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randulo randulo
 
December 24, 2008 10:39 AM

I just bought a new Logitech cordless optical mouse and it has a little pad with a connect button?

On my older unit, there's no buttons and the USB part is tiny. Just two different models or is there some reason why the older ones don't exist anymore? I could not see, ordering online, that there was this "base unit". The connect button is to allow locking in when there are other signals. Maybe this is because there are so many more signals in the air now?
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writingawa... writingawa...
 
 December 25, 2008 02:50 PM
For most cordless mice, the little Connect button simply prompts the station/dongle to begin searching for and authenticating the mouse itself. Almost all cordless mice nowadays have an authentication process (the mouse has a certain ID, and the base will only connect to that ID) to minimize events of signal interference. The base station and the mouse, however, should start seeking each other as soon as both are powered up. When the mouse powers down while the base station/dongle is still active (i.e. when you change the batteries), the Connect button should reestablish the connection between the two.

To lamp1023, I'm not entirely sure why unplugging and reinserting the base station/dongle works better than pressing the Connect button. A technician friend once told me that this was the cordless mouse equivalent for a reboot, though I can't see why it would need one.


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darth cont... darth cont...
 
December 26, 2008 03:54 PM
If the battery power on a wireless mouse starts fading, weird stuff can happen which can cause the communication between the base and mouse to become erratic. To simulate what this might be like, you could take some old handheld game (the type that would run with a 9v battery or a couple of button cells), and try dislodging the battery lid slightly and then rapidly fidget with the batteries so that the connection becomes inconsistent. You might notice anomalous characters or sprites or other stuff displayed on the game screen.

Different devices react to less than optimal power levels differently, but this might give you some idea of what it's dealing with. Obviously for a mouse, replacing the batteries would fix the problem for the longer term in this scenario.

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splatham splatham
 
December 24, 2008 03:50 PM
I would imagine your assumtions are right about there being more signals in the air to disrupt yours. I had purchased a similar mouse that had the "lock in" button to sync it to my laptop and I thought it was great. I can see that being a problem in college class rooms and airports where there are a lot of people in a confined space using a wireless mouse. The odds of somebody having the same brand mouse sitting within "connection" distance is more common than when the wireless mouse technology came about.

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lamp1023 lamp1023
 
December 24, 2008 04:13 PM
I've got a similar one but I've never been able to figure out what that "connect" button does. Whenever the mouse doesn't respond and I've tried using the button, it makes no difference at all. Whenever the mouse isn't responding, I unplug the base unit where it plugs into the back of the computer and plug it back in. Presto. It works again. Weird.

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