How to Increase the Range of a Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Connection

How to Increase the Range of a Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Connection – This wikiHow teaches you how to increase the signal range of wireless keyboards and mice. While most wireless keyboards and mice have a maximum effective signal range at 9 meters, you will usually have trouble getting a signal after one third of that distance due to obstructions or interference from other devices.

Steps

Try to diagnose signal coverage issues on the mouse and keyboard. If your wireless keyboard or mouse stops working after being moved a few meters, first consider some of the common causes below:

• You’re using a cheap keyboard and mouse – cheap wireless devices have a shorter signal range than high-quality products.
  The hardware is old – If your mouse, keyboard, and/or computer is more than a few years old, you will start to experience a reduction in performance. You may be able to solve this problem by updating your computer system and downloading the latest drivers for the mouse and/or keyboard through the device manufacturer’s website.
  Battery low or needs to be recharged – In addition to losing signal range, the mouse and/or keyboard will stop working or shut down completely when the battery is low.

Replace the battery you are currently using with a new battery that can last a long time. You must use high-quality batteries for the mouse and keyboard; if the manufacturer recommends a battery from a certain brand, try to use a product from that brand. New batteries can always increase the signal range of wireless mice and keyboards.

• If your mouse or keyboard uses a charging system instead of a removable battery, charge them completely before using them again.
  For keyboards that come with a wired charger, you should leave the charger plugged in at all times.

Make sure that nothing else is blocking the device with the signal receiver. The wireless signal receiver ( receiver ) – the USB chip-shaped thing that plugs into the computer – isn’t powerful enough to transmit the signal through walls or furniture. You must ensure that the area between the signal receiver and the wireless device is “clear” of any obstructions.

Unplug any other USB devices from the computer. The fewer USB ports you use, the more power the USB devices plug into. If you have a printer, flash drive, external hard drive, or other USB-based object connected to your computer, unplug it while you are using the mouse and keyboard.

• This is why you need to update your computer system to the latest version. Older systems may be less effective at running USB ports than newer systems.

Keep other devices that can cause interference away from the mouse, keyboard and signal receiver. In addition to making sure the area between the device and the signal receiver is clean, you should keep electronics out of the way of the device’s communication. Some electronic devices that you should keep away are: [1]

• Other wireless devices (such as tablets, smartphones, baby monitors)
  Microwave
  Television
  Refrigerator
  Router and modem
  Another computer

Plug the computer into an empty electrical outlet. Using unplugged terminals instead of terminals connected to other electronic devices will keep your computer clean from interference, as well as ensure that the USB port gets constant power instead of drawing power from the computer’s battery.

• Most of the default settings on your computer will automatically reduce the power to the USB port when the power is taken from the battery.

Position the USB signal receiver towards the mouse or keyboard. The top of the USB connection is generally the front of the signal receiving device. In other words, the top of the USB should be facing your mouse or keyboard. Some receivers play, while some require a separate USB cable to play.

• If you got cable in your purchase of a signal receiver, make sure it is a quarter meter long or shorter. You must secure the position of the signal receiver after setting its orientation exactly to the position of the mouse and keyboard.

Use a USB dongle to increase the range of the signal receiver. If you don’t want to use a USB cable to guide the signal receiver to the mouse or keyboard, you can buy a small device to extend the signal range to the receiver. This object will increase the range of the signal receiver from the computer thereby reducing the resistance on the computer and making it easier for the signal receiver to connect from a greater distance.

Look for signal enhancement tools made specifically for your keyboard and mouse. Some keyboard/mouse manufacturers sell these tools on official websites or stores. They are larger, and more powerful than the signal receiver that came with your wireless device purchase. [2]

• Not all manufacturers sell signal boosters and the kits they do sell may not be made specifically for your keyboard and mouse model.

Update your wireless mouse and keyboard. If you can’t connect the mouse and keyboard more than half a meter, it might be time to buy a new one. You can buy a newer series of wireless devices you currently have, or start using a Bluetooth mouse/keyboard combination as a replacement.

• Switching wireless devices to Bluetooth will automatically increase the signal range on your mouse/keyboard because most things in your home do not use a Bluetooth network.

Tips

• Wireless mice and keyboards typically run on 2.4 gigahertz networks. This network is very commonly used by other wireless objects in your home. This is why you need to keep the signal receiver away from other wireless objects.

Warning

• While most wireless things can technically be used up to 9 meters away, the best performance on wireless mice and keyboards is usually closer.