Query on wireless mice

[ICIT2LOL]

For a long time now I have often wondered why if wireless mice run on 2.4GHz they cannot use the dongle they do not necessarily come with come with. For example the dongle got broken of in my luggage I guess through some rough handling and the mouse I was using as usual doesn't work with any other spare dongles I have.
Now I am guessing it is because perhaps the software in the mouse itself is different.

What I do find particularly annoying with a brand like Logitec that this happens with their brands different numbered mice ie a M185 and say the M205?? and there not being a great deal of difference in the size of the mouse.

So I have a collection of mice and dongles that just do not match up. Call me irresponsible I suppose but a good and reasonably priced Blu tooth mouse without the dongle is very hard to come by. Any suggestions for a reasonable priced Blu tooth would be appreciated

 

[GokAy]

Logitech does have a tech called unifying, not sure if your current mice are compatible though.

Just searched for m185 and it seems to support unifying.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks I will try the others out as I have a few and a bad habit of losing the dongles

 

[alphanumeric]

All my keyboards and mice are Logitech and use a Unifying receiver. I can link and unlink them to any Unifying dongle I have. The Unifying software that installs with Setpoint will let you do that. Not all Logitech mice are unifying though. I make a point of making sure mine are when I buy them. I bought a Logitech keyboard mouse combo just to get the keyboard. I unlinked it to the Unifying receiver it came with and gave the dongle and the mouse to my father. I then linked the keyboard to the dongle that came with my Logitech trackball. I have yet to have a Unifying receiver fail.

 

[GokAy]

@Alphanumeric: Just to make sure, what you refer to as receiver is the dongle, right? I guess that's the official name for it.

 

[alphanumeric]

@Alphanumeric: Just to make sure, what you refer to as receiver is the dongle, right? I guess that's the official name for it.

Yes, receiver/dongle. I probably should have used one or the other but not mixed both in there. Sorry if I confused things. I've had a few beers, so what can I say.

 

[strollin]

That's why I don't use wireless mice and keyboards and stick with Bluetooth because it's a standard. A Bluetooth dongle will work with whatever BT mouse or whatever BT keyboard. BT also can connect other devices such as headphones, speakers, GPS receivers, printers, etc... BT can also be used to transfer files. It's so much more versatile than wireless that I cannot understand why people bother with the non-standardized wireless stuff.

 

[Berton]

I have a number of Logitech Wireless mice with the nano transceiver, doesn't work to mix them up, have spent much time getting them paired back up. I also use Bluetooth with a few Notebooks, got started with a MacBook Pro. There's no dongle as the Bluetooth usually is part of the Wi-Fi Adapter so nothing can get broken off. There are dongles available for those Notebooks and Desktops without the built-in Bluetooth adapter. My experience is that Bluetooth adheres to just one 'language' or technology.

 

[Mellon Head]

You're right Berton. Bluetooth is Bluetooth, the interface language is the same for all Bluetooth modules, but the protocols of the devices being hooked up can be different, leading to incompatibilities or botched communication.

Not all Bluetooth receivers are interchangeable, though most are.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep unfortunately my oldish Toshiba will not play with Blu tooth I have tried two Blu tooth mice and it will not even see my phone.
I have downloaded all the drivers I can find in the Toshiba site for this model and it sits there searching but then nothing maybe the card is done for or the mice area incorrect version as I did notice there are Blu tooth 2.0 3.0 and 4.0 . But I agree Blu tooth which I use on my Asus gamer is just brilliant.

 

[alphanumeric]

Yeah, I think the Logitech Unifying Receiver is technically Bluetooth, but Logitech uses a proprietary communications protocol. The mice and keyboards won't talk to your normal Bluetooth receiver in your laptop and you can't talk to the dongle with other non Logitech devices. I really hate that they do that, but there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. When it breaks they want you coming back to them for the replacement.

 

[alphanumeric]

That's why I don't use wireless mice and keyboards and stick with Bluetooth because it's a standard. A Bluetooth dongle will work with whatever BT mouse or whatever BT keyboard. BT also can connect other devices such as headphones, speakers, GPS receivers, printers, etc... BT can also be used to transfer files. It's so much more versatile than wireless that I cannot understand why people bother with the non-standardized wireless stuff.

Um, Isn't Bluetooth wireless?

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I've used Logitech corded products for a long time and liked them. When I finally went wireless I stayed with that brand. I didn't have a laptop then so I was going to have a dongle anyway. I also don't do any of that other Bluetooth stuff. If I couldn't link and unlink, I likely would be using something else, but what I have does what I want of it. Now I have a laptop, but it doesn't have built in Bluetooth anyway.

 

[strollin]

That's why I don't use wireless mice and keyboards and stick with Bluetooth because it's a standard. A Bluetooth dongle will work with whatever BT mouse or whatever BT keyboard. BT also can connect other devices such as headphones, speakers, GPS receivers, printers, etc... BT can also be used to transfer files. It's so much more versatile than wireless that I cannot understand why people bother with the non-standardized wireless stuff.

