Wireless keyboards range problems.

[Och]

I've been having this problem for the longest, all of my wireless keyboards have terrible range, the keyboard almost has to be within 1-2 feet of the receiver or it starts acting up.

I am using wireless keyboards at home and at the office, almost all of them have HP Pavilion 800 wireless keyboards, which are as close to the Apple keyboard as I was able to find, while also feeling premium. Plenty of "slim" keyboards on the market are awful chinese junk.


I also have a couple of Logitech wireless keyboards, with the same exact issue, so its not limited to HP.

I also have a mix of HP and Logitech mice, and they also have the same issues.

All these keyboards and mice have very long life batteries, they seems to last for over a year, I wonder if they send very weak signal to conserve battery, and if there is a way to improve it.

 

[Silent-Runner]

never had problems as you described, but we had logitech keyboards that would act up if they were too close to each other (frequencies). Other than that i've never heard of such a ultra short range issue. But i don't use wireless anymore, so i can't really tell. I'm sure there are other ragers who still use that stuff and might give be able to some advice.

 

[Munkus]

Sounds like the OP might have a lot of radio signal "noise" that is causing interference. I switched back to wired mice & keyboards for that same reason.

 

[Hapatingjaky]

His issue is more then likely a USB match problem. I had a similar issue with my Soundblaster XFI Theater wireless headset. If I used the USB hub on the back of the monitor I'd have issues with my keyboard and mouse cutting out, even though the keyboard wasn't wireless.

The Soundblaster XFI Theater would cut out if I was more then 1 to 2 feet from the dongle regardless of where the dongle was plugged in to. Motherboard, Keyboard or front of the case, would just cut out constantly.

Replaced the USB hub with a Vantec UGT-AH710U3-BK and bingo, no more drop outs regardless of where I plug the dongle in to and I can walk across my house and still keep a stable connection.

Might want to look at all the USB devices attached and or consider a hub.

 

[logical]

Sometimes cell phones provide a bunch of interference. I dont know if you keep your cell phone on the desk when you sit down but that might possibly be the cause.

 

[Och]

Several different locations, several different computers, different keyboards and mice. I think there is just too much electromagnetic interference in the air, these low power devices start to bug out.

On my home computer I have Razer Naga Pro, and that works well, but the battery only lasts for few days until it needs to be docked for recharging.

I just ordered myself a Microsoft Surface keyboard, seems to have great build quality judging from the photos, and boasts 30 feet range. Only problem it is bluetooth, so no keyboard until windows boots up.

 

[Och]

So a little update, on both computers at home I got rid of my powered USB hubs. They seem to cause all kinds of issues as USB protocol was ill conceived, and had no control over voltage directions, so the USB hubs direct voltage back to the PC, and it causes issues with keyboard direction during boot etc. The keyboards on both PCs were plugged into the hubs (but I did try to plug them into other ports with not much improvement. Getting rid of the hubs all together seems to have alleviated the problem and improvement is substantial. For instance I typed this whole post from about 6 feet away with no issues.

In my office I have three computers with similar keyboards/mice, but they don't have USB hubs at all. I wonder if this is happening because all three computers are in closely placed cubicles, and the receivers are conflicting with each other. Time for some digital distancing perhaps?

I also received the Microsoft Surface keyboard, and what a POS for $100, its absolutely lightweight and flimsy, the magnetic battery cover looks like it will fall apart in less than 6 month, and of course its bluetooth only - so no keyboard until the OS boots. I'll be returning it.