Ideal keyboard+mouse solution for HTPC?

[Am_P]

Hello all,

I have a multipurpose pc for gaming and hometheater use. I am using my big tv as the monitor and i sit around 12 feet away from the htpc. I was using a wireless keyboard, Logitech G613 and mouse, Logitech G903 for this purpose. I realized that bluetooth connectivity over 12 feet was rather flaky with the above mentioned keyboard and mouse setup during gaming on fps shooters like call of duty. As i understand, other wireless options may not fare much better at longer distances as well and these are designed for short distances. Since then, I got a wired keyboard and mouse and connected it to a 12 ft usb extension cable routing from the PC. Functionally, it is good for gaming. But, I find this setup to be an inconvenience in terms of a wired connection running the full length of the room. The dogs and myself tripping on wires etc. Is there a suitable cleaner solution or advice anyone can offer, if they have been in the same predicament?

Thank you

 

[TLS Guy]

Hello all,

I have a multipurpose pc for gaming and hometheater use. I am using my big tv as the monitor and i sit around 12 feet away from the htpc. I was using a wireless keyboard, Logitech G613 and mouse, Logitech G903 for this purpose. I realized that bluetooth connectivity over 12 feet was rather flaky with the above mentioned keyboard and mouse setup during gaming on fps shooters like call of duty. As i understand, other wireless options may not fare much better at longer distances as well and these are designed for short distances. Since then, I got a wired keyboard and mouse and connected it to a 12 ft usb extension cable routing from the PC. Functionally, it is good for gaming. But, I find this setup to be an inconvenience in terms of a wired connection running the full length of the room. The dogs and myself tripping on wires etc. Is there a suitable cleaner solution or advice anyone can offer, if they have been in the same predicament?

Thank you

I have no trouble with my Logitec key board. The most important thing is to put the USB receiver on the front and a short USB extender between, then the case of the HTPC will not limit range.

 

[RedCharles]

Corsair lapboard

https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Wireless-Mechanical-Keyboard-Lapboard/dp/B078233TKB/ref=asc_df_B078233TKB/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242166847606&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16279782794252336098&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032849&hvtargid=pla-434123418206&psc=1

And
The 502 is better than the 903. I own both.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Lightspeed-PowerPlay-Compatible-Lightsync/dp/B07L4BM851/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=logitech+mouse&qid=1633714088&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQVowQU1MTktSTFZRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDA5ODIzM0JSUE9ROFRMUTEyMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTcxNDk1Mzc4VTdPRkZMSVU0NiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

And a USB hub like TLS said. I use this one. It used to be $15 bucks not that long ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Unibody-Aluminum-Portable-Notebook/dp/B00O0KISQE/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=anker+usb+hub&qid=1633714612&sr=8-4

Or
Get a USB repeater with low lag, because with any active connection, you're going to introduce lag.

These people claim no lag.

USB-ZERO | USB 2.0 extender for gaming or controllers with zero lag

USB-ZERO extend up to four simultaneous controllers such as gaming controllers, keyboard, mouse, joysticks, Bluetooth dongles, printers, multimedia devices, over one RF coaxial cable up to 330Ft ( 100 Meters ) with absolute zero delay, same as directly connected to the main PC or Console.

fibercommand.com

Not saying the above is the best device choice, but as a category, this may be a solution. I was going to wire this under the floor, and behind the couch, but I ended up just getting the corsair lapboard and the 502, and the problem went away.

 

[Am_P]

I have no trouble with my Logitec key board. The most important thing is to put the USB receiver on the front and a short USB extender between, then the case of the HTPC will not limit range.

Do you play fast paced FPS shooters? Have you tried your specific wireless mouse+kb for such an use case? I have no issue with any other use case except this specific one with missed inputs. Even a cheap dinky wired kb+mouse doesn't have issues, which leaves me to think that even the expensive wireless counterparts are not designed for running fps shooters from a range of 12 ft.

 

[Am_P]

Corsair lapboard

https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-Wireless-Mechanical-Keyboard-Lapboard/dp/B078233TKB/ref=asc_df_B078233TKB/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242166847606&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16279782794252336098&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032849&hvtargid=pla-434123418206&psc=1

And
The 502 is better than the 903. I own both.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Lightspeed-PowerPlay-Compatible-Lightsync/dp/B07L4BM851/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=logitech+mouse&qid=1633714088&s=electronics&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQVowQU1MTktSTFZRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDA5ODIzM0JSUE9ROFRMUTEyMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTcxNDk1Mzc4VTdPRkZMSVU0NiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

And a USB hub like TLS said. I use this one. It used to be $15 bucks not that long ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Unibody-Aluminum-Portable-Notebook/dp/B00O0KISQE/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=anker+usb+hub&qid=1633714612&sr=8-4

Or
Get a USB repeater with low lag, because with any active connection, you're going to introduce lag.

These people claim no lag.

USB-ZERO | USB 2.0 extender for gaming or controllers with zero lag

USB-ZERO extend up to four simultaneous controllers such as gaming controllers, keyboard, mouse, joysticks, Bluetooth dongles, printers, multimedia devices, over one RF coaxial cable up to 330Ft ( 100 Meters ) with absolute zero delay, same as directly connected to the main PC or Console.

fibercommand.com

Not saying the above is the best device choice, but as a category, this may be a solution. I was going to wire this under the floor, and behind the couch, but I ended up just getting the corsair lapboard and the 502, and the problem went away.

