Bluetooth or Wifi Mouse and Keyboard with No USB Dongle

I want to get a desktop mouse and keyboard (with number pad) for the Surface Pro 3. I don't want to occupy the USB port with cables or a dongle (like the Logitech unifying receiver). That means I either need to use Bluetooth or Wifi. I found the HP Wifi Mouse ( Amazon.com: HP WiFi Mouse: Electronics), but that is the only larger desktop mouse I've been able to find. I haven't been able to find any keyboards with numberpads, though I have found several without numberpads.

I'm hoping the good folks here at NotebookReview might be able to help me find what I'm looking for.

Thanks!

 

You can always use a port hub. Using a separate number pad is also an option. (I find it better as you can put the numpad away when not in use to save space and make your hand move less.)

Never heard of any real mouse/keyboard that is designed to run over WiFi before. The HP is interesting.

 

+1 for a USB hub.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If you don't want to use up a USB port, bluetooth will be the way to go. The drawback will be the lag in response time. The mouse won't be instantly responsive as other wireless mice are. If the mouse or Surface are turned off or go to sleep, the bluetooth link is disconnected. And it will take a few seconds for the connection to reestablish once both mouse and Surface are back on.

Be very wary of of that WiFi mouse. I am. Windows (and most other operating systems) are not setup to take peripheral inputs over WiFi. So, on the face of it, the HP WiFi mouse would at least need some serious software to overcome such a limitation. Doesn't mean it won't work. But if it is an odd setup for a standard desktop, it will be 10 times more complicated for a Surface Pro. Compatibility will be the first question needing an answer.

 

I never even heard of a WiFi mouse, neat! Sounds like it needs ad-hoc mode in order to communicate directly with the host PC. Otherwise, what happens if the WiFi router/hotspot is gone?


I would also say go for a Bluetooth mouse. The one I am currently using is:

Amazon.com: Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Mouse (H3S-00003): Computers & Accessories

It's been good to me, good quality, good software, and the battery lasts a long time even with heavy daily use. Sometimes I had lag issues but I couldn't pin point it down to the mouse or the PC. As of recently the lag issue almost went away, i think it was because of software/driver updates to my Qualcomm Atheros WLAN/BT card. Before I used to power off, then power back on the mouse and it would work okay but the lag issue persisted. I also would run a "Troubleshoot problems" on all network devices and the problem would be fixed, but the lag issue persisted. I'm 95% certain it was a software/driver issue with my Acer (other Acer owners reported a similar problem). My HP, which uses a Broadcom BT adapter, did not experience this issue so I don't want to blame the mouse.

When the mouse and BT on my Acer is functioning properly there is no noticeable lag of any sort and functions just as good as a wired or dongled-wireless mouse. Mouse detection is fast, only times you will notice detection is slow is when the mouse goes into standby from inactivity. Otherwise, Bluetooth is my recommendation.