Wireless mice use radio frequencies or Bluetooth technology to transmit signals to a computer. They come in mechanical, optical, and laser types and are suitable for presentations and laptops.
A wireless mouse is a computer mouse that does not need cables to send signals from the mouse to a computer. Over time, different technologies have led to the birth of different types of wireless mice on the market. The cordless mouse offers obvious advantages over its wired siblings, such as the ability to point and click on a computer screen across the room and run across multiple surfaces.
Wireless mouse technology uses mostly radio frequencies (RF) to send signals from the mouse to your computer. Like other radio technologies, this requires a transmitter and a receiver. The mouse transmits radio signals to a receiver, which is in turn connected to the computer hardware, usually via a cable. This type of wireless mouse is very reliable and can transmit mouse movements to the receiver across the room.
The emergence of Bluetooth® wireless technology offers a different twist on RF wireless mice. Using short-lived radio waves, this type of wireless mouse transmits signals to a receiver. It does not change the basic RF technology, but allows flexibility in configuration. With Bluetooth®, the receiver doesn’t have to be a housing unit connected to the computer by cable. For example, the transmitter can be a small USB plug-in. Or, with some PCs and laptops, the Bluetooth® receiver is built into the hardware internally. This makes it easier for a user to synchronize their computer with the wireless mouse, thus removing the extra clutter of an external transmitter. The range of a Bluetooth® mouse is comparable to that of other RF computer mice, allowing you to point and click easily from a standard-sized room.
In terms of the technology used to record your movements, wireless mice are similar to wired mice. Mechanical, optical, and laser mice are the three main types of wireless and wired mice. Mechanical mice are the more traditional, and perhaps obsolete, ones that use sensing balls to detect movement. Tracking balls are generally less reliable than optical and laser mice and typically need mouse pads to work accurately.
Optical wireless mice don’t use tracking balls; instead they rely on optical light to detect motion. This allows the mouse to track movement accurately on a variety of smooth and hard surfaces. Laser mice, which use laser light to calculate position and movement, are generally considered to be fast and accurate. Laser mice are particularly well-suited for wireless use, as they can accurately detect movement over the widest variety of surfaces, including something as comfortable as a pant leg.
Wireless mice are suitable for presentation settings. With a wireless mouse, a presenter can manage a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation from anywhere in the room. Wireless mice can also be equipped with laser pointers, to direct the audience’s attention. Some wireless mice also come with multiple buttons, such as play and stop controls, for running videos and programs on a computer. Given their mobility and flexibility, wireless mice are also convenient for use with laptops.
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