. Luckily I recently found a aluminium replacement scroll wheel on AliExpress so I can still use it.

Logitech make decent but overpriced input devices, but sometimes you can find them at reduced price.

I've also had cheap generic wireless optical mice that worked great, unfortunately gave it away (or it was stolen). Most of the cheap generic ones are not good though; noisy buttons, scroll wheel that uses a cheap mechanical encoder that fails after a few months, etc (and not enough buttons).

[wraper]

The short battery life of the G700 was the biggest complaint on their user forum. I'm ok with replacing the battery once a day even if it's a bit annoying. I use it at home and always have charged batteries around. The bigger problem was the nickel in the metal the scroll wheel was made of, that eventually made my fingers bleed. Took me a while before I realised what was causing it. The mouse I had before was from Microsoft and it had a metallic logo insert in the back of the mouse which also caused a rash.

It's a real shame, the G700 is the best mouse I've ever used. Luckily I recently found a aluminium replacement scroll wheel on AliExpress so I can still use it.

G700 has also a laser sensor and 1000Hz report rate which does not help to the battery life. It can be set to energy efficient mode and set to reduce report rate from software to somewhat extend battery life. It's an awesome mouse but yeah, battery life is annoying. I recently bought G903 which is an awesome mouse for it's performance, excellent movement tracking which is much better than G700. But ergonomics are just not right, it causes some pain in my palm if used for a prolonged time. Also one side button started to make multiple clicks after just a few weeks. So I got a replacement which is still unopened as I fixed that button while waiting for replacement (Logitech does not ask to return old one). In the end I put aside G903, replaced the feet on G700 with new and now using it. BTW I replaced switches in G700 and replacement G700 I got as well because of double click issues. So I had two G700 as well before I lost one during the trip. The strangest part is that all dicky switches were Omron and not some cheapos.

it's similar to the G700 but sadly lacks a nice feature that lets you put the scroll wheel in "freewheel mode" which is fantastic

That's the only reason why I bought G903. I wanted G603 which has excellent battery life unlike G903 but it lacks this awesome feature. The only other choice is top of MX series to get this in current product. It just makes scrolling through the long webpages and documents so much easier.

[apis]

it's similar to the G700 but sadly lacks a nice feature that lets you put the scroll wheel in "freewheel mode" which is fantastic

That's the only reason why I bought G903. I wanted G603 which has excellent battery life unlike G903 but it lacks this awesome feature. The only other choice is top of MX series to get this in current product. It just makes scrolling through the long webpages and documents so much easier.

Once you get used to scroll that quickly and effortlessly it's hard to go back!

Maybe lucky I didn't notice the G903 before in that case. The G603 I got was a demo ex or returned item, so I got it quite cheap, it was before I noticed you could buy an aluminium replacement wheel on AliExpress, they also sell replacement feet and other parts at competitive prices. (I have nickel allergy so the metal might not be a problem that affects everyone, but I've seen comments by others with the same problem). The G603 is nice, but after I replaced the scroll wheel in the G700 I've begun using that again. Actually I haven't replaced the batteries in the G603 since I got it (the two duracell AA it came with).

[digsys]

  ... How do you manage to use a keyboard for that long each day?     

Office staff mostly. Deduct usual breaks etc ... and often with heaps of overtime. ok, shouldn't have said all =many  :-)

[wraper]

  ... How do you manage to use a keyboard for that long each day?     

Office staff mostly. Deduct usual breaks etc ... and often with heaps of overtime. ok, shouldn't have said all =many  :-)

Still don't get how you can achieve:

40+ hrs a day.

Maybe if you are living on Venus or Mercury

[digsys]

Still don't get how you can achieve:

40+ hrs a day.

Maybe if you are living on Venus or Mercury

LOL oops :-) .. ok, we've been sprung ! I do have an office on Mercury :-)

[David Hess]

I used the Logitech RX650 wireless optical mouse for a while and never had problems with its battery life using low discharge NiMH AA cells.  I stopped using it because of wireless unreliability and high latency; the G300 wired USB mouse performs so much better than any wireless mouse I have used so I am not going back.  It *should* be possible to make a good wireless mouse (and keyboard) but nobody has done it.

I switched to the G300 gaming mouse not for games but for the extra buttons and software macro capability in normal applications.  I initially tried the G500 but did not like the thumb buttons or asymmetrical shape and the G300 has more buttons anyway.

[TheNewLab]

My 10 cents. I have used the Logitech. Experience has taught me, that a wireless is simply not as reliable and responsive as being wired in. Still, there are times that you just need it wireless

I buy and use Logitech, because many years I knew the guys that started the company and bought their products direct for a software business I had. i have no idea who's is actually best. I know that i prefer to patronize who I know and who is not to big

My father after every flight back home, would toss me a handful of Avis car rental buttons and say "Avis we try harder" back then there was really a difference in size between Avis and Hertz..I guess it stuck with me.

[Brumby]

Still don't get how you can achieve:

40+ hrs a day.

Maybe if you are living on Venus or Mercury

LOL oops :-) .. ok, we've been sprung ! I do have an office on Mercury :-)

I bet bringing staff and equipment back are a pain.  Endless checks for Mercury contamination.

[rsjsouza]

I personally always liked Logitech mice since quite early days of mainstream PC graphical environments (Windows/286). Despite a hiatus when the first microsoft ergonomic mouse was released (which I like even today) I used a variety of models wired (but got fed up with the wires entangling), trackball (I ended up giving up after muscle pain on my thumb) and now wireless without any technical issues. I currently use two M510s on my desktops, one M505 portable and a V470 for Bluetooth systems