The issue is not lag for me, it is missed inputs. It is so frustrating man.

 

[TLS Guy]

Do you play fast paced FPS shooters? Have you tried your specific wireless mouse+kb for such an use case? I have no issue with any other use case except this specific one with missed inputs. Even a cheap dinky wired kb+mouse doesn't have issues, which leaves me to think that even the expensive wireless counterparts are not designed for running fps shooters from a range of 12 ft.

Since I have no clue what fast paced FPS shooters are, the answer is no. I just hope is does not require full body armor and a risk of a drive by shooting!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hello all,

I have a multipurpose pc for gaming and hometheater use. I am using my big tv as the monitor and i sit around 12 feet away from the htpc. I was using a wireless keyboard, Logitech G613 and mouse, Logitech G903 for this purpose. I realized that bluetooth connectivity over 12 feet was rather flaky with the above mentioned keyboard and mouse setup during gaming on fps shooters like call of duty. As i understand, other wireless options may not fare much better at longer distances as well and these are designed for short distances. Since then, I got a wired keyboard and mouse and connected it to a 12 ft usb extension cable routing from the PC. Functionally, it is good for gaming. But, I find this setup to be an inconvenience in terms of a wired connection running the full length of the room. The dogs and myself tripping on wires etc. Is there a suitable cleaner solution or advice anyone can offer, if they have been in the same predicament?

Thank you

A brief look over the keyboard and it looks like it was designed to be operated as RF, BT, or Wired.
so far you've told us that you've tried BT and Wired and see faults in both, but have you tried specially designed RF mode with provided USB dongle? I have never seen issues with Logitech stuff missing inputs over 12ft of the line of sight with their RF tech.

 

[RedCharles]

I don't typically play fast paced shooters on my TV. My body posture and hand angle is never ideal. There is a product called the Couchmaster that would improve the hand angle, but I don't own one. Low WAF factor.

At 9 feet my connection is ok, but there's no twitch. My TV has 120hz 1080p mode, which really improves the responsiveness. I find 4k 60hz pretty much unplayable for anything faster than Skyrim.

I play Skyrim, MFS, Black Mesa, COH2, even Doom on my TV, but I would not play competitive games like Battlefield or Starcraft on a TV. I play competitive games on my G9 when I have time.

Are you missing mouse clicks? Or keyboard strokes? Both?

And like I said before, you could run a line under the floor, in the crawl, and drill a hole through the floor under your couch and place a wireless transmitter under, up to the edge of the couch, or go all the way wired. That is what I was going to do if the Corsair/502 didn't fix my problem, but it did fix my issues.

How to Beat the Maximum USB Cable Length Limit

All USB cables have a maximum length, but a variety of cables and extenders are available that allow you to reach much longer distances without losing signal quality – learn more.

blog.tripplite.com

 

[marticus]

I feel your pain OP I have about 20ft between my htpc and keyboard/mouse (wireless logitec set k400 iirc) and despite claims of 30ft range I'm right on the edge of its limit with the keyboard struggling particularly.

I found line of sight helps, as others have said I made sure that the USB dongle is on the front of the case, but I even have to move my coffee table at times for good reception.

In the past I just got a USB cable extender and plugged the dongle into that and ran it out I to the room..

I may try a wireless extender next as other posters have suggested.

 

[panteragstk]

Wired is best. I won't use a wireless keyboard and mouse for my desktop again.

I want one of these for couch gaming, but that won't happen till I get a VRR/gsync compatible TV. Not going to downgrade from my current monitor. Once you have VRR, you don't give up VRR.

https://www.steigerdynamics.com/productcart/pc/configurePrd.asp?idproduct=375&time=2015327133057, 2015327211039, 2015327232413&time=2015328215925

 

[slipperybidness]

Wired is best. I won't use a wireless keyboard and mouse for my desktop again.

I want one of these for couch gaming, but that won't happen till I get a VRR/gsync compatible TV. Not going to downgrade from my current monitor. Once you have VRR, you don't give up VRR.

https://www.steigerdynamics.com/productcart/pc/configurePrd.asp?idproduct=375&time=2015327133057, 2015327211039, 2015327232413&time=2015328215925

@Am_P
I agree with this post, wired is best. It will have the least lag and the least chance of a missed input.

If you are really interested in competitive play and having every possible advantage, then a hard-wired keyboard and mouse are the only options. Go take a look at the professional EVO tournament players, every single fight stick is wired, and it is even difficult to find a native wireless stick for the console games. These top tier competitors have their timing down to a single frame of animation, and a wireless stick will never be able to handle that precisely.

Now, as I suspect you are really a casual FPS player, a wireless solution is fine for 95% of us that don't have that single frame reflex anyway.

To put this into audio terms, it's like you are asking for the best MP3 player for the best audio (i.e. your wireless solution), while ignoring the fact that FLAC files are inherently the superior solution (i.e. the wired option).