Um, Isn't Bluetooth wireless?

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I've used Logitech corded products for a long time and liked them. When I finally went wireless I stayed with that brand. I didn't have a laptop then so I was going to have a dongle anyway. I also don't do any of that other Bluetooth stuff. If I couldn't link and unlink, I likely would be using something else, but what I have does what I want of it. Now I have a laptop, but it doesn't have built in Bluetooth anyway.

Of course Bluetooth is wireless, I'm not the one that made up these terms. Wireless is a generic term for all those, non-compatible with each other, wireless dongle/mice/keyboards that are so cheap and plentiful.

Just because you don't use the other features of BT doesn't make them any less useful. I have mice, keyboards, headphones, speakers and GPS receiver that all connect to my various devices (phone, tablet, laptop, netbook, desktop) via BT. Only my phone and tablet have built-in BT the rest I use cheap little Chinese manufactured BT dongles with. I've only had a single item that I couldn't get to pair once. That was a Sony Bluetooth speaker that wouldn't pair with my netbook. I ended up using a different BT dongle and then it worked.

I like to get the smallest BT dongle I can find, so small that it never needs to be unplugged. The drawback is that I give up one of my USB ports but I don't need to plug/unplug a mouse or a dongle on my laptop or netbook when I put them in their carrying bags.

 

[alphanumeric]

That's why I don't use wireless mice and keyboards and stick with Bluetooth because it's a standard. A Bluetooth dongle will work with whatever BT mouse or whatever BT keyboard. BT also can connect other devices such as headphones, speakers, GPS receivers, printers, etc... BT can also be used to transfer files. It's so much more versatile than wireless that I cannot understand why people bother with the non-standardized wireless stuff.

Um, Isn't Bluetooth wireless?

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I've used Logitech corded products for a long time and liked them. When I finally went wireless I stayed with that brand. I didn't have a laptop then so I was going to have a dongle anyway. I also don't do any of that other Bluetooth stuff. If I couldn't link and unlink, I likely would be using something else, but what I have does what I want of it. Now I have a laptop, but it doesn't have built in Bluetooth anyway.

Of course Bluetooth is wireless, I'm not the one that made up these terms. Wireless is a generic term for all those, non-compatible with each other, wireless dongle/mice/keyboards that are so cheap and plentiful.

Just because you don't use the other features of BT doesn't make them any less useful. I have mice, keyboards, headphones, speakers and GPS receiver that all connect to my various devices (phone, tablet, laptop, netbook, desktop) via BT. Only my phone and tablet have built-in BT the rest I use cheap little Chinese manufactured BT dongles with. I've only had a single item that I couldn't get to pair once. That was a Sony Bluetooth speaker that wouldn't pair with my netbook. I ended up using a different BT dongle and then it worked.

I like to get the smallest BT dongle I can find, so small that it never needs to be unplugged. The drawback is that I give up one of my USB ports but I don't need to plug/unplug a mouse or a dongle on my laptop or netbook when I put them in their carrying bags.

I didn't mean to imply they weren't useful, just that I don't personally use them. Like I said different strokes for different folks. Sounds like you have it all under control.

I hear you about the smallest dongle you can find. My laptop won't fit into my carry bag with the unifying receiver plugged in the side. It snags, as my laptop only just fits in the bag. It has a 17.3 inch screen.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Well for what it is worth I cannot understand why if the machine has wireless capabilities especially a laptop why any wireless feature is not used and that would do away with the need for a dongle after all the two frequencies that are used - mostly the 2.4GHz which the dongles use.

I suppose being a cynic I reckon it is just the manufacturers building in some features that requires one the use their dongle. Can you imagine say for example the commercial airlines not being able to use the frequencies they do without some specialized equipment to do so.

 

[alphanumeric]

Well for what it is worth I cannot understand why if the machine has wireless capabilities especially a laptop why any wireless feature is not used and that would do away with the need for a dongle after all the two frequencies that are used - mostly the 2.4GHz which the dongles use.

I suppose being a cynic I reckon it is just the manufacturers building in some features that requires one the use their dongle. Can you imagine say for example the commercial airlines not being able to use the frequencies they do without some specialized equipment to do so.

In reference to commercial airlines? Are you talking about in flight WIFI or air to ground communication. If it's the latter, they do use very specialized equipment for coms and navigation.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yes mate air to ground I was just using it as a ridiculous example ie an American aircraft over say China and them using different equipment set ups to communicate

 

[alphanumeric]

Yes mate air to ground I was just using it as a ridiculous example ie an American aircraft over say China and them using different equipment set ups to communicate

Ok, I got you now. It is specialized, but still universal across the globe.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep well I am going Blu tooth whenever I can now the one I got recently which was sent with no instructions (at the time but has since been mailed to me) is working fine and a lot cheaper than the Logitecs too.