Bluetooth keyboards with trackpads?
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From: Ian Rawlings on 25 Jan 2008 14:35 Hello all, I'm typing this message on a wireless keyboard that has an integrated trackpad, and it's almost ideal for use in the lounge, however every single wireless keyboard I've ever tried stops functioning when there's data being transferred across my wireless network. So I started looking for a bluetooth keyboard with an integrated trackpad. It seems such a thing doesn't exist! For some odd reason, all the bluetooth keyboards I've ever found either are for PDA/smartphones (fair enough) or are large keyboards that come with mice. I'd have thought the major market for wireless keyboards would be for lounge lizards like me, using them on their laps, so why there are quite so many big keyboards with mice I'm not sure. So has anyone seen a keyboard with no numeric keypad (but the remaining keys are full-sized), an integrated trackpad or IBM-style nipple thingummy, that works via bluetooth? And those of you who have tried bluetooth, what's the range like and does it work OK with linux? In theory bluetooth can work up to 100 feet (or is it metres) with the right class, but I have the horrible feeling keyboards would probably have a very short range. Cheers all! -- Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!
From: Ian Rawlings on 25 Jan 2008 15:11 On 2008-01-25, Ian Rawlings <news06(a)tarcus.org.uk> wrote: > however every single wireless keyboard I've ever tried stops > functioning when there's data being transferred across my wireless > network. So I started looking for a bluetooth keyboard Fiddlesticks, I forgot that bluetooth also operates in the 2.4GHz band, so may well also suffer from the same problem. Anyone got any experience on stopping these things from knocking each other out? I get frequent repeated keystrokes from my keyboard during low WLAN traffic periods, and almost totally dead keyboard during high traffic. It's very irritating! Tried setting WLAN to specific channels and trying to force the the keyboard to re-sync with the USB dongle, but nothing seems to help. -- Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!
From: Andy Burns on 25 Jan 2008 17:08 On 25/01/2008 20:11, Ian Rawlings wrote: > Fiddlesticks, I forgot that bluetooth also operates in the 2.4GHz > band, so may well also suffer from the same problem. bluetooth uses frequency hopping > Anyone got any > experience on stopping these things from knocking each other out? I use WiFi and bluetooth (laptop, ipaq, mouse, GPS, phone, earpiece, car, desktop + usb dongle) together all the time, never a problem.
From: Dave Liquorice on 25 Jan 2008 16:20 On Fri, 25 Jan 2008 19:35:57 +0000, Ian Rawlings wrote: > Hello all, I'm typing this message on a wireless keyboard that has an > integrated trackpad, and it's almost ideal for use in the lounge, > however every single wireless keyboard I've ever tried stops > functioning when there's data being transferred across my wireless > network. Both on the same channel? Move one but be aware that of the 13 or so channels only 3 of them don't overlap (1, 6 & 11) in the frequencies they use. Have a scan about and see what other networks are about in your area and the channels they use, then select accordingly. -- Cheers new5pam(a)howhill.com Dave. pam is missing e-mail
From: Ian Rawlings on 25 Jan 2008 17:33
On 2008-01-25, Andy Burns <usenet.jan2008(a)adslpipe.co.uk> wrote: > bluetooth uses frequency hopping Supposedly so does my wireless LAN, not sure about the keyboard, have asked the manufacturer about 20 mins ago, they're german and don't have much english on their website, so hopefully someone there speaks english. I suppose the wlan isn't hopping away from the keyboard because it's hardly a high bandwidth eater ;-) > I use WiFi and bluetooth (laptop, ipaq, mouse, GPS, phone, earpiece, > car, desktop + usb dongle) together all the time, never a problem. I'm not sure if there are differences in the basic transport, I don't think there's any error correction on the keyboard link, not so sure about bluetooth or whether error correction depends on the bluetooth profile selected. I've minimised the hassles with this keyboard by forcing the wireless LAN up to channel 13, at the top end of the spectrum, flooding the network (keyboard promptly locks up), then syncing the keyboard and receiving dongle to prompt them to select a frequency in the hope that they'd see the high traffic wlan and move away. That seems to have helped, despite the network still being flooded the keyboard became almost usable but I'm still getting character echoes even when the wlan traffic is low. Not as bad as it was but still annoying. I think I might try a bluetooth keyboard and see how it goes, if you reckon yours is working fine without wlan interfence. I could do with a small one for my mobile phone as it moves to replace my PDA. What's range like on your keyboard? Apple's one (very nice but lots of missing keys and no trackpad) works up to 30 feet away apparently. -- Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire! |