How does a wireless mouse work?

by | Jun 16, 2009 03:30 PM ET

You Asked

How does a wireless mouse work? --- Sonia, Sydney, Australia

Marshall Answered

Most wireless mice have two parts when you purchase them. There is the mouse itself, and then a small box or dongle that you attach to a USB port of your computer. The mouse contains a Bluetooth transmitter, and the dongle contains a Bluetooth receiver. As you move the mouse around, it transmits its signals using Bluetooth radio signals rather than a wire.

Because of the Bluetooth transmitter, the mouse needs a source of power that usually comes from a pair of AA batteries inside the mouse. Because Bluetooth only transmits a few feet, and only when the mouse is moving, it does not take much power to transmit the information. Batteries in a wireless mouse will typically last for a couple of weeks of daily office use. With casual use they can last for a month or more.

Here's an innovative wireless mouse for a laptop. If your laptop has Bluetooth built in you do not need a dongle, and the mouse stores in a PCMCIA slot when not in use:

For more info see: How Bluetooth Works

More To Explore